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« Previous Entries Next Entries »100 days until the Ashes
2 years ago, mid-AugustIt might seem a long time until Brisbane, but in fact it’s just 100 days until the first Ashes Test of the 2006-07 series. Brett Lee and Michael Clarke will mark the countdown in Sydney tomorrow morning by cutting a cake. Not sure what that signifies, or indeed whether the cake will be made of ashes, but it’s all a bit too exciting for words.
74% think Strauss should captain England for the Ashes
2 years ago, mid-AugustSorry for the tabloid-like headline, but that’s what a hundred or so of you think. The poll continues and I’ll keep it open - and might run it again after The Oval, just to gauge public opinion.
Who should captain England for the Ashes?
2 years ago, mid-AugustYesterday’s resounding win for England over Pakistan was a triumph for Andrew Strauss. A superb hundred in England’s only innings set them up for a huge total and he captained the side with aggression and spirit, not to mention a great deal of skill. The victory was as much a feather in his cap as England’s. Pleasingly, England have won a series without Andrew Flintoff, without many of their apparent 1st XI, or choice eleven, available. But who should captain England for the Ashes?
Vote below, and leave comments below below (visit the site to vote if you’re reading this via a feed)
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I’m a cricketer, get me out of here
2 years ago, at the start of AugustJohn Buchanan, the tireless laptop-addict and innovator-in-chief of Australian cricket (he is also a coach) is sending his troops on a not-so-secret-but-he’s-trying-to-keep-it-close-to-his-chest camping trip to a remote region of Queensland. The Ashes might be several months away, but they’ve effectively already begun. Tomorrow’s third Test against Pakistan will provide yet more speculation as to England’s preparations. And meanwhile, Australia are to venture into the outback - avoiding those very poisonous spiders and snakes, we hope… - for team-building and other such pitiful phrases which masquerade as a jolly old holiday.
Officials are adamant that it will not be the kind of boot camp that has become the trend for football clubs, at which players have been pushed to their physical limits along the Kokoda Trail, in the case of Hawthorn, or Arizona, in the case of Collingwood.
While the leadership course is a departure from the usual routine of gathering for a cricket training camp at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane before the summer, Buchanan has a history of overseeing physical and spiritual team-building exercises during his coaching tenure.
No sign of Ant and Dec yet…
When it all got exciting
2 years ago, at the start of August12 months ago, this happened.
Where were you and what were you doing when it all got crap-ya-pants nerve-wrackingly exciting?
Vaughan comeback all but a “dream”
2 years ago, at the end of JulyFollowing on rather nicely from the ongoing debate about the apparent mind games England may or may not be playing, Michael Vaughan has today declared himself unlikely to play cricket again. If that is a psychological mind trick to thwart the Australians, then….well, it’s quite clearly not, is it? He is, for want of a better phrase, about as screwed as a pig with one leg hobbling into an abattoir.
“I have real hope I’ll get better”, Vaughan told the media after watching the Old Trafford Test between England and Pakistan. “I’ll do all the hard work and I believe there’ll be another day when Michael Vaughan takes the field in an England cricket shirt. But I have to be realistic. I’ve read I might never play cricket again, and that might well turn out to be the case.
“Is there any chance I might be ready for Melbourne or Sydney? Probably not, but I’m going to hang on to that dream.”
More worrying even than his injury is the realisation he has now started talking in the third person. Full story at Cricinfo.
England’s injuries ignite the phoney war?
2 years ago, at the end of JulyOK this pretty interesting. Stu’s been blogging a while and is a regular commenter, as he was during the Ashes. But something strange is happening. While everyone else in Australia has already written England off since last September - understandably, given the piss-awful-luck with injuries and whatnot - Stu has a different theory: it’s mind games! Here’s what he says (sorry Stu for nicking it…)
“The devil’s greatest trick, was convincing the world he didn’t exist…”. Australia weren’t just outplayed during the Ashes series of 2005 - they were out thought, out managed, out administered and played by the English press like Grand Pianos…and it’s happening again.
My tip is, that Jones will play in November, as will Vaughan, and Flintoff and anyone else who, between now and then, has doubt cast on them…and there will be someone else who is “out of the Ashes”. Australians pride themselves on this “sportsmanship” (read mind games) but they are being done now, by canny Englishmen, who for once have the ability to back up the talk, on the field.
All I can hope is that that the Aussies stay quiet, and come out onto the Gabba and win the first session of the first test so convincingly that they set up the rest of the series right there…
I can’t say I agree, but then I’m English. So what does this mean? Are England better placed than people think? Will Michael Vaughan and Simon Jones make miraculous recoveries? If you’re an Australian, do you agree with Stu and if not, why not?
116 days to go…
2 years ago, at the end of July116 days until we wake up at 8pm; shower; have breakfast; climb on the bus full of drunken revellers and go to work to cover the Ashes. 116 days, that’s all.
And before anyone emails me or leaves a comment to call me an Ashes fundamentalist, or similar…THE ASHES ROCK.
A brief winter rumination
2 years ago, at the end of JulyGreetings from Adelaide. I haven’t put finger to keyboard for a while, for the fairly obvious reason that the Australian cricket team is having a well earned break. And what is good enough for the boys in Baggy Green is good enough for me.
Having said all that, I am starting to get bored. It does seem like a long time ago that Jason Gillespie scored a double century, and the Ashes action doesn’t fire up again until November 23, still four months away.
Well, if Justin Langer can have a cameo to keep the cobwebs at bay, then so can I. I was glad to see that he got himself a decent old 300, because there has actually been cricket in Australia this month, with a semi-triangular tournament featuring Australian A sides against ‘A’ sides from India, Pakistan and New Zealand. And in the four day game that was played Phil Jaques scored 240 and 117 against India A.
Langer also made a point to tell Merv Hughes off for complaining that Australia were too chummy with the English last year. The best traditions of the game are that you fight like hell on the field and then you have a beer and a laugh off it. Rather a pity that Merv of all people forgot that. It’s not like Merv was not a bit of a beer-drinker himself.
Apart from that little conflab, there’s not much else to report from Australia. Notes are being taken about all these injuries that England are suffering. I don’t think the people who are paying a fortune for tickets on e-Bay really want to see a second-string England get ripped apart by the Australians though. That would just be deja-vu all over again.
Boy scouts versus Dad’s Army
2 years ago, mid-JulyNovember’s Ashes series, the most hyped in memory, promises to be a battle between young and old, between inexperience and gnarled old pros. So often the side who sent pensioners to Australia in recent series, it is England who will be by far the younger side as they were last year.
I was reading Tim de Lisle’s piece in today’s Times over several coffees this afternoon. In it he makes mention of England’s “young old guard”:
On Thursday, England’s captain will be Andrew Strauss, a man who made his Test debut only 27 months ago. Their gnarliest veteran will be Marcus Trescothick, aged 30. The most prized wicket will be that of Kevin Pietersen, a Test cricketer for only a year. Five of the likely squad — Alastair Cook, Jamie Dalrymple, Liam Plunkett, Sajid Mahmood and Monty Panesar — are new since the Ashes series and only Trescothick and Matthew Hoggard have Test careers stretching back three years
The situation England find themselves in is a potential precipice: they could fall spectacularly against Pakistan, or move confidently away from the edge and find young talent who have the bottle to battle their way in Australia. Replacing England’s key players in the winter were the likes of Alastair Cook, Monty Panesar and Owais Shah - none of whom were in the slightest bit fazed or overawed. They performed as they have for their counties, with little fuss and no less shortage of skill and flair (with Monty’s and Cook’s fielding the only worrying aspect).
All is not lost. In fact, I’m reminded of last September when my mate said “Well that’s that then. We’re f***** for the next Ashes.” Amid all the celebration and relief in watching England’s players lap up their victory, it was an odd angle to take. When asked to reason his oddness, he said “We weren’t expected to win it this year [2005]; we’re now favourites for next winter and it’s all going to go belly up.”
He has a point. As a nation, we’re the best, most ankle-snapping of underdogs. I don’t think expectation necessarily sits comfortably in the minds of British sportsmen and women. Think Tim Henman; think England’s Rugby Union squad after winning the World Cup; England’s footballers, well, the less said about them the better. And to that list you can add the England cricket team. So maybe (he says, clutching armfuls of straw) England’s current woes might stand them in better stead for the future than we believe. The thought of having the 2005 squad back together again is fanciful; it won’t happen, and England could well be thankful for that so long as the young replacements mature quickly and rid themselves of, well, the “replacements” tag.
Don’t underestimate the importance of this series against Pakistan in the rebuilding of England. It’s massive, and promises to be absolutely fascinating.
England’s Ashes situation
2 years ago, at the start of JulyMichael’s out, but remains favourite. Fred is out too, but he is the second favourite. Andrew’s no one’s favourite, really, but stays in. This all sounds like something from the interminable Big Brother but in fact this is England’s captaincy nightmare.
It’s hard to make head or tail of what has happened. Even yesterday, when Michael Vaughan was officially, finally ruled out of this winter’s Ashes series, there were rumblings from the ECB machine that “it’s really not that serious; we expect him back for the World Cup” and similar. And Flintoff? He is the stand-in captain and remains the favourite to replace Vaughan - when fit. When’s that? Who knows?
You have to feel a bit for Andrew Strauss, the stand-in stand-in. The ship’s engine is broken, there are bloody great big holes letting in gallons of water; steer us towards safety if you would! The calamity England find themselves in is, conversely, quite a relief. At least now they (we) can start from scratch and build from here, without constant, confusing, ambiguous medical reports from every doctor and his dog.
On similar lines, Kathy left a very interesting comment yesterday, making mention of Matthew Hoggard who, via Vaughan, was allowed to play in England A’s match against Pakistan (scorecard):
Interesting comments for two reasons: Vaughan still ably managing the team from the sidelines, and Hoggard’s belief that current form has got nothing to do with temporary captainship.
Perceptive thoughts, but I disagree that a team can be captained from the sidelines. It simply can’t. However, Hoggard’s belief that the temporary captaincy conundrum isn’t affecting England is perhaps indicitive of the confidence England still have within themselves. At least, I hope so.
Worst of all, and I can’t explain why I say this, the recent events with Vaughan and all the other injuries have really put a dampener on what England achieved last summer. It has been made futile - at least, that’s the impression I get. All that hard work - for what? Half the team are broken; the replacements are mostly still in nappies and are understandably flapping. England won the Ashes in 2005; why do I get the distinct feeling that we’re back to square one again?
Michael Vaughan is out of the Ashes
2 years ago, at the start of JulyNot surprising, but what a tossing nightmare that is for England. My thoughts on it tomorrow. Sorry for lack of updates but, then, not a lot’s been going on. Go to Cricinfo for more on Vaughan.
Memories of a golden summer
2 years ago, mid-JuneOn June 13, 2005 (a year ago tomorrow), this happened. Ah, that was a belter - and the spark which ignited the summer.
Interesting what Stu said:
A very fair account from an understandably excited English supported - and good luck to you!
And you’re right, while it is “only 20/20″ and the Aussie press will make a number of statements about why it doesn’t matter, I for one would still rather have won it, and on past tours, against lesser English sides, the result would’ve been reversed - so enjoy……you’re also right on another point, I still say wait for the tests…
12 months on and half the squad are on crutches, or worse, and we’re facing a very fine Pakistan team ahead of this winter’s Ashes. I’m off back to the steaming, stinking, rat-infested, unfriendly, over-priced, watch-your-wallet, don’t-look-at-me-or-else, mind-the-gap, mine’s-a-pint, bastard brilliant city of London now.
Simon Jones out of the Ashes
2 years ago, mid-JuneWell, he’s not confirmed out - but more-or-less. I imagine he might retire in the not-too-distant future, which is a crying shame given his superb performance in the Ashes last year.
Barmy Army Ashes tours 2006-07
2 years ago, at the start of June
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It’s been mere hours since I last mentioned the A word, so it’s high time we mentioned it - and the Barmy Army.
From humble, albeit boistrous beginnings, England’s Barmy Army has morphed into a commercial venture offering serious fans the chance to tour with Brits (and others) following England. From what I can gather, they’re a great help and offer great support to the team; during England’s darker days in the mid-1990s, it always brought a smile to my face that hundreds of people could drunkedly chant “Barmy Army! Barmy Army!” in the face of 70 for 8 with Gus Fraser at the crease. Not Gus’ fault, of course - in fact, he’s an utter legend in Barmy parts and even not-so-barmy parts.
With the own-goal netted by Cricket Australia this week, it looks like the Barmy Army (who according to an insider have deals and connections in the cricket-ticket-world - the illuminati, if you will; ticketing masons, even) have a feast of tickets to go along with their other tour offerings. See here for details.
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