I can't believe i haven't posted much lately... probably got to do with being ridiculously busy.
The reason why i can't believe it is because there is so much going on in the cricket world.
Firstly the IPL: after a average start to the comp, it looks like Warnies mob are winding up again; funny thing how well he captains... maybe he missed his true calling! He has bowled a couple of good spells too, and one average one. It is clearly enough to get people asking would he go to England? Obviously he will, only to neck pints and pies in the stand!
Hughes is having fun in Blighty at the moment too; back to back tons. Clearly a good way to ensure he has a spot in the test side once the Ashes begin. Maybe Brad Hodge should push for a spot in the Ashes side as a bowler after his 3-24 off 4 overs! It might be the only way in for him!
And to merge the two paragraphs above- T20 and England, we hear now that the ECB want to develop a rival 20-20 comp for the English summer called P20. What a joke! The plan is to have it based on the county sides and yet wants to draw in big name internationals; like the Raj now has the money to compete against India! When is the ICC going to look at an international club competition? Like the champions league, but with enough dollars to keep the splitters happy and consolidate this need to play a competition like this. IPL, ICL, Stanford, P20 etc and whatever. I understand peoples reservations against T20, i myself- while preferring test- am just happy to have any cricket, but let's get some consistency and uniformity to T20 at a level outside of international competition.
What else is news? India are prepared to give ICL players permission to play again if they end their connection with ICL; how generous of them!
Brett Lee looks likely to be called back up again... according to himself. It might be a bit of a shite-fight with Johnson and Siddle totally worthy of their positions, Clark fit again (but lacking form yet), Hilfenhaus needed to provide swing in England and a spinner likely to figure in the equation.
Another offie being pinged for chucking whilst playing against Australia, then Ajmal got fined for having a sook in the media accusing Watson of dobbing on him! Boo Hoo!
See, it is all happening, and i haven't even mentioned the Australian/Paki results in UAE... any takers?
stoph verismo
down the wicket
Hit and giggle is the only way I can describe IPL. Or backyard cricket with tippety run. The batsmen are in slog mode with apparently no other intent than to clear the fence at least once an over and the commentators are permanently set to cardiac arrest. It's no wonder Sir Benaud has stayed away from calling these games cos he'd be dead by now at the volume and intensity they are maintaining all game. You would think with the number of sixes hit in a game the commentators would be slightly less amused with each one but they continue to go off tap whilst still managing to mention the sponsors every other word.
ReplyDeleteIf this is the future of cricket I am appalled. You can't look anywhere without seeing a sponsors logo and the cricket is so condensed yet somehow diluted as to become almost redundant in the grand scheme of things. I say grand scheme because when it all comes down to it this IPL is about money. For the players, for the sponsors and for the media.
I think I need to throw up.
you are right mate about the quality and in reality the relevance to "the game", it doesn't make me sick because i see it as it really is: fast food. people are attracted to fast food even though it is crap, but it fills a need. i think T20 is almost a necessity for cricket because cricket needs mass appeal globally, something the refinement of test doesn't deliver elsewhere except maybe here and England.
ReplyDeleteLet the baby have his bottle and we will- i hope- get at least more flow down to the test arena. Sports fans will always prefer test, but players i'm sure want to capitalise on the relatively short time frame they have to secure their futures; so yes, it is probably 99% about money, and 1% entertainment.
Love the club champions 20/20 trophy idea! If quickly digestible cricket is going to go the way of the IPL, the ICC has to organise itself and adapt the equivalent in European soccer. Nospmas, I don't dig it that the sport has been reduced, chewed up and then had part of it spat out again: but it's here and not looking like it's going to go away. So why not have international 'club' teams doing the 20/20 dance? I don't think any of this will happen though. The 'International' cricket council ain't so non-partisan and incorruptible.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of the UAE series. Has anybody really cared about it? And now Haddin is going to captain the side for the Twenty20. He's been in the side for 2 years now he is captain. I think all this delegating of the head job is diluting it in a way. After all it's still Australia in an ICC sanctioned game. I don't like it one bit.....
ReplyDelete