Posts from ‘September, 2009’

Having taken an enforced week off, I was fully expecting to see England efficiently eliminated from the Champions Trophy with a minimum of fuss. Instead, I find that they have beaten the two strongest teams in their group. I find myself wondering: How did this miraculous turnaround occur?

Many think that England have already lost the plot after their Ashes victory. They are mistaken. Preparations are already underway for the next Ashes series in Australia in 2010/11, and early plans are currently being executed with great success.

No, this is not a windup. British Eurosport are to broadcast the inaugural Twenty20 Champions League. This will be the first cricket on free-to-air TV since bread first came sliced. Giles Clarke is said to be spitting feathers at the thought of all those people watching for nothing.

As Andrew Flintoff delays the signing of his newly downgraded ECB contract at the prospect of earning more as a freelance Twenty20 cricketer, it is easy to get caught up in accusations of mercenary greed and a sport losing it’s identity.

But is cricket simply returning to it’s roots?

English professional cricketers via the PCA have given the ECB a public vote of no confidence over it’s running of the game. But are they serious enough to take on the closed inner-circle of self-serving administrators and their County supporters? Most importantly, how do the fans want County cricket to be structured? Let the debate begin…

John Bracewell, the Gloucestershire coach and one-day guru, has made an interesting point regarding England’s ODI batting woes. He suggests that Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah are playing for their own places rather than the team. Consider this in the light of selection policy, however, and it is the selectors who are at fault for fostering this environment.

Aside from the 3-0 scoreline, there are signs that the England team just aren’t that into this ODI series. First Stuart Broad and now Paul Collingwood and James Anderson are being rested from the team.

It’s Central Contract Awards time, and the big “news” is that Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar have missed out altogether. Actually, this shouldn’t be much of a surprise – between them they only played 3 Tests this summer.

For the 3rd consecutive match, Andrew Strauss tells us, England’s batsmen have underperformed. Tell us something we don’t know. Actually, this is the 4th ODI in a row if you count the game against Ireland when England mustered just 203/9 and narrowly won a rain-affected match.