Mmmm...Virgil's Spin

It was a win. A poor performance, but still a win. It was nice to see Virgil say that we needed to improve our batting and bowling! We look like a 2nd rate county side at the mo. Being a incorrigible optimist means that I'm thinking that we will peak soon and be the best team in the comp. Of course this is simply insane. We are exactly what we are; not good enough to survive Sri Lanka & Oz this week.

Poor, Poor, Poor

Oh dear. It's always won in the field and we are sloppy. I hate to agree with that mad Hussain chappy but he's right this time. We need to bowl full and straight not the bloody log hops that we are throwing up. We could lose this.

Head 2 Head

England batters have scored 622 runs (excluding extras) between them.
Ireland's batters have scored 490.

England's bowlers have scored 17 wickets (run outs excluded) for the cost of 592 runs
Ireland have managed 19 wickets for 538 runs.

The highest score by an English batsman was the Irishman Ed Joyce - 75
The highest by an Irishman was scored by Australian Jeremy Bray - 115

Revised Prediction

Ok...based upon where we are right now. I reckon the Super 8s will end up like like this:


SL v SA SA Win
WI v NZ NZ Win
IR v EN EN Win
AU v BN AU Win
WI v SL SL Win
BN v NZ NZ Win
IR v SA SA Win
EN v SL EN Win
BN v SA SA Win
AU v EN AU Win
IR v NZ NZ Win
WI v SA SA Win
EN v BN EN Win
SL v NZ SL Win
AU v IR AU Win
SA v NZ SA Win
BN v IR IR Win
AU v SL AU Win
SA v EN SA Win
IR v SL SL Win
WI v BN WI Win
AU v NZ AU Win
WI v EN EN Win

If so the table would end up like this:

AU 14 Points
SA 12 Points
NZ 8 Points
EN 8 Points
SL 8 Points
WI 4 Points
IR 2 Points
BN 0 Points

So based on current Run Rates England would not go through to the semi-finals. Therefore, because of the rules, it is likely to be like this;

AU v SL
SA v NZ

and that would mean AU v SA in the final...which is right because they are the best two sides...but (and it saddens me to say this) those baggy green reprobates will continue as World Champions!

England Vs Kenya

Ok. Fair enough. "A professional win" according to Virgil. I wouldn't exactly agree but there were a few moments of a reasonable clinical performance that made me feel like we could progress further. However, the key to that progression will be whether we can find the gumption to perform against the rest of the best.

Highlights:

• Mahmood back in the side and bowling a few straight ones.
• Jimmy Boy sober enough to get some nice early movement - looked worn out after 6 overs though.
• Pretty good fielding and getting a few run outs
• Flintoff's inswinging Yorker to their skipper
• Ed Joyce's batting
• Figjam's clinical 'I'm gonna be here at the end and get the winning runs' batting
• The look on Virgil's face when he was caught at Backward Point

Lowlights:

• Failure to kill them off when they were 90 odd for 5
• Ed Joyce's drop

All in all pretty good. Might even peak at the right moment. They really need to destroy Ireland later this week...I mean really destroy them. That will make the likes of NZ and SA sit up and pay attention. One convincing win will make these lads buzz. A sad testament to their confidence levels I know, but true nevertheless.

Murdered

I don't want to discuss the conspiracy that will obviously surround the tragic killing of Bob Woolmer. That will run whatever. However, if his murder was directly related to Cricket, then the game has taken a very sorry course. The murky waters of the past which involved captains disgraced over betting syndicates has already done much to ruin the game's reputation. Let us hope the game hasn't entered a more sinister arena.

Bob Woolmer was a true lover of the game. It was a gentleman's game. Let us hope it can retrace its roots and be played once more in its true spirit.

England Vs Canada

In years to come the books will show this as an England win. However, what actually happened was that Canada lost. Once again our middle order looked woeful. Once again we had them on the ropes and failed to go in for the kill. We need that killer instinct. English cricket is in all sorts of trouble. We need bowlers who can consistently take wickets in every game. We need an attacking middle order. KP should bat at 3. Bring in Bopara for JD and let him bat at 6. Find a death bowler. Develop a plan and stick to it.

A disappointing performance all round. Collingwood saved us...and only just.

Bob Woolmer

A sad day. He was truly a decent man and a great coach. He gave a great deal to cricket and will be missed.

Rock Steady Freddie

Well, well, well...

Pedalo Freddie is sidelined...One beer too many? Or perhaps one session too many? Let's face the music and dance...

World Cup Forecast

Ok...complicated cup this. But let's make some assumptions that the groups will finish like this:

A1: AUS
A2: SA
B1: SL
B2: IND
C1: NZ
C2: ENG
D1: WI
D2: IRE

On this assumption England will have to play the following matches in this order:

WI v ENG - 2 points
ENG v SL - 2 points
AUS v ENG - 0 points
ENG v IND - 2 points
ENG v SA - could go either way
IRE v ENG - 2 points

Now, 2 points for a win. We could end up with 10 points, along with AUS, SA & NZ which would make a decent semi-final line up. Of course, we might only get 8 or even 6 points but could still go through. As I understand the rules, in the semi stage you can't play a team from your Group Stage so that would mean we would have to play AUS and SA v NZ would be the other match. Therefore it is likely to be a final between AUS & SA...which will be interesting.

England Vs Canada

Make mine a large one...It seems that this was the cry of England's beleaguered bowlers after Friday's defeat against NZ. Players out on the razz, getting fined and rumours that Freddie got drunk and capsized a boat...good lads. In a way it's a shame they can't put as much vigour into playing cricket. I like a drink and a night out as much as the next man and cricketer's come from a long line of party animals...it's in the blood. But don't get caught! And it would have been fine if they had just thrashed Oz or even NZ...but after a losing match far better to sit in the corner with a beer and lick those wounds!

So today, hangovers will have resolved, players rested, time to take on the minnows. But wait, what happened yesterday? Pakistan outclassed by Ireland. India mauled by Bangladesh. Its worrying but Ireland could actually win the World Cup. What happens then? Give them Test Status?

England need to attack hard today and show their true spirit. To play defensively will be a mistake because Canada will be spurred on by what happened yesterday and will look to dump our drunken team overboard.

England v New Zealand - Group C Match 2

It's good to see that we have found our consistency levels again: Consistently poor.

Ok. So we lost the toss. They put us in. That might not have been what we wanted but to be a world class side you have to take every chance you get. 209 wasn't ever going to be enough against NZ. It might be enough against Canada or Kenya but not these guys. Strange that the oldest & the youngest guys in the team managed to make the score vaguely respectable at the end. Losing 4 wickets for just 5 runs was dreadful.

And then with the ball we had them on the rack at the start with 18 for 3. For once I will agree with that mad Hussain chap; England lack consistent wicket takers in this game. Freddie seems to have lost his edge. I still find myself wondering why we decided that Hoggard is not suited for ODI games. Whilst expensive at 5.29 runs per over, he has still managed to pull off 32 wickets in 26 matches. We could have done with him yesterday. Flintoff by comparison has taken 122 wickets in 116 matches. Even Harmison has a better match average than that. We need to get away from this specialist ODI player thing and get to the point of fielding our best 11 for all matches. Players should be able to adapt. Look at Gilchrest. Plays both games. In tests he bats at 6 or even 7 and in ODIs he opens. Flexible see.

A poor performance that puts pressure on us now. Even Canada & Kenya will have the smell of blood in their nostrils now.

Anderson's Hopeful

According to the BBC Sport site England are hopeful that Jimmy Boy will play. They will make a decision on Friday morning. Seems a bit strange to me. I mean, how can he possibly field effectively? What if we play him, bat 1st and he gets rapped on the knuckles? They should rule him out now. Yet another selection gamble on injured players. Utter madness. Beware the Ides of March!

England Vs New Zealand

Right then. Strap yourself in. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

So Jimmy the Wonder Boy has manged to break a finger on his left hand and dislocate another on his right...and Team England are wondering if he will be fit to play! Of course he won't. I can tell that from here!

In a way this match is must win. If we lose and then find ourselves under pressure to beat Canada & Kenya then we will stuff those matches up too. But we should beat NZ. Especially if Virgil can get through a game without twisting his sweatband or pulling his hat. It would seem that the whole of our squad is made of some brittle material which means they get injured by gusts of wind. Poor lads.

The big question in my mind is why is Stuart Broad off with the A Team (presumably with Mr T & Face) and not in the West Indies as a backup for Jimmy Boy or John Lewis. From what I have seen of him he is certainly equal to both of them.

More Soon.

Off the Pace

Mmmm. I like this guy. He is, without doubt, a class act. His batting is great; gently pushing the ball through mid-wicket in an effortless fashion; pulling across the line on length alone and his text-book cover drive all show that Virgil is an excellent timer of the ball. On Friday it was excellent to see him in the runs. He and Ian Bell played very well for that 2nd wicket. Any concerns that the mad Hussain had about both being in the top three of the batting order because they are 'touch' players are unfounded.

And Virgil was the first to admit that the real problem on Friday was that either he or Bell should have gone on to score 80 or even a ton. That was where we fell down. Freddie & Collingwood did what they have done before and retreat inside the comfort of batting within themselves. The plan failed. Playing that way infects the incoming batsmen. They see the lack of self-confidence and it seeps into their own game. Whilst I will always maintain that Hussain is a complete idiot, he does have a small point that is worth bringing up; We need at least one bat at the crease all the time who will be willing to take the opposition on. Good Cop, Bad Cop. What should have happened is when KP went Fred & Colly should have had a chat and one of them should have said ok I'll keep the strike and hit the rope and the other should have played the anchor.

Next week when we take on the Kiwi's we will have to be ready to adopt such tactics. Fleming is equal to Virgil in his captaining skills. There can be no doubt about his ability to lead a side and certainly no doubt over his batting and determination. The English top order need to be inspired by MV and the way he has come back from injury to score runs. It's true that Virgil likes the slower WI pitches, it helps his timing. But that aside he must inspire if we are to progress.

On the bowling front I'm not sure what to say. Wicket to wicket and look for bowled, LBW and inside edges is one plan. Monty & JD looping it up outside off stump is another. One thing is certain that unless Mahmood can hit the pitch without going wide he will be of no use. We need to support our batsmen by bowling well, and our batsmen need to support our bowlers by not playing within themselves and giving away silly wickets. I would rather see Freddie out hooking for six than playing the wrong line to a straight ball.

England v Australia - A Windies Wind Up

Oh Dear...

What happened there? How did we get from 122 for 1 to 197 all out? Questions, questions. We need some answers. Anybody out there able to tell me what went wrong, because I'm sure I don't know. We seem to go into ultra-defensive mode once KP and Virgil were out and only scored two boundaries in the last 24 overs. What the hell was all that about? Can't blame the pitch because the Aussie openers wasted no time in scoring runs.

We failed to attack their bowling once again and we failed to attack with our bowling. As much as I rate Mahmood it has to be said that he is trying very hard to get deselected with those mad wayward balls. Our bowlers can't afford to be giving away 6, 7 or 8 an over at this level.

Another game thrown away. Another game given to the Aussies that we should have won with ease. If we can't beat the Aussies when they in this poor condition then we might as well go home.

England v Australia - A West Indian Warm Up

Here we go...

Virgil is set to open with Joyce (no place for Strauss) which I think is a good move. Needs to get at least 10 overs at the crease. The real test in Friday's warm up will be for those bowlers on the edge like Mahmood & Plunkett. We need to remember that both of the guys are still young. And the Aussies will be keen to bite back hard. No doubt they will target both the youngsters. Hopefully Lewis will continue to bowl wicket to wicket as he really won't get any swing out there. JD thinks that spin will play a big part in the series, and I think he's right. Fortunately, we are blessed with a decent left-arm spinner in Monty and a pretty good off-breaker in JD. But add into that stew Virgil's own tweakers and KP's turn and bounce and we look pretty well endowed on the spinners front.

I'm pretty optimistic about us beating Oz on Friday. To lose would be disastrous especially when the Aussies are at such a low-ebb and seem to be uncertain that they have even brought the right team. Nice to see indecision; it shows a real like of self-confidence, which from the Aussies is the sweetest music they can play.

Expect plenty of sledging. Expect KP to whack the ball really hard. Expect quick decisions from Virgil about bowling and fielding changes...but most of all expect a tight game where neither side will be looking to take prisoners.

World Cup Warm Up #1

Good performance all round really. Real shame about the opposition but it provides a decent confidence-boosting opportunity. Lewis was the obvious star with the ball but all the bowlers made excellent contributions. Freddie looked like his rhythm was spot on; Mahmood was a little wayward but once he gets used to the conditions I think he will do really well, although he won't be the 1st choice over Anderson or Lewis. And Anderson was even in the catches today.

The real test of our mettle will be on Friday against the Aussies who will still be smarting after their brief tour of NZ and recent destruction by England. Still, if we play like we did today we should roll them over easily.

England expects...

World Cup Warm Up #1

Looking ok...Should romp this. JD turned out well. KP's taking catches and scored a few runs. Belly did the biz again...good lads