The Cricket Thread

penzancepirate wrote:

I pine for the days of Ted Dexter, Edrich, Snow and Hanif Mohammed. Give me Sobers, Gibbs and Wes Hall.
Now Warne, Mcgrath and the Waughs have gone, no more heroes anymore.

Ken Barrington was another boyhood hero of mine.There were some truly wonderful players in that era-Pollock,Barlow,Procter,Richards from SA,Lloyd,Butcher,Nurse,Kanhai,Gibbs from WI [how sad is their decline],the Chappells,Lillee,McKenzie from Oz,Turner and Hadlee from NZ, also Graveney,Cowdrey and Milburn,whose loss to cricket from losing an eye was a major tragedy,IMHO.There are some superb players in world cricket at the moment but they don't seem to have the personality of the players of that era-same in tennis as well,i used to love watching Laver,Mcenroe,Rosewall,Connors etc but its a real struggle to watch a match now,fine players though Nadal,Murray,Federer are.Maybe its just because i'm getting to be a crotchety old barsteward,but it just doesn't seem the same these days.

Glad its not just me pining for the old days, thought it was because of my advanced years. In Football there was Finney, Matthews, Lofthouse, Wright, Swift, Millburn, Mortensen etc. Got knocked out of the World Cup by the USA in 1950. Nothing changes.

I played in a benefit game for Joel Garner in 1986 at the lovely Tring Park cricket ground. It was the season Somerset announced the sacking of Richards & Garner and Beefy resigned in sympathy. Other players included Gladstone Small and Derek Pringle. Between 4-5k turned up for the game.
I was the wicket keeper for Tring. Viv Richards stroked the most effortless ton I've ever witnessed and when he was joined by Botham the hairs were literally sticking up on the back of my neck.
Two little stories from the day................. when Viv had got his ton he picked out a fielder on the long off boundary, tucked his bat under his arm and began to walk off. The guy dropped it. A few balls later, the ball was in the slot and he stroked it gently to the same guy and started to walk. He dropped it again !
When he returned to the crease, Viv turned to me and said, "Who in dis side can catch ?"

When showering with my good friend Baige after the game, Gladstone Small entered the showers.......................... neither of us knew where to look. Back in our dressing room Baige remarked, "It was like a baby's arm, holding a Worcester Permain !"

If I could add, that at the tea interval ITB strolled into our changing room, came right up to me and asked to borrow my keeping gear as he was going to keep. Needless to say, the gear is in the loft and has never been worn since................... touched by greatness !

Lovely story, lucky you.

Tringreen wrote:

I played in a benefit game for Joel Garner in 1986 at the lovely Tring Park cricket ground. It was the season Somerset announced the sacking of Richards & Garner and Beefy resigned in sympathy. Other players included Gladstone Small and Derek Pringle. Between 4-5k turned up for the game.
I was the wicket keeper for Tring. Viv Richards stroked the most effortless ton I've ever witnessed and when he was joined by Botham the hairs were literally sticking up on the back of my neck.
Two little stories from the day................. when Viv had got his ton he picked out a fielder on the long off boundary, tucked his bat under his arm and began to walk off. The guy dropped it. A few balls later, the ball was in the slot and he stroked it gently to the same guy and started to walk. He dropped it again !
When he returned to the crease, Viv turned to me and said, "Who in dis side can catch ?"

When showering with my good friend Baige after the game, Gladstone Small entered the showers.......................... neither of us knew where to look. Back in our dressing room Baige remarked, "It was like a baby's arm, holding a Worcester Permain !"

If I could add, that at the tea interval ITB strolled into our changing room, came right up to me and asked to borrow my keeping gear as he was going to keep. Needless to say, the gear is in the loft and has never been worn since................... touched by greatness !

So that's where Gladstone wore his bow-tie! Underrated bowler was Gladstone,should have played more for England IMHO.

I well remember the ructions that the sacking of Garner and Richards caused,there were all sorts of threats and poison pen letters flying about,especially to Peter Roebuck,who was seen by Botham as the prime mover in the affair.Very sad after all that had been achieved previously but Somerset did finish bottom of the table that season after a period of steep decline,so maybe something had to be done.I think Martin Crowe was involved somewhere,he became the latest in a long line of excellent Somerset overseas players on Richards departure.Alley,Chappell,Richards,Garner,Waugh,Gavaskar,Jimmy Cook,Mustaq,Cox,White -superb players,all of them.

My mate Baige played for Somerset seconds for a season and topped the batting averages for the competition.
He did tell me that Roebuck was a real BGB.

While I can't match the shower stories I can claim to have bowled and batted against my boyhood sporting hero, Gary Sobers.
I think it was Mike Pasty harris who organised a benefit match up at the now Stapleton cricket club at Peverell.
Our school cricket coach was a well know local cricketer and included me in the day's teams as one of three City schoolboys 'most likely to'. Obviously, as things turned out I wasn't as likely to as he had thought, but you just can't buy days like that. I had an appeal turned down against Sobers, and my school teacher rewarded me with C S Marriot's The complete leg break bowler. A fascinating skill I never mastered, I preferred to chuck it down as quickly as I could... not much point trying to spin anything down here with our rain.

These Sri Lankan bowlers are really rather pish poor. You'd have thought they'd be frothing at the mouth seeing a green top compared to what they're used to, but the pace bowlers haven't seen a jot of movement all day. Bat the morning tomorrow at 6 an over, and then rip into them and seal the game by the close.

Mock Cuncher wrote:

These Sri Lankan bowlers are really rather pish poor. You'd have thought they'd be frothing at the mouth seeing a green top compared to what they're used to, but the pace bowlers haven't seen a jot of movement all day. Bat the morning tomorrow at 6 an over, and then rip into them and seal the game by the close.

They certainly miss Vaas,Murali and Malinga.I see Malinga has come over for the one day series-why not the test matches as well?He's better than anything on show currently,i'd have thought.

Greenskin wrote:

Mock Cuncher wrote:

These Sri Lankan bowlers are really rather pish poor. You'd have thought they'd be frothing at the mouth seeing a green top compared to what they're used to, but the pace bowlers haven't seen a jot of movement all day. Bat the morning tomorrow at 6 an over, and then rip into them and seal the game by the close.

They certainly miss Vaas,Murali and Malinga.I see Malinga has come over for the one day series-why not the test matches as well?He's better than anything on show currently,i'd have thought.

Malinga's got a pretty poor Test record, he's got an unreliable action and a good yorker which means he gets away with it in ODIs and T20s, but gets a bit found out in Tests. I think he retired anyway to concentrate on the IPL.

Mock Cuncher wrote:

Greenskin wrote:

Mock Cuncher wrote:

These Sri Lankan bowlers are really rather pish poor. You'd have thought they'd be frothing at the mouth seeing a green top compared to what they're used to, but the pace bowlers haven't seen a jot of movement all day. Bat the morning tomorrow at 6 an over, and then rip into them and seal the game by the close.

They certainly miss Vaas,Murali and Malinga.I see Malinga has come over for the one day series-why not the test matches as well?He's better than anything on show currently,i'd have thought.

Malinga's got a pretty poor Test record, he's got an unreliable action and a good yorker which means he gets away with it in ODIs and T20s, but gets a bit found out in Tests. I think he retired anyway to concentrate on the IPL.

He has indeed retired,just heard it on the TV.

Greenskin wrote:

Mock Cuncher wrote:

Greenskin wrote:

Mock Cuncher wrote:

These Sri Lankan bowlers are really rather pish poor. You'd have thought they'd be frothing at the mouth seeing a green top compared to what they're used to, but the pace bowlers haven't seen a jot of movement all day. Bat the morning tomorrow at 6 an over, and then rip into them and seal the game by the close.

They certainly miss Vaas,Murali and Malinga.I see Malinga has come over for the one day series-why not the test matches as well?He's better than anything on show currently,i'd have thought.

Malinga's got a pretty poor Test record, he's got an unreliable action and a good yorker which means he gets away with it in ODIs and T20s, but gets a bit found out in Tests. I think he retired anyway to concentrate on the IPL.

He has indeed retired,just heard it on the TV.

That way he'll get a few more IPL's , loads of cash and no hard slogs in 5 Day Tests.

The IPL could have an adverse effect on Test cricket as more follow him .

There is a lot of debate about T20 cricket taking over as the dominant form of the game. I don't think it will. They said the same about one day cricket when it was introduced in the 60/70s. Now that form of the game looks dead and buried after never really threatening the Test game. Crowds for T20 in this country are dropping and the IPL has not taken off as much as they had hoped. But I hope T20 stays around because it brings a lot to the game.

The biggest threat to Test cricket are the batsman friendly wickets that are produced to guarantee 5 days of play and therefore 5 days of income. The best Test matches are the ones where the bowler is on top, either through bounce, seam or spin.

Feel they should seperate the two codes, rather like rugby union/league. Test Cricket and the County game could remain as they are and T20 could be played on football grounds in the summer with teams like Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield etc, and rival the IPL. Players could switch codes, but only once, not every season.

pepsipete wrote:

Feel they should seperate the two codes, rather like rugby union/league. Test Cricket and the County game could remain as they are and T20 could be played on football grounds in the summer with teams like Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield etc, and rival the IPL. Players could switch codes, but only once, not every season.

I think a T20 test would be a good idea. Two innings of 20 overs each spread over one day.

I like your idea Pete but I cant see it ever getting past the county chairmen. Playing on a football pitch would make it interesting though - lots of boundaries I would imagine!

Frank Bullitt wrote:

pepsipete wrote:

Feel they should seperate the two codes, rather like rugby union/league. Test Cricket and the County game could remain as they are and T20 could be played on football grounds in the summer with teams like Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield etc, and rival the IPL. Players could switch codes, but only once, not every season.

I think a T20 test would be a good idea. Two innings of 20 overs each spread over one day.

I like your idea Pete but I cant see it ever getting past the county chairmen. Playing on a football pitch would make it interesting though - lots of boundaries I would imagine!

I've seen Somerset play against Gloucester at Home Park,around about the early 1980's-it was quite popular for a while,i remember matches taking place at Ashton Gate and Stamford Bridge as well.Botham was playing for Somerset,Zaheer Abbas for Glos,as you say,plenty of sixes-Zaheer planted one miles over the old Devonport end and into the car park.Wasn't really a great idea though,cricket didn't really fit in to a football stadium,far too small.

Greenskin wrote:

Frank Bullitt wrote:

pepsipete wrote:

Feel they should seperate the two codes, rather like rugby union/league. Test Cricket and the County game could remain as they are and T20 could be played on football grounds in the summer with teams like Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield etc, and rival the IPL. Players could switch codes, but only once, not every season.

I think a T20 test would be a good idea. Two innings of 20 overs each spread over one day.

I like your idea Pete but I cant see it ever getting past the county chairmen. Playing on a football pitch would make it interesting though - lots of boundaries I would imagine!

I've seen Somerset play against Gloucester at Home Park,around about the early 1980's-it was quite popular for a while,i remember matches taking place at Ashton Gate and Stamford Bridge as well.Botham was playing for Somerset,Zaheer Abbas for Glos,as you say,plenty of sixes-Zaheer planted one miles over the old Devonport end and into the car park.Wasn't really a great idea though,cricket didn't really fit in to a football stadium,far too small.

One of my favourite pitches to play on was at Yealmpton. It was a good wicket most of the time but if we played them at the start of the season we would often use one of the wickets at the far edge of the square. It can't of been more then 20 metres to the hedge boundary and it was very easy to convince yourself that you were the next Flintoff with the amount of 6s you could hit. I imagine its the same playing in a football stadium.

The only problem was that it took ages to find the bloody balls in the hedge (or neighbouring field). Luckily someone had a dog that was an expert in finding them.

Engerland against them thur Injuns on Thursday.Should be a good series in theory,hope the weather stays dry enough to allow play but cloudy enough for our chaps to swing the ball.That could be the key to the whole series,if the sun shines and good batting conditions ensue,can't really see our chaps taking 20 wickets against an exceptional batting line up.I don't especially rate the Indian bowling attack,Zaheer and Harbajhan very good bowlers,the rest are so so,should be a few runs about for the England batsmen.I'll go for a sneaky 1-0 series win for England.

Greenskin wrote:

Engerland against them thur Injuns on Thursday.Should be a good series in theory,hope the weather stays dry enough to allow play but cloudy enough for our chaps to swing the ball.That could be the key to the whole series,if the sun shines and good batting conditions ensue,can't really see our chaps taking 20 wickets against an exceptional batting line up.I don't especially rate the Indian bowling attack,Zaheer and Harbajhan very good bowlers,the rest are so so,should be a few runs about for the England batsmen.I'll go for a sneaky 1-0 series win for England.

I will be interested to see how Duncan Fletcher effects the series. Will his knowledge of England help the Indians?

This could be a classic series but I do think that it might end up in a boring runs fest. Hopefully it will be cloudy so that it helps the England bowlers but if it rains too much then I think we will see a lot of drawn matches.

Trott edges England to 120odd for 2. Probably a decent score given the conditions, it was nipping around and a half at times. Only a platform and I would still take 350 if it was offered, this was a tough start to the series and it could be a lot worse. The series one the whole is tough. I think India have been granted a blessing in disguise with Sehwag out, he doesn't have the technique for a swinging ball. Not sure Laxman does either, but Sachin, Dravid and Gambhir are sturdy chaps. Though one can say what you like about the ability of the Indian batting line-up, when fielding these chaps are not great, and they have no apparent moral compass either. The number of unpleasantries surrounding them as a cricketing nation is, well, unpleasant!

England 2-0.

England well on top,should be looking to declare at about tea time tomorrow,all things going to plan.Looks like someone [could have been Andy Flower] has given Broad a firm boot up the arse,according to Beefy on the commentary tonight,quite right too.He's got rather carried away with his own ego,IMHO,wouldn't like to see his undoubted ability wasted because of attitude.Dravid made an unbeaten ton,good for him,great batsman and a proper cricketer,can't imagine him giving umpires a mouthful of abuse because a decision goes against him.

Greenskin wrote:

England well on top,should be looking to declare at about tea time tomorrow,all things going to plan.Looks like someone [could have been Andy Flower] has given Broad a firm boot up the arse,according to Beefy on the commentary tonight,quite right too.He's got rather carried away with his own ego,IMHO,wouldn't like to see his undoubted ability wasted because of attitude.Dravid made an unbeaten ton,good for him,great batsman and a proper cricketer,can't imagine him giving umpires a mouthful of abuse because a decision goes against him.

Looking good at the moment - India 20-1 with a target of 458. A good ton by Prior and a good innings from Broad. I wonder if India can bat all day tomorrow but overall a good start from England. India looked terrible in the field today.

What a biffing! To think that this mob are supposed to be number one in the world!

It was pleasing to see the curious Indian fellows leaving the ground after the wickets began tumbling. Sorry chaps but this is proper cricket; the game might last more than 3 hours. Perhaps they will offer some grace the next time they are allowed before the Members...one can only hope, I fear.

Well played Dravid, a plucky chap whose knock deserved to get onto the board at Cricket HQ. Indians have always been a bit flaky away from the comfort of sub-continent, once Dravid and of course Tendulkar retire they could return to being a second rate side. A special mention to...Trott. I'm not sure England would have been able to dominate the Test had our man-of-empire not gotten through the first day.

Roll on Trent Bridge!

Mock Cuncher wrote:

What a biffing! To think that this mob are supposed to be number one in the world!

It was pleasing to see the curious Indian fellows leaving the ground after the wickets began tumbling. Sorry chaps but this is proper cricket; the game might last more than 3 hours. Perhaps they will offer some grace the next time they are allowed before the Members...one can only hope, I fear.

Well played Dravid, a plucky chap whose knock deserved to get onto the board at Cricket HQ. Indians have always been a bit flaky away from the comfort of sub-continent, once Dravid and of course Tendulkar retire they could return to being a second rate side. A special mention to...Trott. I'm not sure England would have been able to dominate the Test had our man-of-empire not gotten through the first day.

Roll on Trent Bridge!

Having watched England since 1985 I cannot quite believe how good they are at the moment. Another huge win against a decent side.

Certainly makes a change from the dark days of the 90's,which for the moost part,were a tale of woe for England.This is possibly the best England team in my time,we had a very good side with Boycs,Cowdrey,Barrington,Graveney,Snow,Knott,Edrich etc in the sixties/early seventies,before that we were pretty good in the mid fifties.Difficult to compare era's but you can't argue with the results this team are producing and long may it continue.I thought a major difference between the teams was in fielding,even though a couple of catches were spilled by England.India looked sluggish and lacking in concentration,they will need to improve greatly in order to compete in this series.