Hugh Morris seems to have been in the spotlight in recently which is interesting because the England team is no longer a force in test cricket according to the rankings. He has heaped praise on the job done by the caretaker coach Andy Flower in overseeing a test series defeat and several poor one day performances. This is an ominous sign and it probably indicates that Flower gets his vote for the job permanently. All this promoting from within rubbish has gotten us nowhere fast ever since Duncan Fletcher left the post.
The way the ECB has gone about the quest for a new coach leaves a lot to be desired. What is wrong with these people? Sometimes they cannot identify the nation’s best cricketers and now they invite applications for a head coach. What they should have done is decided who they wanted beforehand then moved heaven and earth to get their man. But instead they have outsourced the search to a recruitment firm. If I were Tom Moody, I would think they were having a laugh. No wonder he turned the job down England did not exactly make him feel wanted.
Presumably Flower like Moores will say all the right things, interview well impressing the relevant people. Whether he is good enough to be the England cricket coach is irrelevant. The most important thing it seems is getting on well with people at the ECB and if he pulls that off you can almost guarantee he will be the one they choose. Graham Ford who was among the favourites has withdrawn his application because of the lengthy process. They seem to be running out of credible candidates and it is not hard to work out why that is.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
Saturday, 28 March 2009
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Weather Rules Out The IPL
Switching the IPL to South Africa instead of England was the correct decision especially when you consider the climate of the two countries involved. April is usually a damp month with more than a few showers. This means that even a Twenty20 game would probably have delays due to the weather.
South Africa was always going to be the sensible choice as the weather is fair and is unlikely to have an adverse effect on any of the matches. Staging the IPL even at such short notice will give the economy a boost which is no doubt why England was so keen to host it.
It does come as something of a surprise that the tournament has been switched at all considering how successful it has been. Sadly this is another example of non sporting matters that dictate when and where sporting events are held if at all.
Many players have commented that it will not be the same and that is true but it is far better to stage it in another country than cancel the tournament altogether. The IPL will continue to be a good thing for cricket worldwide regardless of where it is held.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
South Africa was always going to be the sensible choice as the weather is fair and is unlikely to have an adverse effect on any of the matches. Staging the IPL even at such short notice will give the economy a boost which is no doubt why England was so keen to host it.
It does come as something of a surprise that the tournament has been switched at all considering how successful it has been. Sadly this is another example of non sporting matters that dictate when and where sporting events are held if at all.
Many players have commented that it will not be the same and that is true but it is far better to stage it in another country than cancel the tournament altogether. The IPL will continue to be a good thing for cricket worldwide regardless of where it is held.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
Saturday, 21 March 2009
West Indies Get What They Deserve
They may have gotten away with playing negative cricket in the test series but on this occasion the West Indies got exactly what they deserved. Coach John Dyson gestured for his players to come off for bad light whilst wrongly thinking they were ahead on Duckworth Lewis when they were actually one run behind. This extraordinary turn of events left his team on 244-7 and therefore handed the game to England on a plate.
The light was fading but there were only a few balls left of the match and Windies were in a great position to win needing roughly a run a ball to win. Both batsmen at the crease seemed more concerned with the light than winning the game.
The confusion was rumoured to have stemmed from a correction to the score earlier in the West Indies innings where two runs were deducted. All parties were informed of this at the time but it appears the Windies backroom staff either did not take this correction into account or just got their sums wrong in general. D/L calculations need to be double and triple checked simply because they change with every ball.
It is actually good for cricket that England won the first one day international because if the West Indies had won it then they would probably have resorted to attempting to tie the remainder of the matches in the series. As mistakes go this was a massive clanger and after the recent test series, there will not be much sympathy on offer.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
The light was fading but there were only a few balls left of the match and Windies were in a great position to win needing roughly a run a ball to win. Both batsmen at the crease seemed more concerned with the light than winning the game.
The confusion was rumoured to have stemmed from a correction to the score earlier in the West Indies innings where two runs were deducted. All parties were informed of this at the time but it appears the Windies backroom staff either did not take this correction into account or just got their sums wrong in general. D/L calculations need to be double and triple checked simply because they change with every ball.
It is actually good for cricket that England won the first one day international because if the West Indies had won it then they would probably have resorted to attempting to tie the remainder of the matches in the series. As mistakes go this was a massive clanger and after the recent test series, there will not be much sympathy on offer.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
Monday, 16 March 2009
Team Selection For The Ashes 2009
Selecting the team should be very simple if you compile a list of the players the Australian team would rather not face then you will not go far wrong. Sadly the selectors will not choose the strongest possible team or even squad. Australia has come back strongly against South Africa while England continues to slip down the test rankings. Instead of embracing our better players, we seem to be more interested in trying to make them jump through hoops.
The number three batting spot needs sorting out quickly. Owais Shah waited patiently for a chance but did not make the most of what was tailor made batting wickets in the West Indies. The issue he has with recurring cramp does not help his case either. You get the feeling the selectors will not need much encouragement to quickly go back to Ian Bell when there are more experienced and better equipped candidates in both Michael Vaughan and Robert Key. Kent skipper Key is England’s forgotten man but he has a double hundred in test cricket.
Wicketkeeping is a constant issue with the limitations of Matt Prior being exposed yet again. People talk about his batting but what you get with runs you lose with missed chances, dropped catches and a generous helping of byes. England had this problem many years ago with a reluctance to pick Jack Russell. It is easier to pick the best keeper and work on his batting rather than pick a batsman and teach him how to use the gloves. James Foster should be in the test side at the very least and let Prior do the job in one day cricket if needs be.
The bowling attack is a shadow of the 2005 side and lacks a genuine fast bowler and the aggression of Simon Jones. Harmison has been hit and miss for a long time now so England needs to decide whether to get him firing or move on to someone else. There are not many alternatives but an obvious choice would be Sajid Mahmood who was frozen out after the appointment of Peter Moores. Anderson and Broad seem to be sure of their places and there is competition at last in the spin department. As usual a lot will rest on Andrew Flintoff and whether he can remain fit.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
The number three batting spot needs sorting out quickly. Owais Shah waited patiently for a chance but did not make the most of what was tailor made batting wickets in the West Indies. The issue he has with recurring cramp does not help his case either. You get the feeling the selectors will not need much encouragement to quickly go back to Ian Bell when there are more experienced and better equipped candidates in both Michael Vaughan and Robert Key. Kent skipper Key is England’s forgotten man but he has a double hundred in test cricket.
Wicketkeeping is a constant issue with the limitations of Matt Prior being exposed yet again. People talk about his batting but what you get with runs you lose with missed chances, dropped catches and a generous helping of byes. England had this problem many years ago with a reluctance to pick Jack Russell. It is easier to pick the best keeper and work on his batting rather than pick a batsman and teach him how to use the gloves. James Foster should be in the test side at the very least and let Prior do the job in one day cricket if needs be.
The bowling attack is a shadow of the 2005 side and lacks a genuine fast bowler and the aggression of Simon Jones. Harmison has been hit and miss for a long time now so England needs to decide whether to get him firing or move on to someone else. There are not many alternatives but an obvious choice would be Sajid Mahmood who was frozen out after the appointment of Peter Moores. Anderson and Broad seem to be sure of their places and there is competition at last in the spin department. As usual a lot will rest on Andrew Flintoff and whether he can remain fit.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Test Cricket Is The Loser
The West Indies unlikely victory in the 1st test has been exposed for the fluke that it was. Ever since that shocking result the Windies have been happy to play for a draw which they are perfectly entitled to do. The disappointing aspect of this test series has been the pitches which have constantly favoured the batsmen. This is not a good example of professional sport where contests should be even and talent should be allowed to decide the outcome.
The farce that was the 2nd test pitch was mystifying at the time but now becomes clearer. Perhaps the ground staff misinterpreted their instructions and took things a little too far. Instead of just making life difficult for the bowlers, the pitch would probably have seen a few injuries sustained.
Overall, batting has been far too easy in this series and runs have been cheap. The only obstacle to a century has been the batsmen’s own levels of concentration. This goes against what test match cricket is supposed to be all about. Test cricket should be competitive, aggressive, intense and most importantly a fair contest between the batsman and the bowler.
The loser in this series has been the sport of cricket itself. Supporters should not be forgotten as many have spent large sums of money to go and watch test cricket and quite rightly expect to be entertained. Contrast these matches with the recent encounters between Australia and South Africa. Those two teams rely on skill and hard work to get results as opposed to killing the pitch and along with it any hope of a positive result.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
The farce that was the 2nd test pitch was mystifying at the time but now becomes clearer. Perhaps the ground staff misinterpreted their instructions and took things a little too far. Instead of just making life difficult for the bowlers, the pitch would probably have seen a few injuries sustained.
Overall, batting has been far too easy in this series and runs have been cheap. The only obstacle to a century has been the batsmen’s own levels of concentration. This goes against what test match cricket is supposed to be all about. Test cricket should be competitive, aggressive, intense and most importantly a fair contest between the batsman and the bowler.
The loser in this series has been the sport of cricket itself. Supporters should not be forgotten as many have spent large sums of money to go and watch test cricket and quite rightly expect to be entertained. Contrast these matches with the recent encounters between Australia and South Africa. Those two teams rely on skill and hard work to get results as opposed to killing the pitch and along with it any hope of a positive result.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
A Bowler Short
The drawn test match in Barbados did not produce the most entertaining cricket and it was hard work at times to watch it. The wickets on this tour have not been particularly helpful to the bowlers although England made life harder by selecting an unfit bowler in Sidebottom and dropping Steve Harmison.
Leaving out Harmison because of his lack of wickets is one thing but replacing him with a bowler who has an injury prior to the match is too ridiculous for words. Sidebottom constantly seems to suffer one injury after another but even if he was fit he does not offer much away from English conditions. In addition, he does not take wickets against the better sides in test cricket.
When Flintoff is not available the balance of the side is adversely affected. The four bowler experiment has been used before without much success so it was never going to work in this test. The occasional bowling of batsmen like Collingwood and Bopara may be useful in the domestic limited overs game but is not effective in test cricket.
England has been up against it after the damage done in the shambolic 1st test surrender. All the West Indies have to do is avoid defeat for the remainder of the series and they are home and dry. There is rumour that the Trinidad wicket will offer more assistance to the bowlers but if England once again go with four then a positive result will be more difficult.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
Leaving out Harmison because of his lack of wickets is one thing but replacing him with a bowler who has an injury prior to the match is too ridiculous for words. Sidebottom constantly seems to suffer one injury after another but even if he was fit he does not offer much away from English conditions. In addition, he does not take wickets against the better sides in test cricket.
When Flintoff is not available the balance of the side is adversely affected. The four bowler experiment has been used before without much success so it was never going to work in this test. The occasional bowling of batsmen like Collingwood and Bopara may be useful in the domestic limited overs game but is not effective in test cricket.
England has been up against it after the damage done in the shambolic 1st test surrender. All the West Indies have to do is avoid defeat for the remainder of the series and they are home and dry. There is rumour that the Trinidad wicket will offer more assistance to the bowlers but if England once again go with four then a positive result will be more difficult.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
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