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By Will 1 month ago, 8 Comments »
I’ve seen the future and it does not include Steve Harmison. I had a close look at Steven Finn today, Middlesex’s 6ft 8in fast bowler, and his first two balls were enough to convince me that England have a serious talent on their hands.
He runs in like a fast bowler. This sounds a ridiculous thing to say, but the emphasis on running has been forgotten by a lot of young bowlers these days. Michael Holding told me a year or so ago that while he inevitably had to do weights and push-ups, his primary form of fitness was running, as it was for Malcolm Marshall, Andy Roberts and all the other great West Indians. Finn has a long run-up but a smooth, athletic approach and a quick arm too. He doesn’t look awkwardly tall at the point of delivery like Chris Tremlett - it all looks natural. Andrew Strauss said last month he’s “as good a prospect as I’ve seen”.
So Finn is one, and a few miles south of the Thames is the other: Surrey’s 19-year-old Chris Jordan. We still don’t know where his allegiance lies - he was born in Barbados but could qualify for England through his grandmother - so for now must hope he decides on staying at Surrey and England. He is quick. Here’s what Richard Rae from The Guardian had to say about his three wickets against Durham today (see video):
Riverside; Chris Jordan has just bounced Steve Harmison - twice. The previous over he knocked out Mark Davies’ off-stump with a yorker, after softening him up with three bouncers. Davies didn’t see it. Jordan’s first ball to Killeen is vicious, smacks him on the elbow as ‘Killer’ just gets his arm up in front of his face. Two balls later, kocks out his off-stump. Durham 224 all out, well bowled the Brown Caps, each and every one.
On this evidence, Jordan is already faster than Harmison. He cleaned up the Durham tail brilliantly, and could take a lot of wickets this season.
So in a few years time we could have a tasty trio of Stuart Broad, Steve Finn and Chris Jordan. Maybe sooner. Incidentally, talking of Jordan, read Rob Steen’s piece from 2004 about the lack of Afro-Caribbean cricketers in England. It’s amazing how few there are now (Michael Carberry and Jordan are the only two I can think of who qualify for England).
8 Comments »Fletcher attacks Harmison
By Will 1 month ago, 3 Comments »
Watch out, fading fast bowlers the world over. Duncan Fletcher has spoken to his former ghost-writer, Steve James, and has some things to say about Steve Harmison:
“It’s typical Harmy, I’m afraid,” he says, “We’ve seen it over and over again. He could and should be the No 1 one bowler in the world but he can’t seem to be able to put it all together.
“I saw an interview on TV the other day where he was having a go back at some current players who’d criticised him. He said something about not being able to wait to see them from 22 yards. Why does he need things like that to motivate himself? Why can’t he just motivate himself? I think he’ll find it hard to get back in. He’ll need some consistent performances to do so.”
And Matthew Hoggard:
And his fellow omission in New Zealand, Matthew Hoggard? “I was not surprised,” he says, “He always struggled when he was the main strike bowler. His speed has been dropping for a while. I heard someone saying he’d lost his nip but I thought it had gone a while ago.”
And…well, you get the idea. James is full of praise for Fletcher - they are good mates and, from the few occasions I have spoken to him, James comes across as a shrewd assessor of a man’s character. Fletcher’s is the sharpest mind in cricket, he reckons. So have a read.
3 Comments »Average batting or brilliant bowling?
By Will 2 months ago, 7 Comments »
What on earth is going on? I spent last night in a public house and got a text message at 21.35 saying “Broad out first ball of the day”. Any lingering temptations I had of finding another pub with Sky went straight out the window…so I’m finding it hard to believe the scorecard this morning. Sidebottom seven-for, and England have a lead?
Having not watched any of it, I’m trying to work out if this Test has been crap batting or brilliant bowling. It seems to be a mixture of the two, though heavily swayed in favour of the former. Amazing, isn’t it? Give two teams a cracking surface and they all collapse like a pack of cards, though no one predicted this pitch would offer so much movement.
Sidebottom’s 7 for 47 was England’s best since Steve Harmison’s 7 for 12 at Sabina Park four years ago. He’s not only passed 50 wickets in quick time, but has taken 23 wickets in this series. 23! England now lead by 176 but there’s absolutely no point in me sticking my neck out and making a prediction. So it’s up to you lot.
7 Comments »Broad in confidence
By Will 2 months ago, 3 Comments »
As Jonathan points out, Ryan Sidebottom has done what many of us feared he wasn’t capable of and lead England’s attack with verve. But my other stand-out player for the final day was Stuart Broad. He opened the attack this morning, partly because James Anderson was still sore from his injured ankle on the third evening, and bowled with fire, pace and aggression. Brendon McCullum was troubled by his bouncers in particular - quick, nasty vipers rising from just short of a length - which is no mean feat considering how in-form McCullum is, not to mention his offputting ploy of standing three feet outside his crease. Quality bowling, the like of which Steve Harmison once produced four years ago. Broad’s spell was arguably another nail in Harmison’s coffin.
3 Comments »New Zealand v England, 2nd Test, Wellington
By Will 2 months ago, 8 Comments »
To windy Wellington we go for the second Test, with England lacking two of their most experienced fast bowlers, Matthew Hoggard (err - what?) and Steve Harmison. I’d have agreed with dropping Hoggard - if only to send shockwaves through the team that anything other than an excellent performance simply won’t suffice. But this is meant to be a green, seam-friendly swinger in Wellington - and as “talented” as Michael Vaughan thinks James Anderson is, reliable he is not. It’s all or nothing.
On that merry note, join us at Cricinfo for a full package of joyous fun and analysis and occasionally laughter. And, in between drinking yourself into a depressed stupor, leave a comment or three below.
8 Comments »Donald: Harmison was “scared”
By Will 2 months ago, 6 Comments »
There is no longer any point castigating Steve Harmison for his continued failures. He is what he is, and we will probably never be privy to exactly what his problems are. No. It’s time he was sent back to Durham and left to bowl - assuming he is selected - while England look to the next generation. There is only so much a business - for that is what cricket has now become - can invest in their employees without benefiting in return for all their patience and money.
It’s no longer even frustrating. This is a sad, worrying situation that one of England’s most gifted professional sportsmen can’t cope with his job. That he told Allan Donald he was “scared” last summer makes you wonder just how he has managed to stay in professional cricket for so long.
6 Comments »Alastair Cook shocks us and himself
By Will 2 months ago, 9 Comments »
Although it was slow going at times, the first day in Hamilton was quite engrossing. Both teams sparred in the first session, then New Zealand threw away a number of their wickets with some dreadfully sloppy shots, and they go into the second day pretty much on level footing with England. England don’t quite have their noses in front…though perhaps one nostril.
What a day Alastair Cook had, and how entertaining it was to watch the surprise on his face at each of his three catches. The first was a lifter in the gully which almost knocked him backwards - not a difficult chance but nevertheless expertly taken. His second, a salmon-leaping effort in the gully to dismiss Stephen Fleming, was an absolute corker (it’s not on Youtube yet - do leave a comment if you find it). Plucking it one-handed to his right, he threw the ball away in that nonchalant fashion which has become popular, but even he couldn’t believe he’d held on. Since his debut, Cook has looked more arthritic than athletic in the field, but perhaps this is the turning point. England need a good gully - Ashley Giles was as safe as houses there.
England’s outfielding was generally over zealous - overthrows galore and stupid shies at the stumps - but their catching today was faultless and as good as I’ve seen since the 2005 Ashes.
But it was a curious day, and not just for Cook’s catching. Steve Harmison rarely reached 80mph; Paul Collingwood averaged above 75mph; Ryan Sidebottom was comfortably the fastest with a mean mean of 86mph and Matthew Hoggard bowled like a drain. Sidebottom is decidedly slippery nowadays - what the hell’s going on?
9 Comments »Flaky, feeble Harmison
By Will 2 months ago, 3 Comments »
I’ve been away for a week so haven’t properly followed England’s warm-up in New Zealand. Here’s Mike Atherton on Steve Harmison’s worrying (yet predictable; reassuringly normal) performance in Dunedin.
3 Comments »His selection is a formality now, given Chris Tremlett’s early departure, but it will still be hold-your-breath time in Hamilton. In a touching and very English way, Harmison was happy to acknowledge his shortcomings. Speaking after his five-for on the second day he admitted to “still trying to find his feet”, and to being the “sort of bowler who takes time to acclimatise”. Honest feelings, for sure, but it’s hard to envisage many strike bowlers of the past uttering such feeble remarks. Harmison is on his ninth major tour, has 56 Test matches under his belt and 211 Test wickets, and still Vaughan cannot entrust the new ball to him. It is an infuriating situation.
Harmison the iPod
By Will last year, at the start of December, 6 Comments »
Great line from KingCricket on Steve Harmison:
We see and agree with the reasons for omitting Steve Harmison, but it does underline why we like him. You can’t pick a guy whose bowling line is set to ’shuffle’, but he’s resolutely not an English seam bowler. He’s 12 feet tall and he bowls quickly. It’s not that he’s capable of bowling quickly, it’s that he just does it. It’s his natural speed. In Sri Lankan conditions the ‘effort ball’ is pretty much an impossibility. Effortless speed is the only option.
Talking of nothing at all, I was pondering some songs which might accompany cricketers to and from the crease (Twenty20 style) the other day. I didn’t very far - The Police with So Lonely for the trudge back to the pavilion was an early idea though. What might England’s team have on their iPods, I wonder?
Update: AC/DC’s Shake Your Foundation for Adam Gilchrist. And possibly the theme tune to The Archers for Kevin Pietersen, in a “I’m more English than thou” sort of statement.
Relive Harmison’s horrors
By Will last year, at the end of November, 1 Comment »
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!
* * *
| 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.
1 Comment »Harmison and Plunkett go head-to-head
By Will last year, mid-November, No Comments; be the first!
Cricket’s such an incestuous sport really, isn’t it? Steve Harmison is playing for the Lions in South Africa thanks to Dale Benkenstein’s connection (his team-mate at Durham). And today Harmison faces off against his other colleague, Liam Plunkett, who’s swimming with the Dolphins. Plunkett whacked 45 but neither bowler has really shone so far. Scorecard here.
No Comments »Harmison feels betrayed by Fletcher
By Will last year, at the start of November, No Comments; be the first!
I asked Stuart Broad for his thoughts on the Duncan Fletcher futore the other day. “Don’t read books,” he announced with a broad smile (sorry). “Not enough pictures!” It was a predictable response, and I applauded his blatant bullshitting.
Steve Harmison, though, doesn’t really care what he says these days - especially if it means coming to the defence of his old chum Andrew Flintoff. Somehow, though, Harmison’s comments don’t carry the weight of, say, Andrew Strauss or Matthew Hoggard. You feel if Flintoff had run over a dog on purpose, before roasting it on a spit, Harmison would say “Andrew has learned his lesson. He might be a canine killer but he’s still great fun to be around; an inspiration. Just ask anyone. Anyone but the dog and its owner of course.”
Nevertheless, his outburst to the Daily Mail made for enjoyable reading and was yet another nail in Fletcher’s coffin. I can’t see how this affair will simply “blow over”. I see Nasser Hussain has also been making comments, in the same paper, about the lily-livered decision makers in the ECB, and their handing jobs to Hugh Morris and Mike Gatting. It feels like 1999 all over again…
No Comments »England name squad for Sri Lanka tour
By Jonathan Liew last year, mid-October, 1 Comment »
England have named their squad for the tour of Sri Lanka, and it’s pretty much as predicted:
Vaughan, Cook, Bell, Pietersen, Collingwood, Shah, Bopara, Mustard, Prior, Broad, Hoggard, Anderson, Sidebottom, Swann, Panesar.
Some initial thoughts:
1) It’s pretty harsh on Chris Tremlett, who hasn’t really put a foot wrong yet for England. Unless – gasp! – they’re punishing him unfairly for his indifferent one-day form.
2) If the selectors were going to drop Strauss they should have replaced him with another opener, rather than naming three number sixes and promoting Vaughan, who doesn’t even want to open.
3) If both of Harmison’s practice games get rained off, where does that leave him?
4) Either Broad or Swann has to bat at number eight. Which means that, cruelly, one of Anderson or Sidebottom has to sit out. Or both, if Harmison waltzes back into the team. In other words, all three pacemen from the India series could be left out in favour of someone who wasn’t even good enough to make the side at the time. Hmmm.
5) The fact that Mustard has been named in the full squad, rather than placed on standby in Chennai, is hardly a resounding vote of confidence in Prior. Is Mustard, in fact, the reserve opening batsman?
What are everyone else’s thoughts?
1 Comment »Notes from the pavilion for October 17th
By Will last year, mid-October, 1 Comment »
Links of note from the past 24 hours:
- Cricinfo - Monkey chants controversy in Mumbai too - This is becoming increasingly uncomfortable…
- Cricinfo - Jones set for Worcestershire move - Is this the most expensive hospital pass in cricket transfer history? Come on…how long will he last, seriously?
- Cricinfo - Harmison signs for Lions - This will be worth keeping a close eye on
- The ageless Kim Barnett - He’s still going strong. At 47
Too highly rated?
By Ian last year, mid-July, 8 Comments »
I see Kevin Pietersen has been knocked off the top spot in the ODIs by Ricky Ponting. Very difficult to argue with that – Ponting is surely the stand out batsman in both forms of the game. Looking at the other batting rankings, it is difficult to find fault, although on current form, Shiv Chanderpaul ought to be in the test top three at least. Also, I struggle to understand how Mahela Jayawardene doesn’t break into either top ten, while Hussey retains a top five place in both. He’s very good, granted, but is he top five?
The bowlers are altogether more perplexing. For one, how can Shoaib Akhtar still be at number 10 in tests? He’s played four tests since the start of 2006 and taken only a handful of wickets. Maybe in the current game, not playing is the way to climb the rankings. Likewise, Jason Gillespie (22) is still deemed a better Test bowler than Lasith Malinga (28)!
Agreed, it must be difficult to devise a workable system. Also, stats don’t tell the full story. But things start to look decidedly suspect when you inspect the Best Ever Ratings, which is a list of players at their peak. Ponting at four is just about fair enough, given his recent dominance. However, Peter May above Viv Richards shows a flaw, while Matthew Hayden in the top ten is just crazy. KP (21) is one place higher than Sachin and two places higher than Wally Hammond. Enough said.
For the bowlers, I half expected to see the list packed high with bowlers of yesteryear, given how modern bowlers are meant to have struggled, but it does put Murali, McGrath, Pollock, Waqar and Warne in the top 15. Of course, Warne should be in the top three, if not top of the pile. Wasim Akram limps in at number 57 behind the likes of Ntini, Shoaib and Harmison, which doesn’t seem right.
That said, like most critics, I can’t think of a better way. There must be some bright spark at Cricinfo with a formula….?
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