The Googly

Fabulous five-fers: Simon Jones, 2005

Ah, the days when England were good.  Simon "Knee-Knack" Jones takes 5-44 at Trent Bridge in 2005.

The rights and wrongs of righting wrongs

Jason McAteer, footballer for Liverpool and the Republic of Ireland (amongst others) is hardly a noted thinker, but is remembered for an altercation with Roy Keane in 2002. After words were exchanged, McAteer mimed writing in a book. That one gesture captured the impact of the vast market in sports books on the old cliche that "what goes on the pitch, stays on the pitch".

Cricket has a proud literary tradition, but it seems Duncan Fletcher's book, "Behind the Shades" is unlikely to add to it. If you can bear it, read extracts at the Daily Mail about Flintoff and, disgracefully, about Trescothick.

I have many questions about this tawdry stuff, but I'll ask Googlyers two. Would you ever confide anything in a coach (or, by extension, a manager) knowing that it is all to be written up for profit later? Is any of the vast profits from this enterprise going to causes to help problem drinking, depression or grassroots cricket?

[The Tooting Trumpet] [Image: Getty]

The Thunder Downunder: Secrets of an Immortal

Last summer during the second Ashes Test Shane Warne recorded what the host broadcaster labeled a masterclass. It was perhaps the best live cricketing television you could hope to witness and there is no doubt that this 10 minute film will become as iconic as any image or writing that the cricketing community has ever produced. Barring the complete collapse of civilization there is little doubt this instructive piece will be watched and studied for centuries to come.

It is brilliant in its simplicity and content and Mark Nicholas plays the role of cajoling interviewer with a boyish-like enthusiasm which is a joy to witness. The WACA looks a picture under an azure Indian Ocean sky and Warne, out in the centre, is comfortable, entertaining and in his element.

Warne demystifies his art with demonstrations of each of his deliveries and speaks about some of the tactics and techniques he employs to dismiss the best batsman on the planet. Shane does not only talk of the mechanics of his art but also about the intangibles. His advice for young spinners is especially insightful. He says you need to have good mate as captain, a lot of courage and plenty of love from family, team and friends.

Although this video is instructional in the art of wrist-spin it is also an invaluable insight of the art for batsman. If you understand the position of the hand for each type of delivery reading wrist-spin is as easy as reading these words.

Click, watch, listen and learn. Get out in the backyard, street, corridor or park and try and bowl a leggie, a toppie, a wrong-un, a zooter and a flipper. It’s not as hard as you think and I guarantee that when you finally land one you will feel elated. A warning however, bowling wrist-spin is addictive and an eccentric skill and if you are not careful it can change the way you perceive the world.

{Nesta Quin} [Image: Getty]

Reasons to love Ian Bell 500-1000

Just why is it that a reasonably sane person such as I like to deem myself, just goes weak at the knees for Ian Bell? He isn't a god-like presence on the pitch (see Simon Jones for the bod), but there is something about Ian that gets my pulse racing and heartbeat raised. Is it that he seems to be such an honest cricketer? A man who wears his heart on the sleeve as I do?  Is it that he always seems to be verging on the edges of the England team? Every time we see him in the whites, we wonder if this will be the last time. He always seems to be the one about to be dropped. Today we heard it again - when Fred's back, Bell will be the man to lose his place. It's so hard to remember that little Ian really is little Ian. He's still only 25 years old. At that age I'd hardly touched life, let alone lived.

Today at Trent Bridge, dear Ian held the end up wonderfully. A very tough wicket saw Strauss, Cook and Vaughan walk off the park. Ian was left, with the tail. After Prior went, he was left with Tremlett, and a huge task to see England through to the end of the day. I really don't understand why the world of cricket lovers doesn't love the Bell-Boy. Out for 31-  sad end to a very good day.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

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]

Where did Jones GO?

When musing on the likely fate of Chris Read (probably won't play for England again) quite logically my thoughts turned also to Geraint Jones, who has become the forgotten man of the 2005 Ashes squad. So much water has passed under the bridge, and so many changes to the England side that I'd actually forgotten that he did play the first two Tests in Australia last winter. The last time I thought of him, a few months ago, he was playing nicely for his county (Kent), so I thought it time to play catch up and check how it's going for the little wicketkeeper of whom so much was expected.

It's not going that gloriously for Geraint. His batting average looks pretty nondescript at 29.09 in First-class matches, though his keeping has been fairly sharp with 20 catches and one stumping in the seven matches, and a further five dismissals in his nine Twenty20 games. However, he is lagging behind Chris Read, although doing better than James Foster, whose name seems higher up the selectors' lists than either Jones or Read. But sport is a cruel mistress, and there's no room for sentiment. Memories of his brave 85, batting with Freddie Flintoff at Trent Bridge that helped put England in a winning position back in a summer when the sun shone and the country caught Ashes Fever, butter no parsnips now in rainy, dank and miserable 2007.

I have no doubt that the selectors called it right in dropping GO during the disasterous adventure Downunder during the winter, but is it right that he is now ignored? On current evidence, sadly, I think it probably is.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

Strauss's fall from grace

Well we all know what Andrew will be doing next weekend. The England Lions? Who thought that one up then? Apart from magnificent beasts striding the plains of the Masai Mara (if it has plains), or lying around doing nothing at Longleat, there is only one pride of Lions in sport and that's the rugby lot. Heaven knows what they think about the ECB nicking their monicker. Still we seem to be stuck with it now and as the team formerly known as England A, prepare to take the field against India, it's hard to imagine that Mr Strauss does not feel that he's back at school and been sent down from Div I to Div II in maths (or French).

So how did this sad situation come to pass? It doesn't seem so long ago that we were cheering for Strauss as he hit 129 at the Oval, making him the only player in the 2005 Ashes to score a century twice in the series - the first coming at Old Trafford, with blood oozing from his ear from a Brett Lee ball. Hustled into the captaincy due to injuries to Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff in the summer of 2006, his England team were humiliated by Sri Lanka - a 5-0 white-wash in the One-day series. Honour was, partially, redeemed as England took the Test series 3-0 against Pakistan (the debacle of the final Test was not of Strauss's making). But then they went Downunder. Bumped as captain in favour of the returning Flintoff, we hoped that Andrew (of the Strauss flavour) would bat his way into the limelight. Very few of England's team came back from Oz with their reputations enhanced, but few were as diminished as Strauss. With a mere two fifties after 20 innings on tour, he was dropped before the ICC World Cup.

He did make an appearance, but 7 against the West Indies at Bridgetown was not the performance we expected of him. Some pretty poor scores (6 and a blob in the third match) in the Test series against the West Indies this summer (his 77 in the fourth Test was not indicative of his overall form) led to him not being picked to play in the Twenty20 or One-day internationals. Strauss has hardly been setting records in the county game for Middlesex and while an average of 54 is not shabby, this is only calculated from three innings so not possible to relate it to a return to form.

However, with England's top order far from impressive, let's not rush to judgement. Rather wait and see if Andrew Strauss can overcome past problems representing his country and return to grace on the fair fields of Essex.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

How's Marcus?

Over a month ago I queried whether Marcus Trescothick's rehabilitation at Somerset was working. Today as I inexplicably found my radio tuned to Prime Minister's Question Time rather than the One-day international at Edgbaston, my thoughts wandered from Gordon Brown, to the brave West Countryman who used to open the England batting with flair and aplomb. His start to the season wasn't sparkling, but hard work and his innate talent seem to be paying dividends now. He sits fourth in the Somerset batting table behind only Hildreth, White and Langer with a very healthy average of 61.91 in First-class matches. After 4 matches, although Somerset are languishing at the bottom of the Midlands/West/Wales Division in the Twenty20 Cup, Marcus tops the batting with an average of 34.50.

In a recent interview with the Mail on Sunday he was honest about his feelings for the England team and how much he wants to be part of it again. He said he'd been watching every Test match thinking: "God, I miss this, I miss this a lot." Heartfelt words.

He has no illusions - knows he has to earn the whites, or the pyjamas again, but with doubts about the abilities of England's current openers, I hope the selectors are keeping a close eye on a man who was brave enough to be open about his stress-related problems. If England win today, perhaps Marcus could test his recovery with an appearance on the 7th July at Nottingham.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

Happy Birthday Test Match Special

With Test Match Special enjoying its 50th year of continuous broadcast coverage of the cricket with ball-by-ball commentary, it is an appropriate time to celebrate a great institution which it is all to easy to take for granted.

So many famous names have been associated with the programme as commentators, summarisers and guests that it is hard to know where to begin. My first memories are of John Arlott's and Brian Johnston's (picture right) voices meandering across the airwaves during what, looking back, appear to have been the endlessly hot and sunny summers of the 1970s. At that time TMS broadcast on Radio 3 on medium wave and this provoked arguments in our house as we only had one radio capable of receiving the Third Programme. Life became easier in the 1990s when TMS moved to R4 long wave and by this time Jonathan Agnew had joined the team and he along with Christopher Martin-Jenkins and Henry Blofeld were the backdrop to summer afternoons.

One of the glories of the show has always been the interaction between the commentary team and their guests. Mostly this is light-hearted as well as informative, but with such plain speakers as Sir Geoffrey Boycott in the box, arguments occasionally break out. It all leads to us listeners feeling that that we have been invited to a jolly social gathering and not a formal event.

Last winter I followed the Ashes Tour and Commonwealth Bank Series via the digital transmission, and it's a delight to know that TMS has found a safe home for the foreseeable future. With new names such as Arlo White on board, the programme is well set to keep up its tradition of excellence.

Thank you TMS and many happy returns on your 50th!

A full history of TMS can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_Match_Special

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

£4,400 - the true cost of Ashes humiliation

Yet more good news from the Ashes 2006-07! 

It seems that the sphincter-tightening humiliation we suffered down under not only gave the Aussies bragging rights for the next two years, it also boosted their economy by some £133m and created 793 jobs.  I imagine at least 200 of those were professional gloaters.

To rub salt into the seeping pustulous wound where our dignity once happily snuggled, it seems that the average England fan spent £4,400 while on tour; spunked I imagine on beer, tickets, beer, counselling, beer and beer.

This will no doubt be a boon for any incumbent Prime Minister in 2011.  "Fellas, the schools budget is looking pretty tight.  Luckily, the Poms are here this summer to boost national morale and literally stuff money into our ruthlessly victorious pockets".  [Lee C] [Image: Getty]

The Thunder Downunder: Secrets of an Immortal

Last summer during the second Ashes Test Shane Warne recorded what the host broadcaster labeled a masterclass. It was perhaps the best live cricketing television you could hope to witness and there is no doubt that this 10 minute film will become as iconic as any image or writing that the cricketing community has ever produced. Barring the complete collapse of civilization there is little doubt this instructive piece will be watched and studied for centuries to come.

It is brilliant in its simplicity and content and Mark Nicholas plays the role of cajoling interviewer with a boyish-like enthusiasm which is a joy to witness. The WACA looks a picture under an azure Indian Ocean sky and Warne, out in the centre, is comfortable, entertaining and in his element.

Warne demystifies his art with demonstrations of each of his deliveries and speaks about some of the tactics and techniques he employs to dismiss the best batsman on the planet. Shane does not only talk of the mechanics of his art but also about the intangibles. His advice for young spinners is especially insightful. He says you need to have good mate as captain, a lot of courage and plenty of love from family, team and friends.

Although this video is instructional in the art of wrist-spin it is also an invaluable insight of the art for batsman. If you understand the position of the hand for each type of delivery reading wrist-spin is as easy as reading these words.

Click, watch, listen and learn. Get out in the backyard, street, corridor or park and try and bowl a leggie, a toppie, a wrong-un, a zooter and a flipper. It’s not as hard as you think and I guarantee that when you finally land one you will feel elated. A warning however, bowling wrist-spin is addictive and an eccentric skill and if you are not careful it can change the way you perceive the world.

{Nesta Quin} [Image: Getty]

Reasons to love Ian Bell 500-1000

Just why is it that a reasonably sane person such as I like to deem myself, just goes weak at the knees for Ian Bell? He isn't a god-like presence on the pitch (see Simon Jones for the bod), but there is something about Ian that gets my pulse racing and heartbeat raised. Is it that he seems to be such an honest cricketer? A man who wears his heart on the sleeve as I do?  Is it that he always seems to be verging on the edges of the England team? Every time we see him in the whites, we wonder if this will be the last time. He always seems to be the one about to be dropped. Today we heard it again - when Fred's back, Bell will be the man to lose his place. It's so hard to remember that little Ian really is little Ian. He's still only 25 years old. At that age I'd hardly touched life, let alone lived.

Today at Trent Bridge, dear Ian held the end up wonderfully. A very tough wicket saw Strauss, Cook and Vaughan walk off the park. Ian was left, with the tail. After Prior went, he was left with Tremlett, and a huge task to see England through to the end of the day. I really don't understand why the world of cricket lovers doesn't love the Bell-Boy. Out for 31-  sad end to a very good day.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

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]

Where did Jones GO?

When musing on the likely fate of Chris Read (probably won't play for England again) quite logically my thoughts turned also to Geraint Jones, who has become the forgotten man of the 2005 Ashes squad. So much water has passed under the bridge, and so many changes to the England side that I'd actually forgotten that he did play the first two Tests in Australia last winter. The last time I thought of him, a few months ago, he was playing nicely for his county (Kent), so I thought it time to play catch up and check how it's going for the little wicketkeeper of whom so much was expected.

It's not going that gloriously for Geraint. His batting average looks pretty nondescript at 29.09 in First-class matches, though his keeping has been fairly sharp with 20 catches and one stumping in the seven matches, and a further five dismissals in his nine Twenty20 games. However, he is lagging behind Chris Read, although doing better than James Foster, whose name seems higher up the selectors' lists than either Jones or Read. But sport is a cruel mistress, and there's no room for sentiment. Memories of his brave 85, batting with Freddie Flintoff at Trent Bridge that helped put England in a winning position back in a summer when the sun shone and the country caught Ashes Fever, butter no parsnips now in rainy, dank and miserable 2007.

I have no doubt that the selectors called it right in dropping GO during the disasterous adventure Downunder during the winter, but is it right that he is now ignored? On current evidence, sadly, I think it probably is.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

Strauss's fall from grace

Well we all know what Andrew will be doing next weekend. The England Lions? Who thought that one up then? Apart from magnificent beasts striding the plains of the Masai Mara (if it has plains), or lying around doing nothing at Longleat, there is only one pride of Lions in sport and that's the rugby lot. Heaven knows what they think about the ECB nicking their monicker. Still we seem to be stuck with it now and as the team formerly known as England A, prepare to take the field against India, it's hard to imagine that Mr Strauss does not feel that he's back at school and been sent down from Div I to Div II in maths (or French).

So how did this sad situation come to pass? It doesn't seem so long ago that we were cheering for Strauss as he hit 129 at the Oval, making him the only player in the 2005 Ashes to score a century twice in the series - the first coming at Old Trafford, with blood oozing from his ear from a Brett Lee ball. Hustled into the captaincy due to injuries to Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff in the summer of 2006, his England team were humiliated by Sri Lanka - a 5-0 white-wash in the One-day series. Honour was, partially, redeemed as England took the Test series 3-0 against Pakistan (the debacle of the final Test was not of Strauss's making). But then they went Downunder. Bumped as captain in favour of the returning Flintoff, we hoped that Andrew (of the Strauss flavour) would bat his way into the limelight. Very few of England's team came back from Oz with their reputations enhanced, but few were as diminished as Strauss. With a mere two fifties after 20 innings on tour, he was dropped before the ICC World Cup.

He did make an appearance, but 7 against the West Indies at Bridgetown was not the performance we expected of him. Some pretty poor scores (6 and a blob in the third match) in the Test series against the West Indies this summer (his 77 in the fourth Test was not indicative of his overall form) led to him not being picked to play in the Twenty20 or One-day internationals. Strauss has hardly been setting records in the county game for Middlesex and while an average of 54 is not shabby, this is only calculated from three innings so not possible to relate it to a return to form.

However, with England's top order far from impressive, let's not rush to judgement. Rather wait and see if Andrew Strauss can overcome past problems representing his country and return to grace on the fair fields of Essex.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

How's Marcus?

Over a month ago I queried whether Marcus Trescothick's rehabilitation at Somerset was working. Today as I inexplicably found my radio tuned to Prime Minister's Question Time rather than the One-day international at Edgbaston, my thoughts wandered from Gordon Brown, to the brave West Countryman who used to open the England batting with flair and aplomb. His start to the season wasn't sparkling, but hard work and his innate talent seem to be paying dividends now. He sits fourth in the Somerset batting table behind only Hildreth, White and Langer with a very healthy average of 61.91 in First-class matches. After 4 matches, although Somerset are languishing at the bottom of the Midlands/West/Wales Division in the Twenty20 Cup, Marcus tops the batting with an average of 34.50.

In a recent interview with the Mail on Sunday he was honest about his feelings for the England team and how much he wants to be part of it again. He said he'd been watching every Test match thinking: "God, I miss this, I miss this a lot." Heartfelt words.

He has no illusions - knows he has to earn the whites, or the pyjamas again, but with doubts about the abilities of England's current openers, I hope the selectors are keeping a close eye on a man who was brave enough to be open about his stress-related problems. If England win today, perhaps Marcus could test his recovery with an appearance on the 7th July at Nottingham.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

Happy Birthday Test Match Special

With Test Match Special enjoying its 50th year of continuous broadcast coverage of the cricket with ball-by-ball commentary, it is an appropriate time to celebrate a great institution which it is all to easy to take for granted.

So many famous names have been associated with the programme as commentators, summarisers and guests that it is hard to know where to begin. My first memories are of John Arlott's and Brian Johnston's (picture right) voices meandering across the airwaves during what, looking back, appear to have been the endlessly hot and sunny summers of the 1970s. At that time TMS broadcast on Radio 3 on medium wave and this provoked arguments in our house as we only had one radio capable of receiving the Third Programme. Life became easier in the 1990s when TMS moved to R4 long wave and by this time Jonathan Agnew had joined the team and he along with Christopher Martin-Jenkins and Henry Blofeld were the backdrop to summer afternoons.

One of the glories of the show has always been the interaction between the commentary team and their guests. Mostly this is light-hearted as well as informative, but with such plain speakers as Sir Geoffrey Boycott in the box, arguments occasionally break out. It all leads to us listeners feeling that that we have been invited to a jolly social gathering and not a formal event.

Last winter I followed the Ashes Tour and Commonwealth Bank Series via the digital transmission, and it's a delight to know that TMS has found a safe home for the foreseeable future. With new names such as Arlo White on board, the programme is well set to keep up its tradition of excellence.

Thank you TMS and many happy returns on your 50th!

A full history of TMS can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_Match_Special

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

£4,400 - the true cost of Ashes humiliation

Yet more good news from the Ashes 2006-07! 

It seems that the sphincter-tightening humiliation we suffered down under not only gave the Aussies bragging rights for the next two years, it also boosted their economy by some £133m and created 793 jobs.  I imagine at least 200 of those were professional gloaters.

To rub salt into the seeping pustulous wound where our dignity once happily snuggled, it seems that the average England fan spent £4,400 while on tour; spunked I imagine on beer, tickets, beer, counselling, beer and beer.

This will no doubt be a boon for any incumbent Prime Minister in 2011.  "Fellas, the schools budget is looking pretty tight.  Luckily, the Poms are here this summer to boost national morale and literally stuff money into our ruthlessly victorious pockets".  [Lee C] [Image: Getty]

Is Somerset saving Marcus?

On the evidence of the current Division Two match against Middlesex at Lord's, it is tempting to say no: being in the loving arms of Somerset is not doing a lot for Marcus Trescothick. Out for a mere 12 in the 1st innings and, as Michael Atherton would say, gone for a blob in the 2nd, this would appear to be no sparkling return to batting form.

But this is not typical of how either Marcus personally, or Somerset, have been playing this season. Mostly it's been pretty good for the West Countrymen, and such has been Marcus's form that there has been talk of him returning to the Test side - although he says he's not ready.

It seems very sad that this should be the case. From his debut in 2000 when Marcus opened the batting, gloriously, with Mike Atherton, he seemed at ease and very comfortable on the international stage. It seemed as though he'd always been there, and very quickly, one thought of him as a senior member of the team. The dip in form, starting in Australia in 2002 and lingering on through the 2003 tour of the Caribbean, was quickly set aside in Johannesburg, 2004 when he blazed back into the limelight.

The Ashes 2005 saw him second only to Kevin Pietersen with an average of 43.10, and it was a shock to us all when he flew back from India, unable to continue touring. That the management saw fit to call him into the 2006-7 Ashes side can now be seen clearly as a horrible mistake and an unwelcome addition to Trescothick's problems.

We can only hope that a successful season at home in Somerset will bring the desired results.

[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]

Hoggard: down but not out

Matthew Hoggard: a name to celebrate. We think of him so often as the journeyman of the England bowling attack, and yet he is so very frequently the one who makes things happen.

When he walked off the park last Saturday, our collective hearts fell - we know how much we need him to lead the pace attack. Yet much of the time, he seems to be relegated to the sidelines in the stories written of the England team.

Why this should be is beyond me. His figures stand scrutiny from the harshest of critics, and that includes that dour old Yorkshireman, Mr Boycott.

I do remember chants of "Hoggy, Hoggy, Hoggy" ringing round the grounds during the 2005 Ashes, but I cannot bring to mind many front or back pages of the newspapers featuring the shaggy-haired northerner. This is a poor public recognition for the man who took a brilliant hat-trick in Barbados in 2004, and followed that with a truly astounding 12-wicket haul that winter as England toiled in South Africa. Quite possibly, his performance was what turned the tide and ensured that the series went in England's favour.

In 2006 he had a solid series against Sri Lanka, not such a good time against Pakistan, but showed his class in the Adelaide match of the 2006/7 Ashes, taking 7 wickets. And yet still no headlines!

As a batsman, he has turned in some decent hits for Yorkshire, and internationally, is the nightwatchman all the Test playing countries wish they had. Stolid, unflappable, and always effective. He is, quite possibly, one of the best we have ever had the privilege to rely on.

Get well soon, Hoggy. England needs you.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

Kevin Pietersen: Show piece or Show pony?

He wears diamond earrings, he has swagger, bombast and a cricketing talent to die for. Who am I talking about - sounds like Shane Warne, doesn't it? But no, this is Kevin "I have a tattoo" Pietersen.

In sports reporting there are 2 signs to look for from the journalists. They are as follows:

The person in question becomes known only by his first name or an affectionate form of the surname: eg Freddie, Warney

They are known by their initials: eg DC, JYS (ssh - that's motorsport).

Both these are signals of respect and achievement and Kevin Pietersen became KP to the world very early in his career.

Born in South Africa of an English mother, he chose to go through the years of qualification to play for England and in 2004, toured Zimbabwe and South Africa. He did not have a comfortable time playing in the country of his birth, but he made a One Day century at Bloemfontein, ignoring the jeers and cat-calls of the crowd.

He announced his arrival on the Test scene in 2005, in the first Ashes Test at Lord's, with 2 half-centuries. His astonishing knock of 158 at the Oval in the final crucial match of the series ensured that the Ashes came home for the first time in 18 years.

Since then he has not disappointed in either the Test or One Day side. He is a force to be reckoned with for any bowling attack, and despite his ludicrous efforts with the hair-cuts and the bottles of dye, this man is no show pony. He is the real deal.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

St Paul of Collingwood

I have long sung the praises of the Durham man, Paul Collingwood. To such an extent that my friends get very bored - and it is a fair comment that he is not the most exciting cricketer much of the time. But he has grit, determination and spirit to go alongside his talent and for me, he is the beating heart of this England team.

He hung around the fringes of selection, making the One Day Team in 2001, but it was at the Oval in 2005 that he got his first real break.

Coming in at a crucial time in the 5th Test Match - the one we absolutely had to win - he may only have made 10 runs, though in his own words: "The best 10 I'll ever make", he stuck around for over an hour, allowing Kevin Pietersen to make hay. We all know what happened next.

Since then he has, at least in this fan's mind, absolutely cemented his place in the side. 96 and 80 in Lahore, and a maiden test century in Nagpur. This was reason enough to ensure his selection in the 2006-7 Ashes side. He played superbly in Australia - his double-century being a career defining moment, and a joy to all of us, following the series in deep depression. He went on to knock back-to-back tons in the Commonwealth Bank Series, securing England's first overseas One Day Trophy in a decade.

But there is so much more to this man than grit with the bat. His initial selection was as a specialist fielder, and boy, he does not disappoint! He has been described as a "leaping salmon" when plucking a ball from the air - just as he did yesterday to dismiss Ramdin. He bowls too - and has a couple of test wickets under his belt.

I look forward to what more he can bring to this England team - they are in need of his commitment, talent and soul.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

Harmison Lost at Lord's

Steve Harmison: a man in search of redemption, obviously. But it has just occurred to me what his nickname must be in the England team. Harm, or as he comes from the north-east, that could even be haarm.

Where I come from there is a really spooky mist that comes in off the coast -it disorientates, it confuses, it makes you not know your leg stump from your third man. It's a nordic dark and  confusing element that I think overtakes Mr Harmison from time to time.

Much to my distress, this seems to have happened to him today at Lord's where he is bowling with all the skill and accuracy of a 6-year-old with a tennis ball at his first coaching session.

Perhaps those that suggest that Harmison's glory days are behind him, are correct. It is hard to look at him now and remember his terrifyingly fast and dangerous bowling on that first day of the 2005 Ashes Series. Before the start of this Test Match, I had been reading that Harmison was bowling well up in Durham, that his form was promising and that we could look forward to the return of the player who generated the headline "Actual Bodily Harmison" 2 years ago.

Sadly we have seen nothing of the sort. Rather he looks as though putting on the England whites has taken Steve Harmison straight back to the nightmare that was Day One in Brisbane.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

Vaughan was excluded from Ashes

Michael Vaughan has spoken out about the fact that he felt "shut out" of the Ashes last winter.  In an interview with The Guardian he stated, "A lot was spoken in the winter about me being involved, I was never involved at all in the Ashes and I think we could have used me more. I'm an Ashes-winning captain with a huge amount of knowledge on a lot of things and I wasn't used at all. It was made clear that I was to be kept away from the team, and I understood the reason, but there were times when I think I could have helped."

It is the nature of a man like Vaughan to feel such a way.  Vaughan, don't forget, is credited with most of the innovations that led to the victory in 2005; and he has enough quiet arrogance to believe that he can be a positive influence in any situation with the England team. 

However, I feel that the management were right to keep him out of the way, Flintoff was having a tough enough time without feeling that he was being usurped or undermined by the the Golden Boy of 2005.  Moreover, Vaughan was still recovering from injury and his time was better spent getting himself fit than lording it around the dressing room.

Strangely, in the World Cup, when he was fit and had a real chance to make a difference he did bugger all until a dead game against the Windies.  Good captain that Michael is, he needs to have bit more class about him than this moaning session masquerading as an interview if he wants to go down as one of the greats.  Scoring some bloody runs might help as well.

YouTube: Flintoff's greatest over

Do you remember the Ashes when it wasn't more painful to watch than ITV's Wild At Heart?  If not here is some footage of happier times when Freddie bowled a breathtaking over at Edgbaston in 2005. [lee calvert]

Ashes injury update

Good grief. There's actually been some good, positive news about Simon Jones. Well, nearly. Apparently later this month he will learn of his fate in this winter's Ashes series. This is tremendously exciting, or very nearly so; England do need him back, rather desperately. And while I'm not at all hopeful of him returning, at least the noises being made are of a positive nature.

I put the report up on Cricinfo yesterday. Check it out.

Ponting "embarrassed" by 2005 defeat

The Australians are still hurting, quite painfully, in handing over the Ashes last summer

"It's a huge series for the team," Ponting told the BBC. "To be the first one to hand over the Ashes in 18 years was something the players were embarrassed and ashamed about. England will face a better Australian team than they did last time."

Bless em.

Vaughan out of the Ashes

Michael’s out, but remains favourite. Fred is out too, but he is the second favourite. Andrew’s no one’s favourite, really, but stays in. This all sounds like something from the interminable Big Brother but in fact this is England’s captaincy nightmare.

It’s hard to make head or tail of what has happened. Even yesterday, when Michael Vaughan was officially, finally ruled out of this winter’s Ashes series, there were rumblings from the ECB machine that “it’s really not that serious; we expect him back for the World Cup” and similar. And Flintoff? He is the stand-in captain and remains the favourite to replace Vaughan - when fit. When’s that? Who knows?

You have to feel a bit for Andrew Strauss, the stand-in stand-in. The ship’s engine is broken, there are bloody great big holes letting in gallons of water; steer us towards safety if you would! The calamity England find themselves in is, conversely, quite a relief. At least now they (we) can start from scratch and build from here, without constant, confusing, ambiguous medical reports from every doctor and his dog.

On similar lines, Kathy left a very interesting comment yesterday, making mention of Matthew Hoggard who, via Vaughan, was allowed to play in England A’s match against Pakistan (scorecard):

Interesting comments for two reasons: Vaughan still ably managing the team from the sidelines, and Hoggard’s belief that current form has got nothing to do with temporary captainship.

Perceptive thoughts, but I disagree that a team can be captained from the sidelines. It simply can’t. However, Hoggard’s belief that the temporary captaincy conundrum isn’t affecting England is perhaps indicitive of the confidence England still have within themselves. At least, I hope so.

Worst of all, and I can’t explain why I say this, the recent events with Vaughan and all the other injuries have really put a dampener on what England achieved last summer. It has been made futile - at least, that’s the impression I get. All that hard work - for what? Half the team are broken; the replacements are mostly still in nappies and are understandably flapping. England won the Ashes in 2005; why do I get the distinct feeling that we’re back to square one again?

England's strength in depth

About a month ago, I wrote a piece on the Ashes 2006-07. April 18 marked the halfway point.

After losing the second, England’s young team prospered emphatically in the third Test at Mumbai to square the series. The victory lacked the glitz and historical significance of the Ashes, but it was no less important. Even Duncan Fletcher was moved to label the win as ‘a huge achievement…[it’s] close to the Ashes’. It demonstrated England’s strength in depth; young cricketers with bottle, nerve and immense talent were performing immediately. It takes some courage, not to mention cockiness, to dance down the pitch to your fourth ball in Test cricket as Owais Shah did.

I tried to make the piece as balanced as possible, as it wasn’t the place for my own personal views on who I felt had their noses in front. And, besides, I wasn’t sure. One the one hand, Australia are back to winning-ways. On the other, England have bred youngsters who performed with ease, maturity and immense bottle on the subcontinent.

So I was fascinated to read Mark Nicholas’ “halfway piece” in today’s Telegraph in which, quite categorically, he says England are all the better for their disasterous injury list which caused them to introduce so many debutants.

Had the team who returned the Ashes continued together in Pakistan and India we would be none the wiser as to the quality of the resources in reserve. By promoting mainly young, and when not then untried, new players, the selectors can now choose from depth. The stunning victory by England A over Sri Lanka last week helps to confirm this. The positioning of Alastair Cook at first-wicket down today is its very best illustration. Ideally, England should turn up in Brisbane come November with Cook as Andrew Strauss’ opening partner and Marcus Trescothick at No 4, making the best use of his skill against spin. Assuming Vaughan’s fitness and the presence of Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, this makes for a front six who can handle the extra bounce in the pitches that is still the greatest challenge for all who travel Down Under.

Read the full story here.

Ashes banterometer - Shane Warne

So Shane Warne has begun the first proper banter of the Ashes by claiming England prefer to be underdogs. Hurrah! Let the banter, sledging and general pre-Ashes bullshit begin!

"England are basically now the second-best side in the world. It takes a bit of time to adapt," said Warne."It's a different mindset when you approach the series and suddenly your own expectations and everybody else's expectations are that you are going to win."

"England will have to come out to Australia and have to try and retain the trophy. It's a different position for them to be in. I am not sure they like it," Warne told Herald Sun. "For the first time, it will be us chasing England. It's a different mindset. I think they like the position that they are the underdogs and if they win, they win."

Interesting point. I think England, and Britain, do enjoy being underdogs. There are probably a hundred socialogical and historical reasons why this is so but, regardless, England won the Ashes and for the first time in my living memory, travel to Australia to defend them.

Halfway point

April 18 marked the halfway point between the end of the 2005 Ashes series and the start of the 2006-07 one in Australia. I wrote some stuff on it at Cricinfo.