It's just not cricket

Post by **DRT** » 17:19 Fri 31 Jan 2014

You can console yourself in the knowledge that you will have some light relief in 2015

LGTrotter · Post by **LGTrotter** » 01:05 Sat 01 Feb 2014

djewesbury wrote:
DRT wrote:I can confirm that I am still alive.

It appears the long knives are out.
Ashley Giles???? Noooooo

They can't let that happen. Gilo is hapless. Derek was in conference with Paul Downton of course. Took Alex I shouldn't wonder.

Post by **DRT** » 11:58 Sun 02 Feb 2014

LGTrotter wrote:
djewesbury wrote:Ashley Giles???? Noooooo
They can't let that happen.

111 all out and 84 short of the target in the final T20 probably eliminates the risk of that happening.

When will the slaughter begin?

LGTrotter · Post by **LGTrotter** » 21:17 Tue 04 Feb 2014

DRT wrote:When will the slaughter begin?

Just started, KP over and out. Wow, I never thought they would do it.

Post by **jdaw1** » 21:25 Tue 04 Feb 2014

LGTrotter wrote:Just started, KP over and out. Wow, I never thought they would do it.

The BBC, in an article entitled [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/26040475]Kevin Pietersen: Batsman's England career over[/url], wrote:Kevin Pietersen's England career is over after he was told he is no longer in their plans.

The 33-year-old batsman, England's all-time leading run-scorer across all formats, was informed this week by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

ECB managing director Paul Downton said: "The time is right to rebuild not only the team but also the team ethic."

Pietersen said: "I will continue to play but deeply regret that it won't be for England."

LGTrotter · Post by **LGTrotter** » 22:05 Tue 04 Feb 2014

Ian Bell. Or do I mean; Ian Bell?

Post by **DRT** » 00:02 Wed 05 Feb 2014

LGTrotter wrote:Ian Bell. Or do I mean; Ian Bell?

He's got to go. As do Cook and Bresnan. Broad should be subjected to some sort of psychiatric test. If he passes he could one day be captain. If no, which is more likely, he should just go now.

djewesbury · Post by **djewesbury** » 00:29 Wed 05 Feb 2014

As Ian Bell's sole representative on Earth, may I just say Noooooooo!!!
May I also add that I had the privilege to witness some incredible KP innings. Thanks be to God he's gone.

djewesbury · Post by **djewesbury** » 18:10 Wed 05 Feb 2014

A few thoughts on the demise of KP:

I don't understand why so many commentators are so strongly in favour of Pietersen and baffled by his dropping. Even Tom Fordyce, for the BBC, acknowledges that KP made only 294 runs at an average of 29 in the last 12 months, and that in the short form, even Jimmy Anderson averages more than him. And when someone says, as KP has, that

I won't change the way I play for anybody because I think I've been pretty successful. It's not a case of can't. It's just there's something in me that says if there's a ball to hit then you've got to hit it. And it works.

well, first you have to say does it really? And then you have to wonder what he thinks the rest of the team are for, exactly.
I disagree with Michael Vaughan about what the ECB need to tell us. They don't need to tell us anything, they've terminated an employee's contract. Vaughan's a journalist now, not a member of the set-up.
There seems to be much gnashing of teeth from the same people who were lamenting Kevin's recklessness only recently. Any thoughts?

Post by **DRT** » 18:19 Wed 05 Feb 2014

I agree. I heard on Five Live today that KP is walking away with £300k compensation for the termination of his contract. That sort of arrangement normally comes with restrictions on both sides as to what can and cannot be said publicly about the reasons why it happened and to prevent them slagging each other off in the press. We will never know, so it is best to move on.

I still think Cook should be sacked. He is a useless captain. Utterly useless.

RAYC · Post by **RAYC** » 18:32 Wed 05 Feb 2014

djewesbury wrote:
And when someone says, as KP has, that
I won't change the way I play for anybody because I think I've been pretty successful. It's not a case of can't. It's just there's something in me that says if there's a ball to hit then you've got to hit it. And it works.
well, first you have to say does it really? And then you have to wonder what he thinks the rest of the team are for, exactly.

I have a certain sympathy with this, although i do question whether it is a case of "can't". Pietersen's gift or skill with the bat must have been at least partially down to instincts and semi-conscious reactions. Even if you can work on technique etc., I can see there's a strong argument that it would be less fruitful in the long run for him to counteract those instincts / reactions than to play his "natural" game.

LGTrotter · Post by **LGTrotter** » 23:55 Wed 05 Feb 2014

DRT wrote:I still think Cook should be sacked. He is a useless captain. Utterly useless.

Well yes, hard to argue with the evidence of his captaincy. He will go on being useless for a while yet I fancy.

RAYC wrote:I can see there's a strong argument that it would be less fruitful in the long run for him to counteract those instincts / reactions than to play his "natural" game.

Except that when he did curb his 'natural game' (I think it was Melbourne) he did rather well, as he has done in the past. But simply to say that you are going to play dumb shots and that's it leaves management with little choice but to ditch him. Shame really.

djewesbury · Post by **djewesbury** » 00:02 Thu 06 Feb 2014

LGTrotter wrote:But simply to say that you are going to play dumb shots and that's it leaves management with little choice but to ditch him. Shame really.

Quite. It's a team game. Even the fact of it being about individual confrontations does not negate that. Pietersen is incapable of playing for a team. 294 runs in 12 months is not 'my natural game', it's a shambles.

Post by **DRT** » 01:04 Thu 06 Feb 2014

I also heard today (whilst driving past The Bung Hole) that Ashley Giles will be given the job having been told that Cook must be captain and KP cannot be selected. I know little about Ashley Giles but what I do know is that if he (or anyone else) accepts the job with those conditions he is (or they are) not the man for the job.

Treat them all like tube station ticket attendants, I say - put the whole lot of them "at risk" and make them apply for the new jobs in a better team or invite them to sling their hook.

I miss Maggie.

djewesbury · Post by **djewesbury** » 09:06 Thu 06 Feb 2014

DRT wrote:I also heard today (whilst driving past The Bung Hole) that Ashley Giles will be given the job having been told that Cook must be captain and KP cannot be selected. I know little about Ashley Giles but what I do know is that if he (or anyone else) accepts the job with those conditions he is (or they are) not the man for the job.

Treat them all like tube station ticket attendants, I say - put the whole lot of them "at risk" and make them apply for the new jobs in a better team or invite them to sling their hook.

I miss Maggie.

Now now. Let's not descend into partisanship. It's cricket after all.

Post by **jdaw1** » 21:20 Sun 09 Feb 2014

The England and Wales Cricket Board and the Professional Cricketers’ Association wrote:It has been a matter of great frustration that until now the England and Wales Cricket Board has been unable to respond to the unwarranted and unpleasant criticism of England players and the ECB itself, which has provided an unwelcome backdrop to the recent negotiations to release Kevin Pietersen from his central contract.

Those negotiations have been successfully concluded and whilst both parties remain bound by confidentiality provisions the ECB would like to make the following comments.

The ECB recognises the significant contribution Kevin has made to England teams over the last decade. He has played some of the finest innings ever produced by an England batsman.

However, the England team needs to rebuild after the whitewash in Australia. To do that we must invest in our captain Alastair Cook and we must support him in creating a culture in which we can be confident he will have the full support of all players, with everyone pulling in the same direction and able to trust each other. It is for those reasons that we have decided to move on without Kevin Pietersen.

Following the announcement of that decision, allegations have been made, some from people outside cricket, which as well as attacking the rationale of the ECB’s decision-making, have questioned, without justification, the integrity of the England Team Director and some of England’s players.

Clearly what happens in the dressing room or team meetings should remain in that environment and not be distributed to people not connected with the team. This is a core principle of any sports team, and any such action would constitute a breach of trust and team ethics.

Whilst respecting that principle, it is important to stress that Andy Flower, Alastair Cook and Matt Prior, who have all been singled out for uninformed and unwarranted criticism, retain the total confidence and respect of all the other members of the Ashes party.

These are men who care deeply about the fortunes of the England team and its image, and it is ironic that they were the people who led the reintegration of Kevin Pietersen into the England squad in 2012.

Also see the BBC article entitled Kevin Pietersen: ECB explains why batsman's England career is over.

djewesbury · Post by **djewesbury** » 23:38 Thu 20 Mar 2014

Might I post here, for your edification and enjoyment, a link to an excellent documentary on the history of cricket in Ireland:
http://vimeo.com/m/58626675
I was surprised to discover that prior to the foundation of the GAA, cricket was the most popular game in the country.

Post by **DRT** » 06:44 Fri 21 Mar 2014

For posterity, but perhaps not worthy of further comment…

: Screen Shot 2014-03-21 at 06.42.44.png (53.47 KiB) Viewed 6729 times

mpij · Post by **mpij** » 12:11 Fri 21 Mar 2014

Chapeau the Netherlands.

djewesbury · Post by **djewesbury** » 18:49 Fri 21 Mar 2014

mpij wrote:Chapeau the Netherlands.

Now that's timing.

djewesbury · Post by **djewesbury** » 16:54 Thu 27 Mar 2014

This is England everyone, England!

djewesbury · Post by **djewesbury** » 17:05 Thu 27 Mar 2014

Two Fours from Bopara as soon as he arrives, better than that Zummerzet boy Buttler could manage...

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 17:17 Thu 27 Mar 2014

I need to find a pub with Sky Sports...

djewesbury · Post by **djewesbury** » 17:18 Thu 27 Mar 2014

Too late, we won with 4 balls remaining. Hales scored two Sixes off the penultimate over to bring up his century and then, as we need 6 off 5, hammered it over the boundary once again.

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 17:27 Thu 27 Mar 2014

Oh well. I'll console myself with having missed England's only win of 2014 with another glass of Taylor 1992. Or shall I go for the Smith Woodhouse 1997?

djewesbury · Post by **djewesbury** » 17:47 Thu 27 Mar 2014

AHB wrote:Oh well. I'll console myself with having missed England's only win of 2014 with another glass of Taylor 1992. Or shall I go for the Smith Woodhouse 1997?

Post by **PhilW** » 18:29 Thu 27 Mar 2014

AHB wrote:Oh well. I'll console myself with having missed England's only win of 2014 with another glass of Taylor 1992. Or shall I go for the Smith Woodhouse 1997?

Given the prices/selection on their website at the moment (assuming I know where you are) I would go for the T92 again since you liked it so much, or perhaps the F85 as best VFM? And yes, you missed a cracking ending to the match, I'm afraid (I only joined it with five overs to go).

PopulusTremula · Post by **PopulusTremula** » 18:52 Thu 27 Mar 2014

AHB wrote:Oh well. I'll console myself with having missed England's only win of 2014 with another glass of Taylor 1992. Or shall I go for the Smith Woodhouse 1997?

Another afternoon in El Vino? No Fonseca 1985? The London Wall branch used to have a few left.

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk 2

mpij · Post by **mpij** » 12:34 Mon 31 Mar 2014

Post by **flash_uk** » 13:03 Mon 31 Mar 2014

Yes really quite atrocious that performance. I mean, The Netherlands...love those people, but world class cricketers they are not.

mpij · Post by **mpij** » 16:35 Mon 31 Mar 2014

Not sure if I have been watcing Sky Sports 2 or the Comedy Channel.

Post by **DRT** » 16:39 Thu 01 May 2014

Do the ECB really expect people to believe that it is the job of the captain to appoint or sack head members of the coaching team?

If they want to boost Cook's credibility as a decision maker, surely it would be better to give him some training on how to motivate and organise his team on the pitch and make tactical decisions that win test matches rather than putting him in front of TV cameras and asking him to spout nonsense about something that must clearly have been decided by powers greater than his.

Oh dear. Not a good start for the new team.

LGTrotter · Post by **LGTrotter** » 18:40 Thu 01 May 2014

Oh no, is it terrible? Does he say 'going forward' or some such tosh. I think I won't look in case it reduces me to foaming and weeping. I was hoping Collingwood might get a role somewhere, and the ditching of that plank Gooch can't be an entirely bad thing, going forward?

Post by **DRT** » 02:17 Fri 02 May 2014

LGTrotter wrote:Oh no, is it terrible?

Yes, it is terrible. But the hour at which I am responding to this might shed light on my ability to be objective.

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 20:35 Tue 13 May 2014

LGTrotter wrote:Oh no, is it terrible? Does he say 'going forward' or some such tosh. I think I won't look in case it reduces me to foaming and weeping. I was hoping Collingwood might get a role somewhere, and the ditching of that plank Gooch can't be an entirely bad thing, going forward?

Have they appointed Boycott as a batting coach? That's what the England team need to fix their batting problems. And Ray Illingworth as bowling coach perhaps? And Tufnell as lead Press Manager.

Who else can we fit into the back room team?

LGTrotter · Post by **LGTrotter** » 21:07 Tue 13 May 2014

Text arrived today offering the 2015 Ashes tickets. I have no idea who might be batting, bowling or keeping. But I still fancy Collingwood in the coaching set up. Is he in yet?

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 21:08 Tue 13 May 2014

LGTrotter wrote:Text arrived today offering the 2015 Ashes tickets. I have no idea who might be batting, bowling or keeping. But I still fancy Collingwood in the coaching set up. Is he in yet?

Tickets for which test? That seems rather early.

LGTrotter · Post by **LGTrotter** » 21:16 Tue 13 May 2014

A mate gets offered them presumably because he is on some list somewhere. I think he was talking about Cardiff but he fancied going to Edgbaston, lord knows why. Cardiff is quite handy for me but I have never been there for cricket. I thought it was premature too.

mpij · Post by **mpij** » 05:27 Wed 14 May 2014

I have a radical solution to the England teams problems. Offer the top job to Shane Warne.

LGTrotter · Post by **LGTrotter** » 21:20 Thu 29 May 2014

Who is Gurney? Any thoughts on Jordan? Why did I have a faint frisson of excitement at the mention of Duckworth Lewis?

Post by **DRT** » 06:40 Fri 30 May 2014

Flintoff for England?

djewesbury · Post by **djewesbury** » 09:03 Fri 30 May 2014

DRT wrote:Flintoff for England?

No. His problems begin and end with his pie hole.

Post by **flash_uk** » 09:09 Fri 30 May 2014

djewesbury wrote:
DRT wrote:Flintoff for England?
No. His problems begin and end with his pie hole.

Priceless. I'll bet he's never had BP at 221/131 though.

djewesbury · Post by **djewesbury** » 09:48 Fri 30 May 2014

flash_uk wrote:
djewesbury wrote:
DRT wrote:Flintoff for England?
No. His problems begin and end with his pie hole.
Priceless. I'll bet he's never had BP at 221/131 though.

I think he'd explode. Covering everyone with pie.

LGTrotter · Post by **LGTrotter** » 09:53 Fri 30 May 2014

DRT wrote:Flintoff for England?

When I saw this I thought 'here goes Derek, making daft suggestions about the cricket', but no, after a glittering career on channel 5 he really is making a comeback. A sort of sickening lurch in my stomach that accompanied this news tells all about my views on this.

djewesbury · Post by **djewesbury** » 00:49 Sat 31 May 2014

Do you call Lancashire T20 a 'comeback'?

Post by **DRT** » 01:00 Sat 31 May 2014

djewesbury wrote:Do you call Lancashire T20 a 'comeback'?

Dunno. Do you call what happened at Chester-le-Street a game of cricket?

djewesbury · Post by **djewesbury** » 01:01 Sat 31 May 2014

DRT wrote:
djewesbury wrote:Do you call Lancashire T20 a 'comeback'?
Dunno. Do you call what happened at Chester-le-Street a game of cricket?

No. We can agree about that!

Post by **DRT** » 01:04 Sat 31 May 2014

It would be good if Sri Lanka won tomorrow (today) so that we have a decider to look forward to at Lord's.

djewesbury · Post by **djewesbury** » 01:13 Sat 31 May 2014

Well, it would be good if England had any chance of winning a decider...