CRICKET!! breaking news, gossip, lies, whatever etc..

[benjybars]

gotta say i'm quite impressed with the way england came back in the second test... i was convinced we'd lose 3-0 after the way we folded in the first..

 

[simon silverdollar]

any one checked out this new sri lankan spin bowler, Mendis?

'the new murali' seems to be the tag that he's been saddled with, perhaps unfortunately for him.

still, he looks really exciting- he's kind of unclassifiable as a bowler, as he bowls offbreaks, legbreaks, googlies, top spinners, flippers and medium pace; he has no stock delivery.

also, i like his Warne-esque intimidating presence.

anyway, have a look:

 

[benjybars]

yeah, definitely good presence..


but did u see the way chanderpaul won that match! 6 to win off the last ball and he smashes it over the cover boundary! what a badman!

 

[don_quixote]

i've always hated kevin pietersen, but in regards to the ipl he's surpassing himself:

last week:

England's centrally contracted cricketers may not be playing in the Indian Premier League but they will certainly be watching it. While their county colleagues are out on the field braving the April weather this afternoon, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood both admit that they will have their feet up at home in front of the TV, watching the Bangalore Royal Challengers take on the Kolkata Knight Riders.
"I'll definitely be watching it," said Pietersen, who is not playing in Hampshire's current championship match against Sussex. "I'm very interested to see how it goes. I hope it's a massive success and there's no reason why it won't be, with all the money pumped into it and all the best players in the world playing it. It's something fresh, exciting and new."

Both Pietersen and Collingwood, England's one-day captain, already have a subscription to the channel screening the IPL, but neither has been getting much use out of it so far. Pietersen said his brother had signed him up to a Setanta Sports account so that they could watch a Chelsea match and Collingwood got his subscription so that he could see "Sunderland play Juventus in a pre-season game or something".
Given that both men are currently enjoying a break from the game before returning to their county sides to prepare for the first Test against New Zealand on May 15, their TV sets will be getting a lot more use. "I think every single player will be watching the IPL over the next few weeks," Collingwood said. "I'll certainly be keeping a close eye on it."

Both are insistent that next season they expect to be taking part in the tournament. "At the moment we can't play," Collingwood continued. "But I've got to be honest, players are going to be tempted. Hopefully it won't come to the situation where players have got to make a choice but, when there's money like this bandied about, players will make a decision."

Pietersen agreed. "I don't see anything wrong with any of us saying we want to go and earn that kind of money. The people who criticise and abuse us, they're not going to pay my child's school fees, are they? I'm not going to play cricket when I'm 50 so, the sums of money I've been offered, it's ridiculous to think that people might knock you for it."

With rather rare modesty, Pietersen refused to say how much he had been offered to play in India, but he gave a clue when he described being a cricketer at the moment as "like winning the lottery".

The increasingly likely prospect of a Twenty20 match against Allen Stanford's Caribbean All Stars has only exacerbated that feeling. Seemingly undaunted by the prospect of the mooted winner-takes-$20m (£10m) match, Pietersen quipped: "I just hope I get selected for it. There'll be some very nervous blokes; there won't be much drinking before that fixture."

Collingwood was more circumspect. "You can't say what kind of impact it is going to have. All we know is that Twenty20 is getting bigger and bigger. I really do think this is just the tip of the iceberg we're seeing now." The two insist that their focus is on the forthcoming summer, but for the next two weeks at least it seems the England players will keep one eye on what is happening in India.

a fortnight ago:

Kevin Pietersen has already expressed a wish to play in India's lucrative new Twenty20 competition, in which he could fairly anticipate making around GBP £300,000 for six weeks' work, even complaining that the West Indian captain, Chris Gayle, had been taunting him with text messages awash with $$$ signs.

end of february:

Kevin Pietersen has insisted no amount of money will tempt him to join the Indian Premier League (IPL). Despite offers coming his way to play in the multi-million dollar tournament, Pietersen says he's focused on his England career, which is too important to him.

No England player was involved in the first IPL auction as the tournament clashes with the start of the county season. However, interest was shown in a few leading stars such as Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff.

"I know there is interest and, yes, there have been offers, etc etc, but it's not something I'm particularly interested in," Pietersen told BBC Five Live. "Money's not really too important, it's not as if I need money right now," he said. "I'm really enjoying doing what I'm doing. I love playing for England, I love playing for the spectators."

"England has given me a fantastic opportunity to a fantastic life at the moment. So I'm fully committed 100% to playing for England, to winning games for England, to scoring thousands more runs for England."

Earlier, Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman and commissioner, had indicated that future editions of the tournament might be rescheduled in order to avoid a clash with England's domestic season.

last year:

Kevin Pietersen has again called for more time off for England's players as he squeezes in a short break ahead of the India series. He says his poor form during the one-day series against West Indies, 42 runs in three innings, was down to him becoming increasingly tired during the season.

He began the summer with a bang, hitting a career-best 226 at Headingley after a century at Lord's, but his form has slowly tailed off since. His packed schedule led to the ECB chartering a helicopter to fly him straight from the final Test at Chester-le-Street to The Rose Bowl for Hampshire's Friends Provident quarter-final against Warwickshire.

"I'm mentally fatigued - really, really tired. It was a long winter of Champions Trophy, then the Ashes, then the World Cup," he said. "I rattled into the West Indies series but got progressively worse, more and more tired.

"That's why I have to make the most of these little windows of opportunity for a proper rest. So we're going out of this country, I'm going to turn my mobile off and enjoy waking up knowing I don't have to play cricket or do a gym session."

Pietersen had a four-week break during the CB Series after breaking his rib, but won't have another sustained period away from cricket until mid-October. Three days after England's final ODI against India the Twenty20 World Championships start in South Africa, from where England fly straight to Sri Lanka for a five-match one-day series.

Then there is a month's break before England return to Sri Lanka for a three-Test series before, following a rare Christmas at home, leaving for New Zealand in late January to play two Twenty20 Internationals, five ODIs and three Tests.

yeah just so tired. but think of the money kevin!!

worst of all his middle name is peter.

ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!!!

england shouldn't have picked him in the first place. i hope south africa pummel us this summer. in revenge.

 

[simon silverdollar]

dale steyn will tear england apart. it's not going to be pretty.

 

[don_quixote]

newsflash: kevin pietersen does not have a child. which makes his pleas even more bizarre. is that the best thing he could come up with?!

 

[crackerjack]

I know it's only NZ and I know he's done this kind of thing before, only to then go for 0-157 in the next match, but for one afternoon at least, Jimmy Anderson is a star. He even scored 28 - and if you've ever seen him bat, you'll know that's some achievement.

 

[don_quixote]

so. im playing cricket this evening for the staff team at my college. im a bit clueless about etiquette - what am i meant to bring? i've got whites and a box. am i expected to bring a bat (i dont have one)? pads? gloves? a ball? umpiring jacket?

or is it cool to just borrow these? i knew it was at uni, i just dont know how well that attitude is received in the real world. (knowing that at uni you could get away with playing shorts, tracky bottoms, red etc. not that i did. of course)

 

[benjybars]

so. im playing cricket this evening for the staff team at my college. im a bit clueless about etiquette - what am i meant to bring? i've got whites and a box. am i expected to bring a bat (i dont have one)? pads? gloves? a ball? umpiring jacket?

or is it cool to just borrow these? i knew it was at uni, i just dont know how well that attitude is received in the real world. (knowing that at uni you could get away with playing shorts, tracky bottoms, red etc. not that i did. of course)

as long as you bring your own box...


how did it go?

 

[jenks]

KP at his brutal best:









second one is the better shot I feel

 

[crackerjack]

So, Dissensus cricket massive(?), what's the verdict? Good start for England, but is it the calm before the pummelling?

And for all the talk of KP, is the possible return of Strauss to his stodgy, stolid peak the best news England couold have?

 

[simon silverdollar]

hmm, interesting innit. i read on cricinfo's ball-by-ball something like, '92 mph, but only just lands on cut strip' to describe morkel's bowling. sounds like they've got the new harmison! i'm oddly positive about englan's batting line up, now that collingwood seems to have found a bit of form and strauss is playing well. i do think ambrose is a bit rubbish, but now that SA's bowlers seem to like bowling short and wide he could have a good match.

 

[crackerjack]

Well this is a breeze. Can we play them every week?

 

[crackerjack]

That's the end of that then

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/7539433.stm

Who's stepping up? Either Collingwood or Strauss, I spose, which leaves the team run by a player with unproven captaincy skills and patchy form.

 

[Diggedy Derek]

Well, aren't Sky suggesting it will be KP?

I dunno, I can't see many contenders. Strauss = too average, ditto Collinwood, Bell = too fragile mentally, Flintoff = too fragile physically.

KP is definitely the first name on the teamsheet. Why not give it to him?

 

[crackerjack]

Well, aren't Sky suggesting it will be KP?

I dunno, I can't see many contenders. Strauss = too average, ditto Collinwood, Bell = too fragile mentally, Flintoff = too fragile physically.

KP is definitely the first name on the teamsheet. Why not give it to him?

Because it requires more than he's got to offer, I think - not just the ability to inspire/lead from the front etc. In the field, the captain is the tactician. Judging by the way he got himself out on friday night, Pieterson's grasp of tactics owes more to Custer than Brearley.

Seems Collingwood has ruled himself out and has stepped down from 1-day job. The Guardian says KP is the favourite for both jobs. Disaster ahoy!

Edit: I agree re the lack of contenders. Reckon Straussd would be best of a very poor bunch.

 

[simon silverdollar]

strauss in the short term, cook in the long term in my guess. i think the selectors will be too wary about risking KP's talent by giving him added pressure. also, he's not all that popular among his team mates (allegedly).

who to bat at number 3, though? hello, mark ramprakash...

 

[crackerjack]

strauss in the short term, cook in the long term in my guess.

Sounds about right.

i think the selectors will be too wary about risking KP's talent by giving him added pressure. also, he's not all that popular among his team mates (allegedly).

Can't imagine why, seems such a charming, level-headed character

Promoting Vaughan got England a great captain, but turned one of the world's best batsmen into an average player. The captain doesn't have to be the best player, just a good one, respected by teammates with some indication of leadership talent. And a tactial genius, obviously.

who to bat at number 3, though? hello, mark ramprakash...

Does anyone know anything about county cricket? Do the selectors (hi Pattinson)? Ask me to name the top 5 contenders and I'll just dredge my mind for the names of people who've been tried before, and dropped.

 

[crackerjack]

Incidentlally, you think they might dangle it in front of KP in return for a promise not to play in the Indian league? or are these separate issues?

 

[hucks]

Does anyone know anything about county cricket? Do the selectors (hi Pattinson)? Ask me to name the top 5 contenders and I'll just dredge my mind for the names of people who've been tried before, and dropped.

Such as Rob Key! He is captain of Kent, decent batsman (can bat at 3, can also open). Always thought he was a decent player for England, just comically overweight. His stats are pretty average, tho, boosted by a huge double ton against the Windies.

I'd be fully in favour of bringing in someone from outside the team to be captain, though, given the choices within the side currently.

And bringing in Owais Shah, 'cos he's great.