Rain, Rain go away, come again another day. After 2 washouts in a row, which will no doubt have the Aussie fans whingeing that the tournament shouldn’t be held in England, the prognosis for today’s play doesn’t look a whole lot better. The weather in Taunton looks to be a mixture of cloud punctured by the odd regular shower and we don’t yet know how the drainage at the ground will cope with the sheer amount of water that has been dumped on it for the few days. The ICC have come out and said that it wouldn’t be logistically possible to have reserve days for all of the games, which I do actually agree with, it’s just a shame that a freak weather front is wreaking havoc with the schedule at the moment.
If we can fashion some sort of play today, then it wouldn’t surprise me if it were a reduced overs game, which might actually benefit Pakistan rather than Australia. Pakistan continue to be an enigma wrapped in a riddle, superb as they were against England one day and then poor as poor can be as they were against the West Indies. I suppose that just adds to the entertainment as to which Pakistan side will actually turn up but it must be a nightmare to be an ardent follower. As for Australia, the 36 run defeat against India, who must now be seen as tournament favourites, rather flatters the Aussies as to how competitive they were in that game. The bowling is still stronger than the batting, especially if David Warner decides on another ‘go slow’ approach to the innings, which often leaves Steve Smith having to rescue the innings with one or two rapid contributions from the lower middle order.
On another note, it has been reported that an average of only 550,000 people tuned into the first few England games of this World Cup, another shiny example of why short term greed does long term harm. There isn’t another sport that would purposely hide a World Cup away from Terrestrial TV (and the Channel 4 highlights at 1am in the morning are just a pathetic joke), but I suppose cricket isn’t like other sports. The ICC have made it clear with a 10 team World Cup that cricket is for the privileged few and certainly not for growing the game amongst the masses. If England do end up exiting the competition early, then i dread to think what the viewing figures will end up looking – it certainly won’t be pretty either way!
As ever, if we do get some form of a game on today or if you just fancy a rant about something else, then please do comment below.
Being Outside Cricket 
Selvey – the sequel:
“The research has been immense but no-one explained it.”
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We all know why they are doing it. To put some cricket back on free to air tv without having to take any of the existing cricket off Sky.
If you support this venture in any way you are, by implication, admitting the decision to take ALL cricket off free to air tv was a giant mistake. How about admitting that Mr Selvey?
It’s also about marginalising ten smaller counties which they have been itching to do for years. Again, they haven’t got the guts to admit
this which is why the PR is so crap. Because they won’t come clean.
They like the idea of city based franchise cricket. They belive that is where the NEW potential customers are going to come from. By the way, I say customers because that is all they want. This is not about attracting young kids to play the sport. It is about getting a new audience who will pay to watch.
Sky have just agreed to pay out a billion pounds for five years. How much less would they have paid without this new venture? Virtually the same I bet. They talk of this new pot of gold, but they have no real idea if it will generate all this new money. They are crickets equivalents of alchemists.
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They use “the game” to mean the county game, the structure, the staff, the salaries. They don’t at all mean the actual game, which would be fine. They mean their part of it, their gravy train.
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You plebs can shoo, what with you questioning not only the great and the good at the ECB, but me, as their loyal supplicant.
As is rightly pointed out, the largest amount of this deal isn’t for the Hundred, it’s for England international cricket.
Still, what did we expect?
There’s something quite fun in watching the great unwashed challenge him…
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Ah, yes typical Selvey. How dare the great unwashed question him??
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The PR is dreadful because they can’t admit the real reasons for why they are doing it. It would be easy to release all the so called research, but it may not be that believable.
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No reason to assume that Mark. It’s not as if they’ve released bits of data before that the supplier of them has objected to so strenuously that they’ve withdrawn their consent from the report.
Oh wait…
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it’s funny how often the reason for ECB failure comes down purely to “PR” rather than intrinsic merit. I seem to remember Selvey and the press corps constantly telling us that KP was “winning the PR war” but once we knew the awful truth we’d all fall into line behind the omniscient ECB.
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First thought: so far, judging by the body language “bad Pakistan” or at least “not very up for it Pakistan” have turned up, so could be quite a comfy win for Aus, weather permitting…
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Second thought: on the article posted yesterday by someone – Mr Bull looks at the World Cup on TV
It’s an interesting historical accident which means we get the direct comparison of Cricket on Pay TV with Women’s Football on the BBC. What’s great analytically is that while Women’s Football is growing in popularity, no-one can claim (as they would with Men’s Football, or eg Rugby Union) that it is currently massively more popular than Men’s cricket in a general sense. ***
And so, there it is to be seen: 600k vs 6 million. 10% of the country vs 1% of the country. (All figures rounded brutally for simplicity.)
Hence, even journalists**** typically loathe to “engage” with critique of the Sky deal find it difficult to ignore the facts.
*** That said, the grassroots of women’s football are so much healthier than cricket it’s like night and day. WF club games may not attract as big crowds as eg the total of domestic cricket, but participation rates are definitely healthier.
**** Not all journalists, but I don’t follow most of those nonsense merchants.
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I believe it was about 3 years ago that the number of women playing football overtook the number of men playing cricket. Obviously, since then the ECB have stopped releasing figures, but they are going in opposite directions undoubtedly.
Such things are complex, but those who deny that visibility is important just make themselves look beyond idiotic.
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On another topic, a mate went to Cardiff on Saturday. Apart from being rather cold all day he noted on the quality of beer being served – Bira 91 – 3.3% – £5.50 a pint. Literally taking the piss by all accounts. He switched to Thatchers Haze cider as Jason ReyRoy got on with it…
https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-releases/923426
Wicket at Taunton! Finch innit.
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3.3% beer used to be called a shandy. How do they get away with his nonsense?
Global partnerships. I want to meat cleave the idiot who came up with that buzzphrase.
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Bira91 was particularly nasty, be it the lager or the IPA. Still anything to claim a partnership and charge the public a lot of money for piss water..
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It’s amzing how so much corporate language is so similar to what came out of the old Soviet Union. You would think that sporting bodies could be free to speak in normal English without aping these idiotic concepts.
“Partners” just means some company that has paid for the rights to flog their wears. Essentially we could all call ourselves partners of the ECB if we have either paid for a Sky contract or paid to go through the gate at a ground.
We are all partners now!
I never understand why there is all this fuss about where they hold world cups for major events as they then come in and obliterate local culture. When the football World Cup was held in Germany you thought wow think of all the great German beers, but they were all marginalised for FiFAs partner beer sponsor. Which for some reason is always referred to as being part of a family. The FIFA family, or The Olympic family.
It’s such a crock…
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I have nothing snide whatsoever to say about the journalist here. Just… blimey, I had no idea.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-7130031/It-wasnt-going-kill-Robin-Smith-hit-rock-bottom.html
Nor am I going to hijack any discussion with my own story, but suffice to say my own blog will eventually cover this subject at some length, and my walk will be raising money for Mind.
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I’d heard about the suicidal stuff because Mark Nicholas mentioned it a while back (and got slated for being a bit insensitive). Not going to hijack it either other than to say with stuff that has been going on with me recently, this strikes a chord.
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I think it strikes a chord with many. 1 in 4 people suffer from mental health issues and it is only just happening now that people can begin to be a bit more open about it.
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Aus 165-1 after 25 overs.
Amir is straining mightily, but with no backup from any of his bowling colleagues, hard to see this match generating much tension. Aus will roll to some 300+ score and there’s enough in the pitch overall that I can’t see how the chase will be even close.
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https://m.timesofindia.com/sports/cricket/icc-world-cup/icc-world-cup-2019-michael-holding-fumes-as-icc-tries-to-gag-him/articleshow/69750139.cms
Thus far this only appears to be being reported in India.
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Hope the image displays because they won’t allow me to cut and past this steaming pile of horseshit, which sums up the way sport is now. Don’t speak ill of the “product”, don’t betray any “commercial” values, and certainly don’t reinforce what you see with your own eyes. I like my commentators to be real and have an opinion, preferably their own.
Sport is all about image, and fuck all about what drives us. Do they think we’ll stop talking about this just because they don’t. I’m not Holding’s biggest fan, but he’s ascended my pop charts with this move.
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“our duty is not to judge or highlight mistakes.”
And with that one statement they have just revealed why cricket is (in a very competitive field) the worst run sport in the world.
So your duty is to throw bucket loads of saccharine at the coverage? To turn it into a Disney like ride of warm gooey fakeness? So cricket coverage is now reduced to Pravda?
It also explains why so many cricket journalists now behave like newsreaders on soviet tv. Do they have to read from a preprepared script? All praise dear leader!
“And after a few words from Michael Atherton, it will be over to Baghdad Bob who will say a few words about how wonderful the ICC is…”
FFS! Nobody is even watching your shitty coverage here in the UK anyway.
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Puff piece time about the 100 as England aren’t playing today. Simply amazed how many of these have leaked out during the WC.
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/cricket/hundred-cannot-solve-all-of-cricket-s-problems-by-itself-admits-ecb-s-sanjay-patel-a4165511.html
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Yes. Just read it on my delayed train. Everyone has told us how challenging Cardiff is. Nice one. What do you want Sanjay? Sympathy?
The line to take from the press is that it may be as edible as a steel sandwich, but it’s up to us to all chew it.
“I’d say to people who don’t like it, I respect and understand that but use this as an opportunity to bring your grandkids, your kids, your family. This format will deliver for those audiences, so use it as a chance to grow the game.”
Words fail me at the arrogance of this one paragraph.
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See letter to Michael Holding…..
Only good news will be accepted. And you have to wonder how many media outlets are under instructions to push the positive.
He obviously doesn’t understand or respect people who say I don’t like it. I don’t want a opportunity, I simply won’t attend or watch.
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It’s breathtaking.
We brought this in when few people wanted it. We did research that we didn’t share. We can’t handle basic stuff like releasing team names yet we call you obsessives. We lie to you in interviews. We don’t answer questions. We discuss nothing until we’ve decided and then it’s a load of nonsense. We pay ourselves ludicrous money, and charge you more to watch England. We decide you abide.
And if it fails. It will be all your fault.
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For consideration during the inevitable rain breaks
https://philosophicaldisquisitions.blogspot.com/2014/08/an-ethical-framework-for-use-of.html
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So Pakistan bowled a lot better in the last 20 overs, although maybe there are signs this Aussie side isn’t in the best batting form.
However, after such a start, Aus made it to 307 and hard to see Pakistan managing 308 on a pitch that has a bit of bounce and movement facing Cummins and Starc.
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Watching Finch bowl makes me think there are some issues with their bowling as well. (actually their bowling is fine, its the selectors who are the problem.) I reckon Australia and India will make the top 4 leaving England, the Windies and New Zealand fighting it out for the other 2 places.
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Rain, and now the impending loss to Australia seem to suggest that Pakistan basically need to win all their games to qualify – they might be able to afford a washout against India or New Zealand. Not going to happen.
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Hassan Ali was briefly interesting there, but Michael Clark is calling it: every time Pakistan get things going, they lose a wicket.
P.S. Andy Bull is really pissing me off. I have more respect for those who’ve been consistently wrong than those who were clearly too cowardly to speak up at the time but now suddenly find an opinion.
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I have to wonder if the influence of you know who was so pervasive that he (and Smyth) dared not go against him. I recall, for instance, both being defensive (borderline protective) after the first backlash in 2012. And Selvey appeared so often in the OBO it resembled a parody of democratised social media.
Just a thought.
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He’s still treated like a titan despite the fact he was dispensed with, and we know he’s not universally loved. But to me, the hit job the Guardian did on TMS in 2009 after he was left off the roster spoke volumes.
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There’s a great tweet about Michael Clarke. He may have some insightful things to say but you have to wage through a wall of noise to get there. I was begging him to shut the hell up on Sunday. It was incessant. Let the game breathe. For heaven’s sake.
Bull. Too late old son. Too little, far too late.
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Given the petulance, bullying and insecure defensiveness of that character, you can be almost certain younger journo’s would have fallen in line, subconsciously or otherwise. That’s the dynamic of any workplace. Bull, for all his florid style, has never been one to challenge or question, we saw it over and over, with the big 3 heist, Stanford etc etc. I’d consider that a weakness as a journalist, but people seem to value him as a “writer”.
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