The Surfer
Steven Davies: sending Matt Prior a warning
Steven Davies, in line to be England’s first left-handed Test keeper since Jack Russell, has wintered with national teams of one kind or another every year since first playing for the Under-19s at the age of 17
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
Steven Davies, in line to be England’s first left-handed Test keeper since Jack Russell, has wintered with national teams of one kind or another every year since first playing for the Under-19s at the age of 17. This will be Davies’s first full England tour and he must expect to spend it playing understudy to Matt Prior, even though the Surrey wicketkeeper has set his sights on his friend’s Test place. He spoke to the Sunday Times.
Full postHe will be required to be a senior professional at Surrey, a club going through a rebuilding process, where young players will be looking to him for guidance. “When I first played for Worcestershire it was quite hard coming into a professional team full of adults. It was just an honour to be on the field. I’m more vocal now but at Surrey the young bowlers will be looking to me for advice. That will be good. I was pretty comfortable at Worcester. This will be a challenge.”
ECB can afford Ashes return to terrestrial television
It seems to be in some people's vested interests to make the debate about the Ashes returning to terrestrial television a complicated one, writes Scyld Berry in the Daily Telegraph
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
It seems to be in some people's vested interests to make the debate about the Ashes returning to terrestrial television a complicated one, writes Scyld Berry in the Daily Telegraph. There are only two basic principles involved – and pretty simple they are too.
Full postMoments of national resonance like Botham's 149 not out, or the whole Ashes series of 2005, have to be on live television and free for the sport's well-being. Edited highlights of Hamlet won't persuade anyone to become a prince. The second principle is that English cricket can afford to have home Ashes series on free-to-air, even if it costs the projected £30 million a year.
'West Indies cricket is a mess, but I can help'
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
Over a rum punch in Docklands, representing his native Antigua at an international trade show organised by World Travel Market, Sir Viv Richards. casts an imperious eye across the modern game. He is not ecstatic. Speaking to the Observer's Kevin Mitchell, cricket's knight reflects on a lack of fight in the game, West Indies' decline and the Allen Stanford saga.
Full post"It's sad ... it's very sad. To those of us who played at a time when things were good, it is crazy to know that these guys are sitting back and watching the goings-on, guys who could make a healthy contribution to West Indies cricket. Players now are a little shaky. They know the sacrifices people have had to make, they know about the legacy. It sends shivers through your spine. It's difficult to describe, a sense of anger."
West Indies worth a flutter
Kerry O’Keeffe, writing in the Sunday Telegraph , thinks West Indies are a good outside bet in the three-Test series against Australia, who have been focussing on their one-day triumphs.
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
Kerry O’Keeffe, writing in the Sunday Telegraph, thinks West Indies are a good outside bet in the three-Test series against Australia, who have been focussing on their one-day triumphs.
The bottom line is the boys this winter lost the Ashes. Ponting has committed Australian cricket's mortal sin ... again! Beating India in a meaningless limited-overs series soon after the Ashes calamity is a little like crashing out in the first round of singles at Wimbledon but winning the mixed doubles.
Australia need an early Test kill and while Chris Gayle's West Indians might appear vulnerable, they could be very dangerous. Their pace quartet of Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach, Gavin Tonge and Dwayne Bravo screams potential to take 20 wickets on the right surface.
Luke Pomersbach is returning to Western Australia training after being suspended for drink driving. John Townsend spoke to him and the story appears in the Age.
Full postTendulkar makes time stand still
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
In a sport that specialises in the manufacture of instant stars and transient celebrities, Sachin Tendulkar is the real thing, writes Gideon Haigh in the Times of India. Even now, 20 years after his debut, there's always a place of occasion every time he comes to the crease, no matter the game, no matter the place.
In his column for the same paper, Steve Waugh remembers what a tough time he had setting a field for Tendulkar, what with the deafening noise making it impossible to communicate with fielders.
Full postAshes proposals put sport on a sticky wicket
The irony of yesterday’s recommendation that Ashes cricket be restored to the protected list is that this was an outcome few involved in the discussions wanted
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
The irony of yesterday’s recommendation that Ashes cricket be restored to the protected list is that this was an outcome few involved in the discussions wanted. For a sport that has been insulated from the recession, a reduced budget will be hard to take, writes Mike Atherton in the Times.
Where will the blows be felt? Across the board probably: central contracts for England players, grassroots cricket and the county game.
John Stern doesn't think making the Ashes free-to-air is that big a blow. He writes in the Wisden Cricketer: "I’m not convinced that the proposed re-listing of The Ashes does anything other than score the Government a few Middle-England brownie points."
Full postHistory repeats itselt, thanks to hidden hands
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
Whatever happened lately with Younis Khan is not a new thing in Pakistan cricket. This tussle between the players, the officials and the cricket board is an ongoing process, writes Rashid Latif in the Pakistan daily Dawn. Sometimes a captain bears the brunt, at other times an official comes in the line of fire.
Full postThe big question is how long will these hidden quarters be allowed to make or break the team in Pakistan? They throw their weight when a makeshift opener is accommodated but when specialist openers are picked, these very forces take a U-turn and slight the captain for the move. The same is the case with playing the younger players or resting the experienced ones. When the younger players are provided with an opportunity, these forces jump to the defence of seniors and question their omission? And when the younger players are given the backseat to accommodate the stalwarts, these very forces make life hell for the selectors and the captain?
Zimbabwe beg for firepower, new leadership
It was generally agreed that Zimbabwe’s recent 4-1 series defeat in the spin-haven of Bangladesh was not an accurate appraisal of their overall performance on the subcontinent, writes Enock Muchinjo in the Zimbabwe Independent , but what of the
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
It was generally agreed that Zimbabwe’s recent 4-1 series defeat in the spin-haven of Bangladesh was not an accurate appraisal of their overall performance on the subcontinent, writes Enock Muchinjo in the Zimbabwe Independent, but what of the two ODIs in South Africa in familiar conditions this week? In recent months Zimbabwe Cricket has made appointments in crucial areas such as selection and coaching. In this editorial, Muchinjo examines a few dynamics that need addressing.
Full postNorth’s star still not certain of shining at the Gabba
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
After three centuries in seven Tests Marcus North’s place should be certain, but Chloe Saltau reports in the Age that he is still not prepared to declare his position safe.
Anyone who has followed North's seamless transition from first-class stalwart to reliable Test batsman will be aware of his reassuring presence in the previously unstable No. 6 position, and know that his occasionally nervous starts can be followed by lavish, sweetly timed strokes. Despite all of this, after a decade aspiring to a baggy green, North is not yet willing to ink his name into the starting XI for the first Test against the West Indies. ''I don't take anything for granted,” he said, “and I guess that is probably because it took so long to get there.”
Will Yousuf succeed where Younis 'failed'?
The rumpus created by Younis Khan’s decision to abdicate the reins of leadership for the sake of ‘taking time off from the sport’ is simply too hard to digest, writes Khalid H Khan in the Pakistan daily Dawn
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
The rumpus created by Younis Khan’s decision to abdicate the reins of leadership for the sake of ‘taking time off from the sport’ is simply too hard to digest, writes Khalid H Khan in the Pakistan daily Dawn. Younis was never really allowed to settle down into the job by a group of players with vested interests, but is Yousuf the best replacement?
Without being disrespectful to Yousuf, it’s a point worth noting that probably the most lethargic fielder in the current national team will lead the country while his deputy Kamran Akmal is a man who is known for ruining Pakistan’s victory hopes by crucial mistakes behind the timber. Where will Yousuf hide himself on the field will make compelling viewing on TV sets during the coming Tests in New Zealand? There is no guarantee that Yousuf will continue to lead Pakistan if the results of New Zealand Tests are not favourable enough.
An editorial in the same newspaper says it isn’t surprising that no one is buying the official line. Younis 'asked for a rest’ and that is why Yousuf was appointed captain of the Test team for the series against New Zealand. That explanation, not so cunningly, glosses over a key point: what compelled Younis to go into hibernation?
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