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England depend on Harmison for the Ashes
By Will 2 months ago, Comments
Harmison and Pietersen celebrate against South Africax
Forgive me. I was going to wait at least another week before mentioning the A word, but with the recall of Steve Harmison proving such a success, it’s high time I stated the bleeding obvious. The success of next year’s Ashes depends rather a lot on Harmison, and today was a case in point.
He led the attack, bowling a tight line to Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis, both of whom were dismissed by him. James Anderson supported him well. So too did Stuart Broad. But where was Flintoff? He was enjoying a well-earned break from leading England’s attack in the slip cordon. Only at 12.20pm was he introduced into the attack and, having been battered by Harmison and to a lesser extent Anderson, Flintoff - less pressure on him owing to Harmison’s earlier bulldozing - did what he does best: add a big bottle of Lancastrian tobasco.
Flintoff has occasionally managed to be England’s best bowler and their most fearsome and feared while Harmison has bottled it. But England’s attack is so better balanced with a firing Harmison that everyone else just slots in. Anderson swings it as Matthew Hoggard used to. Broad is still in his infancy as a Test bowler, but the signs are promising.
I fully expect Harmison to bottle it again - be it in India or West Indies. But I’ve been genuinely surprised how good he has looked in this Test. Perhaps after all these years, it’s finally kicked in: he must bowl, bowl and bowl. Who knows? He could yet murder Australia next summer, and England will cling onto that hope - however forlorn it probably sounds to our Aussie readers. I fully expect most of you to either disagree with me or, for the Aussies, to call me a pathetic pommy dreamer. And I may well be, but one thing’s for certain: if Harmison is at his best next year, England will regain the Ashes.
By the by, in exactly 12 months, we’ll be on the fourth day of the fourth Ashes Test. Will it be sealed already? Yes, probably, but let’s pretend Australia really are as fragile as we hope they will be. Which England side would you plump for?
CommentsAustralia, they’re f****** finished
By Will 4 months ago, Comments
Those words came from a colleague today. Not just today, in fact, but through West Indies’ series against Australia. “The Ashes are coming home.”
I am significantly less convinced - though he has good form in picking these things - but heartened, from an English perspective, at the cracks which are widening. With Stuart MacGill’s shove (err, retirement? - ed), Michael Clarke has suddenly been elevated to their principle spinner. Beau Casson, who at certain angles looks well into his 80s, is MacGill’s unofficial replacement - so says Stuart himself - but with 107 wickets @ over 40 apiece, he’s hardly set the domestic scene alight.
Australia have just looked sloppy and off their game this series. Granted, Brett Lee eventually woke up today and blitzed West Indies, but not before a fairly mediocre opening burst, while Mitchell Johnson is accurate but lacks variation, at his own admission. Matthew Hayden, meanwhile, is clearly over the hill…or he would be if his knees would carry him. Their fielding is led by Ponting and Symonds, but the rest are fallible and were outfielded by West Indies in the first Test.
So, Aussies - where are you heading? Are you concerned about the number of star-quality players to have jumped ship in the past 12 months? What of Casson, Johnson and other rising up-and-comers? Defend your Baggy Green!
CommentsThe return of Warne
By Will 5 months ago, Comments
Oh, it’s too good to be true. Or is it?
“If Australia really needed me and there was no one else around, and Ricky Ponting thought I could do the job, you would weigh up the options,” Warne told the Herald Sun. “If Stuey MacGill fell over and broke his leg, and there were no other spinners around, and Ricky came out and said, ‘Mate, can you please help us out for this one-off tour? We need you’, that is something I would weigh up.”
It’ll never happen of course (though, never say never when Warne’s in the room. As his many mistresses will no doubt attest to). But we can hope…
CommentsHandbags at dawn
By Will 8 months ago, Comments
Children, children. Is anyone else finding the constant spat between Australia and India nothing short of pathetic? I read that India have complained for Matthew Hayden calling Harbhajan Singh “mad boy”, and Hayden’s followed it up with the less than timely statement that the same bloke is an “obnoxious weed“. Isn’t Hayden meant to be one of Australia’s church-going, cross-bearing, holier than thou ministers? And who gives a flying toss if Singh was called a “mad boy”? It isn’t racist, other than to the mentally fragile, and in no way could be considered offensive. At most, it is merely dismissive. Perhaps that’s why it upset them so much: they want a real fight.
When Australia tour England next year, they will share and enjoy every vulgar insult under the sun. Captains’ virility will be called into question by a short-leg (apologies for the pun there). The opening batsmen’s mothers might be mentioned, and you can bet that every Englishmen will, in the eyes of the Australians, not deserve to be out there. Everyone will laugh about it and we’ll all go home chuckling.
Why, then, do these two countries have such a problem with eachother?
Pathetic. The sooner this tour’s over, the better.
CommentsOne bit of good news…
By Jonathan Liew 8 months ago, Comments
The rugby might be dismal, the footballers might have the summer off and the nation’s best sprinter might be a convicted drug cheat, but England’s women cricketers are, once again, flying the flag.
And let’s hear none of this “women’s cricket isn’t as good as men’s” baloney. It is in England. What we wouldn’t give to have Charlotte Edwards shoring up the men’s middle order. Or a Hoggard-Guha dream new-ball partnership…
CommentsA ton for a ticket
By Will 9 months ago, Comments
We ran a story today about ticket prices for this summer exceeding £100 at The Oval. The piece was originally in this month’s issue of The Wisden Cricketer magazine - our ex-sister publication - and it’s quite a shock. But it should be noted that most tickets on sale this summer are sold “at around £50 to £62 for the ODIs and a bit cheaper for the Tests”.
Nevertheless, a hundred quid for one day’s cricket - which could be rained off or excruciatingly dull viewing - is an extraordinary amount of dosh. Considering the opposition England face this year - New Zealand, specifically, at The Oval - it begs the ominous question of just how inflated prices might become for the Big One: the 2009 Ashes.
How much are you willing to pay?
CommentsRelive Harmison’s horrors
By Will last year, at the end of November, Comments
It’s November 18 as I write this while checking on Steve Harmison’s progress for the Lions in South Africa. It reminded me of that horrific first over of last year’s Ashes. Me and my two colleagues were so ridiculously up for the series, we sprinted into work at 10pm (wearing stupid wigs and hats)…and the whole excitement disappeared in a matter of five minutes once Harmison had sprayed it like an aerosol.
So relive those glorious moments of exactly 12 months ago with the commentary below!
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| Here’s Harmison…Now then, it’ll be Steve Harmison bowling to Justin Langer for the first ball of the Ashes. The roar goes up - it is unbelievably loud out there - “Langer’s wearing a sweater! He’s obviously in it for the long haul,” says Andrew Miller.Here come England to rapturous applause and cheers of “Ingerland, Ingerland, Ingerland” from the hordes of England fans. Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden are on the boundary edge and they are seriously pumped up; swinging their bats wildly, sparring with them like boxers before a bout.We’re moments away - the ground looks a picture, under a morning sun which is already scorching hot. We hope you enjoy out commentary today, wherever you are in the world, and don’t forget to keep an eye on our bulletin - from Andrew Miller at the ground - as well as our photo index.Morning Martin, and good morning to everyone, wherever you might be. At last, we’re nearly there and the Gabba - or Gabattoir as some call it and, judging by the cacophonous noise out there, it’s damn close to a fortress-like atmosphere - is slowly filling up. Ricky Ponting had no hesitation in choosing to bat and both teams have gone with the tried and tested. The pitch is dry and, although there’s a hint of grass, the cracks are visible and it could turn a country mile come the fourth day.The national anthems are over - Adam Gilchrist was thankfully the only one to do The American Thing and hold his baggy green next to his heart. All very patriotic.10.55am Well, we made it through that. It’s five minutes away and we are all set. Your commentators throughout this match will be Will Luke, Jenny Thompson and Martin Williamson. Here we go … Will Luke, who has been even more excited about this in recent days than my four-year-old on Christmas Eve, to take you through the first spell. Good morning, Will …10.50am Ian Botham and Ian Healy are carrying out the two flags and we are about to have the national anthems. The two teams are coming out as well and the noise inside the Gabba has been upped a few decibels. I bet the opening batsmen are delighted to be standing out in the middle minutes before they have to open the innings.Oh my God. We have an American-style national anthem sung by a Kylie wannabe … the ceremony must have been organised by a republican. The Aussie anthem gets four girls singing it … not much improvement.
10.40am Nasser Hussain is in the middle and giving his pitch report. It’s about 29 degrees and an 8mph wind coming from the north. The surface is dry and there are cracks on it, and the consensus is that the pitch will play well for a couple of days before the cracks open up, and thereafter there will be uneven bounce for the quick men … not to mention what Warne will do. 10.35am Australia have won the toss and will bat A huge cheer goes up from the home crowd but a shocker from Sky TV. Nicholas is interviewing Flintoff and the on-field analysts are yakking over the top of him. Shambles. Our man on the spot gives us the quotes nevertheless … “We’d probably have had a bat, but we’re not too bothered,” says Flintoff, perhaps not as convincing as he would like to be. “The ball doesn’t swing for long, so the first ten overs we’ve got to get it in the right area.” As for Ponting, he is clearly happy to have first crack. The wicket does look particularly good. There’s a bit of moisture on the top of it but there are a few cracks which might open up.” Asked about the decision to play Stuart Clark, he said: “Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait have both missed out. The way Stuart bowls in these Brisbane conditions will be handy and if there are some cracks - he’s a straight bowler, so he will find them hopefully.” A reminder of the teams: England 1 Andrew Strauss, 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Kevin Pietersen, 6 Andrew Flintoff (capt), 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Ashley Giles, 9 Matthew Hoggard, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 James Anderson. Australia 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Justin Langer, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Michael Clarke, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Shane Warne, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Stuart Clark, 11 Glenn McGrath. 10.30am The captains are walking out to the middle … here we go. Both are wearing blazers and caps, and they are going to be tossing with a special commemorative coin (that will doubtless be on eBay within hours!). All lined up on the wicket, very portentous music playing. And here’s Mark Nicholas … 10.25am The commentators are pontificating about life, the universe and everything. Behind them, the pitch is beginning to clear in preparation for the toss which is in less than five minutes. The stands are filling out nicely and the PA is getting really quite deliriously excited … Wayne writes: “Australia’s selection of Stuart Clark is a good choice but I think Mitchell Johnson would have done a great job and offered something a little more different to Glen McGrath’s clone.” 10.15am England have named their XI and as expected, Ashley Giles has been preferred to Monty Panesar. “It’s safety first from Fletcher, but with some reason,” Andrew Miller tells us. “Remember 2002-03, when Craig White was England’s No. 7. The idea of a tail that long is anathema to the coach. Giles acts as ballast, and should allow England’s top six to play with greater freedom.” Feedback on the decision to play Giles coming in. “Giles starting in place of Panesar? We all knew it was coming. What is going on? Fletcher you haven’t got a clue,” writes Neil. “Even if the long tail is a good point, and I rate Giles, has he really played enough cricket to be prepared for this match?” asks Michael Wells. Sriram Veera, our insomniac in Bangalore, advises us that this is the 100th Test that Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath have played together. 9.55am Andrew Miller, our man at the Gabba, reports as follows: Definite green tinges in the wicket, and Ricky Ponting reckons there’s some moisture lurking beneath the rock-hard surface as well. The team that wins the toss will probably bat first, but as Nasser Hussain demonstrated four years ago, nothing can be taken for granted England team have been in a huddle on the practice strip and are now jogging round before going through their stretches. Ashley Giles has been busy going through his bowling action, which may or may not be a sign of anything 9.30am Good morning and welcome to coverage of the first Test at Brisbane. In 80 minutes the phony war is over and the talking stops. The weather is clear and sunny and there will be a prompt start. Read Andrew Miller’s preview by clicking here and send us your thoughts by clicking here There is no news at the moment on whether England will play Ashley Giles or Monty Panesar but as soon as we hear, we’ll let you know. The local pundits are betting on Giles, however. |
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| 0.1 | Harmison to Langer, 1 wide, and it’s wild and woolly, a massive wide taken by first slip. Welcome back to Australia, Steve |
Knock yourselves out with more if you can bear it.
CommentsTonk a Pom
By Will last year, at the end of October, Comments
Forgot to mention in the previous post that Ford are also offering Australians the chance to “tonk a Pom“, in case they wish to relive their glory days last season. Of course, no self-respecting Aussie would lower himself to such heinous activity, right?
CommentsThe only series that still matters
By Jonathan Liew last year, mid-October, Comments
Here’s a hypothetical question for England fans out there: if England were to lose every Test match and one-day international from now until 2009, but then win the Ashes back, would you take it? Be honest, now.
Much has been talked and written about the indifference of the English to one-day cricket. But meaningless one-day bashes are, if anything, merely the tip of the indifference iceberg. As England fans, there’s a whole host of other things we don’t care about, from Twenty20 internationals, through the regular thrashings of Bangladesh and the West Indies, right up to – sharp intake of breath – the upcoming winter tours of Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
Oh, of course we’ll check the scores from time to time. Perhaps even watch a bit if we have Sky and remember to set the alarm. But I don’t know too many people from outside the game who have very much of an emotional investment in the outcome at all, just as long as it’s not a humiliation. England series these days feel like part of a two year-long hors d’oeuvres to the 2009 main course.
Just as Australia’s sights were fixed on the 2006-7 series from the moment they walked off the field at The Oval, the year 2009 is seared indelibly into our consciousness. It’s everywhere: in the press, on the messageboards, and very possibly in selection meetings (“I mean, Sidebottom’s accurate, but will he trouble the Australian top order?â€). And as for the detritus in between; well, the disappearance of cricket from terrestrial TV has made it a lot easier to ignore. The fact that England barely hit top gear all summer should be a point of grave concern. But to me at least, it doesn’t seem to have been.
There’s a parallel with the rugby here – the English descending on Paris this week care not one jot about the Six Nations humiliations and Antipodean kickings to which England have been subjected over the last four years, but about their performance on the stage that matters. For ‘World Cup’, substitute ‘Ashes’. I suspect most England cricket fans will willingly endure two more years of anguish if there’s a little red urn waiting at the end of it.
CommentsBankrupting the Barmies
By Will last year, at the start of August, Comments
A British travel company used by hundreds of England fans, which incorrectly charged its customers vast sums of money following the Ashes, has gone bankrupt. Oh dear.
More than 200 members of the passionate Barmy Army were hit for six after being unexpectedly billed by Australian hotels for accommodation costs.
This was despite having already paid specialised travel agent Travel and Tours Anywhere Ltd (TTAL) ahead of the trip Down Under.
Some fans returned home to discover their credit cards had been hit with bills of up to $1450.
One man had $300 taken from his account in June, six months after the Aussies won the Ashes series.
Essex credit manager Richard Smith was slugged more than $1400 in January despite winning an all-expenses paid trip to the Sydney and Melbourne Tests through English newspaper the Sun.
More at The Herald Sun.
CommentsHonestly, Michael
By Ian last year, at the start of June, Comments
Just read the piece on Cricinfo about Michael Vaughan implying that the Fredalo incident ruined England’s chances at the World Cup and it got me thinking. There has been plenty written in the last few months that Vaughan should not be skipper; his ego hurts the team; he’s not worth his place etc etc. While his classy hundred against the Windies at Headingley may have bought a little respite from the nay-sayers, it wouldn’t take much for them to get tetchy again.
What this article tells me is that he is still the right man for the job. Vaughan is basically saying that Fred was a bloody idiot and messed it up for everyone by attracting every tabloid paper to the hotel lobby. Fair enough, he did. He also went on to criticise himself and admit that his ODI record sucks. It does. But given how guarded interviews tend to be nowadays until the sportsman has retired, this was pretty candid. A new skipper might not have been so forthright, but Vaughan is about the only one who can say boo to a goose like Freddy or his buddy Harmy for that matter. And we need those two loons back to full throttle if we’re going to threaten the Aussies next time round. Which, if I’m really really honest with myself, is all that matters in the longterm. Vaughan, 32, is still the man to do that.
As for ODIs, I would let him continue as skipper. I’ll admit I am a big fan of his (the Michael Vaughan extra cover drive marks the start of my summer), so this is subjective as ever, but given nobody else is nailing down a place in the top three, what harm is he doing….?
CommentsAustralia v England, Twenty20, Sydney
By Will last year, mid-January, Comments
It’s the hit-and-giggle of the winter season. I can’t imagine for a second England will win it, even with this new bloke Michael Vaughan in the side. In fact, especially with him in the side. Still, it’s always good for a giggle - even if Ricky Ponting refuses to enjoy it, or see the fun side. It’s a game, Ricky…
I think it starts at 8am tomorrow so, if you’re up and interested, post your thoughts here.
CommentsThe anguish of Adelaide
By Will last year, mid-January, Comments
I often enjoy Simon Barnes’s pieces at The Times and he’s produced a really crisp and imaginative recollection of the nightmare of the 2nd Test at Adelaide.
It was cricket as it might have been written by Kafka: a hideous punishment, as unjust as it was incomprehensible, inflicted on people who had earned the right to expect better things from life. It was like playing cricket against the Gestapo: cricket as a form of atrocity in which resistance is useless. It was cricket as torture, in which pain and hatred become distorted into a loving and grateful submission to the torturer.
I shall never forget the streets of Adelaide afterwards, the numb shock of the England supporters. These things don’t happen. We couldn’t have seen that. Brains simply refused to process the information they had received. The England press corps, a more resilient bunch on the whole, were to be found the next day at the airport, each with the thousand-yard stare of the Vietnam vet.
That the torture only lasted an hour was something of a reprieve for us, for England. It was quick - still painful - and violent, and will never be forgotten. Like someone slitting a capillary on their wrist, England bled fatally. Barnes even goes as far to say that “it was the most extraordinary passage of cricket I have seen and one of the most shocking things I have witnessed in any sport”. I’m not sure I can quite agree, but nevertheless it was a period of play which must go down as one of the most captivating (or unwatchable, depending on which side of the fence you sit) in modern times.
CommentsWhere to now for England?
By Will last year, at the start of January, Comments
Not really had time to write anything on Australia’s magnificent performance, and England’s complete acquiescence. So I’m opening it up to you, before which I’ll just offer a brief thought which is nagging away at me.
Nasser Hussain and David Lloyd made some fascinating remarks following the loss at Sydney. They noted that Australia have a team bus, and a designated bus driver - usually one of Stuart Clark or Shane Warne. Warne would be seen hauling his bag from the hotel to the bus, fag in mouth and off they’d go to the ground.
England, on the other hand, have a huge, luxury coach in which to travel. The bags are all sorted for them and they’re surrounded by security guards and pamperers. They don’t lift a finger. This alone can’t lose a team the Ashes, but it’s evidence of the effect 2005 had on England; an over-reaction to a series which was far closer than people realised. Then, England pick-pocketed the urn from Australia; in reverse, this time, Australia have stolen it back like a violent bulldozer prising an ATM from a high-street wall.
Your thoughts? Where do England go from here?
CommentsNanny state seeps into cricket grounds
By Will last year, at the start of January, Comments
And I thought Tony’s Britain was bad. John’s Australia is worse than Tony’s United State of Europe and George’s USA combined and the effects of the 21st century phenomenon, the nanny state, is seeping into cricket grounds at a rate of knots.
Last year the ICC began to ban people bringing in alcohol into grounds. I saw it first hand at The Oval last summer.
The ICC’s problem, so we are told, is the highly dangerous aluminium and glass bottle containers the evil public bring in. In theory, this could cause a disturbance (or, presumably, death). The real reason, I fear, has more to do with driving the public into the bars to spend more money.
Also, beach balls - those venomous, violently coloured plastic balls of carbon dioxide otherwise known as Balls of Doom - are often confiscated by the fun police in Australia, and England. And now the Mexican Wave has been banned. Quite how you enforce this latest one is beyond me, short of super gluing everyone to their seats. But the best example of this disgusting infringement of our freedom comes from Rod, out in Australia at the moment, who tells us:
A friend was told to lift off his sunglasses from one barman yesterday so he could examine his eyes: if they looked drunk he was told to return to his seat.
What’s next? Will bats come under the spotlight? Balls? What about that most venerable of snacks, the pork pie? You’re not even allowed to sneeze at Brisbane: The Telegraph’s Martin Johnson reported in the first Test that one spectator was asked to vacate his seat until his sneezing fit had finished. It is an unbelievable farce that ground authorities have the power to treat the paying public in this manner and, before long, it will backfire.
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