Sinking the boot into England
Everyone is lining up to sink the boot into a hapless England. In what's been described as their 'worst tour ever', disgruntled Barmy Army members are flying home ahead of schedule:
Dismayed at England's pathetic efforts in both forms of the game, hundreds of British tourists have returned ahead of schedule despite booking tickets to upcoming limited-over matches. The head of the Barmy Army in Australia, Craig Gill, said last night that organisers had dumped dozens of tickets for the Commonwealth Bank Series with the edict: "Get whatever you can for them".Even Australian coach John Buchanan is unhappy, complaining that England's and New Zealand's dud performances are "stunting his squad's development ahead of the World Cup":
Easier said than done. Of the 19 spare tickets Gill has for next Friday's Australia-England clash at the Sydney Cricket Ground, only two have been taken. "I can't give them away," Gill said. "People just won't pay $60 to risk seeing England get out for 150 and the game being over by eight o'clock."
"Our ability to deliver yorkers, length balls, bouncers, variety balls (such as slower balls, cutters, etc) has not been placed under constant scrutiny by an opposition batting lineup. This testing of our bowlers' response to situations when we have lost control (temporarily, hopefully) is not happening. In essence, the batting efforts of our opposition are not assisting the development of our bowlers' one-day skills, and the decision-making that accompanies being placed under the microscope of competition. And while this is not occurring, we cannot have our fielding tested also for its ability to create and make opportunities."And if you thought Buck was harsh (as well as somewhat incomprehensible), that's nothing compared to the English press who must be digging deep in the thesaurus to come up with variations on 'pathetic', 'debacle' and 'shambolic'. So says The Sun:
"Andrew Flintoff and his England side produced a batting collapse here yesterday that should have them squirming with embarrassment. It is a big call - because there have been plenty to choose from - but this was England's most excruciating display with the willow all tour. They lacked guts, technique, purpose, patience and any sort of game plan. This latest game of the tri-nation competition was noteworthy for confirming England have no chance whatsoever of winning the World Cup"But I think the most damning criticism comes from Stephen Fleming's mild summation of New Zealand's victory over England: "We were massively surprised at how easy it was in the end".
| Posted by JC on Thu 25 Jan |  14 comments |
It just about sums up English Cricket. Another false dawn coupled with the snobish (is there such a word?) attitude towards one day cricket from the powers at be. When will they finally realise that taking one day cricket more seriously might actually help the test team. The press over here in the UK have certainly slammed the team and in particular the coach Duncan Fletcher. Looks like he is on borrowed time.
Cricket Bats
Posted by Martin on 2007-01-25 11:01:48
Cricket Bats
Posted by Martin on 2007-01-25 11:01:48
'Borrowed time'? I'd hate to be the person that had to repay his debt to English cricket. Surely they use to hang, draw, and quarter people leaders in the past who performed as woefully as he has?
Posted by TA on 2007-01-25 11:43:22
Posted by TA on 2007-01-25 11:43:22
Such short memories, Fletcher is the saviour of English cricket remember?? ;)
Posted by Timbo on 2007-01-25 11:51:38
Posted by Timbo on 2007-01-25 11:51:38
Fletcher certainly has had a roller coaster ride. He took England to the heights of a #2 Test ranking and winning the Ashes well ahead of schedule to the depths of a #8 ODI ranking and a 5-nil Ashes drubbing. Which result is his true legacy? Discuss!
Posted by JC on 2007-01-25 12:23:44
Posted by JC on 2007-01-25 12:23:44
I like this quote I found from a chap called Glasgow...
"A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit."
By this measure his legacy is in a bit of trouble.
Posted by TA on 2007-01-25 13:14:47
"A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit."
By this measure his legacy is in a bit of trouble.
Posted by TA on 2007-01-25 13:14:47
Who really cares? It is the typical Pommy mind-set that produces mediocrity. You can look across most sports. Tim Henman excels as a mediocre tennis player; it all gets too difficult for him after the first couple of rounds. Compare him to the young Scot competing at Wimbledon.
Poms rest on past fleeting glory, be it cricket, soccer, you name it.
I hear they actually banned competitive sport at schools for a time!
I'd be more concerned about the dwindling interest in cricket in the Caribbean, the nastiness in South African cricket, and the shift of cricket's power-base to Asia.
Cricket needs to expedite the improvement of the "minnows", not just Bangladesh and Zimbabwe but the others competing at the World Cup like Holland, Scotland, Canada, Kenya etc.
When or if they become fully-fledged cricketing nations, the Poms can become what they deserve; redundant.
Posted by Dan Tas on 2007-01-25 13:18:22
Poms rest on past fleeting glory, be it cricket, soccer, you name it.
I hear they actually banned competitive sport at schools for a time!
I'd be more concerned about the dwindling interest in cricket in the Caribbean, the nastiness in South African cricket, and the shift of cricket's power-base to Asia.
Cricket needs to expedite the improvement of the "minnows", not just Bangladesh and Zimbabwe but the others competing at the World Cup like Holland, Scotland, Canada, Kenya etc.
When or if they become fully-fledged cricketing nations, the Poms can become what they deserve; redundant.
Posted by Dan Tas on 2007-01-25 13:18:22
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