Cricket Summer 2011

Sigh! And it all looked so promising when it was raining. Still TMS is back. Hooray.

Sri Lanka's bowling attacking is about as threatening as, well I can't actually think of anything that un-threatening, but their batting is OK.

Despite their centuries Cook and Trott should go look up the word 'alacrity'.

Draw on the way I suspect.

Might not be a draw, England are bowling and fielding brilliantly. I won't say the score in case people want to catch the highlights.

I also want to get back to the TV. Brilliant stuff.

Remarkable. Test cricket does it again!

OK, you have had chance to see the highlights now. Brilliant win, and also a dreadful collapse, but it shows England have got a killer finish. Well done.

Any cricketer recognises the chaos of the collapse, when suddenly every ball coming down looks like a hand-grenade and the changing room is full of players scrabbling for bits of kit as their colleagues drag themselves back in and hurl abuse (and more kit) around the room. I've been away from playing for 3 weekends and can't wait to get back on the field this weekend.

As for England, well done, but Sri Lanka do have some serious class in their top order and I'll wager we will see that far more at (hopefully warm and sunny) Lords than Cardiff. Has been the pattern with touring sides a lot in past years that lords inspires them. Not sure they can bowl us out twice though.

I wonder who will replace Anderson? Tremlett/Broad/Finn sounds like an attack for The Oval (or Sabina Park). Shahzad is leaking runs big time for his county and Bresnan is injured.

I caught some of yeserday on the radio, Boycott was in fits of giggles about Pietersens dismissal yet again to a left arm spinner.

Outstanding

I assumed Finn was a shoe in for Anderson 

I am sure it will be Finn, all the other possible fast bowlers are injured, apart from Shazad who is lining up 4s for the battsmen like a batting coach (and that is hard to admit as a Yorkshireman).

Anyway domestic T20 starts today. At first I was very doubtful about this newest form of the game, but I was quickly a convert. I have tried the IPL, but have no connections to the teams, but the English (and Welsh) version as well as the internationals I find great.

Come on you Tikes, there has to be something to cheer up Yorkshire fans after the county championship start they have made this year.

T20 international against Sri Lanka. What a bloody shambles. I just don't get why Bopara gets picked for England, a good county player, but not international standard. And leaving Bell out for him. I would rather have an out of form Bell than an in form Bopara, but when Bopara is struggling and Bell is in top form it is just stupid.

Yes he can bowl a couple of overs, but that hardly helps when you haven't got a score to defend, and I would take Bell's fielding over Bopara's bowling in the field anyway.

Samit Patel didn't exactly cover himself in glory either, waddling back towards the crease to be run out. He has talent, but I really doubt he has the fitness and the application to last as an England player.

Morgan and KP were fantastic, scoring freely, and playing T20, the rest seemed half asleep. Ye some batsmen have to take chances, and do get out cheaply, but better to take a risk, than plod along like all the middle order.

I will be interested to see how we play in the 50 over matches coming up, it couldn't be much worse, and hopefully we will pick some good players who are actually in form.

By the way, did I mention that I am not very impressed with Bopara? Just in case you missed it.

I do not have the opportunity to see the game but in general I think you can make too much of one T20 match. It is hardly a format which allows for any ebb and flow and the gap between hero and zero is not very wide for a team or an individual player.

Bopara is interesting, he has very significant talent but really has not broken through into international cricket. Problems are more mental than anything I'd say. I thought he he might make it in 50 overs but I'm no longer convinced of that either.

Bruce (who kept wicket for 45 overs in the mud on Saturday whilst the league leaders flogged us all over the park. I love this game!)

I know wha you mean, he could be another Ramprakash.

I really like T20, and although it is fast, that is perhaps a better argument for picking the in form player, as there is no time to play yourself in.

I think we will be better in the 50 overs matches, as in the world cup the side was exhuasted from the Ashes tests, and the over long one day series down under. Sri Lanks will be good at one day matches too, especially with Malinga back.

A lovely bit on the commentary the other day (Bumble, or Warny I think) said what the Aussies used to call Tufnell, 'Vindaloo, because he gave them all the runs'.

Tufnell's contributions to TMS are a joy. My wife loves it when he is on-and she has no time for cricket.

Brilliant game yesterday to finish the Sri Lanka series, and very glad we won.

Shame we could do with a second spinner if she was up for it

Great performance against Sri Lanka by the regulars - sorry Jamie, but I'm still a Ravi Bopara fan even if he didn't make it in to the team this time. Agreed he had a bad match when you commented. 

nice to see Broad getting a couple of wickets.

[I also enjoyed seeing him bowl in the ODIs at 93mph too]

what a wonderful match.

Could we get to number one?

[I meant England, not Lancs]

Great match - had to catch up with my work tonight as I spent much of the day transfixed - I expect India to bounce back, but if we play like that then I still think we can be a match for them (or anybody really). Great atmosphere and spirit between the supporters and team too. An example of all that is best in modern sport. The bowling attack of Anderson, Broad, Tremlett and Swann is formidable and if KP is back on form too ........ 

Excellent result and good cricket. India looked distinctly under-cooked though, and losing Zaheer a major blow if it continues.

Still going to be a tight series but we have a unit where everybody appears able to contribute; if one player fails then others come to the fore.

Good result but the Indian team looked below par (irrespective of the injuries - respecting the further issues as the game went on). I don't think the England team would have tolerated only one material outing post switching from the WI. It was one of those wickets where if the ball had your name on it, you were gone! KP was very fortunate to survive in the first innings.

Couple of aspects about Sky's coverage and some on-field antics give me concern:

1- Umpires don't always get it right - some edges are so faint that they don't show on the technology nor can they be detected by ear 22+ yards away and whilst I welcome an increase in LBW as a mode of dismissal, there is always going to be an element of chance/luck in such decisions.

Robo-umpire isn't too far away if the TV coverage doesn't stand back a bit at times - and thankfully Gower was a balancing voice.

2- Fielding subs - unless someone is injured (to satisfaction of umps), why should these be allowed?

....unless of course you use them to run Ponting out!

The great cricket continues, it would be a shame if the Bell incident made us ignore that. England's first innings recovery, Dravid's graceful century, Broad and the hat-trick. Yesterday was another corker, yet again Test Cricket delivers. You have to pick an England win now but the wicket seems to be getting easier and the Indian batting line-up are capable of magical things. A lead of 450 would make me comfortable. India look pretty lax in the field, I bet Duncan Fletcher is seething at that. Is Harbajhan unfit, out of form or has he just lost interest? A poor effort by him if he is not injured.

As for Bell, I reckon he is a lucky lad but the umpire did not help. After he tapped in to complete his run the umpire also started walking away as if he had ended the session (handing the batsmen his jumper does tend to send that message!)  I think the Indian team decision to re-instate him was a noble one, in keeping with the spirit of the game but they could have stuck to their appeal without real reproach. I hope England would have done the right thing in the same situation.

I think we should have asked the German FA to consider allowing Lampard's disallowed 'goal' from the last World Cup. I've no doubt they would have agreed!

Bruce

Bell made a mistake - as he now admits - and the Indians did the old fashioned thing and their actions fall within the old spirit of cricket. Let's hope this becomes more the norm again. There is a saying, not much used nowadays, about some close to the wind [letter, not spirit, of the Law] actions - " ... not cricket" and as the game has become more cut-throat, this saying has lost its power. Perhaps the gentlemanly Indians have done something to reverse this.

It can yet be an interesting match. I hope it goes to the line whatever the result.

ATB from George

All this talk about the spirit of the game - a spirit manifestly not shown by the boorish, knee-jerk Nottingham crowd.

Too many assumptions being made these days - like the Ramprakash dismissal the day before - one of the reasons for the obstruction was that he was holding his bat to his chest 'unlike most other batsmen, who run it along the ground'. Is it a requirement to do that?

The crowd had no idea of the reversal until Bell appeared again, a decision that happened just a few moments before the resumption.

I got the impression from the highlights that they then responded very positively, and I'll wager they will do the same when Dhoni bats today.

Bruce

Looks like a lead of 470 was a wee bit too cautious. India 57 for 6!