Yesterday was not a good day. We don’t mind when England lose (let’s face it, England defeats have hardly been a rare occurrence over the last decade) but off-field matters and the manner of the defeat have got right under my skin. Indeed, I think I could be the grumpiest man in the history of cricket. I’m even grumpier than Ian Botham when he signed for Worcestershire in 1987 without realising that the best cakes at New Road rarely leave the ladies pavilion. Someone has definitely stolen the...
Ijaz Butt has a point
An atmosphere of tension and suspicion, suffused by recrimination and innuendo. Pakistan’s entire reputation as a viable international cricketing nation on life-support. In such situations, the role of a test cricket board chairman is to play the diplomat, help smooth things over, and work constructively with all parties towards achieving resolution. And so, in walks Ijaz Butt and accuses the England side of throwing a match for cash. In a way you have to admire him, if only for the sheer...
Too much cricket, at the wrong time
So how best to organise the final weeks of the cricket season, and showcase the fixture list’s major set-piece events? What about…staging the third England v Pakistan ODI on a Friday, followed next day by the Clydesdale Bank 40 final, the biggest day of the domestic season. Then skip the Sunday – the most attractive day of the week to watch cricket. Finally, schedule another ODI (as if we’ve not had enough already) on, very conveniently, a Monday. And don’t forget...
Warwickshire saved by the Bell
Warwickshire won the Clydesdale Bank 40 trophy on Saturday thanks to skipper Ian Bell, who scored a superb / fantastic / brilliant (or any other superlative you can think of) 107 off just 95 balls. Whilst the other batsmen in the match struggled to come to terms with the autumnal conditions, the England man compiled an innings of genuine quality to see his side home. This was the Ian Bell that everyone wants to see in an England shirt: composed, stylish and match-winning. Who says an orthodox...
Raging Gul
England’s chances of a whitewash in the ODI series against Pakistan were floored by Umar Gul yesterday. The paceman was simply unplayable in helpful conditions under the Oval floodlights. His match figures of 6-42 knocked the stuffing out of England when they were cruising to victory at 201-5. They never recovered. Instead the tail were simply blown away by a combination of pace, aggression and late swing. In a summer in which the Pakistanis have been left black and blue by spot-fixing...
Good light stopped play
Manchester folk don’t have a lot to smile about. They get the worst weather in the northern hemisphere and they get invaded by thousands of Japanese tourists every time one of their football teams (the one that wears red) has a home game. Those who attended the county championship division one encounter between Lancs and Notts on Tuesday had even more reason to reach for a noose and the nearest chair. Having endured apocalyptic rain all morning, they finally got to see some cricket at 4pm...
