The Ashes 2009

[bigbadwolf]

Sorry to butt in chaps but have any of you lot seen the BBC's Empire of Cricket? I saw the one on India last night and it was very interesting especially since the game seems to have shaped the nation.

[Sherwick]

Goochie and Tres were nowhere NEAR the class of KP over their careers! To suggest such a thing is preposterous! Forget First Class, what were their Test averages? (They are shown here by the way: http://stats.cricinfo.com/england/engine/records/batting/highest_career_batting_average.html?class=1;id=1;type=team

I'll put it like this. Goochie took 215 innings to score 20 Test centuries. KP has *already* got 16 in 97 innings. The record in the history of English Test cricket is 22 held jointly by Hammond and Boycott.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. TO suggest dropping EASILY our best batsman for the last 35 years is madness of the highest order!

[????]

That Viv Richards was an arrogant fella....no way would have I have wanted him in my team. What's the use of having a batsmen who gets

Loads of runs

quickly

and deystroys opposition attacks?

Bring back Tavare I say

[Sherwick]

:))

[Keef]

I saw the Empire of Cricket about the West Indies, and yes, very good.

[Brendan]

I?ll wager that the likes of Strauss are just as arrogant as Pietersen when you get to know them personably, they just don?t show it in the same way. At least KP?s personality has (or used to have) a certain na?ve honesty to its arrogance.

Going by my own personal prejudices I suspect he is of a certain type of privately educated, arrogant South African that I grew-up, went to school with and have developed a particular distaste for over my lifetime but I don?t for a minute believe that the England team isn?t peppered with the English equivalent.

But those are my personal prejudices and, while based soundly on personal experience, prejudices are often wrong. Who knows, the guy may be humble in his personal life but just backs himself (very justifiably) when it comes to cricket.

You don?t select these guys on their personality though unless it actually hampers their performance to the point where there is someone who is better.

He is the most talented batsman of this generation. Most runs in his first 50 tests bar none except Bradman, fastest batsman ever to 4000 test runs, and average of 50 after 54 tests and still the best English batsman of this series despite playing with an injury which was quite visibly hampering him.

He is also the most entertaining batsman to watch since Brian Lara.

Most English pundits have gradually come to accept this but some still stick to the original indignation they had in his early career which was based on the fact that he was brilliant, arrogant and South African and that England could never have produced a player of the same calibre.

[Brendan]

On an unrelated matter, I walked past Mathew Hayden yesterday afternoon outside St James Park tube station.

[Brendan]

I think this guy?s been reading my earlier posts on this thread.

Australia are just not hairy enough

[????]

Brendan....you're talking to yourself again fella

[Brendan]

We all need intelligent conversation sometimes.

And another thing....

[DaveR]

No question about KP's talent or record so far, and no way he could have been dropped if fit. Having said that, he'd be even better if he tried really hard not to get out to stupid shots, and was able to tailor his game a bit to the state of the match. KP is never going to be a classic 'accumulator' but a Test no. 4 is expected to take you on from a good start to a winning position, or steady the ship if you lose a couple of wickets quickly. Having KP at no.4 puts more pressure on nos. 3, 5 and 6 and makes selection a bit more difficult. He'll win you more games than he loses you, but the Ashes is not a good time to have a (relative) loss of form.

Anyway, it's all immaterial now - it's down to Bopara and Bell.

[ratty]

I would be quite happy if it just rained for the rest of the summer now!

[mockney piers]

Eeeeeek, careful what you ask for!!

Good to have Brendan back, though is it some coincidence that he and TLS have returned at the same time?

[Brendan]

Are you suggesting some kind of subversion Mr Mockney?

*Steeples fingers and raises one eyebrow*

[mockney piers]

I'm saying nothing

[mockney piers]

Nothing

[mockney piers]

Nothing at all!!!

[Brendan]

Release the hounds.

[mockney piers]

Doh!!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

What have you started Brendan?

From Guardian OBO:

12.03pm Bumble is with the umpire Rudi Koertzen. In short, we will not be starting until 3 or 4pm at the very earliest. "We are concerned about the softness of the ground... water running off the covers onto the outfield... fairly muddy area... do you like my little beard... we will do everything to get the game on the road as soon as we can... I trim it every morning... Do you want to touch it... Gonna have a problem with the bowlers' run-ups... Only 50p a stroke... Touch it... Touch it!!!!",

[Brendan]

Has anyone else noticed the Ricky-P doesn't shave during a test match?

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Probably cos it would be a bit dangerous to shave while chewing gum which he seems to do non-stop.

[Sherwick]

Geez. Haddin's broken his finger warming up! Don't want to laugh, but...

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! :)-D (Hope the replacement isn't a new 'Gilly' though...)

[Brendan]

One word, "Onions"

[jaybee82]

Two very quick wickets! Happy days.

Looks like we're back on our way.