The Surfer
Darren, but was I right all along?
Mike Selvey applauds Darren Gough's determination to win back his England place, if not his performances once there.
Sriram Veera
25-Feb-2013
Mike Selvey applauds Darren Gough's determination to win back his England place, if not his performances once there.
Not long after the selectors had announced their provisional squad for the current one-day internationals, a message was passed to me, apparently from The Dazzler. "Tell Selvey," it went "that he can stick it up his arse."
The England selectors have to decide whether to trust medical advice claiming Marcus Trescothick will recover sufficiently to withstand the Ashes, says Christopher Martin-Jenkins in The Times.
Full postRaw deal for Dhoni?
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
While Rahul Dravid has been nominated for four ICC awards - cricketer of the year, captain of the year, Test and ODI player of the year - the Indian media have raised questions about Mahendra Singh Dhoni's conspicious absence among the 17 nominees for ODI player of the year.
In fact only two players - Yuvraj Singh and Michael Hussey of Australia - have an average better than Dhoni in the period under consideration, says The Times of India. Dhoni had accumulated 1170 runs from 36 ODIs at an average of 55.71 in the last one year starting August 1. Among his notable performances was the scintillating 183 he scored against Sri Lanka in Jaipur. It is the highest score by any wicketkeeper in ODIs.
Full postBirch in a timewarp
A tour to the subcontinent involves anticipating dry-as-dust pitches and noise pollution that would scandalise the EC
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
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Commenting on the recently-concluded series against India’s women’s side, Birch trotted out more clichés about curries and hot food in one column that an entire series of It Ain’t Half Hot Mum.
“We found it hilarious how the Indians added their own curry paste and pickles because they found the food too mild … but our players will not be laughing when their mouths are burning up in India.”
Wonder which universe Birch is living in? The ECB should make it mandatory to have its cricketers savour the delights of London’s Curry Mile, if only for the likes of Birch to sample how cumin combines with parsley and Rose Mary overlays cardamom to make curry something much more than just a masala-mix.
Full postThe big debate
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
Is the county game failing England's one-day side? Read David Fulton's and Nick Knight's opposing views in The Guardian.
Fulton: "I think that with the C&G, Pro40 and Twenty20 there are too many limited-overs competitions in the English county game. Having three different formats does have an effect on the intensity of the cricket played and on England's one-day side."
Shoaib and Sky under the spotlight
While the spectre of ball-tampering briefly resurfaced at The Rose Bowl, it was Sky Sports’ coverage which came in for criticism in the media.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
While the spectre of ball-tampering briefly resurfaced at The Rose Bowl, it was Sky Sports’ coverage which came in for criticism in the media.
The BBC’s veteran Pat Murphy accused Sky of having “power without responsibility" for the way they presented and commented on the footage of Shoaib Akhtar working on the ball.
And Derek Pringle in The Daily Telegraph was equally critical:
Full postWarne an idiot?
Shane Warne, in an extract from his autobiography published in The Times , reflects on the cost of cricket to his personal life:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
25-Feb-2013
Shane Warne, in an extract from his autobiography published in The Times, reflects on the cost of cricket to his personal life:
I have done a few stupid things along the way, on and off the field. There are some people who think I am a bit of an idiot and, at times, I would have to admit they’ve been right. But whether they love me or hate me, they are still interested in me and when you cut through everything else I think that is because of the way I play the game.
Spinners put through the wringer
John Westerby writes on a spin-only match where a group of bowlers twirling away at Derby, it is hoped, will be challenging each other for membership of the elite group in a few years’ time.
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
25-Feb-2013
John Westerby writes on a spin-only match where a group of bowlers twirling away at Derby, it is hoped, will be challenging each other for membership of the elite group in a few years’ time.
Full postEngland stagger towards World Cup
In The Guardian , Mike Selvey writes on England's miserable one-day summer:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
25-Feb-2013
In The Guardian, Mike Selvey writes on England's miserable one-day summer:
Realistically, given that the next two matches are certain to be toss-oriented irrelevances (whose idea was it to schedule floodlight matches for September?) England have one more match, next Sunday at Edgbaston, to get their house in order before they embark on the Champions Trophy - where Australia and India await - the VB Series in Australia and then the World Cup.
Fraser gives Flintoff some advice
Jon Pierik writes in The Courier-Mail about Angus Fraser’s warning to Andrew Flintoff ahead of the Ashes .
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
Jon Pierik writes in The Courier-Mail about Angus Fraser’s warning to Andrew Flintoff ahead of the Ashes.
"Flintoff's fitness will not have been confirmed when the England selectors sit down to make their decision [on September 12], but Flintoff is desperate to captain the side in Australia, and depriving him of that honour may be risky," Fraser says. "Whether Flintoff can handle all the attention that comes his way is another matter. The Australian public and media will make it their business to agitate and distract the allrounder and it will be interesting to see how he copes.
"Flintoff was given a glimpse of what might lie ahead when he played against Australia for the Rest of the World. He spent little more than a fortnight in Melbourne and Sydney but the constant attention he received nearly brought him to boiling point."
Full postWarne's different set of Aussie rules
In a first exclusive extract from his new book, Shane Warne reveals how a former hobby quickly became his passion:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
25-Feb-2013
In a first exclusive extract from his new book, Shane Warne reveals how a former hobby quickly became his passion:
I played for my school teams and the local club, but as a teenager, cricket was never more than a hobby. Aussie Rules was my first love, tennis probably just second.