Cricket Column

Moores flies the flag

2005-04-15T08:54:00.000+01:00

Kennington (again) – One minute you can be happily watching a county match – although admittedly one between two title contenders – meandering along, shuffled back and forth by some fickle spring weather. The next you can be plunged into the cricket news story of the day.

Sussex coach Peter Moores announced during a rather lengthy lunch break that he will be taking on the job of England Academy director after Rod Marsh steps down in September, charged with continuing the good work old iron gloves has done in establishing a system to make promising athletes into Test-standard cricketers.

Moores would have been a surprise name for the post had his stock not risen rapidly in the last four years. He retired in 1998 after a 15-year career as a county wicket-keeper to become Sussex coach, but it was his leadership of the England A tour of the Caribbean in 2001 that really made his name, with several players - including James Foster, who made the Test side the following year - trumpeting his ability. A Championship title with perennial bridesmaids Sussex in 2003 was followed by a request from the West Indies Cricket Board that he apply for their vacant coaching job. He was just beaten out by Bennett King.

That Moores is a thoroughly nice bloke to deal will probably has little bearing on his candidacy - Marsh once dealt with a colleague of mine's telephone query by simply saying, "I don't want to talk to you" – but it makes his appointment all the more popular.

It is also a great signal for English cricket that an Englishman is qualified to take this job, a position now widely viewed as the heir to Duncan Fletcher's throne. With Fletcher and Marsh in place, and Worcestershire's Tom Moody tipped as next in line, the English coaching cupboard looked bare. Moores believes the standard of coaching is one of the healthiest things about the county game – although seven of the 18 counties have foreign bosses – but it takes a standard-bearer like this to prove it.

Will Moores succeed Fletcher? Give the bloke a chance to spend some time at Loughborough first! The news he is writing an autobiography prompted speculation Fletcher would step down in September after the Ashes, which would surely be too soon for Moores. But my understanding is that Fletcher book, although his ghost Steve James will deliver it in the autumn, will be kept on ice until the big man decides to quit, which may not be until after the 2007 World Cup. One minute you can be happily watching a county match, the next you can be plunged into the England hot seat.

Quote of the week

"My philosophy is to get excellence out of people rather than putting it in."
Peter Moores explaining why his lack of international playing experience is unimportant.

Spotted

The two leg-spinners of the 1992 English Test summer going head to head, and Mushtaq Ahmed stepping down the wicket to hoist Ian Salisbury over mid on for four.

Stat of the week

0 – Number of minutes' play available because of rain and snow at Lord's as the county season began on April 8th.

Six sense

1.The season opener between MCC, or England A, and the previous year's champions is a great idea – it should be a high-profile match, giving a higher profile to some of the aspiring stars of the English game. But is was disbanded as a season-opener in the mid-1990s for a reason. Whatever the calibre of match, if you play it in the first week of April it will be underwhelming. Have an all-star break just before the Test series. Pit them against the tourists. It would be a cracker.

2.With three months still to go before the Ashes start there's a tendency to get over-excited about the injury stories that proliferate at the start of the season – Andrew Flintoff not yet fit after knee surgery, Marcus Trescothick suffering migraines, Kevin Pietersen nursing a stress fracture to his left metasomethingorother. But you ignore them at your peril because too often, particularly where England and especially where Flintoff is concerned, they gain massive significance at just the wrong time.

3.Matt Prior gave a brief glimpse of what he could offer England as a wicket-keeper batsmen, with a luck-filled 59 off 80 balls and some neat boundaries through the covers. He plays more in the V than Geraint Jones, and he could be a better keeper but he has the sense to realise England won't be making any dramatic change unless they are forced to.

4.Did you notice New Zealand's Lou Vincent made 224 in a Test match the other day? It is not just the influence of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe that makes the current ICC tour programme less-than-perfect but also the squeezing-in of series between less fashionable countries, usually played over the minimum two Tests and three ODIs before the participants jet off somewhere else. Roll on the extension from a five-year cycle to six years. Maybe every series will be given due value then.

5.Makhaya Ntini's 13-wicket haul in the second Test could prove an argument either way in South Africa's quota debate. When he became his country's first black player, back in 1997 he was too raw for Test cricket and could easily have been passed over had the quotas not kept him in the side and given him the necessary experience. But without the quota he may not have been brought in as early, learned his trade better at domestic level and been better polished when he arrived. Either way, he has to rank alongside Donald and Pollock now.

6.Performances for the home side in that Test said everything about the debate that raged around the opening of the series. Of the returning players, Brian Lara chipped in 196, Chris Gayle took a four-fer, running through the tail in the first innings and Ramnaresh Sarwan made a second innings ton. But the performance in the field was vastly worse and the body language of the couldn't-care-less variety. There's no "I" in team. Maybe Peter Moores would have sorted them out.

April expectations

2005-04-07T16:45:00.000+01:00

Kennington - The players are out in the nets, the sun is glinting off the yet-to-be-finished hospitality boxes at the Vauxhall End and the air of expectation is in the air, not just here but across county cricket.

Early April is a great time for hopes, dreams and yet-to-be fulfilled plans that get lost in the unending grind of a six-month season. Every side will be hoping for silverware but here's a guestimate of who should be in the running:

County Championship

With the way the points system works, teams that can post massive first innings totals prosper, as Warwickshire did last year. The Bears will be up there again, as will third-placed finishers Surrey, who finished well after a terrible start to the year and could have Mark Butcher back for much of the year.

Kent rode Rob Key's batting for the first half of last season, before he was snatched away by England, but this year they have rebuilt the line-up with the arrival of Martin van Jaarsveld, Andrew Hall (SA) and former England Academy batsman Darren Stevens. If Key is unavailable, they will do well. If he is passed over by England, the trophy has to be heading to Canterbury.

Totesport League

The one-day league seems to favour the side that can be arsed longest, and sides with injury worries tend to rest players from their Sunday – or whatever day this competition takes place now – teams first.

Glamorgan have a history of doing well and it would take someone with tremendous inside knowledge to back against them. Lancashire, with Fred Flintoff in the side for the first month, could also get a great start.

C&G Trophy

Gloucestershire always seem to do what it takes to clinch this one. They will be described as ageing but they have been over the hill for the last few years and remained focussed on their annual day out at Lord's.

Twenty20 Cup

Why not Lancashire? They got within a game last year, beaten by a Surrey side who will be weakened by the loss of twenty20 specialist Adam Hollioake. They are stocked with canny all-rounders, a level above Glamorgan's, although the Dragons are likely to be there for finals day too. Lancs won't won't have Flintoff for the entire campaign but he could easily be the man who lights up The Brit Oval to take the title.

Stat of the week

1 – The number of counties (Glamorgan) who do not have a foreign player on their books eligible through a European passport or the Kolpak ruling.

Quote of the week

"They've still got another couple of years in them. McGrath's getting better as he goes along and Warnie's growing up as he gets older."
- Former Aussie Test wicket-keeper Steve Rixon makes himself chuckle when asked about the age of the Ashes squad.

Six sense

1. Staying with county pre-seasons for a moment, there is a massive disparity between the best and the worst, and I'm not talking about on the field of play. While Surrey and Essex find a suitable time, lay on some food and trot out their England players, Warwickshire told journalists to be at Edgbaston at 830am on Monday morning. County cricket needs all the exposure it can get, and that isn't a great way to start. It doesn't take a massive budget – it just needs people to understand the needs of journalists, many of whom work around the team all summer and would be happy to make suggestions. Lovely bacon sarnies at The Oval, by the way.

2. I was rooting for Shivnarine Chanderpaul to be given the West Indies captaincy ahead of Brian Lara, before I saw his post-match performance when being grilled by Michael Holding. Ever done a job interview with someone clearly so under-qualified that you have to steer their answers? Ramnaresh Sarwan was dumped as vice-captain in January as the selectors looked for insurance in light of the rumbling Cable & Wireless row but he is still the man for the future.

3. On the same subject, the West Indies players are not being served well by the West Indies Players Association or their head Dinanath Ramnarine. Rather than trying to find a way around this impasse, he has resorted to press releases that are increasingly childish, petulant and naive. Describing the cricket board as "tyrannical and despotic" ain't the way to make things better.

4. It was amazing how quickly the talk went from Inzamam-ul-Haq's captaincy being under pressure to Sourav Ganguly's job being at stake. It took one bad day in Bangalore, Pakistan winning to tie the Test series, to turn the tables. So what if Ganguly's form has been poor? India under his leadership have been better than ever before, in Test cricket at least. Remember Mike Brearly? Two Ashes series wins, and it wasn't because of his batting.

5. If you missed it, the Women's World Cup took place over the last fortnight in South Africa, the majority of it played at tiny club grounds around Pretoria. Coincidentally – but only if you take by rather obscure point of view - it took place at the same time as the women's basketball national championship in the USA. In 1973, at the time of the first World Cup, women's cricket attracted about as many fans as women's college basketball but legislation in the States requiring equal funding for women's college sports has seen that game go ballistic. Women's cricket still has some work to do but they took a useful step earlier this week when the merged with the ICC, giving extra access to funding, sponsorship and TV rights.

6. I hate to do it but I've spent much of the last week bursting the bubbles of expectation surrounding the Ashes. Australia's domination of New Zealand showed that none of those predictions made after England's last thrashing have come true. Glenn McGrath (ankle injury) and Shane Warne (slimming pill ban) have both come back from enforced breaks the perform like teenagers. Adam Gilchrist is just brutal and Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn are both in fine form. Meawhile Flintoff is an injury doubt, again, and any version of Steve Harmison could turn up on any given day. If it isn't 4-1 again, with England winning a dead rubber, it will be 3-1 with a washout.

Minnows threaten march of Champions

2004-09-17T16:41:00.000+01:00

West End – This has been the week of the minnow in the ICC Champions Trophy, and the debate rages over whether it should mark the last time smaller countries are allowed to compete with the big boys.

There have been some spectacular blow-outs, like New Zealand compiling the highest total ever in the tournament against USA, Australia bowling the same opponent out for 65 and Bangladesh collapsing for 93 to South Africa. One reporter noted that at £25 per ticket, the few supporters who bothered to turn up were shelling out almost £1 per over!

But there have also been some interminable matches – especially on the south coast – when the result has never been in doubt but arriving at it has taken most of the day. Twelve thousand India fans seemed to enjoy a 98-run demolition of Kenya but this is one neutral who struggled for much of the match. Likewise West Indies win over Bangladesh.

The argument in favour of letting these sides play with the big boys has merit – it provides a target for the teams to aim at and exposure for the game in their home countries. Whether they learn from being thrashed or just go home shell-shocked is up for debate.

Unfortunately for the International Cricket Council, the number of minnows has actually grown since the World Cup last year. Boycott-hit Zimbabwe were beaten by the US in a warm-up match – Ssh! the ICC would rather that one didn’t get out – and Kenya are voluble in their annoyance at not playing more matches in between major tournaments, despite their one-day international status.

Rather than there just being a couple of teams out of their depth – a novelty addition to the established powers – the minnows are reaching critical mass, and threaten to destabilise major tournaments like this.

Solutions are plentiful but not necessarily comprehensive. The ICC is planning a World Cup Qualifying Series in 2006, before an unprecedented five non-ODI nations play on the big stage, but the details so far are sketchy. The inclusion of smaller sides in domestic tournaments requires extra cash, as does appending quick trips and triangular tournament invites on the end of major tours, but it is this sort of regular competition that is desperately needed.

Don’t forget that this tournament was conceived to make money for the ICC’s development programme to help spread the cricketing word in non-traditional nations. If the Champions Trophy really were a tournament of Champions – 10 Test-playing nations playing more games – it would bring in far more revenue than these mis-matches watched by less than 1,000 people each.

Stat of the week

10/28 – proportion of tosses won to one-day matches as captain for England’s Michael Vaughan, including 2/10 this summer.

Spotted

A former England captain of recent vintage trying to haggle a 20p reduction in the price of a cup of coffee at a Rose Bowl concession stand.

A current West Indies captain at a loss having missed the team bus from Portsmouth to London on Thursday.

Quotes of the week

“I played a four-day game which was washed out for three and Wasim Akram bowled me for one on the last day – fond memories.”
- Michael Vaughan on his experience of the Rose Bowl.

“At least me and Sachin have got something in common.”
- Nasser Hussain when told both he and Tendulkar sign autographs left-handed. He was, erm, waiting in the queue for coffee at the time.

"It was painful for everyone connected to Bangladesh cricket".
- Dav Whatmore on the defeat to West Indies. Why stop there Dav?

Six sense

1. Those who carp about Kenya not playing enough top-level one-day cricket forget that the ICC gave their national association a stiff talking too about exactly what is required to play with the big boys, namely proper corporate governance including a bit more transparency.

2. Sourav Ganguly said India could easily have beaten Kenya in less than 50 overs but that he chose to give his slow bowlers a go. He might forget that famous line - “Have a net” - that saw England creep to victory over the same opponent and miss out on the second round of the 1999 World Cup on the run rate tie-breaker. Forty overs must be possible at Edgbaston on Sunday and Monday for the Prince of Calcutta to avoid appearing foolish.

3. The USA talked about learning a lot from playing against New Zealand and Australia but the average age of their side is in the upper 30s, and there is little prospect of a new generation to reap the benefit of their experience. Captain Richard Staple admits that until – perhaps he should say unless – cricket is played in schools it will continue to be dominated by expats, who have to serve a minimum five-year residency to qualify.

4. Dav Whatmore spoke before Bangladesh’s meeting with West Indies about other sides feeling “a foot taller” when they play the Tigers. It isn’t easy if the first person they see is captain Rajin Saleh, who must stand a full 5ft 4ins tall and in whose presence Whatmore, a cricketer of the Chappell school of hard knocks – appears like a mother hen.

5. On the subject of young captains, though, I’m throwing my weight behind the “Elect Sarwan” campaign. Having seen his captaincy when he has stood in for Brian Lara in the past and heard his manifesto – communication, communication, communication – at first hand I reckon he is the man to lead Caribbean cricket back to respectability. Gus Logie is unlikely to stick around and the trend for foreign coaches is likely to continue, although it would have begun a year ago had Aussie Bennett King’s appointment been managed properly. I only hope Lara sticks around as a gnarly old pro to dispense batting wisdom and start scoring runs again.

6. After a wet Friday at the Rose Bowl, I can’t help but feel there must be a compromise between fitting a match into a single day and using a reserve day. Even when the rain had been falling for just an hour, England’s match against Sri Lanka was certain to slip into a second day (although it kept on raining and there wasn’t a choice). Maybe there could be a minimum for day one – 35 overs? – reduced to 20 on day two to make sure they get a result. It would have been a shame to lose 90 minutes and play 10 overs on day two.

Wrong place, wrong time for Trophy

2004-09-10T18:13:00.000+01:00

West End – Whose silly idea was it to bring the ICC Champions Trophy to England? There are 10 Test-playing nations playing what is in effect a knockout tournament in a two-week period – a format perhaps more exciting than the World Cup – but the whole thing barely rates a mention.

The aftermath of the Olympics and the start of the Premiership have taken much of the attention, but it is the English malaise that really drags the whole thing down.

It starts at local level, where the Rose Bowl is decked out with extra seats and looks an absolutely world-class facility, but where India are training on the second oval as Hampshire have the main one, and where golfers go about their business nearby oblivious to what is occurring.

It is not helped by the ICC, which has done things a little on the cheap and erred in holding the whole thing in drizzly September when it would have been wiser, if not as cost-effective, to play in mid-summer.

Teams complain about hotels in the middle of nowhere and warm-up games are unpublicised as they might attract more attention than the organisers can cope with. Pakistan played South Africa on Thursday, not before thousands of excited kids but in front of two men a dog and Bob Woolmer at Birmingham’s Walmley Cricket Club. The counties have been left to nudge out the last two weeks of the season unbothered, neither finishing early to allow a single focus nor hosting potentially money-spinning tour matches.

But nowhere is the English malaise more evident than in the media, where all unite in pronouncing this a joke of a tournament that should not be taken seriously. How can anyone claim that a match between Australia and New Zealand, or India v Pakistan, in a meaningful tournament is not one-day cricket at its best? Edgbaston could witness Australia playing England in next week’s semi-final – if the hosts get that far – but we are too busy talking about next summer’s Ashes to notice.

The same happened during the 1999 World Cup, when the final rounds went on unnoticed because England were not good enough to participate. Four years later, South Africa were excited about the tournament just as much as about the prospects of their doomed home team.

India would have loved this tournament, fans would have gone to every game regardless of the opponents, and there would have been a buzz about the whole thing. Unfortunately tax laws got in the way and England stepped in. But a reversion to the original plan for this tournament, playing in a smaller nation to raise the profile of the game, would have been ideal, and allowed the English to continue their naval-gazing.

Stat of the week

Two in fact:
0.027 – difference in net run rate which saw USA qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy.

Minus 4.20 - USA’s run rate in Pool One after their 210-run defeat by New Zealand.

Spotted

India captain Sourav Ganguly walking into a press conference with his cap on backwards. He took it off and re-set his immaculate hair only after pointing out that the logo of team sponsors Sahara is not allowed at ICC tournaments.

Quote of the week

“Our last tournament was last year in April – that’s about 17 months without a single one-dayer. We really feel disappointed. We’re not getting any respect.”
- Steve Tikolo, captain of World Cup semi-finalists Kenya, takes aim at the ICC.

Six sense

1. Again the England and Wales Cricket Board attempted to hide bad news by better headlines, announcing their tour dates for Zimbabwe in an off-hand manner at 4.30pm on Thursday, with the Champions Trophy set to launch. As host-organisers of the tournament they should have had their sights on more positive things, and they should have made a decision on Zimbabwe long ago. It left a bad taste in the mouth.

5. It is good to see the new-look Zimbabwe making England work for an opening win. Perhaps in a few years time they will be able to compete at Test level at home and away again. With all the teeth-gnashing over the 15 rebels it was easy to forget that Zimbabwe were pretty woeful even before white players began to drift away from the side. Without agreeing with the method, perhaps a fresh start was what the side needed.

3. Kenya may have got to the World Cup semi-final by a combination of luck and one-off achievement but they earned status that should have seen them play major teams more often in the last 17 months. They deserve at least to play regularly as an extra team in those interminable one-day series worldwide, and they would come up with the odd headline-grabbing result even now. Leading on from that, the ICC should stop diluting major tournaments by including smaller nations. Get them involved with the big sides out of the spotlight and help them thrive rather than dragging them in every few years and sending them home with their tails between their legs.

4. It is a regular ICC-bash this week. Is it right that the ICC should have an awards ceremony to honour the best teams and players in the world? Shouldn’t it just govern and let someone else worry about that sort of thing?

5. Warwickshire were worthy winners of the County Championship but they were far from charismatic, claiming the title with five wins out of 15 and relying on batting the opposition out of the game. The real culprit, though, is the system of relegating three teams from Division One each season. Get into a bad situation and you are happy to play for a draw rather than risk defeat by attacking.

6. Whacky idea of the week: Get rid of the bowling restrictions in one-day internationals. If Steve Harmison can bowl 12 overs let him. I can see why law-makers wanted to keep five bowlers in a side but their deployment is now a more important tactic than anything else in the game. Just like the recent relaxing of the bouncer rule, a bit of Test style might just help pep one-day cricket up.

Kolpak invasion begins

2004-08-13T18:46:00.000+01:00

St John's Wood – Murray Goodwin is a solid county pro. Last year he played a major part in Sussex winning their first ever County Championship. This year has not been so good for the former Zimbabwe Test batsman. In fact, he only found some good form on Tuesday, helped by a good Lord's pitch and a Middlesex attack which, apart from Glenn McGrath and the increasingly promising Simon Cook, looked unable to gain a breakthrough.

Goodwin almost did not return to Hove this season because he was only offered a one-year deal and the group of donors who finance the overseas player would have preferred a little more glamour. But that might not be a problem for Goodwin next term because, in terms of ECB eligibility regulations at least, he is as English as the rest of us.

As Goodwin made his way to an unbeaten 99, his first century of the season a bad night's sleep away, the finishing touches were being made to deals around the country that put an end to a gentleman's agreement that always appeared pretty naive. County bosses already knew the Kolpak ruling – Slovakian handball player taking German league to European court – meant they could sign anyone from Zimbabwe, South Africa or much of the West Indies as long as they were under 25 or had international experience. They were just sitting around and waiting for someone to make the first move. One or two players have already sneaked through but, thanks to the Zimbabwe player row counties now have a moral argument to put pen to paper. Just this week, Essex announced Grant Flower will play for them next year and Worcestershire signed left-arm spinner Ray Price effective immediately.

Unable to legislate against the influx of players, none of whom are eligible to represent England until they have served five years' residency, chief executives are instead putting out statements saying their new stars are "committed to county cricket". I'll bet they are – it's paying wages they would never have got elsewhere.

Forgetting about counties own motives for success, arguments over these new arrivals are, as always, contradictory. Signing these players makes county cricket more competitive, closing the gap between county and Test cricket. But young players who might have got an occasional chance to prove themselves will now find their way blocked. County bosses say the market will control the influx – there just isn't enough cash to sign up the whole South African Test team, although if you want to you can now. But it is likely that cash once spent on developing young talent – contracts for young prospects, academy funding - will go into the pay packets of players who may not even stick around to offer the benefit of their experience once their careers are over.

The ECB is toying with turning its current grant of £1.3m per county per year into a payment for producing players selected by England, but EU employment law makes its implementation pretty tricky. The one controlling factor at the moment is that no one has yet challenged the ruling that a player can only count as domestic in one first-class competition worldwide. Like the rest of this section of the rule book it is legally unsustainable. It just takes another Kolpak to knock it down.

Stat of the Week

Andrew Flintoff is ranked the 31st batsman in Test cricket and the 26th bowler. His PriceWaterhouseCoopers all-rounder rating is 322, compared to Shaun Pollock's 418 and the 495 of Jacques Kallis who, by the way, is ranked fourth in the world as a Test batsman.

Six sense

1. Even Michael Vaughan didn't know where the line had come from when he proclaimed: "Somebody said the other day that Freddie is the best player in the world at the moment and I'm not going to argue". Kallis and Pollock might just head a queue who would though.

2. The West Indies Cricket Board became annoyed when the media made an issue of the fact that it had not confirmed Brian Lara as captain for the ICC Champions Trophy when the squad was announced on Tuesday. A meeting on Wednesday night ratified a recommendation by the selectors and the matter was sorted but meanwhile Lara's preparations for the third Test were undermined. At a time when the captaincy is a major topic for debate you can't blame people for latching onto another pointer to Lara's demise. The WICB should be blaming its own scheduling rather than complaining to others.

3. Going into this week's round of County Championship matches, Gloucestershire were in second place having won three, lost three and drawn six. Kent were behind them with five wins, three losses and three draws. There is no more persuasive argument for shaking up the points allocation.

4. A heart-warming tale comes from Derbyshire, where coach David Houghton continues to confound those who claim the county has no interest in producing England players. Last year Ben Spendlove was playing park cricket – and struggling – with memories of a professional career that included an appearance as a substitute fielder in a Test match in 1998 very distant. This year has been better in the park and two years after he was released by Derbyshire, Houghton has signed the 25-year-old for the remainder of the season. Ian Ward trod a similar path and ended up in the Test team in his own right. I have no idea whether Spendlove will follow him but he is a really nice bloke, felt hard done to last time around and will, I'm sure, make the most of a second opportunity.

5. For the second time since the rule was brought in at the start of last season, a designated 12th man scored a century in a County Championship match and then missed the rest of the game. This time is was Glamorgan's Darren Thomas, reaching three figures against Hampshire then making way for Simon Jones – who was the unwanted member of England's Test 12. Graham Gooch ranted on the radio, saying the rule dilutes the value of county cricket, but if Jones had been kicking his heals for the week there would have been complaints too. England even released one of their squad early – spinner Gareth Batty – to prevent the issue arising. Left to itself the regulation could become the cricket equivalent of baseball's designated hitter rule – Glamorgan were accused of cynicism when Thomas batted at six rather than is usual nine – but that does not mean it should be ditched. Perhaps an extra caveat could specify a player's designation and only allow like-for-like replacement.

6. With less than a month to go before the ICC Champions Trophy, this space will be dedicated to my view on who will win – a new view each week. This week's view: New Zealand, who enjoyed a brilliant one-day tournament in England in June and are coached by one-day specialist John Bracewell. This time, rather than preparing with an injury-blighted 3-0 Test series whitewash they have a month of enforced rest before trying to regain the title they won in Nairobi in 2001.

Crash-bang cricket points to bigger picture

2004-08-08T15:00:00.000+01:00

Edgbaston – There is no debating the exception al success of the Twenty20 Cup, although the debate over its format is likely to continue at least until the ECB’s management meeting in October.

Apart from a few heat stoke sufferers on a baking Saturday in Birmingham, few can have failed to enjoy a pulsating first semi-final between Lancashire and Surrey that went down to the final ball, and a final that saw Leicestershire seal their triumph in the penultimate over.

There will be immediate calls for more of this form of the game, and as long as they don’t overdo it there is no reason why there shouldn’t be a bit more. But what I hope will come out of the success of this tournament is some joined-up thinking about the future of the rest of the county game.

The off-pitch success of Twenty20 has been down in part to factors that could be
applied elsewhere:

1. There is a fixed time period where the focus is on that single competition, without consideration for other formats.
2. Matches are on at a time when people can watch them, with dates known well in advance, marketing departments hyping that fact and selling tickets ahead of time, making it more of an event.
3. The players are obviously, whole-heartedly getting into the game and playing at their best.

Contrast that with the fortnight in between the Twenty20 quarter-finals and Finals Day, when Championship and one-day matches intermingled with impunity. Even people covering matches struggled to work out which day we were on, and players could also be forgiven confusion when they were asked to follow a day/night Totesport League game with an 11am start in the Championship the next day.

Sky TV clearly like to have one-day matches scattered throughout the week but when there are four-day games to fit in as well the whole picture gets muddled.

When they finally find a review group acceptable to all involved, the ECB plans to make radical changes in time for 2006, when they also need a new TV contract and a raft of new sponsors.

Those changes need to make sure weekends and bank holidays are always filled with cricket, to supplement those county regulars the unemployed and the unemployable with other paying supporters. They need to make the schedule understandable to even the most casual fan, which means Championship matches always starting on the same day, non-floodlit matches preferably on a Saturday or Sunday and any midweek floodlit matches played on weeks when there is nothing else to get in the way.

Just as Twenty20 functions in an oasis of other cricket, why not have a gap in August – when the weather is still good but the nights a bit shorter - for the conclusion of the Totesport League?

Twenty20 has shown not just the potential for the new format but for county cricket in general. The impetus must not be lost, and the success must be capitalised upon.

Stat of the Week

During the group stages of the Twenty20 Cup there were 11,813 runs scored at a strike rate of 129.99 per 100 balls. There were 293 sixes – Mark Ealham, Graeme Hick, Mark Ramprakash, Andy Bichel and Rob Key each hit nine in an innings - and 1,021 fours.

Spotted

Andrew Flintoff, folk hero, downing a pint in one Bunyonesque gulp on the balcony of an Edgbaston luxury box, to the delight of the remaining Lancashire supporters below.

Quote

“I think I’ll be watching them rather than listening to them.”
- Robert Croft on his plans for the Liberty X concert.

Six Sense

1. It was great to see Andrew Flintoff and James Anderson in Twenty20 action but I don’t believe they should be there. County cricket’s little brother did perfectly well in its first year without big boys playing, making the most of the domestic game without needing to resort to England stars. Pull and push
centrally-contracted players into certain matches and you devalue the other games in a way that has happened with the rest of county cricket.

2. Adam Hollioake bowed out of the big time on a real low, confirming his retirement from Championship cricket early then being denied a final piece of silverware. Last week he boasted of new slower ball that had made him Twenty20’s leading wicket-taker. On Saturday, Leicestershire spotted his signal and biffed the deadly variation out of the ground. A shame it had to end that way.

3. England could have gone for the jugular when they announced their one-day squad on Friday. Instead they disappointed with only a couple of obvious changes. Anthony McGrath is still there despite failing to show his ability at either batting or bowling and the selectors are persisting with Darren Gough rather than getting on with capping Simon Jones, who is bound to come in at some time before the next World Cup. There is still no Ian Bell, either, which is beginning to look careless.

4. The debate surrounding Brian Lara’s captaincy has revved up again after two Test defeats. Lara himself brought the issue to the fore when he threatened to quit after drawing a Test with Bangladesh, but the circumstances were a bit different at that point to now, in the middle of a tour. Who is going to replace him? Ramnaresh Sarwan – partier at Sabina Park after Harmison’s 7-12? Shiv Chanderpaul, who barely speaks in public? What about Ridley Jacobs, 36 and under pressure for his place in the team? The decision to axe Carl Hooper now looks incredibly short-sighted but right now Lara is the next-best thing.

5. I saw a new side to Shoaib Akhtar last week after he spoke out in praise of the new discipline brought to the side by coach Bob Woolmer. I stopped seeing an excuse-laden primadonna and started to notice a player simply frustrated by the lack of firm leadership in a side constantly in flux.

6. Less sense that wondering really. As a streaker interrupted the Twenty20 final, Edgbaston ground authorities reminded the crowd of a £1000 fine for intrusion on the playing area. Where’s he going to find the cash?

Freddie Fever causes hallucinations

2004-07-23T15:08:00.000+01:00

St John's Wood – A main feature of England's Test victories these days seems to be a mad hour when Andrew Flintoff lets loose with the bat, and the bowling of the burly Lancastrian is becoming increasingly impressive too as he continues his gradual development from stock- to strike-bowler. The rag-bag display by the clutch of bits-and-pieces players on show during the recent one-day series just proves that he is the only Test-class all-rounder in England.

If only there had been others, it might not necessarily have meant the team would be stocked with them but at least that the selectors could have a first reserve in mind in case of Freddie failure. When Flintoff is injured, the other option is often, erm, an injured Flintoff. If he simply can't walk, the call goes out to the county circuit for the bloke with the combined highest places in the batting and bowling averages.

With Flintoff finally having hernia surgery in 2002, Ronnie Irani was the next in line. Against Zimbabwe last year, with the boy wonder nursing his shoulder, it was Anthony McGrath, who even admitted himself that he wasn't an all-rounder. That much-delayed surgery two years ago – which Nasser Hussain admitted at the time was "unprofessional" - meant Flintoff made his injury worse and had not recovered in time for the Ashes.

Flintoff proved late in the NatWest Series that there is nothing wrong with him playing simply as a batsman while he waited for the inflammation caused by a bone spur in his left ankle to subside. As the England team faced the press on Tuesday, Flintoff admitted his reluctance to rely on injections, and there was concern from his inquisitors, most notably Angus Fraser, who knows a thing or two about playing through pain, that he was being pushed down the pincushion route by England management.

Surely best to make sure Freddie is ready for when he will really be needed – a vicious winter tour of South Africa – rather than have him at half power, risking his long-term health and that of others.

If the ankle needs surgery, as similar problems for Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee have in the last year, he is postponing it needlessly. The health of the rest of the attack is brittle anyway, and removing Flintoff from the equation while he still takes up a spot in the XI places them under needless extra pressure. Anyway, there is a second all-rounder already in the team, wicket-keeper Geraint Jones.

Stat of the week

Rob Key was 23 runs short of doubling his career run haul from his nine Tests when he was dismissed for 211 on Friday.

Spotted

Paul Collingwood in the Lord's nets on Tuesday – even though he was left out of the Test squad - before dashing back to Chester-le-Street for Durham's Championship match the next day. Team England is alive and well, and Collingwood is a personification of the work ethic that team is seeking. But after Key's antics later in the week, Colly just keeps getting further and further away from his first Test cap on home soil.

Quote of the Week

"It's a great atmosphere at Lord's, it's the home of cricket and you get a special buzz, and the lunches are fantastic."
- Matthew Hoggard is fully focussed for the first Test.

Six sense

1. Dear Rob, Thanks for the double ton. We both realise what you're capable of now and there's a place on the plane to SA waiting for you. Now Butch's neck is better he will go straight back into the team, and I don't want anyone else to suggest he's past it at 32. If anyone else is crocked, though, I've got you on fast-dial. Cheers, Duncan.

2. Mark Butcher's crash-induced whiplash is another, and more obvious, injury sustained by an England player as a result of driving. Because the players come from all corners they tend to do so in their cars rather than being bussed around, but twice last year players emerged from their cars with injuries worsened – Michael Vaughan's back and Jimmy Anderson's hamstring both suffered. Physio Craig Smith went as far as suggesting to his Lancashire employers last year not only that the bus should be used more often but that the seats should be replaced by beds because sitting down is simply bad for you. Butcher's crash could have been far worse if he had been driving and lying though.

3. I read an interesting suggestion this week – that the development of domestic cricket leagues in the USA could be the key to the West Indies side returning to its former glories. Packer's World Series gave the Windies their first kick towards professionalism and regular county contracts maintained it, but this side has not had the benefit of either. However, even though Merv Dillon, Wavell Hinds and Marlon Samuels are currently involved, American Pro Cricket currently plays 20-over games on pitches often unsuitable for fast bowling. Even if it sorts out the logistics the style of play encourages the sort of play the side is currently suffering from.

4. Don't get too excited about Adam Hollioake coming out of retirement just to play Twenty20 cricket next year. Surrey have been happy to let expensive veterans depart while they spend £22m redeveloping the Brit Oval and an insider said the question by a radio interviewer was without basis. However, he must wish a format that he was clearly born to play had been invented earlier.

5. Durham did a very good job of disguising the arrival of the second Kolpak player on the county circuit, Andy Blignaut. The Zimbabwean has been brought in as cover for Shoaib Akhtar but will stay on after the Rawalpindi Express returns from Asia Cup duty, because he can after the legal precedent set in the case of the Slovakian handball player. The floodgates still haven't opened, though, because no one has attempted to play as a domestic-qualified player in two different competitions.

6. Even Sir Viv Richards was mystified as to why West Indies chose Fidel Edwards ahead of Jermaine Lawson for the first Test but here's one suggestion: After Australia, England offers the closest scrutiny of bowling actions and Lord's is the most high-profile venue of the Test series. Lawson's recent battles mean he will be under massive scrutiny when he returns to the big time for the first time since being called (no, Bangladesh don't count). Perhaps Gus Logie and his selectors just wanted to keep this young man out of the pressure cooker but will ease him back next week. One thing is for sure – they need him desperately.

Turnfurlong 4th XI update

Another match abandoned this week, and again a certain sizeable Geordie was to blame. The wives take it in turns to do teas – although my own good lady is exempt because she goes brass-rubbing on Sunday afternoons – and this week Gary's lass Lindsay did the honours. Nice girl, although I can never understand a word. Nice scran too, although the ham sandwiches were a bit chewy. We realised why as Derek, after facing the first first ball, almost broke into a trot to get back to the pavilion before the floodgates, or rather his bowels, opened. Their opening bowler did a neat impression of Neil Smith at the end of his run-up and the rush to the loos began. In the carnage there was no sign of Gary, although someone managed to get out of Lindsay that the sliced ham came at a decent discount from his mate at the cash and carry, with the sell-by dates scratched off.

Feeling the Lash

2004-07-16T20:35:00.000+01:00

Wimbledon – Lashings Cricket Club, for me, is a bit like Big Brother: you feel immature about liking it but you can't help jumping at the chance to find out the latest news.

On one hand this collection of former and current international stars playing out of a pub in Maidstone are the plaything of a self-publicist, the personification of the benefit circuit and an excuse for former greats - like Viv Richards, who batted at 10 on Wednesday – to carry on way past their sell-by dates.

On that same hand they love feeling like big fish in a small pond, for instance completely hijacking the opening match of the Zimbabwe Red Lions' tour of the UK with their exported Calypso beach party.

But undoubtedly they are a lot of fun to watch, they provide event-type entertainment and give players a route back to the fundamental enjoyment of the game.

Never seen Courtney Walsh in a Test? He's in action against your local club down the road, not as fast as in his prime but still a commanding presence.

Henry Olonga, whose knee as much as his black armband forced him out of international cricket, will sign mini-bats until his hand goes stiff.

"We think the game needs something different and we try to encourage youngsters to play," says skipper Richie Richardson.

"We go into smaller communities to give players a chance to rub shoulders with big names that they’ve seen on television and I believe that’s a contribution we’re making to the game."

And he adds: "One of the reasons I’m playing is because I’m enjoying it."

David Folb – the aforementioned self-publicist – finds the sponsorship, the accommodation and the liveried cars and this band of international stars do what they do best.

Arguably the success of Lashings is what prompted the development of the Twenty20 Cup, and Richardson believes the concept could work around the world.

"Earlier this year we were in South Africa and we’re planning to go to there again at the end of this year," he says.

"We’re going to Barbados and we’re thinking about going to the United States as well, and we’re having chats about a tour to Pakistan.

"The sky’s the limit for us."

Pakistan might be a step too far for the travelling band, but they're still well worth watching.

Stat of the week

Since 2000 Zimbabwe have had eight captains in Tests and one-day internationals – Andy Flower, Alistair Campbell, Heath Streak, Guy Whittall, Grant Flower, Brian Murphy, Stuart Carlisle and Tatenda Taibu.

Spotted

Grant Flower arriving with a wad of mail from home for Henry Olonga, who has not been able to return to Zimbabwe since his black armband protest at the "death of democracy" during last year's World Cup.

Quote of the Week

"I'm not denying that things are tough. Inflation is very high at the moment and things are getting harder for local people. But it's where I was born, I love the country and I don't see why I should move."
- Stuart Carlisle, former Zimbabwe Test captain and now skipper of the Red Lions.

Six sense

1. The one-day triangular tournament is now packed with funny little loopholes like bonus points and rain rules but what it still lacks is a rule specifying that the home team has to take part in the final. I was thinking about this in jest at first but the bare fact is that all interest is lost once the hosts are eliminated. Lord's may have been sold out last Saturday but the pavilion was empty and the fans had mostly filed out by the time New Zealand tied up victory at 8pm. Steve Waugh's retirement from one-day cricket was down the the uproar when South Africa faced New Zealand in the 2002 VB Series final. Try this for size: everybody plays each other in the group stage but the host goes through automatically and meet the best-placed visitors. If only they would trial that out at the ICC Champions Trophy.

2. Why did anybody think Mark Butcher was the answer to England's limited-overs woes? He is 32 next month, hobbled by knee trouble, has a mediocre domestic one-day record and has never played in a one-day international. Despite his 69 one-day caps he could not possibly be expected to fit into the rhythm of the shorter game immediately.

3. Zimbabwe's rebels are being naive if they think they can still re-integrate with the national team. The writing was on the wall for them long before they withdrew their labour and the Zimbabwe Cricket Union is clearly committed to pushing ahead with a new-look side. The signs from the ICC, who have allowed Zimbabwe to keep one-day international status, shows they may hedge that way too.

4. I didn't pay much attention to Sri Lanka's tour of Australia, or Shane Warne's concurrent equalling of Muttiah Muralitharan's record of 527 career Test wickets. Both Murali's absence, the oddity of the season and the consequent fact the matches were not played in regular Test venues – with Darwin's pitch particularly suspect - all conspired to leave me thoroughly under-whelmed.

5. This week's Twenty20 observation comes via a colleague, who believes the one-day international will soon be a thing of the past, or rather a thing of 20 overs. What is the point in having two different contrived versions of the game, he reasons, and I can see his logic. Bear in mind, one-day internationals started out as 60-over contests, which were shortened to fit the requirements of the subcontinent. It was only in 1993 that the ODI was standardised at 50 overs per side worldwide.

6. I'll whisper this in case it is too much of a shot in the dark but I believe West Indies will win at least one Test in England. In the last few years they have traditionally done better at home than on tour, but they did well in the one-day series. In particular, the increasing maturity of this pace corps allied to England's recent batting failures makes me think the hosts will collapse at some point.

Turnfurlong 4th XI update

"That bloke looks like Michael Vaughan," said Derek as their opening batsman took guard.

He was right. The bloke did look like Vaughany – a big gangly with a weak chin and a habit of playing and missing.

He was no problem, but the match ended up being abandoned. Gary had forgotten to specify to the yogic fliers to stay off the square. Admittedly it was a bit up and down but we managed to bat through it. Well, we sent Pooley in first and told him to block everything.

Overseas pro as gigolo

2004-07-03T19:33:00.002+01:00

Stat | Quote | Six Sense | Turnfurlong 4ths

Derby – Why feel sorry for a foreign batsman, especially an Australian one, who plays county cricket? Surely it should be the bowlers you should pity as said overseas pro salivates at the prospect. There are plenty of high-profile examples of players for whom it has all gone right – Stuart Law has been plundering the shires for years and Darren Lehmann is never averse to a full-frontal assault.

But there are expectations attached when you decide to join the English domestic circuit, as several of the world's leading players have found out. A cash-strapped county doles out its cash on the understanding that they will have a star who can single-handedly pick the team up. This isn't the international arena, where the crowd provides a lift; it is six days a week before a crowd of deckchair critics, who are only too quick to point out that their membership fees are paying salaries.

Recent regulations have eased the pressure a little, allowing call-ups late in the season, but six months can seem like much longer when the runs aren't coming. Yuvraj Singh is a darling of the India one-day side but found himself in the Yorkshire 2nd XI after failing to impress last year. And Jonathon Moss must have been feeling the pressure to perform after a run of rotten luck so far this term. It isn't the place for sweeping statements, just nitty gritty.

Moss is less high-profile than most of his Australian compatriots but he arrived in the UK after averaging 43.18 with the bat for Pura Cup winners Victoria but had struggled for his first two months in county cricket.

He really broke his duck last Sunday, though, a little lucky to survive a run-out chance on his way to 114. When he pointed his bat to the dressing-room, the relief was palpable.

I didn't get to the post-match debrief but his reaction was reportedly pretty basic: "Good to get in the runs", "Luck went my way" etc. It highlighted the fact that there is only one mark of success for the overseas pro, and if you don't work your are unlikely to get paid in future.

Stat of the week

Following resounding defeats at the hands of West Indies and New Zealand this week, England have now gone nine successive matches in which they have batted first without a win.

Quote of the Week

"I've been trying to bowl a bit faster in the one-dayers."

Steve Harmison's under-statement after a week in which his top speed was clocked at 96mph – more than 10% faster than his normal fare in the recent Test series.

Six sense

1. I said last week that Andrew Flintoff's absence might make England work out what to do without him. Instead it offered another example of how the selectors lose their heads when Fred is unavailable. With other positions you can find a similar player to plug in as injury cover. Flintoff is unique and the clutch of county all-rounders they tried out were pale imitations of the big man. Far better to work out whether they need an extra batsman or bowler, according to conditions, and go for the strongest players available, rather than getting in a bunch of jacks-of-all-trades, who all fail to do the job.

2. South Africa's Percy Sonn has been named as the ICC's new vice-president and will take over the top job next year. In case you were wondering, yes, that is the man who was so drunk at a World Cup match he "fell out of his pants".

3. Warwickshire lead the County Championship at the half-way stage but there are still – I reckon – two other sides that could snatch the title from them. Middlesex are coming together at the right time, made a bold captaincy change with Ed Joyce taking over from Owais Shah, and welcome Glenn McGrath for a month when the first-class game resumes after the Twenty20 break. And I still think Kent can mount a challenge, although their pace bowling still takes turns between nation-leading and terrible.

4. You read it here first a couple of weeks ago – Zimbabwe Exiles to tour UK – although that was a bit of a flight of fancy rather than hard reportage. A shame that Zimbabwe had lost most of their stars even before the rebel 15 pulled out, although some of those are being lined up for a Zimbabwe World XI to take on the tourists. The bankable remaining players – Ervine, Streak and Blignaut – are also doubts but that shouldn't stop people coming out to say thanks so a group who showed up the problems underlying the game and are unlikely to gain any decent financial reward.

5. Meanwhile the grubby world of small business continues as the ECB commit to play five one-day internationals in Zimbabwe rather than the originally-contracted four, presumably to make up for the lost Test matches. Apparently now Zimbabwe's Test status has been suspended Robert Mugabe can do what he pleases without opposition.

6. I got a text message on Friday evening from a rugby fanatic and Sky TV subscriber: "20-20 is the way ahead".

Turnfurlong 4th XI update

Spent most of the week phoning round to try and get a game, without luck. Good job really as Gary had rented the clubhouse out for a yogic flying convention. About the only time anyone round here has anything to jump up and down about.

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No ball games

2004-06-25T08:30:00.000+01:00

Stat | Spotted | Quote | Six Sense | Turnfurlong 4ths

Hammersmith – A combination of poor weather and the necessary manoeuvrings of a house move have kept me away from the action this week, but I was looking forward to listening to the opening match of the NatWest Series on the radio. Is that odd? Should I instead have had a flag of St George hanging from my window, been extolling the virtues of St Wayne and wondering whether the diamond formation or the 4-4-2 would work best against Portugal? If I were going to watch the match at Old Trafford – that's the name of a cricket venue, by the way – would I be annoyed that Lancashire have no plans to screen the football in the middle of the one-day international? Should I have been glad when the rain ruined the cricket so I could experiencde the rest of the nation's sporting passion instead? Buy me a pair of fingerless gloves because I'm with Ebeneezer Scrooge on this one.

And no I don't feel more charitable after the most highly-paid sportsman in the country failed to hit a big net from 12 yards away.

Stat of the week

When Graeme Hick was bowled by Middlesex's Lance Klusener for 86 on Monday he was 14 short of recording a 125th first-class century, which would have moved him ahead of WG Grace in the first-class list. Nine Englishmen have more, with Graham Gooch's 128 and Len Hutton's 129 in sight.

Spotted

Craig McMillan, having replaced his Gunn and Moore bat with a new British-made model called "Smasher" for the one-day portion of New Zealand's tour. He averaged 30.62 during the first-class matches but since the swap has hit 43, 52 and 22, all at around a run a ball.

Quote of the Week

"I still have a job back home as an accountant with a natural gas company, so it's a case of juggling the two."
West Indies one-day bowler Ian Bradshaw gives a fascinating insight into life off the field.

Six sense

1. New Zealand and West Indies present contrasting approaches to one-day cricket going into the NatWest Series. While Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming preaches the need to find a bowler who will take wickets in the middle of the innings, the Windies will rely on two out-and-out pace bowlers, a seamer as back-up and then a load of part-timers – not to under-rate Chris Gayle, whose off-spin has run through England before. When Carl Hooper was in charge his rationale was the fourth seamer usually went for plenty anyway so why not bolster the batting? It didn't do him much good. Black Caps to win.

2. It is good to see England's selectors clarifying their criteria, and hopefully stopping a repeat of the Chris Read debacle. It is also good to see an admission that one-day cricket is only really important when it is World Cup time. There is only so much "building for 2007" guff one can take. Meanwhile it provides a bit of fun for the fans and the opportunity for budding Test players, like Andrew Strauss, to ease themselves onto the international stage. It is something Pakistan have been doing for years, although I doubt they have the exact formula on paper.

3. A shame that Andrew Flintoff will miss the NatWest Series with, reportedly, the same injury that kept both Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath out of action for long periods of time. However, it may help England deal long-term with the fact that without him they are hopelessly unbalanced. All other candidates are either batting or bowling part-timers at the highest level. Neither Anthony McGrath nor Rikki Clarke flick my switch at the moment but Graham Napier of Essex is a similarly hard-hitter and Gloucestershire's Alex Gidman a decent batsman with a similar line in bowling economy.

4. I was intrigued by a press release from the United Cricket Board of South Africa last week stating that Nantie Hayward is available for selection again and that former Zimbabwe all-rounder Neil Johnson, now 34, has also naturalised. It even carried quotes from Johnson, who was delighted at a new long-term goal. A quick query with the UCB revealed no obviously ulterior motive – they don't even know when the touring squad for Sri Lanka will be announced. Johnson isn't pulling up trees in domestic cricket, but he does play for Western Province – home of Smith, Gibbs, Kallis, Adams, Kirsten ...

5. Opinions are, admittedly, like arseholes in that everyone has one, and the same is true of visions for English cricket. Let's not call this a vision, then, but an idea after last weekend's England v Wales match and the C&G quarter-finals. Take the 18 first-class teams, split them into four regional sides and play 12 matches – each side home and away. The top three venues in each area host the matches – increasing the motivation to upgrade facilities. Allow five overseas players to keep the standard high and either integrate England players or include the England side in the schedule as a tune-up for the triangular tournament. Squeeze it into a single week and you have another short-season tournament that could gain the same degree of popularity as the Twenty20 Cup.

6. Farewell Jack Russell, a great wicket-keeper and a great character – kept his hat on a biscuit tine, blindfolded visitors to his house, took Weetabix with him on tour etc. Admittedly his England career was brought to a premature end as England's desperation for extra batting took them in Alec Stewart's direction instead. I wouldn't want to suggest anyone without an England chance should retire forthwith, and I don't wish to devalue Russell's part in Gloucestershire's one-day side of the last five years. But a 2003 season in which he suffered back and thumb injuries climaxed in another C&G Trophy victory at Lord's. Maybe that would have been a better place to call time than three months after signing a contract extension to the end of 2005, and having failed to play a match all season.

Turnfurlong 4th XI update

I'd forgotten why Pooley is always the first name on the team sheet. He goes in at eight, can barely hold a bat and umpires sometimes miscount the number of balls in an over to put him out of his misery. I only realised 15 overs in on Sunday while rolling around mid-pitch in agony. After an influx of ringers – blame the good weather – I "rested" Pooley for the weekend, suggested he take the opportunity to work on his shot selection (for which read "try something other than the forward defensive"). He declined, went on a Dungeons and Dragons bender instead, and took his box with him.

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Sun comes out in Derby

2004-06-18T19:17:00.000+01:00

Stats | Spotted | Quote | Six Sense | Turnfurlong 4ths

Derby – This ground, and it's home team, have long been considered a symbol of all that is wrong with county cricket, but things are changing around the finish post of what was once a mile-long racecourse. Bowlers no longer join the attack from the Grandstand End, in front of the derelict carcass of a structure that used to be the only shelter for paying supporters when it rained - and in Derby it always rained.

These days, with the sun parching the New Zealand tourists, bowlers run in from the Gateway Pavilion End, home of a £4.5m edifice of wood and metal. Inside is a new five-lane net facility, offices and catering for a row of corporate hospitality boxes, fronted by some expensive-looking leather seats. It looks across the outfield at an outdoor net facility opened last year. At some Test grounds, the only nets available are on the outfield before play begins. Following Chelmsford and Hove, permission has also been granted for permanent floodlights.

There are complaints. A lot of the cash has been raised by selling chunks of the ground – a gym and a hotel now cramp the car park. The new pavilion dressing-rooms are reportedly too small and need to be revamped before the first XI move in. With the corporates in residence there is still very little cover for the masses when the clouds break, but the view from under the umbrellas is better these days.

Unfortunately, the team is less exciting than pragmatic, a line-up of foreign mercenaries collected by new director of cricket David Houghton. The resulting league position has not been helped this year by a spate of injuries. Meanwhile, former Derby golden boy Dominic Cork is on the TV in the bar, smacking 54 from 20 balls for his new Lancastrian paymasters.

But Derbyshire have done well on the pitch in the past without reflecting that prosperity across the boundary rope. This county would never admit they could be the first to go if there were any contraction in the number of first-class sides – why would they? But after years of gloom and getting by, there are some concrete indications of their hopes for the future.

Stat of the week

Warwickshire pinch-hitter Neil Carter's 28 in a single over from Steffan Jones of Northants – 4,4,4,6,4,6 – in Wednesday's quarter-final is the most expensive set of six balls delivered in the history of the C&G Trophy.

Spotted

New Zealand opening batsman Mark Richardson at Trent Bridge sporting a Cathy Freeman-style hooded cat-suit, in the colours of the Beige Brigade, for a running race against the slowest member of the England team. Ashley Giles gained the verdict by a head on this occasion but explained "I have got a big head". Pakistan's Danish Kaneria is the only man to have been out-slowcoached in New Zealand's traditional end-of-Test-series event.

Quote of the Week

"That is final proof those suits don't work"
Richardson's excuse for his defeat.

Six sense

1. Just when you thought some maturity was seeping into the row between Muralitharan and the Commonwealth of Australia, Shane Warne piped up. Aussie crowds, some Aussie players and the Aussie prime minister call Murali a chucker; Murali declines to visit. Fair enough. Then Warne describes the man who beat him to the previous record of 519 Test wickets as "thin-skinned" for being unable to deal with the criticism. This isn't the same as crowds making references to nurses and pies and too many cigarettes, or even that banner at a ground in New Zealand that pronounced "Warne is a homo!". This is a debate about whether someone deserves his stature as one of the world's finest spinners or whether he should still be playing club cricket in Kandy. Forgive him for feeling mildly offended.

2. England's selectors obviously didn't read last week's submission, perhaps because it was filed too late on Friday night with their decision due the following morning on the make up of the one-day squad. Had I realised the consequences I may have got my copy in earlier, and added a caution against choosing Rob Key, who lacks improvisation skills and could be difficult to hide in the field. Ian Bell is a similar batsman but more agile. I'm surprised by Anthony McGrath's inclusion but perhaps his drinks-carrying ability was proven to be beyond reproach in the Caribbean. And the call-up for Sajid Mahmood was a bit of a shock – I hope it wasn't done on the back of his 94 with the bat in the Championship the other day.

3. There was one statement not widely reported in Chris Read's understandable Saturday lament after Geraint Jones moved into Trent Bridge, drank his booze and shacked up with his girlfriend. Asked if being dropped strengthened his resolve or just made him angry he said: "My resolve's always been strong." This is a man who has been cast into the wilderness before, after the 1999 experiment, and came back stronger. It's not difficult to envision another return, although that will only be if Jones makes a massive error with the gloves.

4. Derbyshire gain hearty applause for making it a policy to field a full-strength side against New Zealand in a one-day tour match. They also gained a moral reward, gaining their second win over the Black Caps in the last three attempts, by a four-wicket margin and spoiling what Stephen Fleming's men had hoped would be a smooth warm-up for the NatWest Series. But that is their only reward. No sponsor has offered prize money on tourist matches for several years so it is no wonder most sides only bother to put out their second team.

5. Michael Vaughan scores a brilliant century for Yorkshire, Ian Bell thrills Edgbaston, Sajid Mahmood proves the selectors are on the right track and Aussies Darren Lehmann and Brad Hogg sing for their salaries by taking county attacks apart. If only every week could be C&G Trophy quarter-final week.

6. A question of Pakistan Cricket Board mathematics: How long is it to the next World Cup? Well Bob Woolmer has been handed a contract to coach the national side until then, and in my wildest dreams I can't imagine him being in the job for longer than 12 months. No disrespect for Bob but I can't see anyone coaching Pakistan for longer that a year. I'd better book my tickets for the Caribbean.

Turnfurlong 4th XI update

Almost won this week, and it cost most of us a day off work. Once or twice a year Gary brings his South African mate Marius along and he gets us out of a hole. Smashed 84 from 32 balls – would have faced more if Derek hadn't insisted on opening and making Boycott look like a ballerina – took five wickets with the new ball, kept wicket through the middle of the innings then took a couple more with some left-arm slow. Not enough, thankfully. Chips on shoulders were already so big that half the boys stayed at the club until three in the morning to make sure they out-drank him. Imagine if he'd won the game for us.

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Undazzled

2004-06-11T23:50:00.000+01:00

Chelmsford – His old mucker Nasser Hussain is enjoying a well-earned retirement after bowing out at the top last month; Darren Gough is the only former England star seeing out the end of his career with Essex.

On Tuesday night, Gough did what he does best, uprooting the stumps of the last man to complete a one-day league win for the Eagles under the floodlights with the Sky TV cameras rolling, but his figures of 3-19 were his best in any form of the game for the county he joined from Yorkshire via helicopter at the start of the year. When the sun comes out, he is mortal.

Dazzler would argue vociferously that he has lost none of his fire, although his retirement from Test cricket last summer was an admission to some extent that he was losing his battle with long-term knee trouble. In St Lucia he suffered his most expensive outing in any of his 126 one-day internationals, conceding 1-67 from 8.1 overs. Essex won't complain – he does a job with the ball, raises the club's profile and brings in a few extra fans to the bigger matches. They accepted on signing him that he wouldn't play every day.

England spent last summer arguing in favour of having a senior bowler to tutor the new crop. When Gough retired, they toyed with Glen Chapple then employed Martin Bicknell, with mixed success. They abandoned that idea for the Test side, which won 3-0, in the West Indies but stuck with it for the one-day series, which they could more easily have lost.

David Graveney and Co name their limited-overs squad this weekend with Gough still optimistic he will get another chance to face New Zealand and West Indies, and with Simon Jones struggling for fitness he may get his wish. If he does make it, he will be there or thereabouts, but nowhere near his peak.

Spotted

1. A particularly natty BA Barracas-style mohawk haircut, dyed brick-red and sported by Hampshire all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas, a worthy addition to the glut of idiosyncratic styles on the county circuit.

2. Ten men around the bat as Shane Warne-inspired Hampshire tried to prevent a new Essex batsman find his groove. A master-class in Aussie ruthlessness, even if unsuccessful on this occasion.

Six sense

1. Zimbabwe bowed to the inevitable this week and accepted the suspension of their Test programme. That left Pakistan wondering what they can do instead of hosting two Test matches in early October, suggesting a third team might join them for a triangular one-day series. And it left England still obliged to play a four-match one-day series in Zimbabwe after that. I'm taking two, adding one and making a triangle.

2. Interesting that South Africa and India have agreed to send A-teams to Zimbabwe before the turn of the year. (As they have a problem and no one else can help, maybe Mascarenhas will help out with hairstyling). The captain of the South Africa A tourists in early 2003 was one of the only cricketers to speak out about playing in the country with everything that was happening off the field – his name was Graeme Smith.

3. Remove one goose from surrounding golden eggs and roast until easily consumable; serve with wallaby. No sooner has Twenty20 cricket succeeded at county level, creating a unique product that has brought fans flocking to see the domestic game, than England are planning to play it internationally against Australia. One-day internationals play to packed houses so why change a winning formula, and why risk devaluing in the public perception one of the few things county cricket has got going for it?

4. It can't be long before England follow the rest of the world in allowing three days off between back-to-back Test matches and – horror of horrors – start a Test on a Friday. New Zealand have been terribly charitable in making sure each match goes the distance but West Indies might leave us with a couple of Sunday afternoons free. With a Friday start you guarantee paying fans cricket over the weekend at least, although it might not work as well for corporate sales.

5. It's a shame we didn't get more of a chance to see Chris Cairns at his best in Test cricket. He showed just how much damage he could do on New Zealand's 1999 tour of England – 80 at Lord's and that brilliant slower ball that yorked Chris Read – but since then he has been dogged by injury, mainly to his knees. His father Lance this week suggested he shouldn't have begun his county career with Notts aged 19, suggesting the year-round cricket since then didn't help. Let's hope there are still some one-day highlights left from the man who injected the Kiwis with charisma.

6. The maxim that you can please all of the people some of the time or some of the people all of the time doesn't apply to county cricket, where there's nothing that warms the cockles like a good moan. It used to be that those selected for the Test squad and not required for the final XI could only rejoin their county if their match had not begun – cue moans as many matches begin on Wednesdays. Last year Lancashire moaned openly when centrally-contracted duo James Anderson and Andrew Flintoff were made unavailable for a match that was squeezed between two Tests. Last year a rule was introduced allowing specialist substitutes to cover for selection so, when not required by England this week Anderson headed back to Old Trafford, where the Lanckies had already leaked a first innings 470 to Sussex. There were moans about the new rule being stupid! Answers, on a postcard, to the ECB.

Turnfurlong 4th XI update

Thank God for timed matches. They racked up 270 after I made the mistake of employing Pooley's right-arm slow – I hadn't realised you could concede six wides from a single delivery - but Derek was in obdurate mood. Four not out in three hours. The gout meant his footwork wasn't up to much, and of course he wasn't running for anything. Undefeated for a second week running.

Route to 300 underwhelming

2004-06-04T19:24:00.000+01:00

St John’s Wood, via Hedge End – I expected watching a batsman on his way to a triple-century at HQ to be more awe-inspiring; the hush as the venerable batsman strides down the steps with an air of purpose, Father Time doffing his cap as a signal of the great things to come.

Sorry Nick Knight, it didn't do it for me. Perhaps there was more awe on Thursday, when you cruised past your previous career-best of 255 towards a score of 303, setting Warwickshire up for an innings win over Middlesex. But on day one, as you made your way to 179 overnight, I was underwhelmed in the Edrich Upper.

There was little wrong with Knight's innings – it was technically strong except when Lance Klusener probed in the left-hander's traditionally vulnerable area outside off stump and it kept a steady if not brisk pace while Ian Bell demonstrated his England credentials in similar fashion at the other end.

It didn't help that stand-in Middlesex skipper Owais Shah had by lunch lost all hope of taking a second wicket and begun a magical mystery tour of part-time bowlers hoping it would fall as if by magic in the middle of a spread field.

I would hate to think that one-day cricket has changed my expectations, left me expecting something more dramatic, but I reckon I have been conditioned less by Twenty20 than by Cmon Aussie, the revolution in first-class cricket led by Steve Waugh's men and followed by the likes of Andrew Flintoff and Chris Cairns at this same ground last week.

To such depths have I sunk that I would prefer 100 at four an over with the occasional shot into the crowd than 10-hours taken over a triple ton.

Stat of the week

Just five batsmen have passed 300 at Lord's, and the last two have been Warwickshire batsmen in the Bears' last two matches at the venue. The highest remains Graham Gooch's 333 for England against India in 1990. The best in county cricket was Jack Hobbs' unbeaten 316 for Surrey against Middlesex in 1926, one more that Percy Holmes made for Yorkshire the previous year. Knight's opening partner Mark Wagh completes the group with his 315 three years ago.

Quote of the Week

"I had another drink then took the whole team along to look at him."
- Graham Vaughan remembers the events when son Michael's birth interrupted his match at Worsley Cricket Club in 1974.

Six sense

1. How quickly England go from a position of bowling depth to one of worry. James Anderson bruises a heal, Simon Jones has a "potential stress fracture" (whatever that is) and things begin to look thin again. At least with Martin Saggers – and Richard Johnson at Somerset – there are a few players in county cricket who have already had a taste of the big time. It's not time for a call to Glen Chapple yet, and Andy Caddick may have to take out a hit man to deal with Steve Harmison before he gets a phone call from David Graveney.

2. Next nomination for the Mark Richardson Late Bloomer Award is Martin Saggers. Another great story – minor counties with Norfolk, dropped by Durham, caught on with Kent, overlooked by England despite being the top county wicket-taker since 2000 and despite the surprise of Steve Waugh. Gets a late call and takes a wicket with his first Test delivery on home soil. Love it; let's hope centres of excellence and academies don't rid the game of the occasional good story.

3. Keep an eye on the shenanigans between India and South Africa – it may just be the straw that breaks the back of the ICC Test Championship. India have scheduled a big Test series against Australia in October and South Africa a bumper visit by England in December. India played seven ODIs last time they toured SA and want reciprocity. Add in two Tests in a window of just a month and it just doesn't work. Another deadlock for the ICC to deal with, sponsored by Jagmoham Dalmiya.

4. On the subject of back-breaking, have you seen England's tour schedule in SA? During a 40-day period over Christmas and New Year as may as 25 could be spent playing Tests. Duncan Fletcher is practising his burn-out bleats even now.

5. Head to Hove on 5 August and have a look at the first ever international Twenty20 match, pitting England and New Zealand, Women. Women's cricket has tended to focus on one-day internationals rather than Tests, partly because of the traditionally dire scoring rate in the longer form of the game. After watching some trial matches last weekend, I believe they have found a format they are ideally suited to. There are fewer big shots, and those attempted tend to be higher risk, but that turns the focus on pushing, deflecting and running like hell. Great entertainment, and with an air less jaded that the men's county game.

6. Take with a pinch of salt reports a professional cricket league will launch in the USA on 18 June. Salim Malik's name on the team-list of the Chicago Tornados should be one hint. A player agent in the UK tells me the league are offering decent enough contracts but not enough to break a club deal over here and for just a few of a team's scheduled four to six games.

Turnfurlong 4th XI update

We were never likely to record our first win of the season when we arrived with eight players. Robbo was on a stag do, Pooley's mum forced him to go shopping and Derek had gout. The rest of us went to the pub instead.

Key's England path

2004-05-28T17:52:00.000+01:00

Kennington - What exactly does Robert Key have to do to regain his England Test place? The Kent opener is the hottest batsman in the country at the moment with five first-class centuries to his name, including two in a match against the New Zealand tourists, and on Friday he was a run short of a maiden double ton in a defeat to Surrey. Still, though, there is a queue of batsmen ahead of him, although Nasser Hussain's retirement at least shortens it by one.

With Nasser out of the picture, the England middle order looks pretty settled. Andrew Strauss inked his name on the team sheet for a while after just missing out on his own second hundred in a match against the Kiwis, Paul Collingwood is the heir apparent in the middle-order, and Kevin Pietersen's international debut is the most eagerly awaited for a batsman since, erm, Graeme Hick.

Key himself says he just needs to keep scoring runs for the selectors to take notice – stop me if you've heard this one before. His approach to fitness, he says, was revolutionised a couple of winters ago with a trip to Perth, and Rod Marsh can hardly have failed to sharpen him up at the England Academy, although his physique suggests he could go further.

The 28-year-old's best chance of squeezing back in to gain his ninth cap may come in South Africa this winter. Assuming Zimbabwe are still not judged to be Test standard by November, Pietersen – who is not eligible to appear for England until September – may not be deemed ready for a tough Test series in the country of his birth. With five Tests squeezed into 40 days in the Republic, England need all the experienced back-up they can get, and Key is at his best against pace, of which there will be plenty.

Key pulled Surrey seamer Martin Bicknell brilliantly between fielders set out at fine leg and deep backward square to bring up his 150, and his driving on the off-side was a strong as ever but perhaps most impressive was his ability to leave balls fizzing within a hair's breadth of his off-stump. Bicknell was celebrating later as the stocky right-hander pushed tiredly for a catch behind, understandably as he had spent over 12 hours of the match at the crease.

"He looked a phenomenal player," said Bicknell afterwards. "That's the best innings we've played against for a very long time."

Spotted

Like the Mexican Wave – which, despite its name, originated at the University of Washington – the huddle is a trait from American sports making its presence felt increasingly in cricket. Quite why players who have been sharing a dressing-room for four days need to get together again on the field leaves many county die-hards scratching their heads.

A big fan of sports psychology, new captain Jon Batty utilises the huddle before every session, but some may not buy into his sombre message of team unity as much as others. Rikki Clarke and Nadeem Shahid, for instance, who were busy pinching each other like naughty schoolboys while the team's arms were all interlocked in fraternal unity.

Stat of the Week

Of Martin Bicknell's first 1000 first-class wickets, 640 were caught, 213 lbw and 147 bowled. Of those victims, 487 had yet to reach double figures when they perished. Grateful recipients in the field include Alec Stewart (87), Jon Batty (53) and regular slip Ali Brown (36).

Six sense

1. Yes, it was an odd time for Nasser Hussain to retire, but it was the perfect time. After the criticism he took prior to the first Test against New Zealand, bookies should have refused to offer odds on whether he was going to hit a century. Steve Waugh would have eyed the record books and aimed for the milestone – in this case four more Tests to reach 100 – but Nasser is far more of a boundary, adulation, sunset type of character.

2.It has always been a paradox that the more fast bowlers a team has, the slower they will bowl. Slow over-rates are a regular bugbear for administrators but the County Championship appears to have gone too far in trying to combat it this season. A point is deducted for every two overs a team is above the allowed quota – twice as harsh a penalty as last season. The result is a strange one – often at crucial times in a match part-time bowlers are introduced to get through the over-rate more quickly. The maths justify the tactics, but the game does not.

3. Apologies. More sense next time.

Zimbabwe debate dominates Lord's

2004-05-24T15:37:00.000+01:00

St John’s Wood - Even in the middle of a tense opening Test between England and New Zealand, the talk is on Zimbabwe.

Preparing for a Test series against the other side from southern Africa has always been an exercise in deception. Take last summer’s visit to the UK as an example.

An under-strength squad prepare to take on a leading Test nation and everyone goes through the motions of talking them up, pretending it could be a good contest, looking at the strong points. The phoney war goes on for the week preceding the opening salvoes. Everybody knows what is going to happen but gives the underdogs the benefit of the doubt.

Then reality soon sets in as inexperienced batsmen are unable to deal with quality bowling, and a green attack is exposed as it fails to adapt to the conditions. Resounding Test defeats have been the norm with or without the 15 players now refusing to play for their country.

In a wider sense the same thing has been going on among those outside Zimbabwe and its cricket community for the last four years. On their first full Test tour to England in 2000, Andy Flower’s men were more than distracted by the reports of President Robert Mugabe’s new land policy at home and the effects it might have on their families.

The realities of the Mugabe regime have become increasingly apparent, the side has been slowly denuded of talent as leading players realise they are better off playing domestic cricket elsewhere and the whispered complaints of race-based team selection have grown increasingly audible.

But the phoney war has been a long one. The time for the meeting of shit and fan has been regularly postponed. Even when England pulled out of the World Cup match in Harare last year – a final decision put off until they should have been putting on their pads – the long-term significance was barely noted.

The future of cricket in the country is probably the least of its worries but it looks pretty bleak, at the top level at least.

Australia have already cancelled their Test series, and freely admit they won’t be rescheduling any time soon and others, like South Africa, who have ignored England’s plaintiff cries until now, have come out of the woodwork to say they will not play the current side in what should be five-day matches.

Zimbabwe’s captain, Tatenda Taibu, is a good example of a batsman forged in the adversity of being thrown in at the deep end, called up while still at school. But he at least had senior team-mates to help him along the way. Taibu, and a handful of others, are now the only experienced players the new crop have to look to.

The ICC appears to believe Zimbabwe can gain the requisite experience playing one-day internationals, but without the ICC tours programme – which demands teams play Tests against each other regularly – they are unlikely to get charitable visits from the big boys, and that is what brings in the revenue.

The sad thing is that the signs have been there for so long, a powder keg waiting to blow, but no one had the foresight to prepare for the final explosion.

Spotted

BBC Sport head Peter Salmon enjoying the hospitality of ECB chairman Tim Lamb, on the day before Mark Thompson – the man responsible for Channel Four snatching TV rights to England Tests from the Beeb in 1999 – returned to the corporation as the new director general.

Quote of the Week

“Belting a six to win the World Cup at the MCG would be pretty good but I’ll take this as the runner-up.”
- New Zealand opener Mark Richardson after grinding out a seven-hour century at Lord’s.

Six sense

1.Andrew Strauss has put massive pressure on the England selectors after his debut ton. Nasser Hussain was under fire already and a choice between the former captain and the young opener could already have been decided. But spare a thought for Paul Collingwood. Had Nasser been axed for the first Test, the Durham all-rounder would have been next in line, but instead the selectors made a like-for-like replacement when opener Michael Vaughan was injured. That policy of like-for-like would not apply if number four Hussain is swapped with opener Strauss, although Vaughan’s form cries out for him to be moved down the order.

2.Test cricket needs more men like Mark Richardson. The five-day game has followed the high octane example of its limited-overs progeny, with mixed results and it takes a throw-back like Richardson to make sloggers see the error of their ways. And he’s a nice guy, refreshingly honest about himself and his team and with a nice line in quotable quotes (see above). Lord’s stood to acclaim his century, and it wasn’t because of the silkiness of his strokeplay.

3.I’m really enjoying the new pairing in the Channel Four commentary box of Dermot Reeve (three Test caps and a nice line in after-dinner speaking) with Geoffrey Boycott (could have had more than his 108 caps if he hadn’t been so bloody-minded and a nice line in telling it like he sees it). Dermot’s teasing has brought the best out in Geoffrey but he should beware stepping over the line – the Greatest Living Yorkshireman could snap him in two.

4.Expect Alex Gidman to be in England’s one-day squad for the one-day NatWest Series when it is named next month. The Gloucestershire all-rounder is a favourite of Rod Marsh’s, bowls decent medium pace, can build an innings well but is unafraid to hoick when necessary and intellectually is old beyond his 22 years.

5.Memo to self : Need Six thoughts for the next column.

6.See above.

Min Patel back with a bang

2004-05-15T15:17:00.000+01:00

Canterbury - With his century against the New Zealand tourists Rob Key stole the limelight at the St Lawrence Ground, on Friday but another England discard who must have been celebrating was Min Patel.

Patel was on BBC Radio Kent on Wednesday, telling them that, given the right conditions, he still believed he was one of the best spinners in the country. Given that the 33-year-old Racing Post columnist hasn't been in the Kent 1st XI for more than a year, that seemed more than a little like hot air, even though he missed last season to have surgery on a back problem.

Two days later, the left-arm spinner had his first five-wicket haul since July 2002. New Zealand were admittedly looking for quick runs, but Patel was accurate and built up pressure, in a style apparently forgotten by the spinners who occasionally get a run in the England side.

Patel had a baptism of fire on the Test stage in 1996, from which he was never given a chance to recover. Sourav Ganguly, in his debut series, took advantage with a century at Trent Bridge, and Patel took 1-101. The one was Manoj Prabhakkar.

Back in action, Patel finds himself behind England hopeful James Tredwell in the Kent pecking order. Tredwell, who captained England A without success early this year, apparently has the dreaded doosra in his armoury – Muttiah Muralitharan's controversial leg-break, learned from the master himself when he had a spell at Canterbury last year. But observers here were unable to remember the last time a home-grown spinner had bowled accurately enough to command a close field like the one accorded Patel.

Stat of the Week

Durham found record breaking a habit this week. With West Indian Gareth Breese at the helm they reached the fourth-highest successful fourth innings total in Championship history – and the highest ever for the club - a whacking 453-9 to beat Somerset.

To celebrate they recorded the highest ever Sunday League score, 319-3 against Worcestershire, with Paul Collingwood hitting the fastest one-day century in the history of England's newest county, his 72 deliveries bettering by seven Aussie Dean Jones' effort against Lancashire 11 years ago.

Spotted

On the Kent dressing-room balcony, an England hopeful enjoying a not-so-cheeky cigarette. Two years ago he was telling anyone who would listen that he had learned in a sojourn in Perth grade cricket all about the hard work that was required to succeed at the highest level. Half the England middle-order enjoy the odd ciggy, so this wannabe could be in good company, but the England middle-order can afford to, while balcony-dweller is puffing to keep up.

Quote of the Week

"I just have to keep going out and doing that."

Rob Key, sporting an ironic grin, after hitting a first innings century against New Zealand. On Sunday he hit a second innings century.

Six Sense

1.The way I see it the International Cricket Council has three options to deal with Zimbabwe and their powder puff Test team:
i) Strip them of Test status and leave them to their own devices.
ii) Suspend Test status but ask other countries to host them as a touring side, playing first-class opposition to try and bring the team back up to the right level.
iii) Create a Zimbabwe-in-Exile Test XI, with Murray Goodwin, Andy Flower, Neil Johnson, Henry Olonga et al starring.

The third option is probably too fantastical, although some county grounds might be excited at the prospect of hosting next week's Australia v Zimbabwe Test. I'm hoping they will go for the second but I see some sort of fudge between one and two, and I'm not sure if Zimbabwe will be back.

2.Chucking is an emotive subject ad the Sri Lankan cricket board aren't helping by portraying the Muttiah Muralitharan row as racism. It doesn't help, though, that players can get away with something for ages, until they play Australia or England, when suddenly everyone kicks up a fuss.

3.Come to think of it, why wasn't there much of a fuss when Zimbabwe's pre-shavers took on the 1996 World Cup winners but when the 1999/2003 version arrives, the crisis was suddenly brought to a head.

4.Never let it be said that an international cricket captain ever has anything interesting to say after a match. Marvan Atapattu's Sri Lanka had just recorded their second Test victory by an innings over a team shorn of 15 leading players, resulting in opposition so weak that they became just the 12th side ever to concede more than 700 runs in an innings, and were bowled out for under 250 twice. Atapattu's response? "We did especially well to bowl Zimbabwe out twice on a wicket as good as this one was. That was a good effort."

5.And back to chucking, England's 4x100m relay team had their Word Championship silver medals taken back when it was proven one of their number had cheated. Step forward Michael Vaughan to receive the trophy for the Test series in Sri Lanka before Christmas. And while we're at it, Muralitharan has taken 68 Test wickets since first unveiling his doosra. Even if he took the majority with his more orthodox delivery, the doubt was there for batsmen. Turn back his clock and he is on 459; Courtney is still king.

6.On Friday I picked up a copy of Henry Blofeld's 1978 opus The Packer Affair, documenting the first year of World Series Cricket. Why is it that the English were particularly turned off by the whole thing? Was it just that the rampant commercialism (read "success") was a bit too foreign for their tastes? We had another example four years ago when ECB boss Lord MacLaurin suggested separating the County Championship into conferences. "It would be like baseball!" No it wouldn't – the batsmen don't wear silly trousers and the bowlers don't throw 90mph deliveries at chest height. Well, most of them ...