The Googly

Jimmy Anderson: cricket management has served him badly

I woke this morning to a beautiful dry day - windy, but blue skies, and hoped that it was the same at Trent Bridge. No such luck - as so often this so-called summer, the further north you travel, the better the weather, and frankly, Nottinghamshire just isn't far enough north. So while I was wondering whether play would ever get under way in the second Test against India, I had a look at the England squad and realised that there was one guy I hadn't yet investigated for The Googly.

Yes, Jimmy Anderson - and why should this be so? Do I not rate him - or has he just slipped under the radar recently? I think I may have been guilty of writing Jimmy off with injury, and joining the Stuart Broad, bless him, club of supporters. But this is unfair - as Jimmy's performance at Lord's last week proved. Write him off at your peril, and look more at his record of a few years back.

There's no doubt that, after only three One-day games for Lancashire, he was called into the England squad too soon in 2002, but on his international ODI debut at the MCG, he did collect the wicket of Adam Gilchrist. His Test debut was impressive, though against Zimbabwe, he took a five-fer at Lord's in May 2003 and all looked good. At the Oval, against South Africa, his star still waxed strong, but then the promise seemed to be just that: promise. We hardly noticed Jimmy as England toured Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South Africa in the years 2003 to 2005 - occasionally wandering on with drinks for the lads was about the measure of it.

As everyone else got hurt, we saw Anderson back in Mumbai and play a major part in England's win, but then disaster in Australia - Brisbane was a horror-show for all England players. Some redemption followed in the ODIs but injury struck again before the ICC World Cup - this time a broken finger to add to his collection of woes. Peter Moores (his selection process partially decided by injuries to such as Hoggard and Harmison) picked Jimmy for the first Test against India this summer, and was rewarded for the choice - five for 42 at Lord's last week, and there's another chance this week for Jimmy to cement his place as a premier right-arm, fast-medium bowler in the England side.

And I make no apologies for the picture - there's just not enough Ian Bell on this site!

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

There's Something about Ali

In September 2005 I was not the only cricket fan to sit up and take notice of one player's performance in a tour match between Australia and Essex. We were already on the edge of our seats during the most thrilling series that was the Ashes, and after a wash-out in Scotland, we were all wondering what the Aussies had up their sleeves before returning to battle the England team. What very few of us expected to see was a consummate display of controlled yet aggressive batting from a young Essex player barely into his twenties.

Yes, Alastair Cook had been on my radar since he captained the U-19s in 2004, and his name was in the media already in August 2005 when he was awarded Young Cricketer of the Year by the Cricket Writers' Club (honoured also by the PCA as Young Player of the Year a bit later) but his double-century against a pretty full-on Australian attack was the real sign of things to come.

Called into the England Test side, replacing the injured Michael Vaughan, Cook made his debut in Nagpur in 2006 and opening the batting, his scores of 60 in the 1st innings and 104 not-out in the second, did nothing to dissuade that this was a real talent. Albeit still almost a child playing with the grown-ups.

He continued to represent England during 2006, playing the One Day series against Sri Lanka and the Test series against Pakistan. Solid performances ensured that, although omitted from the One Day side, he was called upon to replace Trescothick at the start of the ultimately doomed 2006-7 Ashes Tour downunder. Cook scored his maiden Ashes ton in Perth, and showed that he had well and truly deserved his place in the Test side. In Melbourne, just days after his 23rd birthday, he became the fastest England batsman to score 1000 Test runs - and this in his maiden season.

A mature head on young shoulders, his batting shows class and control, and a solid 42 off 76 balls in the 1st innings last week at Headingley, proves that this young man is no flash in the pan.

England's next captain? Maybe.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

Ian Botham: summed up by David Brent

One of the most dislikeable characters in TV history tells it like it is about one of the most dislikeable cricketers.  He did a lot of work for charity though... [lee calvert]

Bonfires and Helicopters

Now then, rain and inclement weather don't stir often stir feelings of euphoria. Equally, nor should they stir violent outbursts and riots. But this is India; it doesn't rain an awful lot on the subcontinent, certainly not in the summers anyhow. Anything or anyone that prevents a cricket match being played is clearly the work of the devil, and they must be punished immediately.

It was an extraordinary day, which began with a massive helicopter hovering mere feet above the ground in an attempt to dry the outfield. I first saw this at New Road, Worcester, and it's a novel idea, albeit one fraught with risk. It didn't work. The pitch was sodden and, shortly after noon local time, the umpires' final inspection brought the match to a damp conclusion.

Yet the fans were having none of it. Bonfires were lit; stones, bottles, hats and anything chuckable were hurdled at anyone who looked remotely authoritarian. The riots escalated, so much so that the police had to intervene with tear gas. This is a bloody cricket match for heaven's sake!

It amuses, concerns and fascinates me in equal measure. It's tickling to imagine supporters anywhere else in the world trying something like that on. Can you imagine MCC members ripping off their egg'n'bacon ties at the first sign of a grey cloud, strapping them around their foreheads and doing a Rambo impression, beating their chests with a half-bottle of vintage Dom Perignon? Nor can I, although it does conjure a wonderful image.

In a recent interview with Matthew Engel, editor of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, he told me with a great feeling of passion that cricket should be fun, a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with. It is a game, after all. And while I sympathise with the fans at the stadium today, it's sad to see this happen over something so trivial and natural as rain.

Seven nil, seven nil

It might seem inconceivable but unless England don't pull up their socks, a 7-0 drubbing in the one-day series is seriously on the cards. Again, I'm not sure I care too greatly but I do worry that we simply cannot play one-day cricket! We've never been any good, certainly in my lifetime, as we don't regard it highly.

One-day cricket on the subcontinent is bigger, brasher and seen as equally important as Tests, if not more so. Whatever the differences in attitudes that might exist, England have been outplayed so far. And that's really quite worrying.

To sweep or not to sweep

The sweep shot divides the cricketing world. Some praise it some admonish it. For what it's worth, I hate it - the straighter a batsman plays the less nervous I am. And after England's defeat in the opening one-dayer against India, the shot has again come under scrutiny.

Kevin Pietersen today commented on his shot, and defended himself:

"It is my favourite shot against the spinners. There is no spinner in the world that I would not like to sweep. It just messes up their line and length. I think it was a really productive shot against Shane Warne. It makes the bowler think differently and creates added pressure on him. And so it gives the batsman a lot more freedom to play his shots."

Lawrence Booth, writing for the Guardian, sums it up perfectly:

To throw away a 1-0 lead in a seven-match series by playing the shot that in recent months has dared not speak its name might have made even Duncan Fletcher wonder about its merit. "We had them by the proverbials," said Andrew Flintoff, which was a polite way of putting it. The main beneficiary was Harbhajan Singh. He will probably bowl better than he did in claiming a career-best five for 31 but it is doubtful whether 50,000 fans can scream any louder. Close your eyes and it was possible to imagine Mumbai never happened last week. There England had shown patience beyond the call of duty. Here they lapsed into the bad habits that cost them the third Test in Pakistan and the second in India.

Leadership and followship

I don't think I'm alone in expressing surprise at the ability of Andrew Flintoff as a captain. It's not to do him a disservice, you understand - it's simply the realisation of the unexpected. Simon Barnes, in today's Times, offers a fascinating analysis of Flintoff and the importance of leadership:

Flintoff’s leadership against India was not a matter of tactical brilliance. Obviously, the man is no fool, but he didn’t win in Bombay by out-thinking his opposite number. He did so by the way in which the team followed. Leadership of this kind — leadership of any successful kind — is a moral quality. It is not a matter of giving orders, it is about being followed.

(continued below)

I couldn't agree more. Aside from his batting, bowling and slip-catching, Flintoff's similarity with Ian Botham surely lies in their "I'll show you how to do it" attitude. Almost a backs-to-the-wall refusal to be anything other than a success, and he shares the same unifying, bonding quality which Botham possessed. He is, though, arguably better than Botham in this respect in terms of his public persona. No dirty news stories have been unearthed about Flintoff, and nor do we expect them. The front page of most of the UK broadsheets (mind you, no such thing anymore) yesterday portrayed the England captain, delicately kissing his newborn baby; he had been due to be at the birth of his second child for the second Test, but with the glut of injuries affecting England, he chose to stay with his squad.

It is these little touches of humanity and normality that endear him to the public, and clearly endear him to his team-mates. So it's not so much his tactical nous that has been revealed in India as his ability to lead. A rare talent before the tour to India - even rarer now.

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

Australia respect for England 'high as ever'

Following their win over India yesterday, Justin Langer has commented that Australia have been keeping an eye on England (no surprise there), and says that they're massively impressed with what the English have done:    

Talking of tough opposition, it would be remiss of me not to mention England's outstanding victory in Mumbai.     Since the Ashes, we have kept a closer than usual eye on England's progress and had been quietly smug about their efforts in Pakistan and India.     But after yesterday's triumph the respect factor is as high as ever.     To defeat India in a Test match at home, particularly in Mumbai, is a colossal effort and hats must go off again to Freddie Flintoff, who led his team against many odds to a historic win.

More at his diary at the BBC. As good as England were in the third Test, there is a tendency to over-hype victories in the subcontinent. However, I'm going to continue the praise; given the injury list, given Flintoff's total inexperience as a captain and given the lack of an experienced spinner, the triumph is indeed worth every adulation. Boy's own stuff, really, and demonstrates the depth in talent England possess.

Eyes now turn to the one-dayers and, in particular, I'm keen on seeing how Sajid Mahmood performs.

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

Flintoff 1 India 0

Today, England defied the odds to bowl India out for a paltry 100 to level the series 1-1. A draw it might be, but it felt like a series-win. Needing nine wickets at the start of the day, they were helped to victory with a mosh pit of stupidity from India's batsmen who, to a man, batted as though they had delhi belly and no loo roll. India were shocked into defeat, and their captain Rahul Dravid was out-captained by Andrew Flintoff.

Deservedly named the Man-of-the-Series for his runs (I forget how many, but he hit four fifties I think) and wickets, it was his leadership which today stood out the most. When he was named captain, much head scratching was done by fans and the media. On the one hand, who else -  apart from Andrew Strauss, who was in bad form with the bat - do you choose? On the other, he's the team's talisman and a natural leader. There was a sense that he'd lead the side with the same bullishness which he applies to his batting and bowling. However, beneath the bravado lies an astute cricket brain.

I suppose, arguably, it's no surprise that he should have captained his country with such intelligence and competence. After all, he's now England's best batsmen and has reigned in the delicious, but at times suicidal temptation to hit the cover off every ball. In much the same way, he swapped his bowlers around and made crucial fielding changes with great skill; he hasn't looked as inexperienced as he is. Richie Benaud says that captaincy is 90% luck and 10% skill...but without that 10%, you're a loser. (I'm not quoting him here)

So, England beat India for the first time since 1985. A brilliant victory - as good as any in the summer. To put this into perspective, think back a few weeks (and also see my "tales of woe" post) when we were all either in tears or laughing at the pathetic injury list. India, too, must have had a quiet chuckle - especially after going 1-0 up in the series. Their near-total lack of gameplan today - also underestimating the threat that Shaun Udal posed on a fifth-day pitch - was as surprising as England's potency, which isn't to do them a disservice. They were excellent, and should rightly celebrate.

John Stern sums it up rather succinctly:

Such is Flintoff's selfless nature, he deflected any praise from himself on to his team. "To see the looks of enjoyment and satisfaction on the faces of the lads, knowing that we've scrapped and fought so hard for this over three weeks, is the real highlight for me." He has done all the right things and said all the right things. And now he pops home briefly before the one-dayers to see his new baby son for the first time. He returns with his reputation enhanced yet further.

The man is fast approaching legendary status; he is every bit the player England hoped he would come. He's probably better. He's certainly the best we've had since Botham, and somehow has improved since the heady days of September 2005. Quite simply, he's a joy to watch and the envy of the cricketing world.

I'll leave the final words to Dileep Premachandran who aptly summaries the efforts of India:

There was a touch of romance too at the end. Even if Udal never plays for England again, he'll never forget the afternoon when he did for Tendulkar to set in motion the Indian pack-of-cards trick. He's certainly no mystery spinner in the Jack Iverson mould, but his attitude and perseverance epitomised the real strength of this England side. They came into the Test series in disarray, and left it with a draw that felt almost as good as a victory.

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

Giant has no equal

I didn't catch much of today's play - in fact I saw none of it on TV, but I did listen to a short period of play. However, one aspect has stood out; the batting of Andrew Flintoff.

Who would have thought that he'd one day lead England, figuratively and literally, with such class, power and maturity? Today, he hit his slowest fifty in his career (145 balls, 6x4, 1x6) to give England a reasonable chance of victory. Not long ago, his name would have been the very last on the list of batsman who could eek out a lead, or defend with their lives. His lonesome innings today was a beacon for England; an anchor, a rock or whatever you wish to call it. And his importance to England , while often discussed, has never been greater. Has he ever been this on top of his game? Arguably, throughout the Ashes he was similarly in control of what he was doing...but now, he seems to have added a responsibility and wall-like defence. He is approaching completeness, and it's a remarkable thing to see.

He's been dismissed for exactly 50 in both innings of this Test, to add to the two fifties made in the second Test; 43 in the first Test, and 56 in the third Test against Pakistan (see stats). What makes this all the more extraordinary is the comparison with Sachin Tendulkar who hasn't made a fifty in six Tests. He hit 109 against Sri Lanka at Delhi last December, and has scratched and poked around ever since. And to think back to England's last tour of India, Flintoff made just 26 ugly runs in three Tests.

The transformation is astonishing, and is now complete. His bowling average is now lower than his batting average which is the generally assumed yardstick by which all-rounders operate. And while his bowling average could do with entering 20 runs per wicket instead of 30, no England fan can complain of the herculean efforts he has produced in the past few years.

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

Beginners' luck

My article on debutants, and beginners’ luck - which I began to muse on the other day - went up on Cricinfo today.

It's Sreesanth

Sreesanth, the India fast bowler, is my latest favourite player. Not because of his cricketing credentials, but for his name. Sreesanth. It's singular; his first name is too long and complicated (it's Shanthakumaran if you must know) and I have a curious liking for names and words and things.

I don't know why...it's probably because it's so uncommon in Britain to be known nationally by your last name. Only if you're a celebrity, and usually not a very good/popular/talented one, are you afforded notoriety by your surname. In the subcontintent, it's common!

Anyway, I really am talking some rubbish here. The point of all this is highlighted by John Stern who, as I have mentioned before, is writing a diary for us at our Tour Diaries blog. And today's entry should provide great reading for those of you interested into the world of a cricket journalist (John's the Editor of The Wisden Cricketer):

 

But after leaving his seat and made for the exit, he promptly returned to the microphone-laden table. “I want to make an announcement,” he said. Comments like that lead to wild and excitable speculation. Journalists could see their careers flashing before their eyes. Is this the big one?

 

“I would like everyone to know that my name is Sreesanth. That’s S-R-E-E-S-A-N-T-H. Thank you.”

 

You what? We don’t do jokes ten minutes before deadline. Was it a joke? Not a very funny one clearly. Apparently, there had been a misspelling of Mr Sreesanth’s name (there was a U instead of an A, if you must know). And he’s not amused. But the culprits have been apprehended and they will be facing him and Munaf Patel in the nets tomorrow.

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

All out for Sport Relief

As I made mention of the other day, Sport Relief - comprising Phil Tufnell and Chris Evans among others - are out in India on a cricket tour which has just come to an end. Evans met Andrew Flintoff the other day during their final match...which they lost rather badly.

But with the home side having former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin in their side, they posted a massive 229 of 25 overs, which eventually proved just too good for the Sport Relief line-up.

Freddie, who was mobbed by Indian fans as soon as he arrived at the Braebourne Stadium, made his way to the Sport Relief dressing room to wish them all the best – and was met with a request by Chris Evans.

Evans said: “I asked Freddie if he’d stick my glasses on, wear a floppy hat and go out and send some fast ones down, but apparently he has a game this weekend or something.”

It's a great charity though, and it'll be good to see the documentary when it airs in the autumn (on the BBC). The site also has a gallery of photos from the tour.

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

The luck of the debutant?

It must be the luck of the debutant, surely. Owais Shah made fifty in his first Test today, to help give England a solid platform on day one of the third Test against India. But if statistics are anything to go by, luck isn't the main contributor to England's recent successful debutants; they're just bloody good players.

John Stern makes mention of this in his verdict at Cricinfo

But as for Shah's runs, well, this is becoming an English trait and it can't just be beginner's luck. Shah became the fifth successive England specialist batsman to make 50 or more on Test debut. Four of them are in this team and it is a run that stretches back to Strauss' own debut in 2004.

Strauss took to Test cricket with such assured alacrity that he was talked of as a future captain before he had barely played ten Tests. So he was due a bad trot. It is just a shame for England that it has spanned back-to-back Asian tours when injury and other absences has played such havoc with their plans. His innings today was his first score of over 50 in five Tests - and, impressively, his eighth hundred in 24 Tests.

 

For all the fuss about the ageing Australians, and their pension-and-bus-pass debutants, they too have introduced a host of successful new players to Test cricket recently. Brad Hodge made a double hundred - and was dropped for the tour to South Africa. Mike Hussey is Mr Cricket, and looks as though he drinks, eats and sleeps Test cricket. Most recently, Stuart Clark fell one wicket short of becoming just the third Australian to take 10 wickets in his first Test match. These are all remarkable stats, and England are doing it now too.

Strauss' debut against New Zealand in 2004 was a milestone, if only for Nasser Hussain who retired that summer with a "my job's done, it's your turn now" sort of buck-passing. And he was right, too. That summer, England showed immense promise in beating New Zealand and the West Indies, which they continued into the winter when they beat South Africa. But without their firing debutant, Strauss, they'd likely have come up short.

This winter, we've seen Alastair Cook breeze to a hundred, and a fifty in the same game, as though he was born to play the game. Shah, too, has done the same - although retired hurt on fifty owing to cramp. It's been an otherwise disappointing winter for England; the clutch of new players they've had to breed, though, have shown there's plenty of depth in reserve. And that's a massive positive to take into the summer.

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

Stern words starts blogging

John Stern, our esteemed Editor of The Wisden Cricketer is kindly blogging at Cricinfo's Tour Diaries which should be bookmarked immediately.

Sport Relief crashes to defeat

As mentioned the other day, Sport Relief are out in India with a number of celebrities to raise funds for the less advantaged. It’s a good charity, made all the better by involving the Great Game.

The charity side, known as the Red Socks, lost their opening match with Jack Russell, Chris Evans, Phil Tufnell and Rosalie Birch all failing badly. Red Socks, chasing 177, slumped to a woeful 120 in 20 overs! Perhaps the choice of Tufnell as captain needs reconsidering.

Andrew Flintoff attended a Sport Relief function today, too, to lend his support in Mumbai.

Having despatched some shots deep into the streets, the all-rounder then missed one from an excitable youngster and was bowled.

The Mumbai project is designed to give an education to homeless children and, in addition, Flintoff’s visit coincided with an Indian festival where people are painted with coloured powder.

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

King Viv attacks England's performance in India

Viv Richards claims England have taken a big step backwards since winning the Ashes, according to the BBC.

The West Indies legend says if England aspire to be the best then they have to learn how to beat Pakistan and India away from home. Although he admits it has never been easy.

He does shower praise on Flintoff who reminds him of his friend Ian Botham. And
when Flintoff and Pietersen are together batting and on form, he says it reminds him of the days when the West Indies were in their prime.

Still, Richards is right, isn't he? England have let slip a big chance to
become a great side.

Justin Hunt

Fletcher and his new recruits

So it's goodbye Simon Jones, Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan who are likely to sit out the entire tour of India. But thankfully it's hello to a new crop of talented young England cricketers. When you hear Duncan Fletcher talking about his new recruits, he almost sounds a bit taken aback by how well they have performed.

This current crop of injuries might prove to be a blessing in disguise for Fletcher and one wonders how sharp he is at identifying and bringing on new players. Why, for example, didn't Cook get a crack in Pakistan?

The current England management orthodoxy seems to be you have to have a settled side. But do you? Maybe Fletcher should be looking to experiment more. It's good to see new players coming in. It adds creativity and changes the overall dynamic of the team. One suspects there are some talented players in England A who should also be given a chance very soon - but not just when someone is injured.

Justin Hunt

Monty's dinner plates

England's new spinner, Monty Panesar, is winning lots of plaudits for his debut Test - and rightly so. Apparently he has hands like dinner plates and rips the ball so hard that it has affected the look and shape of his hands. However some cricket commentators are suggesting that he might not have the ability to 'keep an end plugged up' like Ashley Giles did so effectively. It's early days, but who cares if Monty can't fit into some tried and tested England game plan?! He's taking wickets. Big ones, too, and that's what matters. But er....let's not dwell too much on Monty's batting!!

Justin Hunt

Texting Vaughan

Andrew Flintoff is being the perfect diplomat when asked questions about
the England captaincy. He is reported to have said that he is just keeping
the position 'warm' for Michael Vaughan, who is still the team's captain. And he has said he has exchanged texts with Vaughan. You can't help wondering what the text messages say? Or when Freddie has/had chance to send them.

There was some criticism that Freddie took his time over some decisions in the field,
showing his inexperience, and consulting with a group of other players.
Maybe in the huddles, they were checking Vaughan's texts to get his views on
what to do next?!! Anyone any thoughts on what the texts might have said?

Justin Hunt

Trescothick: where art thou?

In this era of 24/7 news coverage, it is amazing that Marcus Trescothick has
managed to go home from the tour and for there to be a total blackout on
the reasons why. Fair enough. It is nice to see someone's privacy being
respected. But what happens when he comes back? Where will he bat? Who will
he replace? With Alastair Cook blossoming, the addition of Trescothick could
strengthen the England batting line up greatly. But who will get the chop?
Ian Bell perhaps?

Justin Hunt

Boycott blackballs Blackwell

Geoff Boycott has trashed Ian Blackwell's performance in the first Test. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Boycott says: '....he found Test cricket just a bit too much for him. He didn't make any runs and his bowling was local league stuff...'

Boycott is tipping the selectors to go for another seamer or Shaun Udal. The blunt yorkshireman is now the self-appointed expert on all cricket matters. And he does often have some good comments. However, for the record, I don't remember Boycott's bowling ever being much cop. He always used to
run up with his cap the wrong way round like some modern day rapper. And there were plenty of days when he didn't make any runs to the exasperation of the England team and the likes of the more talented Ian Botham, who was forced to run Boycott out on one famous occasion.

Justin Hunt

Touring in India

Miles Jupp, who I believe is a comedian, is touring with England in India and blogging about it. He has an amusing opening post, detailing the Sky commentary team's "nightmare" in not sourcing a good supply of tonic water.

Botham, Gower, Hussein et al. like to return to the media hotel at the end of each day’s play and have a gin and tonic to help them take the edge off, but for days they struggled to find their beloved mixer. All they kept getting offered were varieties of isotonic drink, but they turned their noses up at the idea of drinking any kind of turbo gin cocktail. Their travel operator even sent a man out into town with strict instructions to find the mixer at all costs.

Cook serves up desert

If he showed a glimpse of his class in the first innings, Alastair Cook proved it today with an innings of remarkable composure, restraint and maturity to give England a genuine chance of forcing the most unlikely of victories on the final day. First came Marcus Trescothick as England’s fresh-faced left-handed opener. Then Andrew Strauss, albeit in fortuitous selectorial circumstances. England have unearthed a third who, on the basis of one innings at Nagpur, could be better than both.

The prophets of doom, myself included, predicted nothing less than a 3-0 drubbing by India before the Test started; Michael Vaughan’s wonky knee, Trescothick’s undisclosed problems and a swathe of injuries afflicted England. Not even the most optimistic observer could have forseen the situation England find themselves in after four days.

He joins Andrew Strauss, with whom he opened in this Test, to make a fifty and a hundred on debut. Michael Clarke was the last to do it for Australia; Virender Sehwag for India; Scott Styris for New Zealand and Dwayne Smith for the West Indies. In fact, Smith’s highest score since that hundred against South Africa is 42. Against the might of Bangladesh. So it’s not a certainty that debutant centurions should forge a successful Test career but - and I’m willing to eat my hat, if I have one left, should this not be true - Cook showed he has more than enough ability and determination to succeed at Test level.

Against a true master of legspin, Anil Kumble, he was calm and in control, deftly back-cutting and waiting for a bad ball. Against Kumble’s partner in crime, Harbhajan Singh, he was flustered but was patient enough, and disconcertingly mature, to realise that eventually a bad ball would come. Singh, like his team-mates, didn’t have a day to remember - nor was lady luck smiling on them, or even grimacing. However this was Cook’s first outing at this level, and he coped with absolutely everything. Strauss’s debut against the West Indies in 2004 was one to remember, undoubtedly, but Cook’s magical knock today was technically superior and all the more astonishing given his late arrival; it was made in the second innings, too.

If England win this Test - and there’s an awful lot more work to do - it must surely be regarded as one of the best in recent times, given their pre-series disasters. If anything, it proves one thing: never write a team off, and left-handers have a bloody easy time of it

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

Cricket limerick competition: win stuff!

It's early days at The Googly, but I thought it high time to launch a competition. Limericks are a lot of fun (and actually require some thought, too) so your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to produce the best limerick (emphasis on trying to make me laugh, please) - and here's your starting line:

England were in such a mess

We have two brilliant prizes from Crease Clothing, who make these fantastic cricket T-Shirts with funny and wacky cricketing slogans emblazened on them. “CHEEKY SINGLE” (for the ladies), "There's nothing wrong with trying to PULL EVERYTHING", "Great catch" and "You don't need SNOW to go sledging" among others. They're all great fun, are available in a variety of sizes and, best of all, are completely cricket-oriented. For the true cricket nut.

Now then, the rules and things:

What is a limerick?

A limerick is a five-line poem written with one couplet and one triplet. If a couplet is a two-line rhymed poem, then a triplet would be a three-line rhymed poem. The rhyme pattern is a a b b a with lines 1, 2 and 5 containing 3 beats and rhyming, and lines 3 and 4 having two beats and rhyming. Some people say that the limerick was invented by soldiers returning from France to the Irish town of Limerick in the 1700s.

Example

A flea and a fly in a flue
Were caught, so what could they do?
Said the fly, "Let us flee."
"Let us fly," said the flea.
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

Easy. And here's another (far poorer) example:

England were in such a mess
They needed more players - not less!
But Flintoff stood tall
And Monty bowled them all
I'm sorry to say - I digress!

Really, really terrible - I apologise. But at least it gives you something to aim for and, hopefully, better. I'll run the compo until the end of the second Test, and might do another for the third. Available to all - just leave a comment, and make sure your email address is valid.

Check out Crease Clothing now if you can't be bothered to win a free one!

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

Jones' butter fingers

At a crucial stage in today's match, Geraint Jones dropped Anil Kumble. Jones has missed stumpings and dolly catches before - he did during the Ashes. But the management insist that he's an important all-round player because he can contribute with the bat. At one point the criticism targeted at Jones got so bad during the Ashes that Andrew Flintoff had to intervene; he told Channel 4 that Jones had the full support of the dressing room.

England are again paying the price for not having a specialist keeper. Imagine if Jones had caught Kumble. It could have helped to turn the outcome of the first Test. It would have been great for the team's morale as well.

Jones might be handy with the bat but, in tense, knife-edge situations, you need a specialist who is going to snap up simple bread-and-butter chances.

Justin Hunt

Perseverance pays off for England

What a great Test we're having. England’s day? Just about, but India will be over the moon at the wonderful hundred partnership between Anil Kumble and Mohammad Kaif. Were it not for that pair, India would have been bowled out for a really paltry total. Indeed, that would have been all the more probable 12-18 months ago, but this Indian side are tougher than they used to be. Tougher they might be, but they remain vulnerable to the swinging delivery and were brilliantly exposed by Matthew Hoggard who, at one stage, had figures of 4 for 6. This Test is alive and kicking and intriguingly poised.

The late strikes by England has put them in charge at the end of the third day though. The lead of 71 doesn’t sound significant - it’s not a huge lead by any means - but come the fourth innings, it could prove invaluable. India’s number eleven, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, has a batting average of 5.66 and ought not to make more than that.

After the disasterous pre-series preparations afflicting England’s squad, they seem to be gelling as a team - led by Andrew Flintoff. But the big story of the day has been Monty Panesar. I effed and blinded about his over-the-wicket nonsense at my other blog, but it’s a nevertheless a valid point. As soon as he reverted to bowling around the wicket, he grabbed a wicket - and the key one of Kaif who, until then, had batted sensibly if a little too obdurately. And what a pearler of a wicket it was. His first in Test cricket happened earlier in the day - none other than Sachin R Tendulkar! - but this second, late wicket was all the better. My Editor sums it up better than I can:

Perfectly flighted to drag the batsman forward, late dip to leave him stranded, and turn and bounce to detonate the middle and off stumps, the first Turbanation of the series had just been witnessed. Remarkably, however, it was England’s players who were doing the celebrations.

Well bowled, Monty. And well batted Kumbles. After I've watched the higlights I'll elaborate some more.

 

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

Why are England so unfit?

Why is it that the England team is crippled with so many injuries all the
time? After all, cricket is not a physical contact sport like rugby or
football. There is plenty of time when you're waiting to bat to exercise and
even if you're on the boundary you can do stretching exercises etc.

Steve Harmison has trained with Newcastle Football club and was reported to
be taken aback by how fit Alan Shearer is. Maybe Duncan Fletcher should get
some football fitness coaches working with the England cricket team or get
them training with a Premier League football club. I don't recall other top
cricket sides - and that's what England say they want to be - suffering from
so many injuries at one time.

Justin Hunt

Slow down, KP

Can someone make Pietersen slow down?!

Talk to most cricket fans and they find Kevin Pietersen a highly frustrating
batsman. Why, they ask, does he to try to score a four off each ball? Why
can't he adjust his game to the Indian pitch conditions? KP clearly needs
some Boycott-like application. Or looking at it another way, wouldn't
Collingwood, with his grit and determination, be a great batsman with some
of KP's talent?!

Overall KP seems an edgy and nervous character. He seems to find it hard to
relax. Maybe on a day off, he should search out a wise Indian spiritual
guru to help him relax?!

Justin Hunt

The languid class of Steven Harmison

I'm watching the highlights of the second day's play at Nagpur, and (as I thought) Steve Harmison's innings is a wee little beauty. One of his fours was "languidly" (copyright M.Atherton) stroked through the covers, and another - while dancing down the pitch to Harbhajan Singh - lofted over long-on for six.  Great knock. I still miss the days when tailenders were hapless and idiotic with the bat, though...

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

Panesar gives glimpse of full Monty!

Now how about that for a headline? Monty Panesar is a tabloid sub-editor’s dream! Anyway, I’d like to agree wholeheartedly with Jag who was delighted to see an English left-armer bowl around the wicket. I know Ashley Giles gets a lot of stick, some of it undeserved, but even he cannot deny that his over-the-wicket tactics have been painfully dull to watch.

I didn’t see a lot of Panesar today. However, what immediately struck me was the similarity between Daniel Vettori. In the piece I wrote for Cricinfo on Monty, Mark Ramprakash said we [England] should be looking to find someone of Vettori’s ability. While it’s too early to suggest Panesar has the same ability - incidentally, he certainly doesn’t have the same talent with the bat which Vettori possesses - he did well today, and looks a decent prospect. It’ll be really fascinating to watch his progression.

Maybe one day he’ll be / reveal the full Monty! (sorry, again). Also, he's not the first Monty to play for England:

England

Bowden, MP (Monty Bowden, 1865-1892)

Cranfield, LM (Monty Cranfield, 1909-1993)

Garland-Wells, HM (Monty Garland-Wells, 1907-1993)

Panesar, MS (Monty Panesar, 1982- )

Of those, only Monty Bowden played Tests. Ah, but there's an obvious and fatal flaw in my logic: I've forgotten about all the Montague's and Montgomery's, and there must be dozens of those...oh well. Cracking name for a dog, I think, Montague...

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

Collingwood and Jaffer

Paul Collingwood and Wasim Jaffer stood out on the second day of the first Test between England and India at Nagpur. Collingwood finally made his maiden century. When I've watched the highlights I'll post some more thoughts, and I'm particularly keen on seeing Steve Harmison's innings - he made 39 from nearly as many balls! India, though I've not caught much of the day's play, India look disconcertingly calm at the crease and have closed at 136 for 1. Interestingly, they too fell well below 3-runs-per-over...

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

Opportunity knocks

Maybe I'm a glass half-full kind of a person, but I can't help seeing a massive opportunity in England's current tour of India. And yes, I mean for for England.

To really succeed in international sport, one needs more than a team of world-class players: one needs a group of almost as many players lined up behind the first team, champing at the bit to get in the side, creating constant competition for places and also being there to step in when injuries strike and enable the team to continue with only very little lowering of their standards.

England have not really had that so far - OK so we finally managed to marry a world class batting line-up with a world-class bowling line up in the Ashes, but whenever injury strikes there is a massive bout of soul-searching as to who on earth to call in. Who is our second spinner? Our second all-rounder?

What interests me about the current tour is that the number of injuries to
first choice players means a whole raft of stand-in players have a chance to
really establish themselves, play a few games, stake their claims to be
first choice. Some will take the chance - Cook seems a certainty. Some will
not. But by the end of the tour we should have a much better idea of which
of the second fiddlers can prove their true worth under the sustained
pressure of test match cricket, and deserve to remain as our stand-by
options, even if they do not force themselves into the first team. With the
Ashes and World Cup looming, this is a good time for it to happen. I told
you I was a glass half-full person.

Dan Jellinek is a Brighton-based writer, publisher and cricket fan

India and England: conflicting cultures

Boria Majumdar, the author of various books on Indian cricket, writes a fascinating article on the contrasting cultures of England and India.

It is cricket's worst kept secret - that English players were averse to touring the sub-continent until not very long ago. The Indian public missed out on Holmes, Sutcliffe, Wooley and Hammond in 1934. Trueman, Statham, May, Graveney and Bailey all pulled out in 1961-2.

The timing of this piece might cause a stir, given half of England's team have flown home. But he makes some valid and interesting points, not least about Indian sides who toured England

 

Soon after the Indians arrived for a series in 1932, the Evening Standard commented: "There has never been such a team of contrasts meeting on the common footing of cricket."

 

"The 18 players speak eight to 10 languages, belong to four or five different castes, some may not eat this and some may not eat that, a few are denied smoking by their religious laws.
 

 

"Some similarly have drink proscribed; they are captained by a Maharajah rich beyond the dreams of county cricket treasurers.

 

"Some come from the plains where cold is almost unknown, and others from the hills where the climate has insured them even to an English summer."

Fascinating to think our cultures were so vastly different not so long ago. And yet I know for a fact that even now, some teams and players are vary wary of touring the subcontinent. Why? I don't know. I've yet to visit India or Pakistan or indeed any of the subcontinent - and I can't wait - so I'm not fully qualified to argue either way.

"The Shift", as Majumdar says, started in the 1990s with the realisation that the subcontinent had an audience of tens of millions, far more than any other country. An audience of that size brought fervent marketing and a monopoly over advertising; indeed, in 2005 the ICC moved its headquarters from Britain to Dubai.

India is now the centre of the cricketing world, both geographically and metaphorically. With its recent withdrawal from the Champions Trophy, some questioned whether it was getting rather too big for its boots which my Editor, Sambit Bal, put far more eloquently than I can:

But at the same time, to be taken seriously as a leader, India must learn to behave like one. It is justified in seeking to redress the imbalance in the international calendar, which it finds discriminatory and inimical to its interests, but it must assure the international cricket community that it is prepared to think beyond itself and put its might behind causes that transcend commerce. That sport is big business today is an inescapable reality. But it must not be lost on anyone that there is a fundamental difference between sport and business. Money may be sport's biggest driver, but it is not its soul; cricket needs to make money in order to exist, but it doesn't exist to make money.

Cricketers may not want to go to India for reasons of their own choosing. They now have to and it's in their monetary interests to do so. The balance of power has shifted, and dramatically so.

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

India v England, 1st Test, preview

In about 11 hours, a chaotic England team take to the field in Nagpur for the first Test against India. Preparations have been farcical and they've been thin on luck, but it's time to get on with it. However worrying it may be, the start of a new series brings fresh hope and excitement, especially one littered with debutants. Ah, it's like the 1990s all over again...

Hope and excitement are probably two adjectives Ian Blackwell and Alastair Cook, the likely two debutants, might use to describe their feeling; "bricking it" and "is this for real?" might be closer to the mark, however. My colleage at Cricinfo, Rahul Bhattacharya, provides an interesting preview of tomorrow's Test, which ought to carry a health warning to English readers.

Presuming they don't return home this evening, those two should be Ian Blackwell, whom Indian viewers will remember more for a 68-ball 82 against them in the Champions Trophy of 2002, and Shaun Udal, 18 days shy of his 37th birthday. Udal's 690 first-class wickets have come at 32.56 apiece; and Blackwell's 185 at 43.39. They have between them three Test victims. They are up against a pair with over 700, and the surface is expected to assist them.

The pair Rahul speaks of are Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble, two leaping, enthusastic and fabulously talented spinners - and two of my favourite to watch, although I enjoy watching any spinner bowl (apart from Ian Salisbury. Remember him?). I won't, however, enjoy them outbowl England's in this Test, as it merely highlights our woeful, depressing and never-gonna-be-fixed dearth of spin bowlers in England. Ian Blackwell might well quote his career economy rate of 2.88 runs per over, but it's wickets we need, Ian, and you won't have faced Virender Sehwag or Sachin Tendulkar all that often. (although, truth be known, he has once or twice in some one-dayers).

Ian Blackwell is arguably the new Darren Lehmann - in terms of his athletic finesse, if nothing else. We need a Singh, a Kumble - and although we have Monty Panesar, I highly doubt Duncan Fletcher will want to risk extending his/England's tail any further.

Rahul goes on:

If England win the toss, thus, it will not be a bad place for Alastair Cook to debut. "We discussed him in our bowler's meeting last evening," said Rahul Dravid. "Some of the guys who have played against him in county cricket think he is a very good player."

I don't want to hype the lad too much, especially considering that I've yet to see him play, but by all accounts the bloke can bat rather well. He hit a double hundred against Australia, for Essex, in a tour-game in last summer's Ashes and is exceptionally well regarded. For all the commotion and chaos surrounding him at the moment, this is an opportunity afforded to very few: open the innings for England and, oh by the way, your country needs you to make a hundred because we're falling apart at the seams. A nightmare it might seem, but if he shows some bottle and has a good series, the selectors will wipe the expected 3-0 loss from their minds rather quickly. Technically-correct, left-handed opening batsmen are a rare treat and ones to savour.

My other blog will be carrying partial live coverage of the Test (in terms of night owls commenting and chatting to their heart's content), but otherwise tune into Sky, or Test Match Special or, of course, Cricinfo.

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

An Englishman in India

Paul Coupar, a colleage and Assistant Editor of The Wisden Cricketer, is kindly blogging for us at Cricinfo on his tour of India. It promises to be a great read, so don't miss out.

Captain Freddie to the rescue

With Vaughan's dodgy knee letting him down and with Trescothick off on leave for 'personal reasons', Freddie Flintoff has stepped forward as captain.

This is not a development that his captain, Michael Vaughan, thinks is a good idea. In his Ashes biog, 'Calling the Shots', he said that Freddie already does too much and that the extra responsibility would be too much. Vaughan feels that Freddie likes to be one of the lads and enjoys his fun and games. All this, he
suggests, would have to change if Freddie ever became captain.

It won't be easy for Freddie to take over with Vaughan watching over him. As
far as comparisons go, you can't help thinking of Botham and how his game
suffered when he took over the England captaincy.  Now is the time to
protect Freddie. We don't want another star in trouble.

Justin Hunt

Ian Blackwell, the cult

A really interesting article in today's Independant about Ian Blackwell. He's competing with Monty Panesar for a place in England's lineup for the first Test; if anyone doesn't know about Blackwell, he's not what you might describe as an average sportsman. He's larger, rounder and altogether more like the rest of us, as Stephen Brenkley explores.

Size, weight and attitude to one side, he hits the ball thunderously hard; a journalist once described him as a "bull in a china shop," which is perfectly apt, not only for the manner with which he hits a ball, but his overall demeanour.

BSuch is the obsession with professionalism these days, he doesn't quite fit into Duncan Fletcher's ideal. Fletcher's all "keep 'em lean, treat 'em mean," as Blackwell conceded:

"My eye and natural ability had got me so far," he said. "Then you come up and see the Fletcher regime and if you don't comply you're quickly out.

If anything, his inclusion in the tour to India only highlights his talent even more. Anyway, read Brenkley's article. It's rather good and very interesting, including gems such as:

The trouble with Blackwell, the big trouble with Blackwell it might be said, is his size. He simply does not fit the idea, still less the ideal, of the modern professional sportsman. In the field and at the crease, he looks, well not to put too fine a point on the issue, he looks fat. This is his strength as well as his weakness, of course. It makes him one of us, and the fact that his shirt flops out of his trousers as soon as he tucks it in only increases the sense of identification.

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

Owais Shah in line for call up

Following Marcus Trescothick's withdrawal from England's tour of India, it appears Vikram Solanki and Owais Shah are favourites to replace him.

Comically, Shah  too isn't fully fit following knee surgery (in the summer, I think, but I could be wrong). I've followed Shah's career since he captained the Under-19s in the 1990s; he is an extraordinarily talented batsman, although his method has changed a lot since I first saw him. He's become quite crab-like, and there's less of a flourish when he strokes fours.

Alastair Cook joined James Anderson as cover for England's beleagured squad. Cook was the bloke who smashed a double hundred for Essex against Australia in a tour game last summer. Now he is exceptionally well thought of, particular by Graham Gooch who knows a thing or two about opening the innings (and batting in general).

Depressing though these injuries are, they nevertheless open up opportunities for other players.

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

From bad to very bad, England lose Trescothick

As if England's situation couldn't be worse, Marcus Trescothick has flown home for family reasons and might miss the Test series.

England versus President's Board XI

England haven't had a very  good start to this tour, despite a reasonably satisfying win in their first warm-up. Their second practice match before the first Test is going horribly wrong. Michael Vaughan's dodgy knee continues to give him trouble (Marcus Trescothick is captaining the side) and the performance of the batsmen has me very worried indeed.

Andrew Strauss can't buy a run. Nor can Andrew Flintoff and, at half-past-eight on Saturday, England are effectively 19 for 5. Oh - make that 26 for 6. Geraint Jones has fallen for 11. Not the start England needed. India must be tickled pink!

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty

Sky get TV deal for India

Well, it's quite a relief. Sky have today been offered the rights to show England's tour of India. It was looking very dicey at one point, as Nimbus - who own the exclusive rights for all cricket in India, in a deal worth over $600m - steadfastly refused Sky's initial offer. It appears they called Nimbus' bluff, though, which is terrific for us (especially those who work at Cricinfo).

Monty Panesar: a positive selection

As I have been mentioning for a couple of weeks, I wrote a piece for Cricinfo the other day on Monty Panesar, with some (mildly) interesting quotes from Mark Ramprakash. It's up here for your reading pleasure...

BBC secure radio rights in India

The BBC have secured radio rights in India for four years, which is a welcome relief to those who enjoy Test Match Special. The deal allows them to broadcast England’s current tour of India, and other international teams who visit, over the next four years. Sky, meanwhile, are being shafted by Nimbus, who paid an astonishing amount of money (over $600m) for exclusive rights to broadcast cricket on TV in India.

England start with a win

So then. England have begun their tour of India and started with a win in the first tour match. Practice matches and warm-ups are strange affairs. Often, if a visiting team loses, they're regarded as pointless and the excuses range from "It's too hot" to "it's too cold," to "we have altitude sickness."   

But England won, so there's no need for any of those. Important as victories are, tour match triumphs are invariably hollow and of particular concern must be Monty Panesar. By all accounts, he didn't disgrace himself, but reports came through yesterday that he was bowling "fast and flat," and lacking the loop and flight which makes him as a bowler. This is a worrying trend, and not just in England. Why they can't simply leave young spinners alone, I don't know. Yes they'll go for runs; yes their confidence might dip. But by bowling so defensively, their attacking instinct is culled.

Not good. Let's hope his coach and captain leave him to bowl as he does for his county.