Separate One Day Captains?
Brian Lara’s retirement from one day cricket, and in the process leaving the West Indies without a one day captain whilst retaining the test captaincy, once again resumes the debate whether you can have separate captains in different forms of the game.
I can see why Lara has retired from one day cricket - he’s 37 now and can’t really achieve more by staying on. The likelyhood is he would have been sacked as one day captain anyway, so would he have been able to stay on in the team? He is planning to retain the test captaincy, and the West Indies will be in a position England were in a few years ago when Hussain was test captain and Vaughan one day captain.
Now though, we’re in a real position where I think the question is going to be asked after the World Cup about our own captaincy. Vaughan blatently hasn’t done enough as a one day player to stay in the team, let alone be captain. When Vaughan took over the one day captaincy, it was seen thaty he was the natural successor to Hussain as test captain and it was a kind of apprenticeship. There is no reason why he should have failed like he has though - the best cricketers are just that and should be able to play both forms of the game, but who should take over, and does it have any bearing on the test captaincy?
Flintoff was seen as vice captain in both forms of the game until his pedalo episode, so may not be offered the job when he is probably the most obvious option. Strauss was overlooked for the test vice captaincy, and isn’t even sure of a spot in the one day side so couldn’t really be offered the job. The other name to throw into the hat is Collingwood. He has the experience and I think would make an excellent captain. He seems to come across well in interviews as a thinker, and has been around long enough to understand what it means.
So say Collingwood is the one day captain and Vaughan stays as test captain, does this cause potential problems? Especially then when in the test side Freddie and Strauss are considered above Colly in the leadership stakes? Its a minefield to be honest, and one I think the media will have a field day when it happens (because it will). I’d go for Colly as one day captain - keep Vaughan as test captain for the moment, and deal with any potential problems when they arise.
Would anyone do anything differently? Let me know!
Semi Finals Shaping Up
After England’s loss to Australia, and South Africa beating the West Indies yesterday, the semi final line up is starting to become a bit clearer. The West Indies are out of the reckoning after losing yet another super eight game, and England can join them if they don’t win against Bangladesh later today.
The likelyhood is that even if we do win later we will still be up against it and we will have to beat SA when we meet them next Tuesday. SA demolished the Windies yesterday with the bat, and I can see something similar happen when we play them. Although, as they showed against Bangladesh, they are capable of screwing up when expected to do well, so I won’t write our obituary just yet.
I’ve put Sunday’s loss against Australia to the back of my brain, something I had to get rather good at whilst I was out in Australia! If anyone manages to beat Australia then they’ll be World Champs - they have too much class in too many places, and the way they managed to strangle our run rate in the middle of the innings was brilliant. They just have to decide who to put in place of Watson if he doesn’t make it back to full fitness.
World Cup Rest Days
After England’s game the other day, there was a couple of days without cricket, so I took the chance to not post also and keep myself fit for the rest of the tournament!
Tomorrow is kinda Judgement Day for England against our old friends Australia. The time for talking and saying stupid things like “this is where the world cup starts” is over - just get out there and give the performance of your lives boys. We’ll be struggling to do anything more in the competition if tomorrow goes wrong, and we still don’t know our best team, which seems ludicrous but we have chopped and changed now for years so I think we’re all used to it!
The only thing that could save us going home early is how South Africa are doing at the moment against Bangladesh. Chasing 252 to win they are struggling 4 wickets down with only 71 runs on the board as I type this. If they go on to lose, the fourth semi final spot could well be up for grabs and a few teams could be interested. Should be an interesting game tomorrow anyway, and I hope the boys just remember how to beat them like they did in the CB series!
England vs Sri Lanka Part 2
Well Michael Vaughan was double bluffing as I suggested in the last post as Strauss wasn’t selected for this game after all! In an incredibly close game, England lost and will be struggling to make the semi finals without some big results in the next few games starting with Sunday and our old friends Australia.
Back to today’s game, England fielded and bowled ok, if not spectacularly. The total of 236 was thought by many to be too little, but despite some good knocks from KP and Bell early on England were struggling. Freddie tried to hit the leather off the ball ridiculously early in his innings to continue to fail with the bat, and it was left to some great batting by Bopara and Nixon to get us close. Needing 3 off the last ball, it wasn’t to be.
We still ran a very favoured side very close, and I think we can take some heart from this game. There is still some room for things to be changed in the England line up, however. I was speaking to a mate this evening who suggested Bopara at the top of the innings which he’s done for Essex, and I think I agree despite thinking Bopara hadn’t done much in my last post! As an England fan you’re allowed to change your mind regularly! Joyce has had a good run in the team and just isn’t getting the runs we need, and Australia on Sunday is only going to get harder.
Chris Broad has also been brought into the team after Jon Lewis had to return to England to be with his wife. I think there is a huge amount of potential in Broad, but I don’t expect to see him play in the world cup. It should help him get ready for the county season though in warmer climes than England! Who’d be playing cricket this early in the year eh?!
England vs Sri Lanka
Michael Vaughan did a great show of how to let slip the changes you’re going to make in a press conference yesterday in the Caribbean. There had been some talk about whether Andrew Strauss should come into the team as opener after Ed Joyce had failed to set the world alight. It wasn’t certain though, but Vaughan managed to confirm those thoughts.
When asked about facing the strange action from Malinga he said “It’ll be strange for myself and Andr..” at which point he stopped what he was saying and carried on as if he hadn’t let it slip! Class Vaughany, especially if you now don’t open with Strauss and it was a double bluff!
The way England are playing at the moment I can actually see both Joyce and Strauss playing. Dalrymple and Bopara havn’t made strong claims to stay in the side, and against the stronger sides I can see an argument for playing an extra batsman. We shall see though in the game later today which England aren’t expected to win. Whether we’ll play better being the underdogs remains to be seen!
World Cup Gone Sour?
There’s been a bit of talk in the media over the past few days that the world cup isn’t living up to the Caribbean carnival it promised, and to the spectator thousands of miles away it does feel a bit like that. The grounds are woefully attended when games are on, and there are ludicrous stories coming out about some of the restrictions in place.
I’ve heard on the radio of people who hadn’t been allowed in the ground as they were wearing something which may have had a sponsor on the shirt, and they were worried if the TV cameras picked it up! Shocking, someone wearing an England one day shirt but not the “official” world cup one without a sponsor. And the most ludicrous story I’ve read is this one. They had even taped over the name of the manufacturer of the toilet as they weren’t an official sponsor! Yes really!
I still don’t think its as bad as the media are making out though. I’m starting to enjoy the games (when its not raining - I reckon there were less rained off games when it was held in England!), and they’ll only get better as they start to mean more. I think the ICC have cocked up by charging too much in most cases, for most things, and they’ve come out looking pretty bad so far. But give it a couple of weeks, some close games and people will soon find that more interesting that toilets!
