This is the pattern folks. You lot get to comment all day (or at least until I get a mobile data package, or a wi-fi internet worth a light in the daytime) and I get to write something in the evening. Or if I’m really keen I might do something first thing. It also means that Simon or Arron get to break the world exclusives…
And by that I mean Derek Pringle, getting to tell us the story of how he had Javed Miandad stone dead AGAIN, in the Daily Mail. Now I know that one of their other main writers has a bit of a job on to get our favourite Yellow Book in on time, so there was/is a vacancy at the Mail for all the games our main man Newman can’t cover. So they’ve got Derek in to do his thing, we hope. Indeed, I pray…. This is like Christmas to me. Imagine, I thought I’d never get to fisk an article ever again with his brilliant prose in full effect, but not only might he be back, he might be forming an amazing double act with everyone’s favourite leak repository. This can’t get any better.
Yes, I saw Selfey doing what he does – that wonderful “I’ve heard this rumour” and then admonishing those who think this is pure gossip stirring into the bargain. Arron nicked my line – now Australia can experience what we have been for the last year or so.
Give me strength. The ECB’s media campaign, which Tickers is going to town on, has this sort of effluent on my feed. It’s absolutely mind-boggling awful. In this one, Ian Bell pretends to catch Paul Newman out of a burning building for leaking that story about his managerial skills, while two other stooges laugh about “Cook’s strutting jawline”. Or some other old tossery.
Nick Knight gives us the insight we know we need…
Because losing the key moments is a major strategic plus.
By now England know they can compete against the best sides in the world but what remains uncertain is whether they have yet learned to do it when it really matters. It is a problem of which unfortunately I have first-hand knowledge, for it afflicted the England one-day side I played in. You would look around the dressing room and see all these world-class players, yet when it came to big global tournaments we hardly competed. We did not win regularly enough to engender a winning spirit and although it’s sad to say so, did not really understand how to win. The loss to Australia in Port Elizabeth in 2003 is a perfect example. It was match England were winning, should have won, yet lost.
Because Knight is a one-day guru.
As always, I’ll remind you to fill in your competition entries before the teams are named for tomorrow’s opening game.
Keep the comments coming. At last, some proper cricket to look forward to.
Being Outside Cricket 
We should be grateful for the goss:
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/feb/12/cricket-world-cup-2015-predictions#comment-47480666
Just by the by, I don’t think we ever did accuse him of orchestrating a campaign. Displaying rank and obvious bias, being embarrassingly incurious about other potential avenues of inquiry, regurgitating the same old phrases and arguments long after their sell-by date and insulting the intelligence of readers familiar with other source material, yes. Campaign, no.
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I am. I am so very grateful.
The day one of those “on the other side” represents our position correctly, is the day I pack this game in.
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That was the man who thought the ICC reforms were a non-story to begin with. I am not sure why anyone thought leaking stories to Mike Selvey, unless it suits his “head in the arse of Giles Clarke / Paul Downton”-agenda, would result in publication.
I am waiting for someone to post a health disclaimer on the Guardian:
“Warning: Research has shown that persistent reading of non-factual writing impairs judgement on the topic at hand. This newspaper will not be accountable for any damage suffered after persistent reading of Mike Selvey articles.”
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” I am not sure why anyone thought leaking stories to Mike Selvey, unless it suits his “head in the arse of Giles Clarke / Paul Downton”-agenda, would result in publication.”
The Guardian is purportedly notorious for passing up cricket stories although the problem is more to do with its editorial priorities (essentially: they don’t care about cricket) than anything Selvey has done.
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I love the way the Guardian used “minnows” without so much as an inverted comma today, and how its cricket correspondent thinks Dave Richardson’s doing a great job with the boundary rope thing, while completely ignoring his horseshit last week about, y’know, the future development of the game.
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I felt obliged to point out that boundary ropes in for a warm up isn’t a guarantee for the tournament.
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I’m in two minds about that game in 2003.
On the one hand, Knight is right, it was a close game, close enough that you start to ask if the difference was on the mental side.
On the other hand, actually, Bevan was “The Finisher”, so actually, maybe it wasn’t really as close as it looked.
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All I can say is that I am glad I have never read the Mail and now that dingle is there, they have no chance whatsoever of having me as a subscriber. It says a lot about the calibre of the publication however by taking on that Kenyan Born pratt. ( I have friends in Kenya and always used to think kindly of the place)
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Selvey, newman and Simon Wilde all reporting that Ballance will be in for Bopara. ‘The dressing room never leaks’ is at it again….
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OT, but I did like Geoff Lemon’s Guardian article on Channel Nine. Not familiar with their commentary, but I was morbidly fascinated by the section on executive director of cricket Brad McNamara, and his problem with critical fans. In particular:
“It’s foul to see a professional from a big company crowing his superiority over an ordinary fan.”
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… the emotional depth of a sock puppet during a button shortage. I wish I’d thought of that line.
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You might enjoy this exchange in the ‘Comments’ section:
http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/cutsandglances/index.php/theaustralian/comments/night_shift/
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For those who’ve given up on the Guardian, the new Barney Ronay article has a comment (by Yevaru) linking to this story about what has happened to Patrick Patterson:
http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/the-curious-case-of-patrick-patterson-gone-awol/1138862/0
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An impressively grim collection of England ODI stats:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/31428625
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