“Lalit Modi works an 80-hour week or summat like that. He’s never even managed to watch a whole IPL game – only fragments. This is his world. He doesn’t realise that most of the rest of us are lucky if we put in eight hours of actual work in an entire working week. A Test match, played during the daytime, is the best way of avoiding work that there is. That is the modern world, Lalit; a world that revolves around the internet and finding ways to slack off” – King Cricket sets Lalit Modi right, on this and a few other things.
Friday, February 26, 2010
“One of the most nervous moments I’ve had in cricket was after I gave ‘Bunny’ that single in the last over at Centurion” – Paul Collingwood recalls the potentially match-deciding moment in South Africa when he put England’s last batsman, Graham Onions, on strike. Nervous? You and us both, mate.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
“It’s a lack of respect for Test cricket. It’s disappointing that the captain of England decides to have a rest from a Test series, I can’t comprehend that… I hope they are not taking Bangladesh too easy because they can be quite strong” – watch out folks, here’s Shane Warne back at his post, fighting the Ashes air war on Ricky Ponting’s behalf. Stand by your beds!
“There is no doubt that bat has special powers. I remember when I first collected it, when the chap from Woodworm came to Lord’s and handed over the best three blades I’ve ever seen. They were all great, but this one felt perfect in my hands. It was probably a bit like young Arthur pulling the sword form the stone. Now, after passing this one on, I’m hoping they’ll bring out a new one called Legend” – Graham Onions is auctioning his Saffer-defying bat, the only one he has used in Test cricket, for the armed forces charity Help for Heroes.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
“Having fought so hard to draw those two Tests it was disappointing the boys could not hold on in Johannesburg. It has still been a successful tour though, having won the one-day series and drawn the Tests. South Africa are a good side – they have won in Australia in the last 12 months – so a drawn series is very respectable. We have had to fight and scrap” – Mike Gatting reminds us of the positives.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
“England’s players are like the planets of an orrery: when one is passing close to the sun and in decent nick, another will inevitably be orbiting on the dark side and struggling for form – and so the cycle continues with each passing series. The planets will need to be perfectly aligned against the Aussies, or England could get buried” – Ben Dirs reflects on the series for BBC sport.
“[Sunday's play] ended a dreadful series for Pietersen – though Strauss, Jonathan Trott and Matt Prior have fared equally poorly with the bat” – BBC match report. Hmmm. And what do those four have in common?
Saturday, January 16, 2010
When England are experiencing bad times, such as the current bloodbath in Johannesburg, your correspondent finds it very, very tough to keep listening to the radio commentary. This might hold equally true for television; we can’t comment on that since we follow our cricket on the radio. But for the last couple of days the radio has been off.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
“I am in Parktown a kilometre away from the Bullring and it’s not raining. I call this witchcraft by the Poms” – a BBC Live Text contributor from South Africa commenting on the apposite appearance of rain during the Fourth Test. Mate, if we could command supernatural forces, we’d be using them to get the ball to turn. Or maybe to help Daryl Harper locate his glasses and his hearing aid.
“It was a moment too perfect. The sun had just come out, the openers waded purposefully to the crease and the Barmy Army had just timed the climax of an unusually tuneful rendition of Jerusalem with expert precision. I love that moment in a Test match – the fielders getting into position, the confident rehearsal of strokes – whatever the state of the pitch – by the batsmen, the brief unity they enjoy as teammates, before splitting off and undergoing one of the greatest individual tests of character in sport. Then Dale Steyn shattered everything with the first ball of the match” – Rich Abbott writes from Johannesburg for The Corridor blog about the first few moments of a particularly horrible day for England at the Wanderers.
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