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GOOGLIES & CHINAMEN
An Occasional Cricketing Journal
Edition 221
May 2021
Caption Competition
Tim Murtagh: No idea. All we can see is green grass.
Rob Key: They can always find new ways to grab defeat from the jaws of victory.
In and Within with the Professor
It has been an interesting start to the season for Yorkshire. They seem to have specialised in manoeuvring themselves into losing positions - and then not losing. Indeed, they haven’t lost yet: 3 wins and a draw. None were exactly easy, and the principal reason seems to be the failure to make any big – especially first innings – scores. You could say they haven’t been alone in this. Indeed, there have been several scores of less than or just above 100. Warwickshire’s latest effort must rank just about the best with 87 representing a major fight back from 30-8. It may not be entirely surprising that there are some low scores at this time of year, pitches in April are not often regarded as flat belters, and indeed it is odd, of course, to see four rounds of the Championship completed at this time of the year. But it can’t just be the pitches: Durham replied to Warwickshire’s 87 with 391, and Surrey bowled out Hampshire in 34 overs and then put 560 on the board.
Yorkshire’s traditional “warm-up” game (there has to be a better word for a match in the last week of March) is against Leeds Bradford MCCU and that was not exactly a walkover with Michael Atherton’s son retiring after scoring a hundred. It wasn’t the full Yorkshire attack. but still…getting a hundred and retiring is what the first-class players are supposed to do in those games, not the students. There then followed a scrambled draw against Glamorgan with the wrong Root getting a hundred followed by two pretty good away wins in Kent and Sussex, (the right Root performing well in the first of those).
The last of the four matches was as close as it can be with Yorkshire beating Northants by one run in a low scoring contest at Headingley. The last “nail-biting” wicket falling to Yorkshire’s self-effacing captain, Steve Patterson.
Lyth has got off to a good start and most of the seamers have got wickets. But perhaps the most interesting performance from both Yorkshire’s and possibly England’s viewpoint, was Dom Bess’ 6-fer against Sussex. It’s a little strange reporting on the County’s performance without actually being at the game but they run a live streaming service (as I assume do other counties) and so it is possible to get some idea of what’s going on. The field set for Bess in Sussex’s second innings made him look like Jim Laker – why could he not bowl like that in India when the ball was exploding off the pitch?
At one level it seems odd that spectators are still not allowed into the venues. In general, I, perhaps like many Googlies readers, have been content with the lockdown policies; if you’re retired and live in reasonable comfort it is not too hard an endurance and, to be blunt, the age cohort of which I’m a part was very much in the Covid firing-line…and doubtless still is. But as many friends who tease me about cricket are never tired of saying: “Isn’t cricket the ideal game for socially distanced spectators”. And indeed, it would be true that the numbers who might turn up in mid-April spread around the Headingley stadium with its new enhanced capacity, could have as much social (if that’s the right word in Yorkshire) distance as they wish. But I’m told that the clubs have not been keen. The stewarding costs would be very high and the receipts – given that most of those attending would be members – would not. So, we will have to wait.
Happily, we have the new slim-line Wisden to dip into: Lawrence Booth’s Editorial is its usual incisive and thoughtful self and there are several interesting articles, including two about the history of Wisden. Tom Holland’s piece on cricket connections with slavery is well worth a read and Booth includes a transcript of Michael Holding’s now famous Black Lives Matter speech on Sky. Somehow it lacks the impact of the live interview – but then, I suppose it would have to. Cricket and racism have an especial relevance to Yorkshire at this time, of course, and, in truth, for a very long time before. My principal beef with the Editor is the continued use of dire tabloid puns in the captions on photos and sub headings to articles. Does anyone like this? The end of first-class status for university cricket is: “All academic now”. Cricket being shown via the Amazon platform is: “Prime Cuts”. Dhoni riding a motorbike: “Top Gear”. An otherwise interesting article about the history of cricket bats: “Where there’s a willow…”
And so drearily on and on. Truly, does anyone like this? Really? Unless the answer is a resounding “yes”, why does he do it? I’m told he writes for the tabloid Daily Mail which might explain it, but if anyone out there knows him, could they have a word?
Next up to feel the wrath of Patterson’s team is Kent once more, this time at the Headquarters of the North…would be nice to be able to go and see it.
This & That
I suspect that the next big thing in cricket will be franchised sides in different countries. The Kolkata Night Riders in the IPL already have the Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL and are adding the Los Angeles Knight Riders to play in the USA. The authorities in England and Australia will soon realise that they are missing out big by not franchising the sides in their domestic competitions. The franchise teams will be able to play internationally and indeed some players will start to play exclusively for their franchise. For example, Eion Morgan could captain the Knight Riders in say five national competitions and not bother with other cricket.
Much has been made in recent years of the top four batsmen in world cricket being Kholi, Root, Smith and Williamson. I suspect that Babar Azam should now join this select band. He exudes class and, interestingly, plays exclusively from the crease playing neither forward nor back but just playing late. If wickets moved around this would no doubt cause him difficulties but they don’t do that anymore do they? The big five are also all right handers which must say something.
In the early games in the IPL there were a number of instances when the ball went in the air and then two, and in one case three, fielders converged on the ball, none of them called and the ball ended up dropping between them with none of them going for it. Do the fielding coaches just assume that these players know the basics of the game? When I played there was always a call even if it was sometimes “Yours”.
It was a little surprising that Deepak Hooda came in ahead of Nicholas Pooran for the Punjab Kings in their first IPL match this season. However, it rapidly became apparent why as he made 64 from 28 balls. This was ABD quality hitting. When Pooran appeared he was out first ball, a feat which he repeated in his second, fourth and fifth innings of the competition. Hooda also featured in a bizarre catch incident. He was at long off and a straightforward waist high catch came his way. He muffed it and the ball fell away which he managed to scoop up with his right hand. The ball looped across him and he then scooped it up with his left hand as he fell away to his left. He then stretched his right hand out and caught it at what was the fourth time of trying.
I don’t subscribe to BTs offerings and so rarely have difficulty in switching between sports on Sky. However, on Saturday 10 April I found myself switching between the IPL, South Africa v Pakistan, Liverpool v Aston Villa and QPR v Sheffield Wednesday. All very taxing but my choices were resolved when the snow in the High Peak became so heavy that the satellite signal was defeated and I couldn’t watch any of them.
Anyone who doubts where the priorities lie these days merely had to see the exodus from the South African white ball squad during the Pakistan ODI and T20 series which left South Africa fielding an inadequate bunch of reserves. This, as England found as they rotated their players back to England before the IPL, will be the shape of international cricket to come. Other T20 tournaments have yet to become as big as the IPL but it is just a matter of time. Be sure that The Hundred has such aspirations.
In the second ODI against South Africa Pakistan found themselves 205 for 7 chasing 342 to win but their opener, Fakhar Zaman, was still at the crease. After an extraordinary display of hitting he was finally run out in the final over for 193 in an innings which included ten sixes with his side just 17 short. This is the largest score in ODI cricket by anyone batting in the second innings.
In an interview with Eion Morgan after the India white ball series Key and Hussein tried to get him to say that Malan’s days were numbered. Morgan shut them up with a tart response saying that Malan was the Number 1 T20 batsman in the world on merit and that he was a critical part of their side. That suggests that he will be around for a while even if he fails to get big runs.
In the first IPL match this season the Mumbai Indians, who batted first, started their final over at 158 for 5 and could have expected to reach around 170. In the event they lost four wickets and scored just one run. This was extremely profligate of them as RCB won the match off their last ball with 8 wickets down.
AB deVilliers has played two extraordinary innings on wickets where no-one else seemed able to hit the ball cleanly. In Match 10 he scored 76 not out from 34 balls and in Match 22 he made 75 not out from 42 deliveries. In Match 16 he didn’t get to the wicket as Kohli and Padikkal knocked off 177 without losing a wicket.
Chennai Super Kings scored 37 off their final over against RCB with Jadeja hitting five sixes.
The Slow Left Armer Harpreet Brar had an unforgettable debut for the Punjab Kings bowling Kohli and Maxwell with consecutive balls and dismissing de Villiers a few balls later. He then got Prithvi Shaw with his first ball in the next match.
I got back from my show on Saturday in time to see Pollard’s amazing innings. He had come to the wicket in the tenth over with 139 needed from 62 balls. He proceeded to take his side home scoring 87 not out from 34 balls. He even overshadowed Rayudu who had earlier scored 72 not out from 27 balls for Chennai.
I was with the Professor at Lords in 2005 for the T20 against Surrey when Tim Murtagh took 6 for 24 for the visitors. It seemed extraordinary at the time that a bowler could take six wickets in just four overs. How times have changed. Andre Russell bowls for KKR at the death usually with a rag bag of different deliveries, mainly off pace, a sort of cross between Jake Dernbach and Tom Curran but more effective than both. In M10 against the Mumbai Indians he bowled the 18th and 20th overs and took 5 for 15 from just 12 deliveries.
The difficulties with batting used to be whether the ball seamed or swung. Well that rarely or never happens in white ball cricket and the new problem is how fast the ball comes onto the bat. The wickets in the IPL seem to be either fast or slow, meaning that sides either race past 200 or struggle to get 150 with the ball sticking in the wicket. No difficulties with the wicket in Kandy for the recent test match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Bangladesh batted first and clocked up a seemingly impregnable 541 for 7 but Sri Lanka sailed past it and finally declared at 648 for 8 with Karunaratne (248) and Dhananjaya (166) adding 345 for the fourth wicket.
The top bowlers in international T20 cricket are currently 1 Shamsi, 2 Agar, 3 Rashid Khan, Adil Rashid. All spinners- who would have predicted no seamers when it all started?
I was somewhat surprised to receive an email this month from Colin Neill of the Scottish Forty Club enclosing their fixture list for this season since I have had no previous connection with the club. I was even more alarmed at the invitation to advise him if I wished to be selected for any of the games. Perhaps he has heard that I have been looking good in the nets recently…
Manchester City were awful in their cup semi final against Chelsea but it was substantially their reserves. They put out more of their top stars against Spurs but significantly no strikers. Spurs were awful in this match but I fancied them to steal a win right up until City scored late on. But why was this? City squandered endless chances, none more so than Sterling who it is time the pundits stopped making excuses for. His winning smile after another glaring miss just doesn’t cut it anymore. So who do City need? I pondered this before realizing they need a poacher, not another ball playing superstar. So who would fit the bill? And then I realised Aguero would be perfect and they already had him on the bench. So why won’t Pep play him? There is an untold story behind his absences.
I found a message on my answering machine recently from Paddy Carlin who couldn’t get over the fact that Jack Morgan (Blatherwick) was playing for Lancashire. I haven’t the heart to tell him that a four-day match would not be long enough to accommodate another GJM innings.
Morgan Matters
The Great man is feeling gloomy
County cricket: games will be played before empty stands until 17 May (at least) then venues will be allowed to fill up to 25% of the ground (if they can find anyone who still wants to go!) and after that they are hoping that restrictions will be lifted on 21 June, but even then, they are talking about "Covid certification", "testing", "social distancing" and masks! The chances of my attending (never high) are diminishing by the day.
There has been an inexplicable number of old photos of Rs in the press recently and the latest, in today's G, has a picture of Rs at Maine Road in 2012 playing in red and white quarters!
WI Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite is joining Gloucestershire for the 2021 Co. Championship season.
The ECB has announced 3 groups of 6 counties (very similar to last year's B Willis Trophy) for this year's County Championship thus confirming my retirement from county cricket. Middlesex are in group 2 with Somerset, Hampshire, Surrey, Gloucestershire and Leicestershire.
I have now finally completed reading the 162 pages of the 100 years of the Cricketer celebratory issue. There is just too much of it to make a precis possible, but here are a couple of selections:
the greatest XI to have written for the Cricketer is:
C Cowdrey,
J Hobbs,
D Bradman,
N Hussain,
R Heyhoe Flint,
JM Brearley,
T Bailey,
R Benaud,
J Russell.
L Constantine,
M Tate
the best XI players to have played for Middx since 1921 are:
J Robertson,
A Strauss,
W Edrich,
D Compton,
P Hendren,
M Gatting,
JW Hearne,
F Titmus,
J Murray,
A Fraser,
W Daniel.
Lord's is apparently "installing a supporters' wall as part of its redevelopment of the Compton and Edrich stands"... and "amid the mosaic of blue and silver plaques will be dotted the 100 Greatest Milestones in Lord's history".
In the G, Tanya Aldred thinks Middlesex will be 5th out of six in Championship Group 2, Somerset are going to win the group apparently. She also informs us that young left arm spinner Thilan Walallawita is expected to receive his British citizenship this month.
Middlesex picked 5 seamers for the Championship game v Somerset starting at Lord's today, but they lost the toss and were unsurprisingly inserted by Somerset. Tanya Aldred (who was at Headingley) says of Somerset's win at Lord's "some hoopla from Gregory got them home in some style". I'll have to watch out for that!
Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London) is attempting to bring some IPL fixtures to Lord's and/ or the Oval as part of his ambitious plan to "kickstart tourism in the city after the coronavirus pandemic".
S Broad says that "England's cricket team would be willing to join football clubs' boycott of social media to make a stand against on-line abuse", but the mystery is why anyone bothers to read the crap.
Middlesex membership: I have just received the usual spring bundle of information/ fixtures etc for this season and I can now confirm that I will not be attending this season... and perhaps not ever again. They are just making it too difficult to meet all the conditions that now apply to (even) a long-standing life member like myself! My "valid 2021 membership card will not guarantee automatic entry to Middlesex home matches this year" and to attend out-ground matches I must "log into the members' portal then click on the out-ground tickets tab where I will find further information. The priority window for members to register ends on 16 April": today is the 15th! To attend matches at Lord's, it is highly likely that I will need to "purchase a free ticket"! To do this I will need "a Lord's ticket account that has been verified by Middlesex... if you have not yet created a Lord's ticket account, please see the step by step guide on how to do this on page 21 of the Members Information Guide... the matches that this system applies to have not been made available yet, please ensure you keep an eye on the Membership Matters regular email or look on the Middlesex website". I will simply retire.
In today's G, Ali Martin has a longish piece on the Hundred and to me the main point of interest was the appearance of two words that I have never seen before, let alone know the meaning of i) "mavens" and ii) "spruiked". I have looked up both words in two different dictionaries and neither word appears in either. Are we all free to just invent words if we feel like it? If we are, we should surely also give some hint as to the meaning of the words should we not? I have just had the thought that these might be totally new words invented purely for the Hundred!
Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak has been banned from all cricket for 8 years by the ICC for "corruption offences". Apparently, he passed on information to Mr. X (I have heard of him!) of India and, in return, he received 2 bitcoins and an iPhone for his wife!
My 2021 Wisden arrived today and at 1,248 pages it is relatively slimline, but there has been so little cricket that I am surprised it not even slimmer. I have not even opened it yet (I still have most of the Middlesex pile to wade through), but today's G tells us that the 5 Cricketers of the Year are Jason Holder, Darren Stevens, Zac Crawley, Dom Sibley and Mohammad Rizwan.
On the day that D Sibley was named one of Wisden's 5 Cricketers of the Year, he celebrated by dropping a slip catch at TB and has probably been X-rayed by now (and yes, he has fractured a finger) and people are saying this a "blow for England", but the first Test is still 7 weeks away! B Stokes needs surgery on his broken finger and will be out for up to 12 weeks.
Southampton: Middlesex were shot out for 79 - what a shame I will not be able to watch them this year! Later I heard that Mohammad Abbas had taken a hat-trick right at the start of the Middlesex innings: he got Holden with his 5th ball, Gubbins with his next, then got Esky with the first ball of his next over. Tanya Aldred said "he was scattering batsmen like beech nut shells in a school playground".
The G tells us that cricket faces a summer of "logistical headaches" after India was put on the "red list" for travel to the UK, which is likely to affect England's international fixtures and the World Test Championship Final. Some are saying that the Rose Bowl will (again) be crucial to international cricket in England this year.
Ed Smith has been removed as England's national selector and selection by committee has ended with all power handed to C Silverwood. James Taylor becomes head scout. Andy Bull laments E Smith's departure, saying his "knack for spotting talent has left its mark".
J Harris is re-joining Glam on loan for two weeks. He must be really dreadful if he is not good enough to get into the Middlesex team.
It sounded like an interesting track at Lord's for the Big Clash between Middlesex and Surrey. Middlesex won by 10 wickets and collect 21 points. Tanya Aldred (at Edgbaston) wrote "Surrey collapsed like a stamped on cardboard box". In other games Tanya said that Gloucestershire "pulled a draw from the undergarments of defeat" and that at Northampton R Vasconcelos 185*and R Keogh 126 "twinkled and whooped along".
Williams Matters
John Williams sent me these notes
Fifty Years On:
1. It is fifty years since the Lambs toured Kenya - 25th February - 15th March 1971. The Tour came about following a meeting between Tony Colbeck and Harilal Shah in 1970. Harry was about to return permanently to Kenya and he suggested to AJ in June 1970 that it might be possible for Pinner to tour Kenya in February 1971. Following hard work by Tony and his brother, David, a party of Pinner members plus 5 OMT's, Simon Reid and myself set off from Heathrow on 25th February. The name of the team was derived from the emblems of both Pinner and OMT's being a lamb.
The tour consisted of 9 games of varying standards to allow all cricketing members of the tour to take part. 9 games were played W4 D1 L4. There were two 2 day games of a very high standard. There was a tremendous win against Rift Valley Sports Club at Nakuru by 144 runs. Lambs 259 for 7 dec - David Colbeck 83 Philip Newfield 51 put on 135 for 1st wicket & 175 for 7 dec. RVSC 144 Simon Reid 5 for 25 & 147 Reid 6 for 44. The last game of the tour was against Kenya Cricket Association - virtually the national side. Lambs 257 & 215 KCA 241 for 4 dec & 234 for 5 winning with 2 minutes to spare.
2. Easter 1971 was when Charlie Toole and I joined Pinner.
3. Saturday 22nd May 1971 was the occasion of the first match on Uxbridge's new ground and it was against Pinner. Pinner 185 for 5 Uxbridge 135 for 9 but according to a report in Harrow Observer Pinner dropped 8 catches. Also a number of 3's were scored as a result of the long boundaries, the one on the pavilion side being nearly 100 yards.
Great coverage of County Championship on various Match Centres. The commentators on the recent Worcester v Notts match both had initials of DB. Notts Dave piped up that there were famous DB's - David Bowie & David Beckham. The Worcester man - Dave Bradley - came up with the best - Don Bradman a man who loved scoring double hundreds at Worcester. Indeed I have my Dad's scorecard from the match at New Road in 1930 when the Don made 236 on his first appearance in England.
Poor Dillon Pennington - in the first Championship game of the season at Chelmsford against the champions he made his maiden 50 batting at no.10. In the next game at Derby he was no. 11 and did not face a ball and then he is dropped - sorry rotated - for the game v Notts.
Quiz question for your readers: Where did Don Bradman play his last game in UK?
Hall of Shame
This section is reserved for those highly paid athletes who have yet to master the basics of their chosen profession
We are constantly told that the modern fielder practices boundary catches and the going over the line stuff where they throw the ball back in whilst still airborne. But we still see fielders in the wrong place. Ishan Kishan slogged to midwicket where Washington Sander standing five yards in sees the ball burst through his hands above his head and land inside the boundary for four. But he didn’t learn his lesson and in a later match when Rishabh Pant gave him catching practice in a similar position the result was the same. Why are these top professionals not taught the basics of the game. Surely taking a catch to dismiss a top player is more valuable than stopping a possible second run?
In the T20 competitions bowlers have to bowl a maximum of 24 balls. This could be increased if they produce any wides but unless the wicket keeper fails to collect them they usually only cost one run. On the other hand no balls for above waist high full tosses and front foot overstepping are disastrous since they have one run added to the outcome of the delivery itself as well as any dismissal negated and this is followed by a free hit. All bowlers and their coaches must be aware of the pain of these no balls but yet they keep coming. Before the matches bowlers have practice run ups to the crease and have ample time to mark out their personal distances. Often during the match they have a trial run up. Sisanda Magala took more wickets than any other bowler in the South African domestic T20 competition and was selected for the national side to play against Pakistan in the recent T20 series. In the second match he came on as a change seamer and proceeded to bowl No Balls for his first three deliveries. Later in this interminable over he also bowled three wides making it a twelve ball over.
Strange XIs
Last Month’s Jazz Hat XI:
Steve Thompson suggested that only Shane Warne would be able to spin it enough to bowl them round their posteriors?
John Williams suggested the Tubby XI - apologies if that is not allowed in Woke World. If so perhaps use Talking Pictures intro - they all played in a different era.
Steve Wright noted that the Jazz hat needs to be a very large one.
The GJM succinctly put it: overweight.
Tim Mansfield noted that The Jazz Hats XI is clearly the “built for comfort” XI. I managed to persuade him to select a side to take on mine and he obliged:
WG Grace
Jesse Ryder
David Boon
Inzamam
Arjuna Ranatunga (c)
Ian Botham
Farouk Engineer (wk)
Shane Warne
Ramesh Powar
Merv Hughes
Eddo Brandes
Here is this month’s Motley Crew. Which jazz Hat fits them?
Aiden Markram
Chris Gayle
Paul Weekes
Peter Parfitt
Carl Hooper
Moeen Ali
Fred Titmus
Jack Birkenshaw
Don Bick
Jeremy Snape
Richard Dawson
Ealing CC – 150 Years Celebration
John Poore informs me that there will be a gathering at Ealing on Friday 25 June as part of the club’s 150th Year Celebration Weekend and invites all friends of Ealing to join them.
There will be a limited overs match: Old Ealing v Current Ealing starting 11am, a Gourmet informal BBQ Long Lunch between innings around 2pm. It will be Covid compliant, dependant on the rules applying at the time. A Beer Fest will be running throughout the weekend. There will be a Wood Fired Pizza van available from 5pm to complete the day.
For more information contact John: Mobile: 07973 932753 Email: [email protected]
Googlies Website
All the back editions of Googlies can be found on the G&C website. There are also many photographs most of which have never appeared in Googlies.
www.googliesandchinamen.com
Googlies and Chinamen
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James Sharp
Broad Lee House
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An Occasional Cricketing Journal
Edition 221
May 2021
Caption Competition
- Sam Robson: I just can’t seem to get my game together without that naked blonde bloke in the Edrich Stand watching over me.
- Jonathan Agnew: Are the wickets at Lord’s red or black soil?
Tim Murtagh: No idea. All we can see is green grass.
- Peter Handscombe: This county cricket is a piece of piss. I miss the first two games, get out for nought in the third and we win in seven sessions.
- Stuart Law: Just wait till you see us in the T20…
- Nasser Hussein: What do you mean by “watching Middlesex is always exciting”?
Rob Key: They can always find new ways to grab defeat from the jaws of victory.
In and Within with the Professor
It has been an interesting start to the season for Yorkshire. They seem to have specialised in manoeuvring themselves into losing positions - and then not losing. Indeed, they haven’t lost yet: 3 wins and a draw. None were exactly easy, and the principal reason seems to be the failure to make any big – especially first innings – scores. You could say they haven’t been alone in this. Indeed, there have been several scores of less than or just above 100. Warwickshire’s latest effort must rank just about the best with 87 representing a major fight back from 30-8. It may not be entirely surprising that there are some low scores at this time of year, pitches in April are not often regarded as flat belters, and indeed it is odd, of course, to see four rounds of the Championship completed at this time of the year. But it can’t just be the pitches: Durham replied to Warwickshire’s 87 with 391, and Surrey bowled out Hampshire in 34 overs and then put 560 on the board.
Yorkshire’s traditional “warm-up” game (there has to be a better word for a match in the last week of March) is against Leeds Bradford MCCU and that was not exactly a walkover with Michael Atherton’s son retiring after scoring a hundred. It wasn’t the full Yorkshire attack. but still…getting a hundred and retiring is what the first-class players are supposed to do in those games, not the students. There then followed a scrambled draw against Glamorgan with the wrong Root getting a hundred followed by two pretty good away wins in Kent and Sussex, (the right Root performing well in the first of those).
The last of the four matches was as close as it can be with Yorkshire beating Northants by one run in a low scoring contest at Headingley. The last “nail-biting” wicket falling to Yorkshire’s self-effacing captain, Steve Patterson.
Lyth has got off to a good start and most of the seamers have got wickets. But perhaps the most interesting performance from both Yorkshire’s and possibly England’s viewpoint, was Dom Bess’ 6-fer against Sussex. It’s a little strange reporting on the County’s performance without actually being at the game but they run a live streaming service (as I assume do other counties) and so it is possible to get some idea of what’s going on. The field set for Bess in Sussex’s second innings made him look like Jim Laker – why could he not bowl like that in India when the ball was exploding off the pitch?
At one level it seems odd that spectators are still not allowed into the venues. In general, I, perhaps like many Googlies readers, have been content with the lockdown policies; if you’re retired and live in reasonable comfort it is not too hard an endurance and, to be blunt, the age cohort of which I’m a part was very much in the Covid firing-line…and doubtless still is. But as many friends who tease me about cricket are never tired of saying: “Isn’t cricket the ideal game for socially distanced spectators”. And indeed, it would be true that the numbers who might turn up in mid-April spread around the Headingley stadium with its new enhanced capacity, could have as much social (if that’s the right word in Yorkshire) distance as they wish. But I’m told that the clubs have not been keen. The stewarding costs would be very high and the receipts – given that most of those attending would be members – would not. So, we will have to wait.
Happily, we have the new slim-line Wisden to dip into: Lawrence Booth’s Editorial is its usual incisive and thoughtful self and there are several interesting articles, including two about the history of Wisden. Tom Holland’s piece on cricket connections with slavery is well worth a read and Booth includes a transcript of Michael Holding’s now famous Black Lives Matter speech on Sky. Somehow it lacks the impact of the live interview – but then, I suppose it would have to. Cricket and racism have an especial relevance to Yorkshire at this time, of course, and, in truth, for a very long time before. My principal beef with the Editor is the continued use of dire tabloid puns in the captions on photos and sub headings to articles. Does anyone like this? The end of first-class status for university cricket is: “All academic now”. Cricket being shown via the Amazon platform is: “Prime Cuts”. Dhoni riding a motorbike: “Top Gear”. An otherwise interesting article about the history of cricket bats: “Where there’s a willow…”
And so drearily on and on. Truly, does anyone like this? Really? Unless the answer is a resounding “yes”, why does he do it? I’m told he writes for the tabloid Daily Mail which might explain it, but if anyone out there knows him, could they have a word?
Next up to feel the wrath of Patterson’s team is Kent once more, this time at the Headquarters of the North…would be nice to be able to go and see it.
This & That
I suspect that the next big thing in cricket will be franchised sides in different countries. The Kolkata Night Riders in the IPL already have the Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL and are adding the Los Angeles Knight Riders to play in the USA. The authorities in England and Australia will soon realise that they are missing out big by not franchising the sides in their domestic competitions. The franchise teams will be able to play internationally and indeed some players will start to play exclusively for their franchise. For example, Eion Morgan could captain the Knight Riders in say five national competitions and not bother with other cricket.
Much has been made in recent years of the top four batsmen in world cricket being Kholi, Root, Smith and Williamson. I suspect that Babar Azam should now join this select band. He exudes class and, interestingly, plays exclusively from the crease playing neither forward nor back but just playing late. If wickets moved around this would no doubt cause him difficulties but they don’t do that anymore do they? The big five are also all right handers which must say something.
In the early games in the IPL there were a number of instances when the ball went in the air and then two, and in one case three, fielders converged on the ball, none of them called and the ball ended up dropping between them with none of them going for it. Do the fielding coaches just assume that these players know the basics of the game? When I played there was always a call even if it was sometimes “Yours”.
It was a little surprising that Deepak Hooda came in ahead of Nicholas Pooran for the Punjab Kings in their first IPL match this season. However, it rapidly became apparent why as he made 64 from 28 balls. This was ABD quality hitting. When Pooran appeared he was out first ball, a feat which he repeated in his second, fourth and fifth innings of the competition. Hooda also featured in a bizarre catch incident. He was at long off and a straightforward waist high catch came his way. He muffed it and the ball fell away which he managed to scoop up with his right hand. The ball looped across him and he then scooped it up with his left hand as he fell away to his left. He then stretched his right hand out and caught it at what was the fourth time of trying.
I don’t subscribe to BTs offerings and so rarely have difficulty in switching between sports on Sky. However, on Saturday 10 April I found myself switching between the IPL, South Africa v Pakistan, Liverpool v Aston Villa and QPR v Sheffield Wednesday. All very taxing but my choices were resolved when the snow in the High Peak became so heavy that the satellite signal was defeated and I couldn’t watch any of them.
Anyone who doubts where the priorities lie these days merely had to see the exodus from the South African white ball squad during the Pakistan ODI and T20 series which left South Africa fielding an inadequate bunch of reserves. This, as England found as they rotated their players back to England before the IPL, will be the shape of international cricket to come. Other T20 tournaments have yet to become as big as the IPL but it is just a matter of time. Be sure that The Hundred has such aspirations.
In the second ODI against South Africa Pakistan found themselves 205 for 7 chasing 342 to win but their opener, Fakhar Zaman, was still at the crease. After an extraordinary display of hitting he was finally run out in the final over for 193 in an innings which included ten sixes with his side just 17 short. This is the largest score in ODI cricket by anyone batting in the second innings.
In an interview with Eion Morgan after the India white ball series Key and Hussein tried to get him to say that Malan’s days were numbered. Morgan shut them up with a tart response saying that Malan was the Number 1 T20 batsman in the world on merit and that he was a critical part of their side. That suggests that he will be around for a while even if he fails to get big runs.
In the first IPL match this season the Mumbai Indians, who batted first, started their final over at 158 for 5 and could have expected to reach around 170. In the event they lost four wickets and scored just one run. This was extremely profligate of them as RCB won the match off their last ball with 8 wickets down.
AB deVilliers has played two extraordinary innings on wickets where no-one else seemed able to hit the ball cleanly. In Match 10 he scored 76 not out from 34 balls and in Match 22 he made 75 not out from 42 deliveries. In Match 16 he didn’t get to the wicket as Kohli and Padikkal knocked off 177 without losing a wicket.
Chennai Super Kings scored 37 off their final over against RCB with Jadeja hitting five sixes.
The Slow Left Armer Harpreet Brar had an unforgettable debut for the Punjab Kings bowling Kohli and Maxwell with consecutive balls and dismissing de Villiers a few balls later. He then got Prithvi Shaw with his first ball in the next match.
I got back from my show on Saturday in time to see Pollard’s amazing innings. He had come to the wicket in the tenth over with 139 needed from 62 balls. He proceeded to take his side home scoring 87 not out from 34 balls. He even overshadowed Rayudu who had earlier scored 72 not out from 27 balls for Chennai.
I was with the Professor at Lords in 2005 for the T20 against Surrey when Tim Murtagh took 6 for 24 for the visitors. It seemed extraordinary at the time that a bowler could take six wickets in just four overs. How times have changed. Andre Russell bowls for KKR at the death usually with a rag bag of different deliveries, mainly off pace, a sort of cross between Jake Dernbach and Tom Curran but more effective than both. In M10 against the Mumbai Indians he bowled the 18th and 20th overs and took 5 for 15 from just 12 deliveries.
The difficulties with batting used to be whether the ball seamed or swung. Well that rarely or never happens in white ball cricket and the new problem is how fast the ball comes onto the bat. The wickets in the IPL seem to be either fast or slow, meaning that sides either race past 200 or struggle to get 150 with the ball sticking in the wicket. No difficulties with the wicket in Kandy for the recent test match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Bangladesh batted first and clocked up a seemingly impregnable 541 for 7 but Sri Lanka sailed past it and finally declared at 648 for 8 with Karunaratne (248) and Dhananjaya (166) adding 345 for the fourth wicket.
The top bowlers in international T20 cricket are currently 1 Shamsi, 2 Agar, 3 Rashid Khan, Adil Rashid. All spinners- who would have predicted no seamers when it all started?
I was somewhat surprised to receive an email this month from Colin Neill of the Scottish Forty Club enclosing their fixture list for this season since I have had no previous connection with the club. I was even more alarmed at the invitation to advise him if I wished to be selected for any of the games. Perhaps he has heard that I have been looking good in the nets recently…
Manchester City were awful in their cup semi final against Chelsea but it was substantially their reserves. They put out more of their top stars against Spurs but significantly no strikers. Spurs were awful in this match but I fancied them to steal a win right up until City scored late on. But why was this? City squandered endless chances, none more so than Sterling who it is time the pundits stopped making excuses for. His winning smile after another glaring miss just doesn’t cut it anymore. So who do City need? I pondered this before realizing they need a poacher, not another ball playing superstar. So who would fit the bill? And then I realised Aguero would be perfect and they already had him on the bench. So why won’t Pep play him? There is an untold story behind his absences.
I found a message on my answering machine recently from Paddy Carlin who couldn’t get over the fact that Jack Morgan (Blatherwick) was playing for Lancashire. I haven’t the heart to tell him that a four-day match would not be long enough to accommodate another GJM innings.
Morgan Matters
The Great man is feeling gloomy
County cricket: games will be played before empty stands until 17 May (at least) then venues will be allowed to fill up to 25% of the ground (if they can find anyone who still wants to go!) and after that they are hoping that restrictions will be lifted on 21 June, but even then, they are talking about "Covid certification", "testing", "social distancing" and masks! The chances of my attending (never high) are diminishing by the day.
There has been an inexplicable number of old photos of Rs in the press recently and the latest, in today's G, has a picture of Rs at Maine Road in 2012 playing in red and white quarters!
WI Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite is joining Gloucestershire for the 2021 Co. Championship season.
The ECB has announced 3 groups of 6 counties (very similar to last year's B Willis Trophy) for this year's County Championship thus confirming my retirement from county cricket. Middlesex are in group 2 with Somerset, Hampshire, Surrey, Gloucestershire and Leicestershire.
I have now finally completed reading the 162 pages of the 100 years of the Cricketer celebratory issue. There is just too much of it to make a precis possible, but here are a couple of selections:
the greatest XI to have written for the Cricketer is:
C Cowdrey,
J Hobbs,
D Bradman,
N Hussain,
R Heyhoe Flint,
JM Brearley,
T Bailey,
R Benaud,
J Russell.
L Constantine,
M Tate
the best XI players to have played for Middx since 1921 are:
J Robertson,
A Strauss,
W Edrich,
D Compton,
P Hendren,
M Gatting,
JW Hearne,
F Titmus,
J Murray,
A Fraser,
W Daniel.
Lord's is apparently "installing a supporters' wall as part of its redevelopment of the Compton and Edrich stands"... and "amid the mosaic of blue and silver plaques will be dotted the 100 Greatest Milestones in Lord's history".
In the G, Tanya Aldred thinks Middlesex will be 5th out of six in Championship Group 2, Somerset are going to win the group apparently. She also informs us that young left arm spinner Thilan Walallawita is expected to receive his British citizenship this month.
Middlesex picked 5 seamers for the Championship game v Somerset starting at Lord's today, but they lost the toss and were unsurprisingly inserted by Somerset. Tanya Aldred (who was at Headingley) says of Somerset's win at Lord's "some hoopla from Gregory got them home in some style". I'll have to watch out for that!
Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London) is attempting to bring some IPL fixtures to Lord's and/ or the Oval as part of his ambitious plan to "kickstart tourism in the city after the coronavirus pandemic".
S Broad says that "England's cricket team would be willing to join football clubs' boycott of social media to make a stand against on-line abuse", but the mystery is why anyone bothers to read the crap.
Middlesex membership: I have just received the usual spring bundle of information/ fixtures etc for this season and I can now confirm that I will not be attending this season... and perhaps not ever again. They are just making it too difficult to meet all the conditions that now apply to (even) a long-standing life member like myself! My "valid 2021 membership card will not guarantee automatic entry to Middlesex home matches this year" and to attend out-ground matches I must "log into the members' portal then click on the out-ground tickets tab where I will find further information. The priority window for members to register ends on 16 April": today is the 15th! To attend matches at Lord's, it is highly likely that I will need to "purchase a free ticket"! To do this I will need "a Lord's ticket account that has been verified by Middlesex... if you have not yet created a Lord's ticket account, please see the step by step guide on how to do this on page 21 of the Members Information Guide... the matches that this system applies to have not been made available yet, please ensure you keep an eye on the Membership Matters regular email or look on the Middlesex website". I will simply retire.
In today's G, Ali Martin has a longish piece on the Hundred and to me the main point of interest was the appearance of two words that I have never seen before, let alone know the meaning of i) "mavens" and ii) "spruiked". I have looked up both words in two different dictionaries and neither word appears in either. Are we all free to just invent words if we feel like it? If we are, we should surely also give some hint as to the meaning of the words should we not? I have just had the thought that these might be totally new words invented purely for the Hundred!
Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak has been banned from all cricket for 8 years by the ICC for "corruption offences". Apparently, he passed on information to Mr. X (I have heard of him!) of India and, in return, he received 2 bitcoins and an iPhone for his wife!
My 2021 Wisden arrived today and at 1,248 pages it is relatively slimline, but there has been so little cricket that I am surprised it not even slimmer. I have not even opened it yet (I still have most of the Middlesex pile to wade through), but today's G tells us that the 5 Cricketers of the Year are Jason Holder, Darren Stevens, Zac Crawley, Dom Sibley and Mohammad Rizwan.
On the day that D Sibley was named one of Wisden's 5 Cricketers of the Year, he celebrated by dropping a slip catch at TB and has probably been X-rayed by now (and yes, he has fractured a finger) and people are saying this a "blow for England", but the first Test is still 7 weeks away! B Stokes needs surgery on his broken finger and will be out for up to 12 weeks.
Southampton: Middlesex were shot out for 79 - what a shame I will not be able to watch them this year! Later I heard that Mohammad Abbas had taken a hat-trick right at the start of the Middlesex innings: he got Holden with his 5th ball, Gubbins with his next, then got Esky with the first ball of his next over. Tanya Aldred said "he was scattering batsmen like beech nut shells in a school playground".
The G tells us that cricket faces a summer of "logistical headaches" after India was put on the "red list" for travel to the UK, which is likely to affect England's international fixtures and the World Test Championship Final. Some are saying that the Rose Bowl will (again) be crucial to international cricket in England this year.
Ed Smith has been removed as England's national selector and selection by committee has ended with all power handed to C Silverwood. James Taylor becomes head scout. Andy Bull laments E Smith's departure, saying his "knack for spotting talent has left its mark".
J Harris is re-joining Glam on loan for two weeks. He must be really dreadful if he is not good enough to get into the Middlesex team.
It sounded like an interesting track at Lord's for the Big Clash between Middlesex and Surrey. Middlesex won by 10 wickets and collect 21 points. Tanya Aldred (at Edgbaston) wrote "Surrey collapsed like a stamped on cardboard box". In other games Tanya said that Gloucestershire "pulled a draw from the undergarments of defeat" and that at Northampton R Vasconcelos 185*and R Keogh 126 "twinkled and whooped along".
Williams Matters
John Williams sent me these notes
Fifty Years On:
1. It is fifty years since the Lambs toured Kenya - 25th February - 15th March 1971. The Tour came about following a meeting between Tony Colbeck and Harilal Shah in 1970. Harry was about to return permanently to Kenya and he suggested to AJ in June 1970 that it might be possible for Pinner to tour Kenya in February 1971. Following hard work by Tony and his brother, David, a party of Pinner members plus 5 OMT's, Simon Reid and myself set off from Heathrow on 25th February. The name of the team was derived from the emblems of both Pinner and OMT's being a lamb.
The tour consisted of 9 games of varying standards to allow all cricketing members of the tour to take part. 9 games were played W4 D1 L4. There were two 2 day games of a very high standard. There was a tremendous win against Rift Valley Sports Club at Nakuru by 144 runs. Lambs 259 for 7 dec - David Colbeck 83 Philip Newfield 51 put on 135 for 1st wicket & 175 for 7 dec. RVSC 144 Simon Reid 5 for 25 & 147 Reid 6 for 44. The last game of the tour was against Kenya Cricket Association - virtually the national side. Lambs 257 & 215 KCA 241 for 4 dec & 234 for 5 winning with 2 minutes to spare.
2. Easter 1971 was when Charlie Toole and I joined Pinner.
3. Saturday 22nd May 1971 was the occasion of the first match on Uxbridge's new ground and it was against Pinner. Pinner 185 for 5 Uxbridge 135 for 9 but according to a report in Harrow Observer Pinner dropped 8 catches. Also a number of 3's were scored as a result of the long boundaries, the one on the pavilion side being nearly 100 yards.
Great coverage of County Championship on various Match Centres. The commentators on the recent Worcester v Notts match both had initials of DB. Notts Dave piped up that there were famous DB's - David Bowie & David Beckham. The Worcester man - Dave Bradley - came up with the best - Don Bradman a man who loved scoring double hundreds at Worcester. Indeed I have my Dad's scorecard from the match at New Road in 1930 when the Don made 236 on his first appearance in England.
Poor Dillon Pennington - in the first Championship game of the season at Chelmsford against the champions he made his maiden 50 batting at no.10. In the next game at Derby he was no. 11 and did not face a ball and then he is dropped - sorry rotated - for the game v Notts.
Quiz question for your readers: Where did Don Bradman play his last game in UK?
Hall of Shame
This section is reserved for those highly paid athletes who have yet to master the basics of their chosen profession
We are constantly told that the modern fielder practices boundary catches and the going over the line stuff where they throw the ball back in whilst still airborne. But we still see fielders in the wrong place. Ishan Kishan slogged to midwicket where Washington Sander standing five yards in sees the ball burst through his hands above his head and land inside the boundary for four. But he didn’t learn his lesson and in a later match when Rishabh Pant gave him catching practice in a similar position the result was the same. Why are these top professionals not taught the basics of the game. Surely taking a catch to dismiss a top player is more valuable than stopping a possible second run?
In the T20 competitions bowlers have to bowl a maximum of 24 balls. This could be increased if they produce any wides but unless the wicket keeper fails to collect them they usually only cost one run. On the other hand no balls for above waist high full tosses and front foot overstepping are disastrous since they have one run added to the outcome of the delivery itself as well as any dismissal negated and this is followed by a free hit. All bowlers and their coaches must be aware of the pain of these no balls but yet they keep coming. Before the matches bowlers have practice run ups to the crease and have ample time to mark out their personal distances. Often during the match they have a trial run up. Sisanda Magala took more wickets than any other bowler in the South African domestic T20 competition and was selected for the national side to play against Pakistan in the recent T20 series. In the second match he came on as a change seamer and proceeded to bowl No Balls for his first three deliveries. Later in this interminable over he also bowled three wides making it a twelve ball over.
Strange XIs
Last Month’s Jazz Hat XI:
Steve Thompson suggested that only Shane Warne would be able to spin it enough to bowl them round their posteriors?
John Williams suggested the Tubby XI - apologies if that is not allowed in Woke World. If so perhaps use Talking Pictures intro - they all played in a different era.
Steve Wright noted that the Jazz hat needs to be a very large one.
The GJM succinctly put it: overweight.
Tim Mansfield noted that The Jazz Hats XI is clearly the “built for comfort” XI. I managed to persuade him to select a side to take on mine and he obliged:
WG Grace
Jesse Ryder
David Boon
Inzamam
Arjuna Ranatunga (c)
Ian Botham
Farouk Engineer (wk)
Shane Warne
Ramesh Powar
Merv Hughes
Eddo Brandes
Here is this month’s Motley Crew. Which jazz Hat fits them?
Aiden Markram
Chris Gayle
Paul Weekes
Peter Parfitt
Carl Hooper
Moeen Ali
Fred Titmus
Jack Birkenshaw
Don Bick
Jeremy Snape
Richard Dawson
Ealing CC – 150 Years Celebration
John Poore informs me that there will be a gathering at Ealing on Friday 25 June as part of the club’s 150th Year Celebration Weekend and invites all friends of Ealing to join them.
There will be a limited overs match: Old Ealing v Current Ealing starting 11am, a Gourmet informal BBQ Long Lunch between innings around 2pm. It will be Covid compliant, dependant on the rules applying at the time. A Beer Fest will be running throughout the weekend. There will be a Wood Fired Pizza van available from 5pm to complete the day.
For more information contact John: Mobile: 07973 932753 Email: [email protected]
Googlies Website
All the back editions of Googlies can be found on the G&C website. There are also many photographs most of which have never appeared in Googlies.
www.googliesandchinamen.com
Googlies and Chinamen
is produced by
James Sharp
Broad Lee House
Combs
High Peak
SK23 9XA
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