In colts grade cricket in the ’60s and ’70s a senior player with a teaching bent was often allowed to captain the team. He might have been in his 40s or 50s typically and the nurturing came from a man, not another kid.
On Friday night, George Bailey and Cameron White showed why having ‘senior cits’ in the line-up can work a treat.
Bailey and White could leave Nathan Coulter-Nile, Josh Hazlewood, James Muirhead, Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell to do all the legwork at the bowling crease and in the field. After that, there was little left to do.
The target of 131 was paltry. It was knocked off in 15 overs.
As Stuart Broad said, “We’re used to posting 180 to 200 and this Australian team is too good for that. They bowled full and we didn’t.”
But back to the old guys, White and Bailey. The latter, still carrying his groin/leg strain, massacred anything short, while English bowler Jade Dernbach wanted to fight White after the bell.
I think the huff and puff stuff from Australia needs to be a little more restrained.
Kicking an opponent when he’s down is either World Championship Wrestling or cage fighting, not cricket.
The verbal gets under the skin but when it’s payback time, often the giver doesn’t like being the receiver.
Which sets the whole cycle turning again. Nobody wins in the end.
The Australian philosophy to put England off their game via verbal and violence has worked a treat.
I understand the need to keep your opponent on the receiving end, but verbal abuse will go too far one day and someone like Dernbach will lose the plot.
Don’t worry about England. They will re-group, even without departed coach Andy Flower, whose resignation I believe to be a mistake on the ECB’s part.
It’s been a tumultuous year for English cricket and the ECB just added to it. Not the kind of leadership one would expect from the ECB, so maybe there’s more to the story to come out.
This game and all the limited overs games have been experiments for England.
They’ve learned that Ballance is overweight and needs work. That Tredwell is a handy player in both limited overs formats. That Buttler is the next England keeper. That Morgan leads from the front and deserves Test match status.
I think I have come to understand how cricket works and, in particular, how Australian cricket has come to be the best.
Talent identification, both at an early age and after they turn 30.
Did anyone think that White, Bailey and Brad Hodge would ever be in the same Australian team? And Brad Hogg could easily fit in alongside them.
Does that mean we have to set a mandatory retirement age and pension off the old guys, when they are clearly amongst Australia’s best performers?
And at the other end of the scale, did anyone think young leg spinner James Muirhead was this good?
If you think at any time that any of the 50 or so players running around in our Test, 50-over and T20 squads are ‘accidents’, think again.
Greg Chappell and the selectors might not be able to get all the players they identify to play for Australia and perform. For starters, there are just too few spots.
They can only identify a certain role in the team and the squad – the rest is up to the player, if and when they are given the chance.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.
The bowler conceded that the ball never touched his hand - but it seemed like the on-field umpire didn't believe him.
The former England skipper took off Adam Lyth's cap before giving him a smack late on Day 1 for Yorkshire against Gloucestershire.
A horror dismissal for the Englishman!
England's chances of retaining the Twenty20 World Cup have been hit for six with the news Ben Stokes has opted out of selection for…
Bazball was developed as a strategy devised to use the resources efficiently rather than revolutionize the system.
England's tour of India has ended in abject fashion as the tourists were hammered by an innings and 64 runs inside three days, with…
