India 285-6 (50 overs) England 158 (36 overs) Don’t worry. I’ll give the wheelie headlines a rest after this. But let’s face it. England’s performance in the second ODI was really, really bad. But let’s not get too downhearted. Nobody wheelie (sorry) expected us to win this series, so the odd bad day at the office isn’t unexpected. With Trott, Swann and Anderson missing, our unproven players struggled under fire. The bowling was always a concern, and our batsmen fell flat on their faces when...
Ashley Giles: From The Bears into the bear pit
This aint like dustin’ crops boy. It hasn’t been the most auspicious start for Ashley Giles. England were thrashed in the first warm up game and beaten soundly by Delhi in the second. Thank heavens we weren’t playing Jaipur and Mumbai too, otherwise things might have got really ugly. It’s all the more embarrassing because England are, if the rather bizarre ICC Championship rankings are to be believed, the best ODI team in the world. Imagine what Delhi might have done to South Africa or...
Lack of imagination hurting England again – day two from Ahmedabad
“Don’t worry boys, I’ve got a plan. We’re going to do exactly the same things that didn’t work in the UAE” Only a few things in life are certain: death, taxes and England’s management making the same mistakes again and again. When Alastair Cook was made captain, and Andrew Strauss (noble servant that he was) took his conservative behind to the retirement home, I really hoped things would be different. No longer would we have to endure this wrongheaded...
Back for good?
The worst kept secret in English cricket was revealed on Sunday. Ravi Bopara, a man that polarises opinion in the same way as a Ramprakash or Hick, was recalled to the test side in place of Jonny Bairstow. But in the words of Gary Barlow, a man with no relevance to cricket whatsoever, will Ravi be back for good? This is a golden opportunity for Bopara to cement his place. He’s been in great form with the bat (and also with the ball) in recent weeks, and there are no real contenders for his spot...
Do the two number eights add up to the best team?
There has been a lot of chat about the Windies’ supporting bowlers after Lord’s. The theory goes that Darren Sammy’s boys might have won if it wasn’t for, err, Darren Sammy. They’ve got a point – sort of. Had the West Indies had four Kemar Roaches, or Kemar Roach backed up by a Colin Croft, Sylvester Clarke or Winston Benjamin, then the result may well have been different. The trouble is, the Windies don’t have anyone anywhere near as good as this fearsome trio. Jerome Taylor is...
Patel’s well rounded talents give selectors food for thought
One day, somewhere, a cricket blogger will write an article about Samit Patel without mentioning grub. But until that time, I’m going to continue writing headlines like the one above. Sorry Samit. As some form of consolation, however, we’re tempted to endorse Patel’s claims for a place in the test side. First of all, his nearest competitor for the sixth batting spot, Ravi Bopara, has injured his side. Consequently, he’s unlikely to be able to bowl for a while. Patel’s bowling, on the other...
