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Good luck, Ottis
By Will 2 months ago, No Comments; be the first!
Ottis Gibson has left his position as England’s bowling coach to become the head coach of West Indies, according to the UK’s Daily Telegraph.
West Indies slay their coaches like a scythe lopping dandelion heads. Another poor mug into the fold, then, for the most poisoned of chalices. Good luck, Ottis.
No Comments »Welcome, West Indies!
By Will last year, at the end of September, 1 Comment »
Apparently there’s a one-day thing happening at the moment. That sums up my near-total end-of-season apathy at the approach of yet another anonymously dull one-day tournament.
But never fear, Alan Tyers is here.
1 Comment »It’s great to have Tino Best, a man who has an immense amount of experience as a bowler, and as a glazier, to show some of the young lads how it’s done
Sri Lanka v West Indies, 2nd semi-final
By Will last year, mid-June, No Comments; be the first!
Please Jimmy, will you fix it for West Indies to reach the final? A Pakistan-West Indies final would be mouth-wateringly unpredictable. Preview of today’s match here.
No Comments »Empire of cricket
By Will last year, mid-June, 1 Comment »
Excellent series on the BBC at the moment. It began with England, and I’m just watching one on the West Indies, which is even better. Try iPlayer for those in the UK; those abroad, erm, download it illegally?
1 Comment »Onions heralds the new era. Or does he?
By Will last year, at the start of May, 8 Comments »
Wonderful spell by Graham Onions today. He left West Indies’ batsmen looking clueless and cold: they hate May in England, as most touring sides do, in spite of our unseasonally good weather. Onions aside, there were two baffling pieces of idiocy by England today.
The first was the decision by Bopara and Swann to take the “bad light”. This is an evil disease of cricket, and although it’s easy to blame the players, the real fault lies with the ICC and umpires for removing all common sense from the equation. The light was fine to play cricket. Nobody would have died. These are trained sportsmen who are used to facing bowling of all types, in all conditions. The umpires will have taken a reading when the sun was out and, consequently when it became gloomy (and the sun was in), the difference in the two readings seemed to prompt an automatic offer of the light to the batsmen. This is absurd. How can umpires become so rigidly tied to laws and regulations yet forsake common sense? These batsmen have enough protection to go on the front line in Helmand Province, and yet the pair took the silly risk of possibly throwing away the momentum (England had raced along until this point). It was a stupid mistake which, fortunately, didn’t cost them. But it so easily could have, and cricket as a whole – especially Test cricket, in these changing times – desperately needs a dose of common sense.
The second incident was Andrew Strauss’s decision (or was it Andy Flower’s?) to open with Graeme Swann. Yes, Swann had a day to remember, but he is no Shane Warne. Why would you leave out your best bowler, James Anderson, and toss the new ball to a spinner? This too didn’t cost England, who later savaged West Indies’ lineup with a fine allround performance, but it again smacked of fuddled thinking – trying to be too clever.
England ought to wrap this up tomorrow, bar a miracle from Chanderpaul and someone else, and the performances of Onions, Swann and Bopara will swell the pride of selectors and fans. Let’s not get carried away, though, and remember that West Indians aren’t crash hot on a Lord’s greentop in May. But let’s also remember that perhaps for the first time in decades, England have a more dangerous spinner (and possibly spin attack) than Australia.
He bats and catches, too. Our new Gilo has been found.
8 Comments »Village
By Will last year, mid-March, 5 Comments »
I made the mistake of switching over to the cricket after watching England thrash France in the rugby. What a loser I am. Professional interest got the better of me when I saw Stephen Davies surprisingly chosen to open the batting, and although he immediately looked quite an attractive batsman, England quickly reverted to type and approached their innings with all the testosterone and impetus of a fucking flamingo stuck in quicksand.
They lost their last nine wickets for 66. Well played West Indies, and please do the honest and good thing by trouncing us in the one-dayers. I am in the mood for more making disparaging, bombastic statements about a team desperately seeking its own identity.
5 Comments »Time to take stock and try again
By Mark Tilley last year, mid-March, 4 Comments »
A great deal has been mentioned already on the subject of England’s series defeat in the West Indies. It’s an odd thing; England didn’t necessarily play their worst cricket we’ve seen and, at times, dominated the West Indies. Indeed, Andrew Strauss can point to two key sessions where had his side picked up just a few tail-end wickets, then they would have won the series (the last wicket stand in Antigua and yesterday’s tense finish in Trinidad). However, what is patently obvious is that good Test teams would have made more of those opportunities. Dominant sides like South Africa, Australia and India would have found the extra spark in those moments to do what was needed and win the game.
Tom Fordyce picks upon this point in his BBC blog. He also talks about the need for winning momentum in the run up to the looming Ashes series. Before that heart-stopping triumph in 2005, England won series in both the Caribbean and South Africa, as well as a summer whitewash over the New Zealand and West Indies in 2004. England had the mentality and the aura of a winning side. Under the astute leadership of Michael Vaughan, they were fresh, confident and effective.
One can argue that the quality of players back then was greatly superior than that of the current crop. But the bare facts still make for stark reading; England have now lost three consecutive Test series and are in poor, poor form. And whilst a few weeks ago some were saying that England need not worry about their own tribulations as the Australians were in a sharp decline of their own, those of that opinion need only look at the remarkable and supremely impressive resurgence of the Aussies down in South Africa. As much as I loathe to say it, they’re back and they’re looking ridiculously formidable.
As ludicrous as it sounds, there were precious few positives that England can reflect on in the aftermath of their defeat. Andrew Strauss embodies a man possessed with the desire to score as many runs as possible and it is clear that the captaincy of the side is driving him on and on. Alastair Cook finally got the ‘no century in ages’ monkey off his back and scored that elusive Test hundred, albeit in a nothing situation on a pitch more akin to a road that a competitive wicket. Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior and Paul Collingwood also notched up much needed runs, in a variety of situations, which will help their own personal form and confidence.
Stuart Broad bowled like a identikit version on a young Glenn McGrath. Naggingly accurate and massively consistent, he bowled to an immaculate line, picked up the prized wicket of Guyanese defensive wall Shivnarine Chanderpaul three times and bagged his first Test five wicket haul in Jamaica. He may not have the raw pace of Steve Harmison or Andrew Flintoff but a reliable, line and length bowler is just what England need and his runs at number eight are ideal for the the inevitable England batting collapse. Duncan Fletcher must rue not having him around when he was coach.
Regardless of individual promise, it is abundantly clear that England have problems – problems that require immediate and urgent attention if they are to ever get out of this decline and start becoming an competent Test side again. Will that era be shepherded in with a glorious Ashes victory this summer? At the moment, you’d pick up seriously long odds.
4 Comments »Khan to the rescue?
By Mark Tilley last year, mid-March, 4 Comments »
The start made to Test cricket yesterday by England’s most recent pace bowling attempt Amjad Khan will have provided fans with a touch of consternation. Five no-balls, including three in his opening over, indicated a nervous start and Khan conceded 27 off his four overs in the fading Trinidad light. It was almost as if the man he has edged ahead of, Steve Harmison, had given Khan that same advice that Harmison himself was given on that fateful Brisbane morning in 2006.
What a relief, then, for England fans the next morning. Soon after Stuart Broad had removed night-watchman Daren Powell for a duck, Khan was brought on and picked up the prized wicket of West Indian run machine Ramnaresh Sarwan, bowling fast, full and, most importantly, straight. Not only were the nerves of yesterday evening gone, he had also removed Sarwan, a man who has not just been a thorn in England’s side but rather sticking right the way through them as he plundered run after run after run.
Khan’s spell this morning had all the verve and potential that England have desperately needed this series. The pitches have been slow, about as slow as a Brendan Nash over, and wickets have been hard to come by. Now I don’t assume at all that Khan is the sole answer to England winning this Test but his style of bowling is probably just what they need on these types of surfaces. There is also the possibility of reverse swing, which will have bowling experts licking their lips. Reverse swing – that key component that England have sought after ever since Simon Jones brutally harassed the Australians in 2005. Khan has also slipped in a few excellent short balls; fast, well directed and with just about enough controlled aggression to trouble the West Indians.
It’s still early on this third day but the wicket of Sarwan will have boosted England and they will be growing ever so slightly in confidence as a result. A long way to go still, but Khan may be on the correct path to helping bring England level in this series.
4 Comments »Just for one more wicket
By Mark Tilley last year, mid-February, No Comments; be the first!
What a match. When everyone arrived at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium last Friday, you could have scarcely believed the turn of events that would progress over the next few days. In the end, we were treated to a fantastic Test match, culminating in a brilliant last day in which England tried and tried and ultimately came up short.
One can point to Andrew Flintoff’s hip injury, which, despite his lion-hearted, heroic effort, slightly hindered his bowling. However, to say that it lost England the game is inaccurate. They bossed the game and the only time they let the West Indies get on top was the mammoth partnership between the high scoring Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. You can argue that having dominated the game and then not been able to win it shows England for the slightly weakened force they may well be nowadays but in the wake of the Jamaica shambles, the performance was pretty impressive.
Particular highlights? Graeme Swann’s display in both innings was highly impressive and was exactly what England fans have been praying for from Monty Panesar in the last few years. His five-wicket haul was the focal point of England’s first attempt at bowling to the Windies and was agonisingly close to picking up that final wicket in the dying moments of the match.
Stuart Broad also impressed. He’s picked up Chanderpaul’s wicket every time he has batted this series and bowled an inspired spell with the new ball on the final day. He batted brilliantly for a number eight in the first innings and Johnathan Agnew on the BBC website was moved to say that he thinks this series could be the making of Broad at international level. Andrew Strauss played a quite superb innings on the first day and was well supported by Owais Shah, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood. Alistair Cook played his part too although, infuriatingly, he was out in the 50’s in both innings of the match.
All in all, England can be proud of their effort. Yes, the inability to pick up the last wicket and win the game was both heart-breaking and disappointing but the whole five days were a good way to bounce back from the shambles of 51 all out the week previous and Strauss will know a lot more about his team and their character. Both teams move on to Barbados next week for the fourth test.
No Comments »The halfway line
By Richard Seeckts last year, mid-February, 3 Comments »
Talk to cricketers of a bygone era and they will tell you that batting has become much easier since pitches were completely covered during rain breaks in the 1970s. Statistics strongly support their case. In 2008,46 batsmen averaged over 40 in English first class cricket. 40 years earlier, 10 players achieved the same.
There will be no going back to uncovered pitches. Apart from the fact that modern players could not cope, the commercial world requires weather related delays to be kept to a minimum, and one can only imagine what the health and safety experts would make of professional sportsmen running on wet grass.
We have seen the worst and the best of Antiguan ground management over the last few days. Few, if any, other grounds could have made the horlicks achieved at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, but can anyone seriously envisage an English ground being Test Match fit from a state of partial dereliction within 40 hours, as the Antigua Recreation Ground was? That the pitch had been used mostly for football since the ground was abandoned as a first class cricket venue in 2006 makes the transformation all the more laudable.
England’s first innings score suggested to many that the wicket remained as good as those on which Brian Lara twice broke the record Test score. Andrew Flintoff might beg to differ. Blasted out by a daisy-cutting shooter from Jerome Taylor, Flintoff was the first victim of the halfway line horror. Several deliveries pitched on the thinly disguised football pitch line, which runs straight across the pitch just short of a good length for bowlers from the Factory Road end. His was the first to take a wicket. Flintoff was desperately unlucky that his second ball was one such delivery, virtually unplayable, but with his bowling boots on, he may yet see the funny side of being the only member of England’s cosy top six not to reach 50.
Inadvertently, the groundsmen of the Antigua Recreation Ground have hit upon a great innovation to spice up top-level cricket. How much more interesting might the game be if all Test pitches had a five inch strip of unpredictable ground randomly placed by someone with no knowledge of cricket? The ICC wouldn’t have trouble finding the right personnel. It would be the same for both sides, but the kind of hazard that could strike any player at any time. A player could bat all day and score 169, like Andrew Strauss, or be sawn off without time to break sweat, like Flintoff.
A few averages might be dented, but how harsh would selectors be on players who were clearly victims of the halfway line lottery? Groundsmen would be free to prepare really good batting pitches with reduced risk of dull, high scoring draws as the line would surely claim a few victims in a five day match.
Most of cricket’s law changes have been made in favour of batsmen since the inception of one-day cricket. Thanks to the recent shambles in Antigua, we have chanced upon an opportunity for the bowlers to have one in their favour. The batsmen of yesteryear might also enjoy seeing their successors having just a small taste of what playing on uncovered pitches was like.
3 Comments »Moving on
By Will last year, mid-February, 1 Comment »
When you’re 51 all out, it seems inconceivable that you’ll ever escape the horror, let alone it become a distant memory. Much like bereavement and mourning, it takes time.
It hasn’t taken England long, though, and they’ve had two large slices of luck. Firstly, the sandy mess at North Sound was exactly what they needed. Not only were they not to blame (and crucially they were at the crease, so no one could crow and spit about the weakling tourists’ bowlers) but it gave them more time to mourn the rotting corpse of 51-all-out. And secondly, the movement of this Test took the pressure off their batsmen slightly, and took the gloss off West Indies’ starry bowling performance. In a matter of days, the Kingston calamity hadn’t been forgotten, but no longer were England caught in its gravitational pull. They’d moved on.
Their other piece of luck came today when Chris Gayle chose to bowl – which is exactly what Andrew Strauss would have done had the coin fell his way. Yet, amazingly, it morphed from spicy-track-of-horror-and-death to placid-lifeless-bowlers’-graveyard. Luck plays a far greater part in sport than anyone ever gives it credit, and it’s helped England hugely.
Still, Strauss needed a big score – lady luck or not. It’s difficult to put it into context given this tour’s various farces, but also the mess which led to Strauss’s appointment. Watching it today, he was pulling as quickly and confidently as he first did for England five years ago, but also his feet were dancing to the spinners. He’s still very much the cautious batsman these days, but he even hit a six (granted, the ground is postage-stamp-sized, but still)…the first time since 2006, would you believe.
All in all, a fascinating day to witness England’s revival. How long that will last, who knows, but to see Strauss assert his authority so emphatically was the year’s highlight so far as an England fan.
Shame about Owais Shah’s hapless running, though he batted sublimely until then.
1 Comment »Should the Sir Viv Richards Stadium be banned?
By Will last year, mid-February, 4 Comments »
The new poll is up at the site. Go and vote (it’s on the right-hand-side).
There was a brief but startling line from Donald Peters, the CEO of the West Indies board, which appeared on a TMS blog earlier today. I was amazed no other news outlet bothered with it, because it seemed rather important, so I ran with it.
Donald Peters, the chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), has said that his board are not prepared to “take the risk” of ever playing at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium again, 24 hours after the second Test between West Indies and England was abandoned due to a sandy outfield.
The match only lasted 10 balls, as both Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards struggled to gain traction on a bedding made largely of soft sand, and it was soon consigned to history after the match referee, Alan Hurst, deemed it too dangerous for play.
“I would recommend they play soccer there from now on,” Peters told BBC’s Test Match Special. “The amount of funding it would take to make that into a Test venue again will be significant. I would advise the government and local cricket association to put their resources into restoring the Recreation Ground. The West Indies Cricket Board will not go back to the Viv Richards Stadium. We are not prepared to take the risk.”
The decision hasn’t yet been made whether or not the ICC will ban the ground. It will cost oodles of dosh to re-invent the old Rec, too – but that, surely, is the more sensible option. I am so geared up for this third Test now it’s being staged at the famous old ground, and we hear a good local crowd will be there too. Hopefully. Which makes a change from the disgrace of North Sound.
4 Comments »The flimsiest of foundations
By Will last year, mid-February, 5 Comments »
I’m still feeling slightly euphoric and exhilarated, which are two adjectives no cricket fan could describe themselves after a day of unprecedented farce. As I’m in the fortunate position of being able to cover such chaos, today has been hugely fun: exciting, depressing in parts, even quite funny and a joy to report on. But it’s a feeling of detached delirium – how in the name of the three Ws, and Sir Viv, could this possibly have happened?
Sand stops play. It’s such a feeble, flimsy excuse on the surface (or, rather, just beneath the surface), yet we all take for granted that the green grass will be sufficiently thick to allow size sixteen boots, attached to sixteen-stone athletes, the cushioning and traction required for bowling. Without that, the game can’t happen. It’s like asking a pole-vaulter to do his stuff with a stick made from paper mache.
Just when we thought West Indies cricket was on the up after that sensational fourth day in Kingston, it regresses back to the laughing stock on which much of its administration is based. North Sound – the ground named in honour of Sir Viv – isn’t fit to host an execution let alone a Test match lasting five days. You could count the number of locals at the ground on two hands. They hate it. It’s a disgrace to the country, an embarrassment to the passion and soul of the West Indies’ supporters and a reprehensible waste of money.
Sir Viv later said: “This is not shooting me in the foot. This is shooting me straight through the heart.” That his name should be associated with such a contemptible construction does everyone in the region a huge, horrible, crying disservice. The ground is everything he is not: crass, ugly, broken, embarrassing and dishonourable.
Vaneisa Baksh, a fine Caribbean-based cricket writer and historian, popped up on messenger during the chaos and sounded almost in tears. Likewise, a friend in Jamaica asked simply: “Why now?” That the Test was ever allowed to take place is just one awful blot on the WICB’s ink-sodden copybook. But that it should happen days after the Caribbean’s brightest moment for a decade is a wound which will take a long time to heal.
Organisations and cricket administrations, like the grounds at which their product should be on glorious display, need sturdier foundations than sand.
Oh – and read this. We found an insider (or rather, Caribbeancricket did. But we’re all friends in cricket land).
5 Comments »Bouncebackability
By Mark Tilley last year, mid-February, 1 Comment »
It was football manager Iain Dowie who first coined this term, way back when his Crystal Palace side were struggling in the English Premier League. The phrase refers to a teams ability to bounce back from a defeat or any kind of adversity. Well, this England cricket side have suffered said adversity and then some. How do they respond to the humiliation of last week’s 51 all out?
The expected change has come. Owais Shah replaces Ian Bell at number three in the order and Steve Harmison has also been left out, in favour of James Anderson. Will it make the difference that England need? Shah’s inclusion has been long championed by England fans and pundits alike. It is perhaps a tad harsh on Harmison who didn’t bowl terribly badly in Jamaica but perhaps the feeling was that a change was needed.
The outfield is a concern in Antigua. Heavy rainfall has left area’s of the ground covered in sand and the bowlers run up, in particular, is an point of worry. However, England shouldn’t use the conditions as an excuse. They have a lot of making up to do and they had better start it soon. Alistair Cook could do with a big score to settle the doubters about him and if Kevin Pietersen should find himself in the late 90’s again, surely he will be looking for singles this time.
All in all, it looks like a fascinating Test. A nerve-wracking one too, if you’re an England follower.
1 Comment »It’s not all bad
By Will last year, mid-February, No Comments; be the first!
So, 51. England fans are back where they belong in a fit of depression, wondering how we got into this mess. And further wondering how to get out. Nobody has any answers. “Disunity!” they cry, which may or may not be true. But despite all the mess, it’s not all bad.
England were heading for a fall of cataclysmic proportions ever since they won the Ashes in 2005. Once it became clear that the likes of Trescothick, Jones, Vaughan and Hoggard were not going to last another five years (admittedly, they couldn’t have foreseen what would happen to them), their replacements have only been sporadically good.
Ian Bell is only an average Test batsman, yet by now should be rubbing shoulders with the best. Alastair Cook has never looked technically good enough, but has a sound mind (combine Bell and Cook and you have an awesome cricketer). Harmison had one outstanding series and a couple of reasonable ones but remains a shock bowler who may or may not be okay on the day. The likes of Panesar and Anderson have had their moments, but where’s the consistency?
No, this is a good thing for cricket. England needed this like a cold shower. The distractions with the IPL, the Pietersen-Moores rift, the Pietersen-everyone rift, average cricketers earning vast sums of money…they were spiralling out of control. And they’ve been beaten by another average side who have the benefit of unification.
For once, and at last, West Indies are a unified side under Chris Gayle. This win alone is unlikely to prompt an immediate rebirth of cricket in the Caribbean, but it might do more than we think. And that is reason enough to celebrate.
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