Cricket is coming to YouTube in a big way!

It’s wonderful news, isn’t it? Although what it means for us Yanks wasn’t made overly clear (the article says the USA “will have re-broadcast options,” whatever that means.), it can only be seen as a positive step forward for both the IPL and cricket as a whole. IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi nearly exploded with the news:

“This changes the world of sports broadcasting. The internet has changed the lives of everyone and this will do the same for sport,” Modi told the Daily Telegraph. “We are now taking our event truly global for the first time. Google gives us access to 500 million pairs of eyes every single moment of the day. There are a few countries where the feed will be near as live which means there will be a delay of only a few minutes, but most places will be able to see live streaming of the action.”

There will be more to come on this in future blog posts and podcasts as the details become available. However, rest assured that I am looking forward to March 12 even more now!

You see, the yeoman-like efforts of Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and especially Paul Collingwood have been papering over the San Andreas Fault-like cracks in the England batting lineup. Pietersen is in a pretty major slump and that seems to have affected Trott. By leaving the lineup largely unchanged, Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower assured England supporters that once again Bell and Collingwood would have to put together a whale of a partnership to bring England a respectable score. This time, they didn’t get a whale, they got a dolphin–and now, sorry Charlie, England are looking like rotten tuna.

The optimists will say there’s a long way to go in this test match, but I don’t really see this side defying the inevitable yet another time. Dale Steyn appears to be out for blood, literally. The Proteas are 29/0 at the end of the first day, and unless England bowls a fantastic spell in the morning, it’s going to be a full day in the field and an early deficit.

Here are the first day’s highlights (thanks to cricfire.com, my personal favorite site to watch cricket):

http://cricfire.com/highlights/3407/day-1-highlights-4th-test-south-africa-v-england-at-johannesburg-jan-14-2010/

As the great CCR sang, Doo, doo, doo, lookin' out my back door.

years of similar tundra-like conditions in this great cricket hotbed of Wisconsin, I can’t help but feel an emotion long foreign to me–envy. Not since the long-departed years of hoping for an AT-AT under the Christmas tree or salivating at the very mention of my friend’s new Nintendo Entertainment System (complete with the cool gyro-robot thingy) have I felt such a strong sense of covetousness as I have this week.

Gazing at the blue sleds laying on the pristine white snow, it’s hard for me to imagine that about 4 months from now I will be dragging the future of USA cricket (aka, my three children–are you taking notes, Don Lockerbie?) on this most modest of cricket pitches. Then, as I clutch my Irish Creme hot chocolate, my thoughts turn to Johannesburg, South Africa, where England and South Africa will begin their fourth and final test match in their series later this week. Daydreaming, I can’t help but think of the warm sun beating down on the throngs of spectators fueled with lager, the umpires and the players. What a spectacle this final test will be at The Wanderers. How I wish I could be in the crowd to “ooo” and “ahh” at every ball bowled by laser cannon-armed Dale Steyn, to delight in every Jacques Kallis cover drive, to catch a glimpse of Graeme Swann’s cheeky grin as he takes another wicket or calmly stares down Morne Morkel to hit another four, or even just to see the ever-present look of concentration on Paul Collingwood’s face–whether fielding at slip or fighting for England’s life at the crease.

Yes, I guess I am jealous. Jealous that instead of soaking in the warmth, sights and sounds of this match, I will be forced to cuddle up with a blanket, a bottle of Mountain Dew and a small computer screen. Well, one thing makes it alright–those three kids that will gather around the screen with me to delight in every ball bowled and every boundary struck. I’ll take them over Joburg any day.

Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell were all under pressure coming into this third test match for their relative lack of form. Even though Bell had put in a couple of solid performances, he was still catching the majority of the criticism. However, Pietersen has hardly been mentioned in talks of making moves or juggling the lineup. Why not?

Pietersen is averaging, wait for it, a massive 31.60 runs in three tests, with a “high” score of 81 (okay, that’s not THAT bad…I probably couldn’t score 81 against my kids). That average puts him just slightly ahead of Graeme Swann at 36.00 (although Swann went for 85), and behind all other England batsmen besides Matt Prior at 28.80. Not only that, but Pietersen is failing when his team needs him most–when wickets are falling. These ducks and single-digit totals in pressure situations are far worse than what Bell is producing–yet Bell is continuously raked over the coals. (In comparison, Jacques Kallis is averaging 59.33).

It’s time to move Pietersen to #5 and Collingwood up to four. I know…Collingwood. He’s not the prettiest player, but man, who else on this England squad do you want coming in at #4 with the way England is batting. I think Collie’s presence would take some of the pressure off Trott and also give Pietersen the opportunity to bat with a set partner–whether it be Trott or Collie. Collingwood has the highest average of all the England players, 56.50, two half-centuries, and has bailed England out more than his fair share lately–not to mention his performances in The Ashes. Collingwood is definitely in form, and even if he isn’t, he has the grit to at least hang around and not do daft things like this.

I’m sure this won’t happen, but it should until Pietersen regains form. Collie has earned the chance to bat at four.

Hear more on my proposed England changes in the latest episode of The Sticky Wicket Blog Podcast. Find it on iTunes.

Download Episode 2

P.S. I made an error in the podcast stating that Swann should replace Stuart Broad at #7. Obviously, Matt Prior bats at seven and Broad at #8. Swann should move to eight and Broad should be bumped to nine.

England was poised to seize the initiative and really put the South Africans under pressure. Then, Andrew Strauss fell to the sixth ball he faced as he was caught behind by Boucher off Morkel. The collapse was on. Trott managed just 20, while Kevin Pietersen’s mighty struggles continue–he was caught and bowled by Steyn for naught. Collingwood looked less than 100 percent as he fell for 19. Ian Bell managed to stem the tide a bit, and then Matt Prior and Stuart Broad formed a solid tail-end partnership to bring some respectability. Alastair Cook had the top English performance of the day with 65 off 136 balls. Once again, Steyn and Morkel caused problems, and once again, England lacked the batsman with Kallis-like grit to push them onward.

England ended day two at 241 for 7, still needing 50 runs to draw level. If today’s opening 90 minutes is any indication, England will not add significantly to that total. It will be up to the bowlers to try and remove South Africa cheaply or face defeat once again in Cape Town.

Anyway, click on the link below to download, or the iTunes podcast should be up shortly. Once it is, I’ll pass along the word.

You can subscribe to the podcast feed at: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheStickyWicketBlog

Til next time, defend with the full face.

Episode 1

http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/441863.html

Take a look. Let me know what you think. Go easy, it’s my first vlog. 

Download Movie