Idle cricket musing

[El Pibe]

You're right, two more of them, a Zim, an Irishman and the occasional kiwi generally helps.

[Loz]

Broad is a little too close the the fake Pieterson twitter account palava as well. "It weren't me Guv, it was... um... a mate of mine."

Mind you, it's not bowlers you are short of. You now have Bairstow, whose test claim to fame is that he was dropped in favour of Ravi Bopara. That's gotta hurt. Real bad.

[maxxi]

ECB have handled the whole thing badly - this text thing is an excuse. We know he can be a tool but Pietersen isn't the only one who will want to play the whole IPL in years to come (and the Aussie Big Bash) and one season there is worth more than a central contract for those offered big pay packets (Anderson, Broad, Prior) but not maybe some others (Strauss).

ECB have to accept it and deal with it or they will lose.

He may not 'make' an English cricket team (nor did Flintoff or Botham) but he is the biggest draw in the country and the ECB need fans to come back to the game.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Don't agree Maxxi. If playing for your country is not the biggest thing (and we're not talking subsistence wages) then bugger off.

It's Packer all over again.

Call me naive and foolish, but I expect that every man will do his duty. [Or some such patriotic bollocks.]

[Alan Medic]

So KP gets dropped over text messages, the content of which is not known publicly. So what if he maybe doesn't think much of his captain. He didn't say so publicly. Maybe he's being picked on because he's not actually English. It's all very petty by the authorities. If it was your child and someone at school you would encourage them to grow up.

[????]

Mmmmm.....my suspicion is that he got dropped because NOBODY in the English team or management like him and this is a handy excuse

[Annette Curtain]

Hmmmmm....

Maybe we'll never know

Where's Murdoch's mud rakers when you need them ?

[Loz]

Saying something nasty about your team mates in a private text message (Pieterson) - dropped

Saying something nasty about your team mates in a book (Swann) - nothing.

[Brendan]

South Africa could always use an extra second string batsman.

[Huguenot]

I don't think this was about the texts or the IPL in isolation, it's just that these issues get blown up by the way he approaches them, they're symptoms rather than the cause.

It's clear he doesn't buy in to the England team ethic, and his complaint that 'it's hard being me' is the whine of self appointed deities everywhere.

Lords is still a bastion of Empire - where players put Queen and country first - and Pietersen is much more of a mercenary. Like Achilles at Troy he needs a little bit of arrogance to ply his trade, but if the aggrandisement Pietersen needs to be successful is costing the team harmony then it's the total outcome that needs to be judged when Pietersen is whining like a 6 year old spoilt brat.

[Michael Palaeologus]

*Like*

[Huguenot]

Anyway, isn't being a complete cock a perfectly valid reason to be kept out of teams? I suffered from this for years :)

[maxxi]

Doesn't explain Boycott's long career...

[maxxi]

That weird helmet with the large peak makes Taylor look like a baby duckling, what is he 5'2"?

[Huguenot]

Oh grief.

As John Cleese says, it's not the despair, I can live with the despair.... It's the hope I can't stand.

[Marmora Man]

An interesting match - mathematically possible to win, all history and cricketing wisdom says England will lose.

Should England win they will certainly deserve to be accounted the world's No. 1 team - should they lose it will be to a team with an outstanding bowling attack and a strong batting line up that fired on all cylinders, when England's bowling and batting misfired just too often.

[ladida]

It will be England's biggest follow on to win. They not only need big hitters but some self control, a hard match to equate. SA are a far better team and deserve the no.1 spot. Hate to say it, but we've been v. lucky to hold onto the apex position, Australia, India, SA deserve it a lot more. The Ashes next year will see England put to shame (hopefully not), but they have the mentality to win.

[Huguenot]

South Africa might do on recent form, but to claim that Australia or India deserve it more is crazy talk.

We thrashed India 4-nil last year, two of which we won by an innings.

Australia recently barely beat a woeful West Indies team.

In the face of such obvious results it beats me why people would come out with such crap. It's tedious 'boo boy' sports trolling.

I'm interested ladida, do you actually believe what you're saying when you say that, or are you just trying to show off?

[Loz]

Regardless of the table, in my mind the Saffers have been the best team for a couple of years now. The best quick battery by a long way and a pretty awesome top six.

England have always had a obvious problem that they had a great top five, but couldn't fill number six as there was absolutely no other batsmen knocking on the door of the test team. KP has probably gone now and Strauss may follow, which is going to open up a major hole. All this won't be helped by Swann going from the best spinner in the world to an average pie-thrower. Great bunch of seamers though - at least six or seven to select from.

India had a fantastic batting line-up, but little in the way of bowling. Australia is rebuilding slowly - they have a good young crop of bowlers coming through, but are struggling to replace batsmen.

This year the Saffers have got even better. Philander is the find of the year and Boucher going has actually made the batting even stronger as they have the luxury of JP Duminy coming in at number 7. Tahir has filled the problematic spinners spot.

The Saffers deserve to be number 1, easily. They have the best eleven seen in world cricket since the Aussies were at their peak a decade ago.

[maxxi]

SA obviously a better team - they were the better team when England still had Pietersen and they are much the better side now.

I don't think it's a bad thing - good to see England face a very good side instead of knocking over teams by an innings plus (too easy and not tremendous fun after the first couple of times - unless it's Australia natch.)

- and good to see Strauss and Cook brought up short again - made to realise they're not as good as some folk have said which will mean them going back and working on their strokes/defence/patience.

Having said this England have responded well in this series (looked like a whitewash at one point) and are capable of beating them if on top of their game.

[Loz]

maxxi Wrote:

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> I don't think it's a bad thing - good to see England face a very good side instead of knocking

> over teams by an innings plus (too easy and not tremendous fun after the first couple of times -

> unless it's Australia natch.)

Since you've been walloped by Pakistan and held by the Sri Lankans so far this year, I should imagine that feeling has long since gone...

[Brendan]

Of course SA is the better team. What next, insightful observations about the wetness of water?

What is funny though is that Broad and Prior are playing like it?s a T20 game and I wouldn?t be surprised if the scoreboard suddenly shifts up a gear.

Before they fall over like Laurel and Hardy in a rake factory that is.

[Loz]

Whooah - outstanding test match. As a neutral I was on the edge of my seat. The tails wagged more than Battersea Dogs Home and Prior had more lives than a cat. Can't say I like Prior as a person, but he's the best out there when the chips are down.

I think England will be ruing the two unnecessary run outs. Big moments both of them.

[Brendan]

Pity there aren't two more.

[Loz]

I think you're a bit behind on the score, Brendan...