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bewlay

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The turmoil in West Indies cricket continues losing the T20 and first ODI to Zimbabwe (their first against a top :ph34r: nation in over a year). We're in danger of slipping down to the second tier of international sides alongside Bangladesh (who beat a depleted Windies side last year) and Zimbabwe.

C'mon Otis - the time is now!

Edited by btb
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Strange series that India / South Africa one, each team dishing out one thrashing. Shame the two highest-ranked Test sides in the world couldn't have played a longer series.

England have problems with injuries to several quick bowlers in advance of the Bangladesh Tests, which might mean an unfamiliar-looking side. Potentially all four of the quicks who played in SA could be missing. Plunkett finally got a game in the third one-dayer yesterday and then was only bowled for two overs which is hardly a sign of confidence.

Edited by Yoss
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Meanwhile Michael Vaughan has been shooting his mouth off about all these furriners in the England team.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/england/7374216/Michael-Vaughan-calls-for-all-English-England.html

"Someone like Kevin Pietersen made the decision very early to come over to England and he learnt a lot of his cricket here," added Vaughan.

"I do have a problem when the likes of Jonathan Trott (play for England), and (Craig) Kieswetter, who's played for the South African Under-19s. I think in Trott's case he even played for the South Africa A team.

"Now that is where I have a problem, that we have almost got a 'ship-in' system of looking at talent, and a lot of them come over for the money."

Let's check that one shall we Michael? KP moved over to England at the age of 20 when offered a contract to play cricket; Kieswetter moved over at 17 to complete his schooling.

He might have a better case with Trott, but a better case again would be Darren Pattinson, who by all accounts considered himself proudly Aussie until moving here and being picked for England in his late 20s.

Oh, what's that, Pietersen and Pattinson were both picked under Vaughan's own captaincy but Kieswetter and Trott came later? Well there's a coincidence.

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Pattinson was raised in Australia, but because he was born in the UK he didn't even have to serve a residence period (as KP and Kieswetter both did) when he moved back here. But by every account he considered himself fiercely Aussie for most of his life and declaring himself English was a professional decision. Vaughan wasn't happy with his selection, no. But that was because he was shit, I haven't heard any suggestion it was because of his nationality - maybe that played a part too, in fairness to Vaughan.

Both Pietersen and Kieswetter have one British parent (Scottish, in the latter case) and that means I don't have a problem with them being perfectly entitled to declare or consider themselves British (/ English - it comes to the same thing in this context). If they actually do consider themselves as such then fine, but it's difficult to see how you can distinguish between that and someone making the choice for reasons of professional convenience.

The horse has long since bolted anyway, not just with Lamb, Smith and Hick, but the likes of the Hollioakes, who are (or, sadly, were) Australian. (I believe Adam has moved back there now his cricket career is over.) I'm just accusing Vaughan of hypocrisy over his defence of Pietersen, really. If he thinks Pietersen thought of himself as anything other than South African during his childhood then he's quite wrong, and the fact that he wasn't picked for the SA under 19 side while Kieswetter was is entirely incidental.

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Anyone see Cooks bowling spell this morning?

Just saw it now, WTF. 5 overs for 111.

Edit: They also showed Shane Warne vrs Lancashire from a few years back, was really funny. He was bowling bouncers, just dropping it, rolling it, throwing it about 20 ft in the air. He was upset as they didnt declare or something.

Edited by Cowden til i die
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Pakistan ban Mo Yousuf and Younis Khan for life

They do like a bit of internal strife.

Engfrica's first test against Bangladesh is on Friday, no Onions, Sidebottom, or Anderson, and Broad is doubtful.

Having being unable to source anyone from Cape Town or Joburg at such short notice, it looks like Finn or Shahzad will come in for a debut with Swann and Tredwell as dual offspinners.

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Live IPL 20/20 on ITV4 tomorrow too, don't know how much of the rest of the tournament they've got. Goes on far too long and I can never remember which team is which anyway.

They have got all but 1 match, its some group game or other. worth watching for the tasty bit of stuff presenting...

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I've caught about 20 minutes of the IPL as it is fucking bobbins. It's a 2 hour advert where occasionally a cricket match breaks out- and the good thing for me is it might end up cutting back on the amount of T20 in years to come with its current overkill.

In that small space of time I saw enough to agree with the above poster. You can see the top bods at ITV going "well, it's the Indian Premier League, so let's get an Indian Bollywood actress in- she'll be able to lend some inside knowledge, surely". Then there's that useless p***k Matt Smith as well, and as much as he was a fantastic player, Clive Lloyd is comatose inducing.

Back in the proper cricket world, when did fatty Bresnan learn to bowl?

edit: that said, she does have a couple of things going for her. Although they're probably not as big as Bresnan's.

mandira-bedi-wallpaper.jpg

Edited by Fuctifano
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i don't agree about the IPL. this year's tournament has got off to a good start and i think it'll be here for a while yet. the T20 world cup and the champions league were pretty good as well last year, the CL was much better than i expected the aussie teams and trinidad and tobago were superb. the majority of people who want to watch cricket these days are on the subcontinent and it's natural that the main format of the game which is played reflects how they live (being able to watch a full match with result in an evening) rather than something which was designed for 19th century toffs. i'm watching the IPL right now i've just seen a great direct hit and chaminda vaas swinging one onto the stumps of sangakarra, the paying inidian punter is defintely getting value for money. compare that to the test that starts tomorrown, is anyone (that isn't getting paid to do so) going to watch the majority of it?

i like test cricket but england's series against australia and SA highlighted some of it's problems. the got win and a draw despite being clealry inferior in every department to those two sides. is it too much to ask that a series that lasts a month or longer ends up with the better side winning? obviously test cricket can be great but the vagaries of the weather, crap wickets and the ability of guys like collingwood to block for days goes against.

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