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The limiting factor for West Indies
By Will 2 years ago, at the end of June, No Comments; be the first!
When the captain of your country (countries) turns up to lead you in a Test match, you have every right to feel confident in his ability. Confident that the selectors chose a born leader of men; someone with whom to go into battle. As captain, you also might expect to have a degree of confidence in the men you have chosen. WRONG. If you’re a West Indian captain, you have no say in such matters - pah! The very thought! - which, as Brian Lara is finding out, is a bit of a problem. Yes, the pitch can often be a lottery…but in “home Tests,” generally speaking, the home side holds the aces. They have a whole nation of cricketers to choose from. Not West Indies! Ohh no.
“My only concern is the combination for the final Test,” he said while analysing his team’s performance. “We played an extra batsman here but if you want to get 20 wickets, we need to put players there to get us those wickets. It’s left upto the selectors, let’s see what happens … Guys who’ve been here have done a tremendous job throughout this series, performing on surfaces that really haven’t helped them. Two days rest between Tests and to go back to the reserves and pick fast bowlers would be showing a weakness. Very confident with the likes of Corey Collymore, [Pedro] Collins, [Jerome] Taylor - coming into his own - and Bradshaw has been good. Maybe an addition would be a good choice and we will have the final decision a day before the match.”
The selectors must be loving it, rolling on the floor watching Collins, Taylor and co. all struggle to take the wickets. “If only they had another bowler, eh? Moohhahahahaha” they chortle from the hideaway selectors’ mansion, hidden inside a cave under the sea.
No Comments »Andrew Strauss in line for captaincy
By Will 2 years ago, mid-June, 1 Comment »
As soon as he hit a hundred on his debut in 2004, Andrew Strauss was talked of as a future England captain. Since then, despite a recent minor-blip in form, many have spoken that he should have taken over from Michael Vaughan when he missed England’s tour of India and not Andrew Flintoff.
Following England’s defeat in the final Test against Sri Lanka, Flintoff’s “follow me, lads” style of captaincy has received criticism from Mike Atherton, among others, and it’s noteworthy that Strauss has been chosen. This surely represents the first signal that it is he, rather than Flintoff, that Duncan Fletcher and co. want to lead England in the post-Vaughan era (which could come sooner than we think).
England face Ireland tomorrow for the first time, at Stormont, before a Twenty20 against Sri Lanka at the Rose Bowl on Thursday ahead of the first one-dayer at Lord’s on Saturday.
1 Comment »Andrew “Roy” Symonds starts repaying what he owes.
By Scott 2 years ago, at the end of April, 2 Comments »
Andrew Symonds’ big night out on the day before an ODI against Bangladesh in 2005 will go down in infamy in Australian cricket lore, and probably will be celebrated in Bangladesh for a while to come as well. But he did redeem himself somewhat with a match-winning century in Dhaka to win the 2nd ODI for Australia yesterday.
It must be said, in all honesty, that at the moment he looks like he’s been on an even bigger bender then his 2005 effort. The dreadlocks look scruffy and the beard makes him look like a vagabond. At the moment, if any Australian cricketer is crying out for a makeover by the folks from ‘queer eye for the straight guy’, it is Symonds.
He may look like a drunken derelict, but his 5th ODI century for Australia was a most sober and abstemious effort. He came in with a bit of a crisis happening and Australia struggling after losing 3 for 10 after Adam Gilchrist got interrupted just as he was really warming up. That brought to mind his innings in Sydney against Sri Lanka, where Chaminda Vaas roughed up the Australian top order. Starting this time at 3 for 65, he combined with Michael Clarke to compose a brilliant but ungainly knock.
It’s one thing to score a glittering century on an easy paced but reliable SCG wicket; this wicket at Dhaka was simply diabolical. It was slower then a Madagascar sloth and deader then WG Grace. He came out wearing a helmet but there was no way Mashrafe Mortaza was going to get a bouncer to get beyond rib high at best. Pitch preparation is a black art at the best of times, but whoever was in charge of this one should hang his head in shame. Bangladesh may be poor, but if they can afford to put on a gloriously manicured outfield, there’s no excuse for a pitch like this.
So once the fast men finished their spells with the new ball, we had the rather dreary sight of spinners bowling and the batsmen working them over for singles. It is this sort of cricket that drove the ICC in frustration to introduce monstrosities like power-plays and supersubs. It is hardly the batsmen at fault in situations like this; in Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds, Australia had two of its most positive minded batsmen at the crease. But Clarke only scored 2 boundaries in his 54.
Credit must go to the bowlers, especially the redoubtable Mohammed Rafique. The veteran spinner has clearly been the pick of Bangladesh’s bowlers right through this Australian tour. Of course, it does help his cause that as a slow left arm spinner, he is a member of the spin caste that has troubled Australians the most over recent years. Daniel Vettori is another that springs to mind.
So Symonds played Rafique with respect, picking him off, working him over for the singles, and waiting for the loose ball from the other end. These were not in short supply once Bashar had to face the chore of juggling to find ten overs from his ‘fifth’ bowler, but again the conditions conspired, and the lack of bounce clearly frustrated Symonds. However, instead of losing his head and his innings, he managed to keep his composure, and his wicket, and in the end his century came off 122 balls; slow by his standards but fast in the conditions.
Bashar perhaps missed a trick; he seemed content to allow Australia to pick off singles, and I wonder when a captain is going to be bold enough to try keeping his inner fielders close enough to the batsmen to make singles hard work. It could have paid dividends.
But it was never tried, so they tied Australia down for a while but they could not get them out though, and a late burst saw Australia through to 250. And once the Australian fast men knocked off the top order of Bangladesh’s batting, that was it as a game. Habibul Bashar played a good captain’s knock to ensure Bangladesh had some respectability with their reply of 183, but Symonds was the man who made the difference. And a good thing too, because against this opponent, Symonds owed his country a match-winning innings or three.
2 Comments »It’s de-ja-vu all over again.
By Scott 2 years ago, at the end of April, 2 Comments »
Brian Lara has been appointed captain of the West Indies, for the third time. West Indies cricket’s blogger-in-Chief, Ryan Patrick, has plenty more.
2 Comments »Chanderpaul resigns as West Indies captain
By Scott 2 years ago, mid-April, 1 Comment »
He’s made the move to concentrate on his batting. That is probably a good move- when he was in Australia last summer, he was a shadow of his fomer self. West Indies will have to think long term about his replacement. I’d bet on Ramnaresh Sarwan if forced to guess.
1 Comment »Ricky Ponting seeks asylum in Nepal.
By Scott 2 years ago, mid-April, 4 Comments »
Brett Lee, with the new ball, against Bangladesh, has the attacking field of..erm.. one slip??
I can’t believe my eyes, folks.
What do Australians REALLY think about this? Click here to find out!
4 Comments »Flintoff to captain England
By Will 2 years ago, at the end of February, 14 Comments »
According to reports, Andrew Flintoff is in line to captain England in the first Test at Nagpur on Wednesday, assuming both Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick are unable to attend to their usual duties. I find this quite surprising, not to mention a great shame.
Flintoff has a good cricket brain. I don’t think anyone can doubt that someone who bowls as cleverly as he does, and who bats (now) so sensibly, doesn’t understand the game very well. However, Flintoff isn’t simply another member of the team; he is the team. The addition of captaincy will, like it has affected most English captains in recent years, ruin one or both of his skills. I’m certain it’s not a long-term plan, but given his importance to the side as a bowler and batsman, why burden him now? Why not Andrew Strauss?
Confused from Devon
14 Comments »Athers on Vaughan, captaincy and India
By Scott 2 years ago, at the end of January, No Comments; be the first!
I don’t know where Will is either. Probably drinking or chasing loose women or something. You know how young men run amok these days. Anyway, after a bad effort last week, Athers is doing much better this Sunday, a good column where he interviews Michael Vaughan. They talk about leadership, batting, going to India, and all that sort of thing
Periods of the England captaincy brought on mouth ulcers and sore throats for me. Does Vaughan suffer any physical symptoms of stress? “Throughout the Oval Test I had a lump in my stomach. It was more than just the knotty feeling you get when you’re nervous, and it just sat there and wouldn’t go away. I didn’t enjoy that match at all. I felt physically sick for most of it. I knew we hadn’t got enough runs in the first innings and that it was going down to the wire.”
Vaughan’s great achievement, of course, was to hide all these signs from his team and the general public. He looked as if he was enjoying the pressure and revelling in the occasion. It enabled his team to do the same. The Ashes victory, more than anything else, was a personal triumph for the captain.
Yeah, well, I was feeling physically sick just watching it. Since as an Aussie we were on the losing side, I felt worse afterwards.
And if any readers find Will, can you post bail and return him to work? Thanks in advance.
No Comments »Oh Ricky You’re so Fine!
By Scott 2 years ago, at the start of January, 7 Comments »
After a tour around Australia and only intermittent Internet access, I am back on deck to help Will with the heavy lifting.
And did you notice Ricky Ponting has scored yet another Test century. I was there for his 100 in Melbourne, and now he’s backed it up with another in his 100th Test. Go you good thing.
As a captain, Ponting is finding life hard then he might have thought it would be; as a batsman, he continues to reach new heights. And with the brittle nature of Australia’s middle order these days, I am eternally grateful.
7 Comments »New Zealand vs Australia, Game 3
By Scott 3 years ago, mid-December, No Comments; be the first!
The Chappell-Hadlee Trophy is decided, but there’s two things to look out for in this game. First, the debut of Mitchell Johnson, who was anoited as a ‘once in a lifetime’ bowler at the age of 17 by Dennis Lillee. He’s a very quick left-arm pace bowler from Queensland.
The second thing is the makeup of the New Zealand team; Stephen Fleming returns, but Daniel Vettori remains in charge. Is there a ‘changing of the guard’ ahead in New Zealand cricket?
I think New Zealand might get over the line in this one- they’ve only won one of the last fifteen meetings, so they are overdue to get a win.
No Comments »Should Michael Vaughan be in England’s one day team?
By Scott 3 years ago, mid-December, 7 Comments »
Mike Selvey is wondering if he really should be.
7 Comments »The fact is that Vaughan’s place in the side ought to be under scrutiny. Seventy-four one-day matches have brought him 15 half-centuries and not one hundred. Indeed he has scored only two limited-overs centuries in his professional life. For a player of his obvious calibre it suggests he has not come to terms with adapting his Test-match game to the demands of one-day cricket. He is following in a line of underachieving England one-day captains, with Mike Atherton, Alec Stewart and Nasser Hussain registering only seven hundreds in more than 300 matches. Atherton’s average of 35 is the best, Vaughan’s 28 the worst. Had they not been captain only Stewart, who has four of the hundreds and was the wicketkeeper, ought to have kept his place. Moreover Vaughan, by the standards demanded of the one-day game at the pace it is played now, is a modest ground fielder and unreliable catcher. There is not even evidence that he is the same dynamic leader in this form of the game that he is in Tests.
Who should captain World XI for the Test?
By Will 3 years ago, at the start of October, 4 Comments »
New poll, to run for 10 days: Who should captain World XI for the Test?
Graeme Smith is in line to do it, but who would you prefer to see lead the World XI against Australia? (squad list here).
Ian Chappell questioned Smith’s imagination as captain last week. Are you happy with the decision? I’d go for Flintoff, m’self, just for laughs (although I do think he’d make an excellent captain of England’s one-day side).
You can vote (and add your own choices) on most pages at the top on the right-hand-side.
4 Comments »Ganguly asked to step down
By Will 3 years ago, mid-September, 26 Comments »
Thoughts on this? Seems to be causing an understandable (?) storm
26 Comments »Captaincy in the modern world
By Will 3 years ago, mid-July, 11 Comments »
“We have got some really good quality time under our belts as far as the batting goes and two chances to bowl, so that has been perfect for us.”
Ricky Ponting, talking to the BBC after Leicestershire batted out the final day to draw their game with Australia. The game was “perfect” for Australia (apart from not winning). This seems to be the trend of captains these days: never, ever say anything that could possibly be interpreted as sounding negative. This wasn’t a great warm-up for Australia’s bowlers, I don’t think. The pitch might be flatter than a pancake, but Australia’s “support bowlers” of years gone by would have laughed in the face of a flat pitch on a hot summer’s day.
Brett Lee returned decent first-innings figures, when the pitch was at its most juicy no doubt. But his second innings effort failed to impress: 13 overs, 1 for 78 with seven no balls. Seven no balls, in 13 overs? How old is he, 12? More of the same for Thursday please Brett.
Jason Gillespie is slowly improving, about as fast as a tranquilised tortoise. His match figures of 31 overs 2-100 are deeply concerning for me, let alone an Australian fan. I have always admired his bowling, if only because he’s been in McGrath and Warne’s monstrous shadows over the years, yet has consistently performed brilliantly.
I presume Brett Lee will open with McGrath. But what of Australia’s support bowlers? Can McGrath and Warne provide Australia with 75% of 60 wickets to retain The Ashes?
11 Comments »Smith is negative.
By Will 3 years ago, mid-January, No Comments; be the first!
G.Smith does it again. He has arguably one of the greatest bowlers of his generation - Shaun Pollock - a bowler who also happens to average 30 with the bat. Does he get a 3rd slip? Does he balls. You’d think Pollock would demand one.
I’ve counted 4 edges fly through where 3rd slip ought to be, and still the SA Captain fails to react. Defensive, negative tactics. England 108-1 and Strauss looks ominous.
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