Another View

The recent England football internationals gave me another excuse, as if one were needed, to head down to the local pub for an afternoon of beer and shouting at the television.  There was a noticable lack of interest in the match against Israel as proved by the usual masses of fans, draped in St George’s Crosses and replica kits, being largely absent (“part-time supporters”, what would you do with ‘em, eh?).  Despite that, the on pitch performance was pretty good.  Steve McLaren stumbled across what appeared to be a cohesive team.  Forced to drop Lampard, Beckham, Rooney, Crouch and Hargreaves all of whom would have started if SM had had his way, we saw Wright Phillips, Barrie, Gerrard (in position), Owen and the much derided Heskey gel together to give the home nation a 3-0 win.  It’s a shame this was all by accident rather than design but it still proved successfull enough for the head honcho to name an unprecidented unchanged side against Russia on Wednesday.  Gus Hidink’s side proved tougher opponents but the result was the same as Owen broke the 40 barrier with his international collection of goals.  It will now prove to be a tough decision for McLaren to make to see who gets the nod for the next game in October… keep your superstars on the bench or commit the cardinal sin of management and change a winning formula.  The biggest test of his management is, I feel, yet to come.
The difference, from a purely personal perspective, was that I watched the Russia game at home (because of the 5am start I had in prospect on Thursday morning).  I got to hear Motson and Lawrenson’s commentary although that is not necessarily a good thing but really there was a definate lack of atmosphere and I missed having people to chew over the match with.  The whole thing got me thinking as to why people don’t go to the pub to watch things other than sport.  Should I head out to a local establishment and try and find somewhere to watch the new series of the Sarah Jane Adventures next Monday?  I thought not, but I’m not quite sure why.  Any ideas?

Broad Shoulders

Way back in the dark ages, over two years ago if you’re counting, the very first post on Fazzinchi.co.uk was not about Doctor Who, sci-fi, or the latest American import show. It was, in fact, about cricket. My sports-related blogging has been somewhat lacking of late but what better time to resurrect the past-time? The big sporting question of the weekend is choosing what to watch at 5pm on Saturday afternoon. On ITV, the English rugby team are begining the defence of their World Cup crown in their opening game against the USA (they have no chance of retaining it, by the way!). Meanwhile, Steve McClaren is finding life tough as the manager of the footballers and their crunch match, in the Euro2008 qualifiers against Israel, begins (on BBC1) at, oooh, 5pm. Elsewhere, at the home of cricket, Lords, the vastly improving One-Day side make their final appearance of the summer (in England, at any rate) in the decider of the magnificent 7-match series with the touring Indians. If everything goes to form, the final 20 overs of this thrilling series will start…. at five o’bloody’clock.

I think the lure of the pub will win out for me (see you at 4:30pm, at the Nags!) and then I’ll record highlights of the other two games.  I’ll try and post something about the football after the event (full of vitriol over another unsipid England performance and the inabilty to score past a stubborn Israel defence… 0-0, if want my prediction) but for now, I’ll talk about the cricket.

The sudden and surprising rise of the Twenty20 format could have sounded the death knell for the 50-over version of the game and the forthcoming Twenty20 World Cup could still prove a huge success, but this series, currently poised at 3-3 has restored widespread faith in the game.  Good pitches, well matched teams and sell out crowds that the Indians always seem to attract appears to have brought out the best in the players*.  And England, who have been close to woeful for a couple of years, have found a new lease of life under the experienced tutelage of Moores and captaincy of Collingwood.  Some bright, young things are getting selected too and that can only bode well for the future.   Cook, Broad, Anderson, Bopara, Wright, et al have all had a chance to shine and grasped their opportunities with both hands.  Mike Selvin in today’s Guardian recommends that Flintoff withdraws from the 5-day test squad to concentrate on these shorter forms for the sake of his dodgy ankle and the longevity of his career.  I think he makes a good case.
(* = except the criminally off-form, Kevin Pietersen)

Old Trafford In The Sun

It’s been a while since I blogged about the cricket, or in fact, any sport at all.  However, the weather is getting positively summery and the football is over, so there’s nothing better than to sit back and while away the hours with a bit of test match cricket.  Unfortunately, the quality on offer leaves something to be desired as the West Indian tourists have arrived in Blighty with one of the poorest looking outfits I can recall.  Brian Lara’s controversial decision to quit the international game leaves Chanderpaul as the only quality (and on-form) batsmen in the team.  Chris Gayle, whose form with the bat is looking pretty tired despite being capable of greatness, is the only other name we would remember in 10 years time.  Interestingly, Gayle also provides the only variation in the Windies’ attack, as his non-threatening off-spin contrasts with the medium/fast, one-dimensional bowling offered by the rest.

The problem with England’s attack is also worthy of mention.  Sidebottom’s surprise recall has paid big dividends and Panesar continues to impress but Plunkett and, especially, Harmison are bordering on the comic with their wayward spraying of the ball in all directions.  I think the pair of them now need time back in the counties to get some overs under their belts in the somewhat more restrained confines of Durham.  This will give an opportunity to some of the previously overlooked players to have a chance on the big stage.  At the top of the order, poor old Strauss can hardly buy a run at the moment (33, 24, 15, 6 and 0 is quite a woeful trend by anyone’s standard) but the rest of them have all scored hundreds and are feasting on the buffet bowling.  Anyway, the third test will be all over by tomorrow evening and the series secured for England… at least, barring one of those remakable turnarounds that happen from time to time that makes the game so watchable.

What’s Going On?

It’s a been a while since a cricket post has turned up here at Fazzinchi.com but in acknowledgement that something a bit special (but only a bit!) happened this morning here’s another one.  England have beaten Australia by 92 runs, it’s not quite on the scale of the successes of the summer before last but a win is a win.  Of course, as the always entertaining Bumble is happy to tell us on SkySports, “You’ve won one game. Well done. Now move along”.  The perspective that we have to maintain here is the record against Australia this winter… played 10 lost 9!  However, with the World Cup around the corner, there is suddenly the tiniest little light at the end of a very long tunnel, it may still prove to be the oncoming train but let’s take some solace from the good batting performance, from the spiritted attitude and from their ability to prove, finally, that England can win.  Ed Joyce and Mal Loye may not have a great international pedigree behind them but they may have one in front as the new opening partnership for England.  I’m also really happy for Freddie to finally get a win as captain Down Under.  Can we move on from here?  Can we gather a little momentum?  Can we settle on a starting XI line-up before the flight to the West Indies?  Probably not, but who cares… savour the moment: we won, WE WON!!

The Full Monty – A Rare Celebration

We lost the five test matches, then we lost the Twenty20 and this morning we’ve lost the first match in the Commonwealth Bank, one-day series, I say “lost”, I mean “been thrashed”.  If that wasn’t bad enough, we’ve also lost our best player after Kevin Pietersen broke a rib during his top-scoring 83*.  As Michael Vaughan said in his post-match interview “it never rains but it pours”.  For years now, since the comprehensive defeat in the last World Cup, the ECB have been saying that they have had a plan and a strategy for how they are going to approach and be challenging by the time of the next World Cup.  Someone should tell them that the World Cup is now only a couple of months and even the most casual of armchair viewers can see that there is no discipline, planning, or ability in the team’s approach.  There is undoubted quality in there but they are very lacking in some key areas.  The bowling is too erratic and the batting is not big hitting enough for the modern game.  I suppose, in the disappointment, it’s easy to be overly critical and you shouldn’t take anything away from the Aussie team, they really are a class act.  However, someone has to take the blame for this and I don’t know whether it’s Duncan Fletcher, the selectors or the powers that be in the ECB themselves.  Once the World Cup is over and before the West Indies come to Lords in May, I imagine heads will roll.

Short And Bittersweet

For just 14 months England held the bragging rights but the Ashes have been relinquished. Despite how disappointed I feel right now, I believe that this was Australia winning it rather than England losing it. Despite the inevitable post mortems and finger pointing that will follow, this needs to be said… Well done Australia!! They took a long hard look at themselves after the 2005 defeat and planned, worked hard and and were completely single minded for 14 months. And from the first session to the last of this series they’ve battled hard and deserved their victory.

So, let the post mortem begin… Troy Cooley: The ECB should never have let him get away from his position as bowling coach; Squad & Injuries: Vaughan was missed terribly, Tres unfortunately unwell, and Simon Jones cursed injury problems continued, all the while Australia replaced Katich with Hussey and Gillespie/Kasprowicz with Stuart Clark – no contest!; Selection: Anderson and Giles didn’t play for most of 2006, so why pick ‘em when Mahmood and Panesar are available and on form?; Captaincy: Should have been Strauss not Flintoff; and Preparation: ICC Trophy and a could of wierd two-day games is no way to prepare for the Gabba, notably for Harmison who needs much better build up and support than he received. If these had been properly thought out and addressed this post would have looked very different. However, post mortem over. Now we get to wait two-and-a-half years for the Ashes re-match by which time most of the current Aussie team will be past it or retired (Warne and McGrath especially) while most of the English players will have 30 months more experience and be a great team. So, place your bets because I have no doubt we will win that urn straight back.