The Surfer
43 chicken dinners
Alec Stewart is grilled in Guardian Unlimited's irreverent Small Talk section , telling them what it's like to tour Pakistan - and more.
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
Alec Stewart is grilled in Guardian Unlimited's irreverent Small Talk section, telling them what it's like to tour Pakistan - and more.
Full postThe Geraint Jones debate
Should Geraint Jones be replaced by a specialist keeper
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
Should Geraint Jones be replaced by a specialist keeper? This debate has heard many voices but here's what Bob Taylor and Jim Parks, two former England wicketkeepers, had to say on the subject.
Full postHave I Got News For You
Harry Thompson, the man behind Have I Got News For You , the topical news quiz on the BBC, has died aged 45 after suffering from cancer
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
Harry Thompson, the man behind Have I Got News For You, the topical news quiz on the BBC, has died aged 45 after suffering from cancer. Aside from launching TV shows such as They Think It's All Over and The 11 O'Clock Show, he was an ardent cricket fan, as James Rampton reports in The Independent:
Apart from comedy and his family, Thompson's other great love was cricket. He set up the amateur Captain Scott Invitation XI in 1979, and it is still going strong with 30-odd games a season. The team has toured all over the world, and down the years people such as Hislop, Hugh Grant, Iain Glen and your correspondent have all donned the whites for this team. Thompson recently finished a book about the club, Penguins Stopped Play, which will be published next April.
Thompson himself played in 640-odd consecutive games, a run that was only broken by his diagnosis with cancer this April.
[Via Chunter]
Full postWarm-up ... or lukewarm-up?
The days when touring sides played a stack of warm-up matches before the start of a Test series are long gone, but, so Lawrence Booth reports , that might not be a bad thing
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
The days when touring sides played a stack of warm-up matches before the start of a Test series are long gone, but, so Lawrence Booth reports, that might not be a bad thing. As Mark Ramprakash told him:
"They don't necessarily need runs in the warm-up games to get into that frame of mind. They're mentally happy where they are."
Shaky times in the Shaky Isles
“As if being beaten up by South Africa, the match referee, and the International Cricket Council's one-day rankings wasn't enough, the vanquished squad arrive home this morning to suggestions of a rift between management and players.” Richard Boock,
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
“As if being beaten up by South Africa, the match referee, and the International Cricket Council's one-day rankings wasn't enough, the vanquished squad arrive home this morning to suggestions of a rift between management and players.” Richard Boock, of the New Zealand Herald, takes a look at the latest Chris Cairns-related controversy.
Full postBeware of the all-round hype
Allrounders are all the rage in Australia but Chloe Saltau warns in The Age against following the dramatic lead of England and Andrew Flintoff
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
Allrounders are all the rage in Australia but Chloe Saltau warns in The Age against following the dramatic lead of England and Andrew Flintoff. “It shouldn't be forgotten that England's long and desperate search for an allrounder to follow Ian Botham contributed to 15 years of misery while many a Botham wannabe flashed in and faded out of the national team.”
The Australian’s Andrew Ramsey isn’t the only one to notice Australia’s fielding improvement. Bob Simpson, the former coach, puts it down to more work on technique at training.
Full postBowden goes to Pakistan
Billy Bowden, who umpired during the 2005 Ashes and copped a lot of flak from Ricky Ponting in its aftermath, speaks to Gareth A Davies in The Daily Telegraph .
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
Billy Bowden, who umpired during the 2005 Ashes and copped a lot of flak from Ricky Ponting in its aftermath, speaks to Gareth A Davies in The Daily Telegraph.
On umpiring itself, Bowden said he would like to see Test cricketers respecting the game to the nth degree. "The game is in good shape, but I'd like to see batsmen walking when they know they are out. Adam Gilchrist walks. I like that. No, I respect that."
Gayle force or flop?
Chris Gayle, the West Indies enigma, is the subject of Peter Roebuck in The Age
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
Chris Gayle, the West Indies enigma, is the subject of Peter Roebuck in The Age. Roebuck writes he currently lies between a liability and a leader. “Compared with Clive Lloyd, Gayle is a lightweight. In its impoverished state, West Indies cricket must take whatever the Jamaican offers, yet the path to recovery can be cut only by those prepared to put themselves on the line.”
Another player under pressure is Australia’s Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting admits to “carrying” him in The Courier-Mail.
Full postWelcome to my country
'How are you feeling in Pakistan?' 'Are you a batsman or bowler?' 'What is your opinion of Shoaib Akhtar?'
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
'How are you feeling in Pakistan?' 'Are you a batsman or bowler?' 'What is your opinion of Shoaib Akhtar?'. Just some of the questions Jonathan Dyson had to face in Pakistan.
The fact that the England team touring Pakistan have two big hitters of their own, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, has given the anticipation of the forthcoming Test series an extra edge. Millions across Pakistan followed every ball of the recent Ashes series, and admire England's new attacking style of play
Collymore's curious celebration
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
 |
 |
Corey Collymore wasn't the only one with the three-fingered-wave celebration. Fidel Edwards and Pedro Collins did it too. But why? A couple of theories are here.
Ricky Ponting deserves full credit for the part he has played in turning around this Australian side, writes Peter Roebuck in The Age.
Casting aside the restraint seen in England, and objecting to some minor dilly-dallying by a tailender, Ponting himself once marched across to vent his spleen. No more Mr Nice Guy. Manifestly, he has rediscovered his mongrel. He does not intend to allow history to swallow him up and spit him out. Hereafter, it is going to be a lively and occasionally uncomfortable ride. At heart, Ponting is more warrior than diplomat.
