If you feel like commenting, fire away.
Me? Well, I think you can tell how interested I am in cricket right now. Not when football and the ludicrous state of this country is like a constant soap opera. A stable, balanced England ODI team, playing well against a team we usually struggle against is a little vanilla. But if you have the time, and the inclination, enjoy the action. The forecast for London is wretched, so we’ll probably have another no result.
Night all.
Being Outside Cricket 
Good governance Sri Lanka Cricket style:
http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=147388
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And for dessert, Arjuna Ranatunga denies having a harem:
http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=147388
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I’m ignorant about football (quite useful at the moment) but this paragraph in the G caught my eye:
Covering England, one quickly learns there are rules in place. Players were told not to mention anything that related to their clubs or talk about opposition players. This is how silly it became: the players were even under orders not to discuss their games-room dart tournaments. Whose idea was it? “Senior players,” came the FA’s stock answer. Only a little thing, perhaps, but just compare the secrecy surrounding a cuddly toy with the way players from other teams hold themselves in front of the cameras.
Not just the cricket, then.
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Eoin Morgan getting the Alastair Cook free pass at the moment?
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Wasn’t the worst catch he fell to + series in the bank. Would you seriously drop him and make Root or A N Other skipper ?
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Not sure, was a great catch and he has captained the side well, but hasn’t scored many runs in the past few series. Was meant as an open question…
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Under his leadership Eng are playing exciting and winning ODI cricket, literally for the first time ever. Hardly a “free pass”, his relative lack of runs would only be an issue if his presence in the side were inhibiting it; which is clearly not the case.
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It should be pointed out that England have lost series v Australia quite comfortably and then threw away a 2-0 lead to lose in South Africa and have now beaten a Sri Lanka side a pale shadow of those that have come here before. The ‘brand of cricket’ is indeed a lot more exciting, yet the actual cold hard results are a bit more mixed.
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Has more captaincy nous in his little finger than Cook ever has in the whole of his body! The team is where it is because of Morgan, not despite him!
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Loved watching Roy do his stuff. I’ve seen a fair bit of him in first class cricket over the last few years and if it wasn’t for the fact that his game management is often so poor, he would be a reasonable shout for a test spot. His lack of tons in f/c cricket has held him back.
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23 years and The Judge still presides!
There are a couple of good comments of the Guardian thread from one of the few old regulars who’s still bothering.
Other England news – Ball looks likely to make his Test debut (Anderson and Stokes aren’t likely to be fit for the First Test) and Hales looks to be leaving Notts.
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“The report estimates that a New Zealand player, for example, can earn around £171,000 from a central contract playing 70 days of international cricket but about £380,000 by playing 32 days in three Twenty20 leagues”.
Read it and worry:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2016/06/30/players-union-calls-for-fewer-tests-and-more-twenty20/
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What is there to worry? This is exactly what Giles Clarke, Edwards and Srini were aiming for.
Because the only nations whose players can afford to play Test cricket then are England, Australia and India.
Or maybe, international cricket can survive in places like South Africa, when you get the Rory Kleinveldts, Omphile Ramelas and Imraan Khans as star attractions to touring South African sides. So, who will the first England bowler be to take 60 wickets in a three-Test series? There are records for the ages to be set! Who wants to see Rabada when you can have any of these players?
All joking aside, you’d have to be close to be legally incompetent not to be able to foresee any of this. And I don’t fault the players.
No one in the ICC could see any wrong in the administrators of Zimbabwe Cricket pocketing at least $600 000 for themselves, and then paying players such as Brendan Taylor a massive $250 for his performances in the entire tournament. These same idiots wonder why Zimbabwe has basically not qualfiied for the main stage of any ICC tournament on merit in donkey’s years …
So, any bets on the first South African / Sri Lankan / New Zealander / West Indian / Bangladeshi under the age of 28 to declare international retirement? Zimbabwe does not count, since you can’t make any money in cricket in Zimbabwe. ZC has made certain of that, with the willful mismanagement of the game – all with the ICC’s blessing.
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… and then “big three” supporters complain about foreign born “mercenaries” flocking to do their jobs under foreign flags…
I am still reeling from the events of the last week – the chaos not much better over here:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/01/austrian-presidential-election-result-overturned-and-must-be-held-again-hofer-van-der-bellen
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They’re turning the long form into a terrestrial version of yacht racing.
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Just been watching the CPL on Dave…it’s not bad, better than ITV4’s abomination with the IPL
The CPL want it on Dave so that more people can watch it? What kind of crazy notion is that? Lots of people wanting to watch cricket? It’ll never catch on! 🙂
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Who needs press conferences when you can communicate by informative videos like this (“the presentation of the official tartan….”):
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Rome would include cricket in the 2024 Olympics if they are the host city:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/story/1031283.html
There goes another excuse….
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Is status in the ICC a result of proven good governance – or having lorry loads of cash:
http://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2016/media-releases/95242/saudi-arabia-elected-as-iccs-39th-associate-member
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https://twitter.com/AltCricket/status/748799595564584960
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Is that the same Saudi Arabia that withdrew from World Cricket Division 6, last year?
An example of the excellent governance that the ICC strives for.
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Long FICJAM:
http://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1027027/batting-3-0
“The conversation in cricket has, for some time, been happening at the IPL – the game’s most lucrative event. The league’s political and reputational problems, sadly, have partly obscured its development as cricket’s technical, strategic and tactical cutting edge”.
That might have been interesting in 2012.
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2017 schedule released:
http://www.thecricketpaper.com/news/international-cricket/1764/england-announce-schedule-for-2017/
England play seven Tests between July 6th and Sept 11th. The last ODI is on 29th Sept.
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29 September. Day nighter as well. Splendid.
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