Darren Gough’s finest moment

For any of you missing Goughie already, here is his finest moment… I still can’t believe Healy stuck around waiting for a ‘not out’. Good to hear Richie Benaud again too.

 

Consistency the key for England’s selectors

England have announced their 15-man squad for the test series against India that begins in December. National selector Geoff Miller said the selection process was relatively straight forward and I can see what he means. They have been consistent in the selection of players that operated during the summer and not a great deal of risks have been taken, writes Thomas Rooney, exclusively for The Village Cricketer.

There is also an obvious relationship between the test squad and one-day squad. Peter Moores and Kevin Pietersen appear keen to have a similar group of players operating in both the short and long version of the game. Highlighting this is fact that of the 11 players who played the last ODI game against South Africa, only two - Samit Patel and Luke Wright - are not in the test squad for the India tour.

The main talking points prior to this squad being announced were surrounding the wicket-keeper position, the second spinner and the extra batsmen following Michael Vaughan’s absence.

In terms of who will be getting the gloves for the first test in India - well, we still don’t know. Both Matt Prior and Tim Ambrose have been selected in a relatively save move from the selectors. They have recognised Ambrose’s failures but have kept faith with him. Something I think will be another trait of the Moores/Pietersen partnership. However, Prior is likely to get the nod for the One Day series and should he perform well, I think the cricket odds will be backing him to keep the gloves for the test matches.

The next significant selection was that of Graeme Swann who will operate alongside Monty Panesar in the spin department. The Nottinghamshire man was picked ahead of Adil Rashid and Samit Patel who were aiming to make their first test squad. Again, this is a rather conservative selection from the selectors. Not that this is a bad thing. Swann has been in and around the England set-up for quite some time now and has performed admirably in the 12 one-day games he has played. It would perhaps have been too much to ask of Patel or Rashid to make their test bow as the second spinner against India in India. Especially at their age.

Finally, let’s discuss the selection of Owais Shah. The player himself said he was surprised at getting the call, but I wasn’t at all. I believe that Pietersen is a huge fan of Shah’s and has a lot of faith in his ability. The new captain promoted the Middlesex batsman to number three in the ODI games, after all. Shah’s selection meant that Ravi Bopara missed out. As you know, I am a big fan of the Essex man, but it appears that Shah’s superior ability to play spin secured his seat on the plane. Bopara will be devastated, but I don’t think he can have too many complaints on this basis. Bopara’s international career is certainly on hold right now and he is in danger of slipping down the pecking order too far.

Anyway, they are the main talking points after England’s squad for India was announced. Everything else was as expected, with the nucleus of the side looking very strong. It has to be said that in terms of cricket betting, India will be favourites to win the series. However, England will be hoping that the feel good factor surrounding the Pietersen era, along with faith in certain players’ ability and consistent selection could help them prosper.

 

What does the future hold for Ravi Bopara?

England and Essex all-rounder Ravi Bopara has been named as Young Cricketer of the year by the Cricket Writers Club. The 23-year-old is hoping that this can be the moment that helps him progress as a player and finally make a name for himself on the international stage, writes Thomas Rooney, exclusively for The Village Cricketer.

In all honesty, Bopara does frustrate me somewhat. There is no doubting his ability and he has to be considered as one of the most talented youngsters in England right now. He performs superbly for Essex as well averaging 61.52 in the County Championship this year meaning that all the cricket odds are backing him to be Essex’s player of the year as well. In the domestic game, he has had his best season yet – that’s for sure.

So, where does the frustration come into it? Well, as yet, he has been unable to show the same type of form for England. In terms of test matches, he has only played three games – which all came against Sri Lanka in December 2007. It is fair to say he struggled as he only averaged 8.40 in five innings. Making your test debut against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka isn’t easy though and I’m prepared to forgive him for his test record. Hopefully his time will come in test cricket with patience being the key.

However, even in the shorter form of the game – Bopara hasn’t excelled half as much as he should have done. After 28 One Day International’s for England he has only passed 50 twice in averaging 27. He has been in and out of the side, but this is mainly because he hasn’t grabbed his opportunities to impress. Perhaps he doesn’t feel like the selectors trust him quite enough to give him a long run in the side. Again though, this may be because he has shown great potential for Essex, but not for filled this for England.

The England set up is desperate for him to perform and are keeping him involved in the international fold. Despite not being in the team during the recent ODI series victory over South Africa, he was in the squad and knows that it only takes one injury or one player to dip in form for him to be in. With England looking like a very good one-day side though, he MUST perform when called upon next. I am aware that he is only young and not too much should be expected from him at 23, but it will start to effect his confidence. If he keeps getting into the England team only to be dropped again – he might start to question his own right to be there.

Like I have said though, he knows that the England selectors are going to stick with him. He was in the squad for the final test match against South Africa and is expected to be named on the tour of India this winter. The player himself admits that now is the ‘start of bigger things’ for him. He needs to turn into a regular member of the team, rather than a regular member of the squad.

I have no doubt that when he does this, English cricket will benefit a great deal as he is a very talented and focused young cricketer. Should he have a successful winter where he is scoring plenty of runs, I would even be tempted to place a cricket bet on him being involved in the first test match against Australia next summer.

Now is the time to perform though Ravi – start showing everyone what you are made of. Every Essex fan knows it and it is about time every England fan knows it as well.

 

The 15 million dollar men

The Village Cricketer is a little miffed that its September of cricket viewing has been cancelled. Surely the ICC could have changed the location of the tournament so that we could enjoy some cricket on TV during September. Instead, I have to wait until October to get my fix.

Speaking of October, England has named a 15-man squad to play Sir Allen Stanford’s All Stars in November for a chance to win $1million each.

The squad is as follows:

Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire) capt
James Anderson (Lancashire)
Ian Bell (Warwickshire)
Ravi Bopara (Essex)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
Paul Collingwood (Durham)
Alastair Cook (Essex)
Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire)
Stephen Harmison (Durham)
Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire)
Matt Prior (Sussex)
Owais Shah (Middlesex)
Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)
Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire)
Luke Wright (Sussex)

It all kicks off in October, with the big money match on November 1st. Bring it on!

 

Michael Vaughan is rewarded for a batting average of 9.66

In the most surprising of today’s announcements surrounding the players selected for the Stanford Super series and the One Day Internationals against India, former England captain Michael Vaughan has been handed a central contract despite only averaging 9.66 for Yorkshire since returning to the county after resigning as England’s skipper. The England selectors and Kevin Pietersen obviously still have a lot of faith in the 33-year-old’s ability to perform at the highest level, writes Thomas Rooney, Freelance Sports Writer, exclusively for The Village Cricketer.

I say it was the most surprising announcement of the day because all other centrally contracted players were more or less as expected. Matthew Hoggard – who hasn’t played for England since the tour of New Zealand – misses out on a contract and is replaced in the list by the ever improving Stuart Broad who looks set to be at the centre of England’s future. Ryan Sidebottom will be a relieved man after he retained a central contract despite an injury hit summer and the return of fast bowlers Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff to the side. Other than that, it’s pretty much as you were.

So, back to the main topic of discussion – Mr Vaughan. It must be a weight off his shoulders knowing that he is still in favour with the national team and perhaps this will relax him during his final few games for Yorkshire this season. Having just resigned from the captaincy, the pressure was on for him to show he could still perform with the bat and he didn’t exactly prove his doubters wrong. Scores of 10, 0 and 19 meant that he still only averages 24.50 in the County Championship this season. Hardly a record of someone that is ready to turn it on for his country is it? I’d certainly like to see the cricket odds on how he would fair should he return to the international fold for the first test match against India in November.

Overall, I don’t think Vaughan should have been given a contract. Something a central contract does is restrict the amount of times England players turn out for their county. This isn’t what Vaughan needs. He needs time at the crease and he needs to rediscover his best form. The amount of times I have heard him say ‘I’m feeling good in the nets’ is ridiculous and needs to stop. It is out in the middle he needs to perform. England couldn’t consider him on current form. He has to score runs in the county game first.

Perhaps Vaughan should have been handed an Increment contract along with Tim Ambrose, Ravi Bopara, Samit Patel, Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Graeme Swann and Luke Wright. These players are awarded points for when they play in one-day internationals or test matches and if a certain amount is reached, they qualify for a full central contract. This would have given him something to work for and would have meant that he didn’t feel like he could relax as he is going to be paid by England for another twelve months – regardless of his form.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a Michael Vaughan fan. I admired him as a captain and I am aware of his talents with the bat. I just don’t like it when players are picked on past glories.

The other main issue that came to light today as far as I am concerned is that neither Tim Ambrose nor Matt Prior were awarded central contracts. This highlights that the selectors are still undecided about which of them will be the permanent test match keeper going into the India tour. I’d have put a lot of my cricket betting money on the fact that Matt Prior had done enough in the one-day games against South Africa to be awarded a contract, but perhaps it is best he still has to fight hard for his place.

So, despite having a horrific time with the bat, Michael Vaughan is to remain as a centrally contracted England player. Is this right? Should he have been made to earn his money from England by showing signs of form? Who would you have given a contract to instead? Let me know your thoughts.

 

Vaughan out, Pietersen in(?)

Am gutted. Michael Vaughan has resigned as England test captain. What a player and what a captain. On top form few are better, plus he fought so hard to get fit. However, runs and wins are what count, and he simply hasn’t scored the runs he needed to. Add to that we’ve just been beaten by the South Africans - we’re going to have to improve about 500% to even compete with the Aussies next year.

Here’s hoping that with the weight of captaincy lifted he can rediscover the golden form that took him to the top of the rankings some years ago.

Sky Sports news reckons Kevin Pietersen is going to get the captain’s job - for both test and one-dayers (as Collingwood has got the boot resigned). Its a gamble, will he rise to the challenge? I reckon that Cook would’ve been a better bet.

 

Who is Darren Pattinson?

Beefy’s joust admitted on Sky that he knows nothing about Darren Pattinson. That makes two of us! He has, however, just leapt above Hoggard, Harmison, Jones, and a host of other bowlers that would have considered themselves to be in line for a test recall at some stage.

Simon Briggs in the Telegraph provides more details, although evens Pattinson’s club coach was not particularly praising: “You’d think there would be young guys over there who’d get looked at ahead of ‘Patto’.”

 

Hypocritical Kiwis get hot under collar

Great match today, but a real shame the Kiwis won. There was a great deal of fuss about the run-out of Grant Elliott, who collided with Sidebottom going for a quick single. You can read about that on Cricinfo.

The Kiwis got all self-righteous, jumping up and down about the “spirit of cricket”, and kicking up a real stink. Daniel Vettori was apologetic about his team’s behaviour, after Collingwood said he may have made a mistake not calling Elliott back. I’m not sure Vettori would have been diplomatic had his side lost.

What got me though, was that it was not long ago that the Kiwis were completely unapologetic when Brendon McCullum ran out Muralitharan when he left his ground to congratulate Kumar Sangakkara on making a hundred. On that occasion Kiwi captain Stephen Fleming said he was happy with McCullum’s actions. It is somewhat hypocritical for them to kick up so much fuss about today’s happenings.

Seems like one-way-streets exist on both sides of the Tasman Sea.

The offending event:

 

Experience overcomes excitement

Strewth! Having spent the best part of three days preparing to eat humble pie after labelling the Kiwi’s a one-man-band, England manage to engineer a reversal of fortunes to rival its own calamitous dash to defeat in Adelaide last December.

You have to hand it to the Kiwis though. Written off by pretty much everyone, they have managed to scrap well enough in the two tests so far to put themselves in decent positions, and have played some wonderful attacking cricket. Experience told at Old Trafford though.

 

Guide to the Kiwi crucket team

For those of us (let’s face it, pretty much all of us) who needs an introduction to the touring Kiwi crucket side, the Beige Brigade has commissioned a special report.