The Surfer
Now, after an England victory, is the time for assessment
Former England coach Duncan Fletcher believes the win over West Indies at Lords offers the right perspective to look at areas that England can improve
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
Former England coach Duncan Fletcher believes the win over West Indies at Lords offers the right perspective to look at areas that England can improve. Defeat should bring a certain degree of analysis, of course, but not to the extent that the criticism turns into nitpicking. That can be counterproductive, says Fletcher. Read on in the Guardian.
A victory allows a bit of breathing space to look at the areas that can be improved on, even in a three-day win, and I'm sure the top order will be looking at their contribution. The exception was Ravi Bopara, who was outstanding in bowler-friendly conditions and showed real composure with wickets falling around him. He played each ball on its merits and never looked flustered, which is one of the things I like about him.
In the Times, Michael Atherton casts his eye over the England squad for the second Test.
Full postIt would take a Roald Dahl-like imagination to think that conditions in Durham this week could get any more inhospitable for West Indies than they were at Lord’s. Clearly, though, the selectors believe that to be a possibility, given that they have responded to the utterly one-sided nature of the first Test by tinkering with the squad for the second, which starts on Thursday. Out goes Monty Panesar and in come Ryan Sidebottom and Ian Bell.
Ignorance isn't bliss
Tony Lewis, one half of the Duckworth-Lewis team who've come up with the D/L method, says the system itself isn't so difficult to understand, but few are interested to know more about it.
S Rajesh
25-Feb-2013
Tony Lewis, one half of the Duckworth-Lewis team who've come up with the D/L method, says the system itself isn't so difficult to understand, but few are interested to know more about it.
If you trawl the Internet cricket chat sites you will see there are many correspondents who can provide succinct and sensible answers to bloggers' questions on how the D-L method works. The method can be easily understood if one is prepared to spend a few minutes studying the D-L pages of sites such as Cricinfo.
Read the full interview, which appeared in Daily News & Analysis, here.
Full postFighting fire with fire
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
With a few spare days after England's three-day demolition job on West Indies, thoughts inevitably turn towards the Ashes. In the Sunday Telegraph, Scyld Berry picks his eleven to face the Australians and says that a five-man attack is the way to go, but England need a Plan B for when things don't go to plan.
The trouble is that, as a result of being given only a couple of months to implement their Ashes plans, England will have no tried and tested Plan B in reserve. England's strategy for this summer is similar to 2005, with more emphasis on spin this time as Australia have none of their own. But, before then, England have always regained the Ashes at home in one of two distinct ways.
Making junior cricket more effective
In his column for Sri Lanka's Sunday Times , SR Pathiravithana offers a few of the pros and cons that modern Sri Lankan feeder points face
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
In his column for Sri Lanka's Sunday Times, SR Pathiravithana offers a few of the pros and cons that modern Sri Lankan feeder points face. He suggests the authorities take a closer look at the present school cricket structure and suggests it may not be a bad idea to borrow a bit from Bollywood.
Full postA weapon no more
The Dawn 's Humair Ishtiaq looks at Pakistan's series against Australia in the UAE and says the lack of fight was surprising
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
The Dawn's Humair Ishtiaq looks at Pakistan's series against Australia in the UAE and says the lack of fight was surprising. Pakistan had been desperate for international cricket after being given the cold shoulder even by minnows like Bangladesh, but didn't show it on the field. While the Australians overcame the absence of big names and showed commendable intensity, the Pakistani approach was not clear-headed. And then there was Shoaib Akhtar's flat return.
Full postIt was hardly the stuff expected of him, but Shoaib could still bask in glory of some kind; his two wickets in the fourth match of the series was the first time he had taken more than a wicket in the shorter version of the game since his 3/42 against India at Mohali on November 8, 2007. Not that he had been getting one-wicket ‘hauls’ on a consistent basis, but two-wicket ‘bursts’ have been well and truly rare. The one in Abu Dhabi came a mere 539 days after that historic day in Mohali.
Mad as a batter
Twenty20 is still an infant, yet there's enough evidence to say that in this format, only uncertainty is a constant says Rohit Mahajan in this week's Outlook magazine
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
Twenty20 is still an infant, yet there's enough evidence to say that in this format, only uncertainty is a constant says Rohit Mahajan in this week's Outlook magazine. Twenty20 is not a many-nuanced battle.It's akin to a duel with pistols, a game of chance, not a battle of strategy. Team owners need to understand this.
In this form of the game, in a matter of days, Rajasthan can be bowled out for 58 and then score 211, the highest and lowest totals of IPL-2. Anil Kumble can take five wickets for five runs in one match and follow it up with five (for 165 runs) in the next seven. Yuvraj Singh can take a hat-trick and score a 50 in one game and still lose. Yusuf Abdulla can be much more successful than Zaheer Khan, Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne. Brendon McCullum, hitter of 10 fours and 13 sixers in the first match of IPL-1, can end up with three fours and five sixers after eight matches this year. The anonymous, inexpensive Abhishek Nayar can smite Andrew Flintoff, the most expensive IPL player, for three sixers in one over. And the ageing Rahul Dravid, having opted to not play T20 for India, can completely outshine the high-priced Kevin Pietersen, the big flop of the event this year.
Dylan Cleaver takes a look at the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders and says the man bumbling around for the gold-plated yet tarnished franchised is but a pale imitation. Brendon McCullum needed to rest before the IPL and he now needs rest from the IPL. Read more in the New Zealand Herald.
Full postThere is New Zealand's next captain, giving the signal to the rest of the world that he will walk away if things don't go his way. Anybody who has had anything to do with McCullum will tell you it is not his nature to walk from a scrap, which, again, goes to show how far removed McCullum, IPL version:2 is from the real thing. Daniel Vettori, who has done considerably better with Delhi, will meet McCullum tonight and hopefully offer advice that will lift his heir apparent.
Twenty20 solutions for Australia
Australia are still finding their way in the Twenty20 format and Kerry O’Keeffe, the former Test spinner, points out a few areas to improve during an interview with the Sunday Herald Sun
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
Australia are still finding their way in the Twenty20 format and Kerry O’Keeffe, the former Test spinner, points out a few areas to improve during an interview with the Sunday Herald Sun. He thinks Australia should take this part of the game more seriously and consider a separate squad, a plan raised by John Buchanan.
"John has some pretty good ideas and I can see the rationale behind that," O'Keeffe said. "I can't see why Phillip Hughes and Simon Katich aren't playing Twenty20 because they both play Twenty20 pretty well. Equally, the workload ... I don't see how people can go from the IPL into a Test match as Chris Gayle did. I just don't know think you can be slogging it against the white ball and then three days later walk out at Lord's, batting when it's seaming around.”
Swann's continuing rise may surprise the Australians
Graeme Swann's impressive performance in the first Test against West Indies has got the Daily Telegraph's Steve James thinking the offspinner may give Australia a bit of trouble
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
Graeme Swann's impressive performance in the first Test against West Indies has got the Daily Telegraph's Steve James thinking the offspinner may give Australia a bit of trouble. Swann's stock is rising by the day and he could now become the key to England's Ashes bowling strategy. And an alliance with Monty Panesar is becoming ever more likely.
Swann has always differed from conventional English off-spinners in his instinct to attack, unafraid to probe outside the right-hander's off-stump and give the ball a good rip. Not for Swann the rolling of the ball from the ends of his fingers and dour run-prevention. Not unusual is a painful blister beside the middle joint of his middle finger. All the old favourites – surgical spirit, Friar's Balsam and even, however disgustingly, urine in a bucket – have been experimented with to harden the skin.
In the Observer Steve Smart reckons Philip Hughes could be the key to the Ashes and bowlers should scrutinise his unorthodox batting technique.
The Independent's Stephen Brenkley feels that due to the ECB's scheduling of summer 2009, by the time the Ashes is over the players will be tired if not injured and most observers may well have ceased to care.
Full postEven Tuffers knows to tone down the laddishness on TMS
Paul Hayward in his Observer blog fears that Test Match Special could be threatened by Radio 5
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
Paul Hayward in his Observer blog fears that Test Match Special could be threatened by Radio 5. The suspicion has been that Radio Mate wants to eat away at Radio Old Chum, a mission to dump 5 Live's tone on a commentary box that used to be synonymous with Brian Johnston and his cakes. Thankfully there's still Phil Tufnell.
Great cricket commentating, as in all sports, describes what is happening and allows your imagination to do the rest. It respects your intelligence. It does not bombard you with all the voices in the ground. The promise it makes is to assist your love of the game and cast light on that which a) you can't see or b) don't fully understand.
These are the virtues that TMS embodies, as Tufnell himself acknowledges by turning down the dial of his laddishness. The good news is that the old guard, minus the scandalously discarded Mike Selvey, have all been signed up for this summer's Ashes. Even the trendies know not to mess with that.
Full postIn-form Hughes shows no flaws
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
Phillip Hughes has three hundreds in his opening three County Championship games for Middlesex, but despite his long stays at the crease, England haven’t found any areas to exploit. In the Sydney Morning Herald Will Swanton looks at Hughes’ amazing form ahead of the Ashes.
Hughes' debut innings at the home of cricket was a century. Next match, batting with England captain Andrew Strauss, he cracked another ton. Angus Fraser and Shaun Udal admit Strauss was studying Hughes' unorthodox technique for signs of weaknesses to exploit during the Ashes. Strauss has been left with a blank page.