yes, yes, I know it was days ago, but c'mon, this was five years coming. England beat Australia on Tuesday, it's now Friday and I'm still grinning. Now I'm aware that this post is of limited interest to most of you, I can think of only three coastalblog readers who are cricket fans, so this one's for them. So some thoughts.
What was pleasing (despite the title, you try getting Marcus Trescothick to scan) about England's win was how little of it was down to that man Flintoff, one wicket and one steepling six aside there was little for the crowd's folk hero to do, which seems fair enough, he's done quite a bit already this summer. Before the game I had a feeling that the damage would be done by someone the aussies knew little about, and so (in part) it proved to be. That man Strauss played a delightful innings. Even more pleasing though was that the real damage was done by two men Australia know all about. How many times has McGrath had Trescothick out fishing outside his off stump? Not on Tuesday, the four fours in an over left the usually voluble McGrath speechless and fuming. And then he misfielded on the boundary. That was sweet. Vaughn was magnificent, the transformation, with one lacerating boundary off Lee from the haphazard Dominic Cork-style batting of the main body of the summer to the colossus who terrorised the aussies last time out was complete, instantaneous and shocking, and it scared the hell out of them. His captaincy was also impressive; the decision on the hoof to bowl himself for ten overs on a putch that gripped was an intelligent and daring one, two characteristics missing in recent England captaincy (sorry Nasser), even though he did lose control over the side as a pumped up Darren Gough autocratically called the field in for his hat-trick ball (what next for Goughy is a whole other post).
My only doubt remains over Vikram Solanki. I often feel that he's in the side largely because the selectors fear him being dropped, going back to county and making a stack of runs. We've been here before, with Ramprakash and Hick, and a decision should be made sooner rather than later. Perhaps he should be given more responsibility, send him (seeing as the damn thing's going ahead) on the Zimbabwe tour as a senior player in a young side. It's a great opportunity to blood a couple of middle order batsmen and maybe a spinner or two, and at least sending a weakened side will make the games more competitive, which can only be good news for poor old zimbabwe, who've been under the cosh since cricket became a political football (to mix analogies) in Zim. A series of games against opposition below full international strength can only help them learn. No batsman learns anything from having his off stump ripped out third ball, and no bowler learns anything from being carted, except to bowl a negative line. The same applies to Bangladesh and Kenya, perhaps there should be an ICC directive which rules that the major test playing nations should only field under 21 sides, with a couple of senior pros in, a la olympic football, when playing the minnows, then they might not have their confidence ground into the dust each time out.
But one last thought. Vic Marks on Strauss "He's not played them before has he? He must be out there thinking, who are these fellows in the yellow? They're not very good are they?"
What was pleasing (despite the title, you try getting Marcus Trescothick to scan) about England's win was how little of it was down to that man Flintoff, one wicket and one steepling six aside there was little for the crowd's folk hero to do, which seems fair enough, he's done quite a bit already this summer. Before the game I had a feeling that the damage would be done by someone the aussies knew little about, and so (in part) it proved to be. That man Strauss played a delightful innings. Even more pleasing though was that the real damage was done by two men Australia know all about. How many times has McGrath had Trescothick out fishing outside his off stump? Not on Tuesday, the four fours in an over left the usually voluble McGrath speechless and fuming. And then he misfielded on the boundary. That was sweet. Vaughn was magnificent, the transformation, with one lacerating boundary off Lee from the haphazard Dominic Cork-style batting of the main body of the summer to the colossus who terrorised the aussies last time out was complete, instantaneous and shocking, and it scared the hell out of them. His captaincy was also impressive; the decision on the hoof to bowl himself for ten overs on a putch that gripped was an intelligent and daring one, two characteristics missing in recent England captaincy (sorry Nasser), even though he did lose control over the side as a pumped up Darren Gough autocratically called the field in for his hat-trick ball (what next for Goughy is a whole other post).
My only doubt remains over Vikram Solanki. I often feel that he's in the side largely because the selectors fear him being dropped, going back to county and making a stack of runs. We've been here before, with Ramprakash and Hick, and a decision should be made sooner rather than later. Perhaps he should be given more responsibility, send him (seeing as the damn thing's going ahead) on the Zimbabwe tour as a senior player in a young side. It's a great opportunity to blood a couple of middle order batsmen and maybe a spinner or two, and at least sending a weakened side will make the games more competitive, which can only be good news for poor old zimbabwe, who've been under the cosh since cricket became a political football (to mix analogies) in Zim. A series of games against opposition below full international strength can only help them learn. No batsman learns anything from having his off stump ripped out third ball, and no bowler learns anything from being carted, except to bowl a negative line. The same applies to Bangladesh and Kenya, perhaps there should be an ICC directive which rules that the major test playing nations should only field under 21 sides, with a couple of senior pros in, a la olympic football, when playing the minnows, then they might not have their confidence ground into the dust each time out.
But one last thought. Vic Marks on Strauss "He's not played them before has he? He must be out there thinking, who are these fellows in the yellow? They're not very good are they?"
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