Let’s be honest, the entire country is going to be watching England against Colombia in the World Cup, and included in that whole country is me as well.
Nevertheless, this is the first encounter between these sides as the meat of the summer gets underway, and ironically enough, were it not for the shoehorned ODI series against Australia, this schedule would make a great deal of sense. When it comes to international cricket, the T20s as the nibbles, the ODIs as the hors d’oeuvres and the Tests as the main course is exactly the right approach, and one that really shouldn’t be varied from.
It’s true that the 2005 Ashes series is often quoted as the paradigm to follow in this regard, for the anticipation built steadily to the point that the first Test felt like the climax to a summer of cricket. But that doesn’t mean it was a complete one off – the last series but one in New Zealand scheduled three of each format, with the Tests last and the T20s first. It presented a rational, balanced approach to a tour and a structure that shouldn’t be varied from in concept.
Elsewhere, the ICC have announced a revision of the punishments that can now be expected for ball tampering. The word “draconian” seems appropriate. While poor conduct needs to be stamped out, the reaction to the actual breaches by the Australian side in South Africa has been extraordinary. The schadenfreude came from the pompous, holier than thou conduct emanating from Australia in the years before, not the actual crime. It can be said that it is welcome that the ICC enforce discipline on the teams, but it is obviously too much to ask that they do so for repeated infractions over such things as over-rates, clearly.
Comments below, mostly based on the bits between the football. Oh and one last thing: here’s a lesson in how to re-integrate with supporters. The hostility towards the England football team has largely melted away after a determined effort on their part to re-connect with the fan base. This doesn’t include treating them like total idiots, and does include a structure whereby the supporters can actually watch their team. ECB take note.
Being Outside Cricket 
I’m heading to a local pub to watch the football. ECB had some bad Karma by planning the series in this way. They should have started with a nice test series then go on for the white ball games. Like I said in my post. Karma is a bitch. https://soanstimes.com/2018/06/20/karma-is-a-bitch/
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Why didn’t the ECB schedule this match for tomorrow when there is no World Cup on? Surely they must have seen that tonight’s game would involve a team from England’s group?
I’m sure someone at The ECB who is on an enormous salary gets paid to plan all this.
On the football front…..If you are getting a bit worried about tonight, and maybe thinking England will lose. Just think, we could have already been knocked out by Japan yesterday.
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Surely you’re not suggesting that England wouldn’t have been able to fight their way back into the match like Belgium did? 🙂 Anyway, I don’t think our chances tonight are any better (glass half empty) or any worse (glass half full) than 50/50. We might get through, but it could just as easily all go badly wrong. For a notional quarter final, Sweden would be tough to break down while Switzerland can be a pretty potent team if they have a full strength squad to pick from (including a few players who, as the Serbia game showed, seem a little confused about which country they’re actually representing). This may be the “easier” side of the draw but it’s probably about as tough as England can reasonably hope to handle – even though I do think Southgate is doing a decent job with what he has available.
As for the T20, it might as well be played on the Moon and be between Mongolia and the Philippines for all the attention anyone will be paying it.
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So if we win tonight we will play Sweden. How is that worse than playing Brazil? What ever happens tonight, it was the right move to finish second in the group. (Not sure it can be proved that we tried to lose, but Southgate rested players)
England being England are quite cabable of losing to Columbia, or indeed Sweden or Russia. That’s not the point. It’s still better than playing Brazil in the quarter final. Not that our moron football media can understand this. They are still getting ready to tip a barrel of shit over Southgate if he doesn’t win tonight’s match.
Many of them are hoping for a Colombian win. That’s because they are arrogant, self important, entitled frauds. I hope England win tonight for no other reason than the media are forced to STFU.
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What will be England’s fate?
Will they keep their quarter-final date,
Or head for the exit gate?
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Looks like England are desperate to play against Kuldeep in the Test series …
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Meanwhile at the cricket, Kuldeep Yadav is making hay while the sun shines. Four wickets and almost a hat trick. England started OK but just a bit tied down right now….. 117 for 6 in the 15th over.
Lots of happy Indian fans, packed ground.
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Five wickets for Kuldeep.
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The crowd seems to have thinned out, there must be another event somewhere. India are walking this.
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Hm, well, I know England like to lose the first game of a series but that wasn’t just losing, that was was being hopelessly outclassed. The only England player who was on a level with the opposition was Buttler.
Beautiful century from Rahul.
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So glad for the team, and once again the English football media made to look like he chumps they are. Morons, and clever dicks who are taking money on false pretences.
I look forward to reading their grovelling apologies about their obsession with Japan. Of course it won’t happen because they have no integrity.
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Football needs to get some of the new ICC guidelines on cheating and disobeying an umpire.
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I remember a time when BBC radio had skilled commentators. Men who actually did what they were paid to do, namely commentate. Now they employ clowns who just regurgitate BBC advertising relentlessly.
Take this joker tonight that was on 5 live. Non stop about how you can contact us because we really want to hear your views. Get the BBC app, go on the web site, email us, text us, listen to the Pod cast tomorrow morning. How about you commentate on the bloody game going on tonight? I am not remotely interested in hearing the opinions of Kelly Cates after the game. What I want to do is hear a commentary of the game being played now.
If he’s not repeating the above endless advertising every ten minutes he’s boring us with yawn enduring statistics. He’s obviously reading from a script given to him by some pen pusher with a clip board and a degree in “Meja studies.”
I know it’s BBC radio five live, you don’t need to tell me every few minutes. The BBC used to have some class, and gravitas. Some confidence. Now they are a bunch of amateurs who sound like desperate second hand car dealers trying to flog you something.
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BBC now have some tosser on called Luke talking shit. They spend all night telling us they want to hear people’s opinions, and then they serve up cretinism like this.
Why bother with the endless emails and texts and phone ins? Total waste of time. You might as well pull drunks in off the street. The BBC would probably value their opinions.
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I thought the BBC highlights last night was one of the most unprofessional sports programmes I’ve seen. I prefer something that isn’t totally bipolar. Sure, cheer on your team while the game is on, but you are supposed to be journos or experts. I don’t want to bash the BBC because they still retain some good stuff, but it’s clear they think this is what we want.
Southgate being canonised is hilarious. But that’s us. We overreact. When England won I cheered like hell and then thought “We created very little…” You’ve got to be sanguine about this. This team, if it wins, is going to be dirty, going to milk things, and going to have to scrap for everything. We will do what Colombia did, maybe not to the extremes, but we will be professional.
The fact remains. Nothing generates this fervour like a national competition on free to air. Oh lesson to learn….
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The ECB will never learn.
As to England, they are not the “greatest ever” for sure. I just like seeing the football journalists make total arse holes of themselves.
Last nights win means their whole narrative about Japan was wrong. Never has so much rubbish been written for about a week. These fools have their own show on a Sunday morning.. extraordinary!!
And you know many of them so wanted England to lose last night. They will never admit it though. No integrity.
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Got my team selection right. Good batting from England and poor from bhuvi. Hope he gets better. We rely on him for wickets in tests and seems to be struggling.
Both Yadavs bowled well in ipl. Expected them to do well and take wickets. Kl Rahul is the man in form. Shikhar and rohit and kohli not so good and need to improve. Chahal has to icky up too. Important for him to bowl well in tandem with kuldeep.
Expect kuldeep to certainly have a great chance to play the tests now though early days.
Congrats on the football win to English fans.
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Chahal has to buck up. Sorry for typo.
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Great to see a left-arm wrist spinner, a rare breed. Hope he plays in all formats. we certainly struggled to read him last night
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England not good enough against spin shocker.
While we may have some disdain for Lovejoy, on the subject of England’s spin travails he makes a good point- when he (and Panesar) were starting out they both played for Northamptonshire, which was considered a spin-bowlers’ paradise. It encouraged attacking mindsets from both bowlers and their captain and England flourised, especially in the Ashes 2010/11 (when Swann’s talents enabled him to bowl long spells and permit the use of a 4 man attack- which enabled Comma and Mood-Hoover to play Bell as a 6th specialist batsman) and the 2012 tour of India.
Now, with the deprecation of red-ball cricket, pitches and overhead conditions favour fast-medium and venues that encourage spinners (such as Taunton) are mocked as a result.
The ECB, in its obsession with controlling the all of English cricket, has forgotten that it is a sport that is meant to be played in a variety of conditions and situations and now there are vast gaps in English players’ experience and they’re being asked to continually catch up.
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Meanwhile, in the West Indies Bangladesh collapsed to 43 all out after being inserted upon losing the toss. Dreadful innings, and Liton Das made 25 (58% of all Bangladesh’s runs – mind you Mushifiqur, Shakib and Mahmadullah contributed all of 0 runs between them). I am sure this will be used to justify not hosting Bangladesh ever again by various boards. At least not until the Bangladeshi economy really kicks off …
Funny how such excuses will never be used when an economic powerhouse such as England manage to string together a 31-run tenth wicket partnership to reach the dizzy heights of 58 in New Zealand. And somehow I do think that the conditions England faced in New Zealand were, umm, typically English.
Mind you, it was probably the first time in six years that Bangladesh played in such conditions.
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Also, it’s clearly Liton Das’s fault what with the stupid shot he played.
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I wonder what scores Devon Smith and Kraigg Brathwaitte will end up according to #Cookmaths.
Brathwaitte currently on 43*, Smith on 53* (after 35 overs).
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Thus far, Brathwaite 121/1, Bangladesh 105/16 …
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In 1990 England were just preparing to play their third test of the summer, against New Zealand. I remember reading a Wisden at the time saying the series was overshadowed by Italia 90, which it was!
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Yes it’s very sad, and I can’t help thinking the English weather being what it is, there will probably be much lost days to downpours come August. People sitting under umbrellas thinking why weren’t we playing in June & July?
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There is something priceless about watching England football journalists filming themselves as England win the penalty shoot out to prove how much they support the team. It goes from the sublime to the ridiculous.
If they hadn’t been so smug, and sneeringly dishonest for the last few decades they would not be in this mess right now. Nobody gives a flying fig how much they jump around now. It’s fake news.
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What you have to realise Mark is that sports presentation these days is as much about the presenters/pundits as the actual event itself. Case in point at the end of Royal Ascot Ed Chamberlain announced the ITV coverage would end with a rendition of Jerusalem from the bandstand, a nice traditional way to close you would have thought. What we got instead was an array of presenters/pundits/hangers on on the steps of the bandstand each armed with a microphone murdering William Blake’s fine anthem and completely drowning out the band
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“sports presentation these days is as much about the presenters/pundits as the actual event itself.“
Absolutely!!
When I listen to the commentary sometimes I get the feeling they wish the match would hurry up and end so they can get back to doing what they really enjoy. Which is talking about themselves, and their opinions.
The radio BBC five live commentary are more interested in pushing their bloody podcast. “Robbie Savage will be on in the breakfast pod cast tomorrow morning.” …Really? Who gives a shit?
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Hey Quebecer,
I don’t want to get personal but your name isn’t Aaron Gibbons is it? Just checking.
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If it’s the Aaron Gibbons I think you mean, Fred, he’s unfortunately deceased, so if he was Quebecer he would never be able to tell us….
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I’ve always thought Quebecer’s voice to be eternal.
It does sound like the sort of trouble he’d get himself into.
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After I do finally shuffle off this mortal coil, I certainly intend to haunt you with things like, that Billy Stanlake looks good, but has the same leap in delivery that caused serious injuries to both Simon Jones and Pat Cummins.
Oh, and jolly good effort from your lot recently. Terribly unforntunate.
Things like that.
P.S. Zeph, btw, does know my true identity, and I trust her completely.
P.P.S. It’s Mrs. Q who takes care of all polar bear business.
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I don’t need to know who you are, just that you aren’t that poor soul.
Long odds, but the English are getting pretty cocky these days. A polar bear? Pff don’t worry kids, I’ll show him my reverse sweep.
Anyway, reading polar bear stories now because there’s not much cricket being played currently. In fact, there’s been no matches since the Ashes, I believe.
It’s all about football at the mome….no, lets not go there.
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I know about one of your identities, q, but of course you might be under even deeper cover.
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