G&C 246
GOOGLIES & CHINAMEN
An Occasional Cricketing Journal
Edition 246
June 2023
Spot the Ball
The Professor (John Adams) and Frank Foreman brave early conditions at Headingley
Out & About with the Professor
Well, Stokes did say he wanted it to be exciting. Writing this an hour after the close of play, I’m still not sure if I want more excitement or less. Would I give up watching Root heave the ball over his right shoulder for 6 in exchange for him blocking his way to a second hundred? It doesn’t matter, of course, he will carry on heaving. And…it almost worked. But there must be some value, at some point or other, in playing a traditional Test match innings. Mustn’t there? Three batters stumped charging down the wicket is not, in my view, very exciting. If anything, it looks very stupid. The finish was exciting in part, I think, because there were so many errors in the match: the Australian fielding on the first day; Bairstow’s dreadful ‘keeping; Broad’s no-balls; the three stumpings; the decision to bowl Moeen so long that he could, in effect, play no further part in the match (Stokes talking-up of Root’s bowling in the after match interview was as sad a bit of damage control as one could witness); add your own favourite here…
Having said all that, I still can’t quite believe the result. 227-8 chasing 281, on the last day, facing the best two new-ball bowlers England have ever had? Oh I know the pitch was slow and we didn’t have a front-line spinner and, as Stokes said after the second New Zealand Test: “Other teams are allowed to play well against us” (which also, at the time, felt like a tepid obfuscation – nothing to do with enforcing the follow-on), but even so. Normally, after a sporting defeat, some poor soul is trotted out before the cameras to say that they are going to “learn the lessons” of the loss and make changes “going forward” (or some such grim cliché); but I’m not sure Baz and Ben are that good at learning lessons, indeed I doubt if they think there are lessons to learn. Learning lessons is for sissies. This is the way we play, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t – what’s to learn? Well, how about a duty of care to the old men watching who haven’t had so much excitement since their teenage years, one of whom was driving home listening on his DAB car radio which lost, found and lost the signal again at pretty regular intervals.
And it all began so well. The last Ashes match I saw at Edgbaston was in 2015, I was in the cheap seats – up by the little old score box – and the same Broad and Anderson were laying waste the Australian batting. This time, Day One, and I’m in the posh seats right behind the bowler’s arm at the pavilion end. Not quite “right behind”, that privilege belonged to the security guard who stopped play by standing in front of the sightscreen in order to stop people standing in front of the sightscreen. Still, pretty good seats, and behind Cummins as he turned to run in to bowl the first ball. Is there a better moment in cricket than the first ball, of the first day, of the first Test in an Ashes series? (a rhetorical question, I know, but is there?). It was a beautiful day, the ground was full, expectation and anticipation (and any other emotion you fancy) was everywhere. No edge of seat was un-sat on. Nervousness everywhere, except, of course, at the stumps. A half- volley is always a half volley, Crawley crashed it through extra cover …and we were off. It was a moment that will stay in my memory for as long as I have one.
Root & Bairstow at tea on the first day
If Day One felt slightly less frenetic than some recent Bazball Tests, Cummins tactic of setting very defensive fields from the very first ball was doing its job. When has an Australian team bowled the first over of a Test with a cover sweeper in place (more rhetoric I fear). Indeed a case could be made for saying that this ploy got Australia home, the declaration coming in the 390s not the 450s. Who knows? The plan was clearly to stop England hitting 4s and 6s but given that they hit 40 of the former and 6 of the latter on the first day, I suppose it might be counted as a limited success. The much criticised decision to declare was, in my view at least, not unreasonable. It had been a hot day, almost 400 runs had been scored and most spectators around me were quite weary just from watching. Oh I know we might not quite have had the same levels of fitness displayed on the field - but it wouldn’t have been a surprise had one of the openers been out before the close… and Root, after all, had just skied a ball over extra for a couple of runs. (He may, of course, have got another 50…but that’s declarations for you).
It could also have been a lot fewer. At 176-5 some Yorkshire grit and determination was required. Root and Bairstow supplied neither, preferring instead to smash the ball to all parts, notwithstanding the half a dozen boundary fielders.
Bazball has shredded many of the verities of the game, the latest being that if you are a tail-ender and have one of the world’s best batters at the other end, it is a good idea to hang around and watch them get the runs. We don’t do that. Moeen doesn’t do that; Broad doesn’t do that; and even Robinson tried not to - with Root on 93, Robinson, on 1, thought the reverse sweep was the ideal shot of choice. It wasn’t. He missed it, and, happily, the ball missed everything else…but it is not good for the heart rate of the elderly onlooker.
So what now? One down and four to play; no fit spinner in sight; a ‘keeper who has had a shocker and can’t be looking forward to Lord’s, where so many ‘keepers struggle; a captain who, for all the bravado, is clearly unfit; seemingly no idea as to how to get Khawaja out; a forty-year-old opening bowler who has gone for over a hundred for just one wicket. Is it worth turning up?
Well, of course it bloody well is, and I’ve got a ticket for the first day.
This & That
In their match against the Mumbai Indians who had scored 218 for 5 including 103 not out from Sky (Suryakumar Yadav), the Gujarat Titans had slumped to 55 for 5 before Rashid Khan made 79 not out from just 32 balls. But his heroics were not enough as his side finished on 191 for 8.
The Punjab Kings against Mumbai Indians game featured rare appearances from the English invalids, Livingstone and Archer. Livingstone drew first blood clubbing Archer for three successive sixes as he conceded 56 from his four overs. But Mumbai had the last laugh as they reached the necessary 216 to win with an over to spare, thanks again to Sky, who made 66 from 31 balls.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore often failed to score enough as they allowed their top three of Kohli, du Plessis and Maxwell to score too slowly through the early stages of their innings. An example of this was when they reached 199 for 6 against the Mumbai Indians and Mumbai then cruised past this with over three overs to spare, once again thanks to Sky who made 83 from 35 balls.
The Kolkata Knight Riders found runs difficult to come by for much of the tournament and they only managed 149 for 8 against the Rajasthan Royals who, in reply, lost Buttler for 0 but were seen home by Jaiswal and Samson with seven overs to spare. In his innings Yashasvi Jaiswal hit the fastest half-century in Indian Premier League history. Jaiswal reached his 50 from 13 balls - one ball faster than Pat Cummins and KL Rahul's previous record. He finished unbeaten on 98 from 47 balls. Yuzvendra Chahal earlier became the IPL's all-time leading wicket-taker, taking 4-25 as Kolkata posted 149-8. Root, playing just his second match of the competition, bowled two wicketless overs in Kolkata's innings but had to settle for watching from the dugout as Jaiswal played his record breaking innings.
In the playoff matches Shubman Gill scored 129 from 60 balls to enable the Gujarat Titans to reach 233 for 3. In reply Sky made 61 from 38 balls but his side could only manage 171.
The English players have generally done poorly in the IPL. Brook, apart from his hundred, failed in every other innings, was eventually dropped down the order and then dropped completely. The very expensive Curran has had little impact. Roy continued his poor run. Root couldn’t get in his side for the first ten matches and, when picked, was ignominiously shunted down the order to let in big hitters and then in the next game watched as the runs were knocked off and he wasn’t needed at number four. Archer was bowling quite fast but got taken to the cleaners by Livingstone and then decided to go back to England. Buttler ended 43rd in the IPL averages. None of the English contingent feature in the team of the tournament. No doubt all will perform back in English conditions, but it further confirms that the IPL is the premier tournament in the world and although the English will get excited about the Ashes, does anyone else, including the Aussies?
In their Championship match against Sussex Glamorgan were rolled over for 123 and then Sussex racked up 481. But Glamorgan then dug in and managed 737 in their second innings with hundreds from Labuschagne, Carlson and Neser. Jack Carson conceded 216 from his 54 overs. The match finished in a draw.
In Surrey’s T20 game against Kent at the Oval Sean Abbott came in with the score 64 for 4 in the ninth over. He went on to make 110 not out from 41 balls with eleven sixes. He reached his hundred from 34 balls the joint fastest T20 scored in England, equalling Andrew Symonds’ effort. It was also the fourth fastest in T20 history.
Durham rolled over the Northamptonshire Steelbacks in their Blast fixture thanks to ex Middlesex Leggie Nathan Sowter who took 5 for 15 from his four overs. In reply, Graham Clark made 102 not out as Durham cruised to victory with 7 overs to spare.
Morgan Matters
T Murtagh's figures in the Kent match (10-82) meant that he has reached 1,000 wickets for Middx in all formats. Middx are now 3rd in division one, but have played a game more than most.
There is speculation that the ridiculous Hundred could be heading for the scrapheap, but some disagree of course.
The May Cricketer tells us that:
1.the Narendra Modi Stadium is the world's biggest cricket ground;
2.B Stokes has been named as Wisden's Leading Men's Cricketer in the World;
3.J Bairstow has won the Wisden Trophy for his twin centuries v India at Edgbaston last summer and the Five Cricketers of the Year were Tom Blundell, Ben Foakes, Harmanpreet Kaur, Daryl Mitchell and Matthew Potts;
4.G Dobell tells us that it is time "to flush away the farcical Men's Hundred";
5. Arindam Rej's favourite cricketer is Chris Silverwood;
6. Azeem Rafiq hopes that the next generation will not have to pretend to laugh off racist "banter";
7.Nick Friend tells us that Middlesex's top three (Sam Robson, Mark Stoneman and Pieter Malan) were 52 for 12 after 4 innings each this season;
8. Ian Bell has accepted a consultant's role at both Derbyshire and Warwickshire;
9. the headline to Tawhid Qureshi's article on the Ireland v Bangladesh Test at Mirpur reads "Tector and Tucker push Bangladesh hard"... but not all that hard as they lost comfortably by 7 wickets;
10. the C's new "from the archive" feature shows us a picture of the 1948 Aussies who scored a world record 721 runs in a day at Southend in May 1948 featuring eg Neil Harvey, Ian Johnson, Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller, Colin McCool, Lindsay Hassett, Don Bradman and Sid Barnes.
The ECB has levied fines on six Yorks players for using racist language towards Azeem Rafiq: Gary Ballance, Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, John Blain, Andrew Gale and Richard Pyrah, most of whom are reluctant to cough up, though the fines are relatively small, a total of £37,000 between the six of them.
Ex-Hants skipper and broadcaster Mark Nicholas (65) will succeed Stephen Fry as president of MCC on Oct 1st.
May 5th: 7 county championship matches start today, but Middlesex do not have a game. In those 7 CC matches, four counties have already been bowled out and it is only tea-time!
Yorkshire say that "numerous positive and serious conversations" have taken place following reports that they could be refinanced with money from Saudi Arabia.
Rs had a dismal end to their season losing 0-2 at home to Bristol C who are not much better than us and Rs finished in 20th place six points clear of the relegation places.
Bangladesh made 246-9 in a 50 over game v Ireland at Chelmsford, but the match finished “no result” which means that South Africa have pipped Ireland for the final automatic WC spot.
Does this sound familiar? There are doubts about the fitness of an England pace bowler! This time it is Jofra Archer who has been ruled out of the remainder of the IPL and is returning to England immediately to recover from his latest elbow surgery!
The ECB has warned of the potentially cataclysmic impact of the rising power of overseas franchises such as the IPL while the appeal of Test cricket declines.
The fitness of B Stokes is causing some concern: he has not played in the IPL for 6 weeks; he is unable to bowl and is currently seen only as "batting cover". J Anderson might also be joining him on the sidelines with a groin injury. J Archer is out of contention for England this summer with a "recurrence of the stress fracture of his right elbow". England's vice captain for this summer's Tests is O Pope.
In the G, Andy Bull asks us: "how many indelible memories has T20 cricket left you with? Matches pass by like leaves from autumn trees".
"Bazbal" is still cropping up and I still do not know what it means.
Zac Crawley "does not care" about online criticism of his selection for the Eng Test team.
I have just finished reading "QPR: The Road to '76" by Francis Peacock, which (I am sure you can guess) is all about the (almost) glorious years of Rs in the 70s. It does not bear a publisher's name or how much it costs. My copy was provided (free) by JSCR. It is well worth a read.
The Professional Cricketers' Association has warned that a move away from year-round contracts will hasten the rise of white ball specialists and have a detrimental effect on the main driver of revenue in the English game: the men's Test team.
O Robinson has been cleared to join the England squad for the Test against Ire next week, but apparently he is unlikely to feature because of "tendon irritation". S Broad says that the "build up to this year's Ashes is the biggest he can remember".
Jason Roy is set to end his England contract in order to play in the inaugural season of Major League Cricket in the USA! Chacun a son gout!
Six ex-Yorks players have been sanctioned with fines and bans by the Cricket Discipline Commission for using racist slurs: Gary Ballance, Tim Bresnan, Matthew Hoggard, Andrew Gale, John Blain and Richard Pyrah.
The G has 16 pages of sport today, but there is hardly anything worth commenting on! And (oh no) the dreaded 20 over season is upon us!
IPL 2023 team of the tournament
Here is the Cricketer’s IPL team of the Tournament, 2023:
1.Shubman Gill
The Gujarat Titans' charge to a second successive final came on the back of Gill's efforts with the bat. He was unstoppable with 890 runs to his name, the highest run-scorer in the tournament. That is almost double the amount of his previous best IPL season: he hit 483 in the 2022 edition. With the season on the line in Qualifier 2, he hit an incredible 129 to lead the team to the final. The first name on the Titans team sheet and an easy first choice for the team of the tournament.
2.Yashasvi Jaiswal
Jaiswal was the revelation of the tournament for Rajasthan Royals. After two modest seasons he kicked on this year and showed himself to be one of the most promising batsmen in India with a haul of 625 runs. While some of his more experienced teammates failed to live up to their form of last year, he picked up the slack as the Royals narrowly missed out on the EliminatorThe season was summed up by match 42. The 21-year-old showed poise and perfect timing as he hit 129 but his teammates weren't able to back him up as Mumbai Indians chased down their target of 213. An incredible individual season from the youngster; this won't be the last time he is an IPL team of the tournament.
3.Faf Du Plessis
The explosive South African once again showed why he is so highly sought after in T20 cricket. This was not only his best season in a Royal Challengers Bangalore shirt but his best season in the IPL when it comes to run-scoring. In his second year as the Bangalore captain, he hit 730 as he and Virat Kohli took the team agonisingly close to post-season qualification. But no matter how good he was, Bangalore are going to Bangalore. The perennial underachievers just missed out again, but no one can point to Du Plessis, who provided the fans with plenty to cheer about along the way.
4 Devon Conway
The New Zealand batsman had the type of season he has always looked capable of but has not always shown in franchise cricket.
He formed a formidable opening partnership with Ruturaj Gaikwad as the two fired Chennai Super Kings to yet another final.
Conway's consistency in reaching 672 runs in the tournament sealed his place. His knock of 92 not out may not have won the game against Punjab Kings last month but it was an impressive display that had pundits predicting he would be the Orange Cap holder by the end of the tournament. While that award eluded him, perhaps a place in this team will be consolation.
5.Ishan Kishan
The 24-year-old had a good season with the bat and the gloves for Mumbai Indians.
Kishan seemed to be hitting form at the right time as Mumbai marched into the post-season with a string of impressive scores from the keeper.
The 'what if' moment for Mumbai came when Kishan collided with his teammate in Qualifier 2, which meant he could not bat.
However, with a record of 454 runs, 10 catches and three stumpings he has more than earned his place in this team.
6.Cameron Green
Some eyebrows were raised when Mumbai went all out in the auction to ensure Green would turn out for them this year. The tall Aussie allrounder, who had little T20 match experience before, showed he could be relied upon in the big moments. In a must-win match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Green almost single handedly pushed his team over the line. He hit his first T20 century in the match and then followed it up with knocks of 41 and 30 in the Eliminator and Qulaifier. He hit 452 runs over the season and finished with six wickets. Green proved himself to be a top performer and one that his team looked to in the big moments.
7. Axar Patel
In an otherwise nightmarish season for Delhi Capitals, Axar Patel has been Mr Consistency with both bat and ball. The experienced left-arm spinner took 11 wickets in the tournament but contributed with the bat more than he has done in his previous nine seasons in the IPL, hitting 283 runs. He hit his first ever half-century against Mumbai Indians, his 54 runs turned a whitewash into a competitive game as he tried to keep his team afloat. This may not have been Patel's most exciting season, but his consistency and his tenacity see him make into this team.
8. Ravindra Jadeja
Jadeja seems to have returned to the peak of his powers after a frustrating 2022 season. The left-arm spinner has been a magnet for controversy and rumours since he stepped down from the captaincy last year. However, suggestions of a breakdown with MS Dhoni don't appear to have affected the trust the two have on the pitch. Jadeja remains Dhoni's go-to bowler when a wicket is needed. He finished with 20 wickets with a solid economy below eight. And then came his epic contribution to the final with the bat, hitting 10 off the final two deliveries to secure Chennai Super Kings the title.
9. Rashid Khan
At 24 years old, the leg-spinner already has an impressive T20 franchise record behind him. But the Afghanistan bowler only seems to be getting better as he continues to give IPL batters nightmares in Gujarat Titans colours. He finished with 27 wickets, and was the thorn in Mumbai Indians' side this year, taking 4 for 30 near the end of the season and 2 for 33 in Qualifier 2 to help his side back to the final. Gujarat's bowlers have been electrifying this year and Khan has been a huge part of that.
10. Mohammed Siraj
Siraj has shown his pace and skill many times for both the Indian national team and the Royal Challengers Bangalore. But this season he stepped it up a notch. The fast bowler claimed 19 wickets at an impressive economy rate for a speedster of 7.52. He had an incredible performance against Punjab Kings where he took 4 for 21 in a 24-run win. Bangalore will reflect on another disappointing season, but Siraj's trajectory still only seems to be going up.
11. Mohammed Shami
The experienced seam bowler was in scintillating form this year for Gujarat Titans. He led a stellar bowling lineup that holds the top three wicket-takers in the tournament. Shami topped the lot, winning the Purple Cap for his 28 victims. Gujarat were regularly able to lean on some big performances from the Indian international. While he cleaned up against the teams at the bottom - 4 for 11 against Delhi and 2 for 21 against Hyderabad - he also dominated against the form sides. In the post-season he took 2 for 28 against Chennai and 2 for 41 against Mumbai. Shami continues to set himself apart in T20 cricket.
Ged Matters
Ged (Ian Harris) reports on a day at the 2022 England v New Zealand match
Daisy had especially enjoyed the relaxed vibe of our Sunday at the India Test in the “crowds but not full crowds” pandemic summer of 2021.
“Can we sit in the same place again?” she asked, ahead of the Platty Joobs Test.
The Lower Tavern Stand – the least fashionable members and friends area.
I made a beeline for that place on arrival. Despite a plethora of reservations in that area, I found the same seats as we had used the previous year, unreserved. We grabbed those.
“This isn’t the stand we sat in last year,” said Daisy. “The one we sat in last year was much smaller”.
“It was less densely populated,” I said. “Not only is this the same stand, I think these are the exact same seats.”
Daisy protested.
I tried using evidence to prove my point – in particular a double-selfie of me and Daisy in the same spot the previous year.
The evidence was pretty convincing to those sitting around us, who were starting to take an interest in our debate. Daisy mumbled about deep fakes and other unspecified uncertainties.
On the way home, Daisy said she’d had a lovely day and commented on the relatively relaxed vibe in the Lower Tavern Stand… just as she had done the previous year.
In memoriam
Les Berry passed the following sad news to me:
Jack Gabb was a terrifically loyal supporter of the Club and as Waheed points out in the email used to travel up from the coast for most matches. I only became a member at the Bush towards the time Jack was giving up the bar duties, but got to know him quite well in more recent times. So, not a happy close season for the Club with Ian (Rocker) Robinson also getting dismissed after a long innings - another stalwart who will be greatly missed. I think tributes to both chaps are being planned.
Waheed noted: Those who were present when Jack was awarded his life membership will no doubt never forget his acceptance speech at our club dinner, which was easily the highlight of that night. He will be sorely missed, and our thoughts are with his family Lesley, Richard and Paul.”
Bill Groombridge informed me that Tony Smith died recently after a lengthy battle against cancer. He fought it off twice but the third version got to his brain. He had a great life and hit his objective of reaching 80, which he had been told was impossible!
Rangers Star
My cousin , Robin Sharp, sent me this photo of his grandson, Arthur.
The way things have been going at Loftus Road he will probably be in the first team next season.
Publication Dates
Apologies for the late circulation of this edition. July will be issued in the first week of the month and August will be on time. September will be late. All this due to the address lists only being available to me on an old computer in the Peak District.
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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High Peak
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An Occasional Cricketing Journal
Edition 246
June 2023
Spot the Ball
The Professor (John Adams) and Frank Foreman brave early conditions at Headingley
Out & About with the Professor
Well, Stokes did say he wanted it to be exciting. Writing this an hour after the close of play, I’m still not sure if I want more excitement or less. Would I give up watching Root heave the ball over his right shoulder for 6 in exchange for him blocking his way to a second hundred? It doesn’t matter, of course, he will carry on heaving. And…it almost worked. But there must be some value, at some point or other, in playing a traditional Test match innings. Mustn’t there? Three batters stumped charging down the wicket is not, in my view, very exciting. If anything, it looks very stupid. The finish was exciting in part, I think, because there were so many errors in the match: the Australian fielding on the first day; Bairstow’s dreadful ‘keeping; Broad’s no-balls; the three stumpings; the decision to bowl Moeen so long that he could, in effect, play no further part in the match (Stokes talking-up of Root’s bowling in the after match interview was as sad a bit of damage control as one could witness); add your own favourite here…
Having said all that, I still can’t quite believe the result. 227-8 chasing 281, on the last day, facing the best two new-ball bowlers England have ever had? Oh I know the pitch was slow and we didn’t have a front-line spinner and, as Stokes said after the second New Zealand Test: “Other teams are allowed to play well against us” (which also, at the time, felt like a tepid obfuscation – nothing to do with enforcing the follow-on), but even so. Normally, after a sporting defeat, some poor soul is trotted out before the cameras to say that they are going to “learn the lessons” of the loss and make changes “going forward” (or some such grim cliché); but I’m not sure Baz and Ben are that good at learning lessons, indeed I doubt if they think there are lessons to learn. Learning lessons is for sissies. This is the way we play, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t – what’s to learn? Well, how about a duty of care to the old men watching who haven’t had so much excitement since their teenage years, one of whom was driving home listening on his DAB car radio which lost, found and lost the signal again at pretty regular intervals.
And it all began so well. The last Ashes match I saw at Edgbaston was in 2015, I was in the cheap seats – up by the little old score box – and the same Broad and Anderson were laying waste the Australian batting. This time, Day One, and I’m in the posh seats right behind the bowler’s arm at the pavilion end. Not quite “right behind”, that privilege belonged to the security guard who stopped play by standing in front of the sightscreen in order to stop people standing in front of the sightscreen. Still, pretty good seats, and behind Cummins as he turned to run in to bowl the first ball. Is there a better moment in cricket than the first ball, of the first day, of the first Test in an Ashes series? (a rhetorical question, I know, but is there?). It was a beautiful day, the ground was full, expectation and anticipation (and any other emotion you fancy) was everywhere. No edge of seat was un-sat on. Nervousness everywhere, except, of course, at the stumps. A half- volley is always a half volley, Crawley crashed it through extra cover …and we were off. It was a moment that will stay in my memory for as long as I have one.
Root & Bairstow at tea on the first day
If Day One felt slightly less frenetic than some recent Bazball Tests, Cummins tactic of setting very defensive fields from the very first ball was doing its job. When has an Australian team bowled the first over of a Test with a cover sweeper in place (more rhetoric I fear). Indeed a case could be made for saying that this ploy got Australia home, the declaration coming in the 390s not the 450s. Who knows? The plan was clearly to stop England hitting 4s and 6s but given that they hit 40 of the former and 6 of the latter on the first day, I suppose it might be counted as a limited success. The much criticised decision to declare was, in my view at least, not unreasonable. It had been a hot day, almost 400 runs had been scored and most spectators around me were quite weary just from watching. Oh I know we might not quite have had the same levels of fitness displayed on the field - but it wouldn’t have been a surprise had one of the openers been out before the close… and Root, after all, had just skied a ball over extra for a couple of runs. (He may, of course, have got another 50…but that’s declarations for you).
It could also have been a lot fewer. At 176-5 some Yorkshire grit and determination was required. Root and Bairstow supplied neither, preferring instead to smash the ball to all parts, notwithstanding the half a dozen boundary fielders.
Bazball has shredded many of the verities of the game, the latest being that if you are a tail-ender and have one of the world’s best batters at the other end, it is a good idea to hang around and watch them get the runs. We don’t do that. Moeen doesn’t do that; Broad doesn’t do that; and even Robinson tried not to - with Root on 93, Robinson, on 1, thought the reverse sweep was the ideal shot of choice. It wasn’t. He missed it, and, happily, the ball missed everything else…but it is not good for the heart rate of the elderly onlooker.
So what now? One down and four to play; no fit spinner in sight; a ‘keeper who has had a shocker and can’t be looking forward to Lord’s, where so many ‘keepers struggle; a captain who, for all the bravado, is clearly unfit; seemingly no idea as to how to get Khawaja out; a forty-year-old opening bowler who has gone for over a hundred for just one wicket. Is it worth turning up?
Well, of course it bloody well is, and I’ve got a ticket for the first day.
This & That
In their match against the Mumbai Indians who had scored 218 for 5 including 103 not out from Sky (Suryakumar Yadav), the Gujarat Titans had slumped to 55 for 5 before Rashid Khan made 79 not out from just 32 balls. But his heroics were not enough as his side finished on 191 for 8.
The Punjab Kings against Mumbai Indians game featured rare appearances from the English invalids, Livingstone and Archer. Livingstone drew first blood clubbing Archer for three successive sixes as he conceded 56 from his four overs. But Mumbai had the last laugh as they reached the necessary 216 to win with an over to spare, thanks again to Sky, who made 66 from 31 balls.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore often failed to score enough as they allowed their top three of Kohli, du Plessis and Maxwell to score too slowly through the early stages of their innings. An example of this was when they reached 199 for 6 against the Mumbai Indians and Mumbai then cruised past this with over three overs to spare, once again thanks to Sky who made 83 from 35 balls.
The Kolkata Knight Riders found runs difficult to come by for much of the tournament and they only managed 149 for 8 against the Rajasthan Royals who, in reply, lost Buttler for 0 but were seen home by Jaiswal and Samson with seven overs to spare. In his innings Yashasvi Jaiswal hit the fastest half-century in Indian Premier League history. Jaiswal reached his 50 from 13 balls - one ball faster than Pat Cummins and KL Rahul's previous record. He finished unbeaten on 98 from 47 balls. Yuzvendra Chahal earlier became the IPL's all-time leading wicket-taker, taking 4-25 as Kolkata posted 149-8. Root, playing just his second match of the competition, bowled two wicketless overs in Kolkata's innings but had to settle for watching from the dugout as Jaiswal played his record breaking innings.
In the playoff matches Shubman Gill scored 129 from 60 balls to enable the Gujarat Titans to reach 233 for 3. In reply Sky made 61 from 38 balls but his side could only manage 171.
The English players have generally done poorly in the IPL. Brook, apart from his hundred, failed in every other innings, was eventually dropped down the order and then dropped completely. The very expensive Curran has had little impact. Roy continued his poor run. Root couldn’t get in his side for the first ten matches and, when picked, was ignominiously shunted down the order to let in big hitters and then in the next game watched as the runs were knocked off and he wasn’t needed at number four. Archer was bowling quite fast but got taken to the cleaners by Livingstone and then decided to go back to England. Buttler ended 43rd in the IPL averages. None of the English contingent feature in the team of the tournament. No doubt all will perform back in English conditions, but it further confirms that the IPL is the premier tournament in the world and although the English will get excited about the Ashes, does anyone else, including the Aussies?
In their Championship match against Sussex Glamorgan were rolled over for 123 and then Sussex racked up 481. But Glamorgan then dug in and managed 737 in their second innings with hundreds from Labuschagne, Carlson and Neser. Jack Carson conceded 216 from his 54 overs. The match finished in a draw.
In Surrey’s T20 game against Kent at the Oval Sean Abbott came in with the score 64 for 4 in the ninth over. He went on to make 110 not out from 41 balls with eleven sixes. He reached his hundred from 34 balls the joint fastest T20 scored in England, equalling Andrew Symonds’ effort. It was also the fourth fastest in T20 history.
Durham rolled over the Northamptonshire Steelbacks in their Blast fixture thanks to ex Middlesex Leggie Nathan Sowter who took 5 for 15 from his four overs. In reply, Graham Clark made 102 not out as Durham cruised to victory with 7 overs to spare.
Morgan Matters
T Murtagh's figures in the Kent match (10-82) meant that he has reached 1,000 wickets for Middx in all formats. Middx are now 3rd in division one, but have played a game more than most.
There is speculation that the ridiculous Hundred could be heading for the scrapheap, but some disagree of course.
The May Cricketer tells us that:
1.the Narendra Modi Stadium is the world's biggest cricket ground;
2.B Stokes has been named as Wisden's Leading Men's Cricketer in the World;
3.J Bairstow has won the Wisden Trophy for his twin centuries v India at Edgbaston last summer and the Five Cricketers of the Year were Tom Blundell, Ben Foakes, Harmanpreet Kaur, Daryl Mitchell and Matthew Potts;
4.G Dobell tells us that it is time "to flush away the farcical Men's Hundred";
5. Arindam Rej's favourite cricketer is Chris Silverwood;
6. Azeem Rafiq hopes that the next generation will not have to pretend to laugh off racist "banter";
7.Nick Friend tells us that Middlesex's top three (Sam Robson, Mark Stoneman and Pieter Malan) were 52 for 12 after 4 innings each this season;
8. Ian Bell has accepted a consultant's role at both Derbyshire and Warwickshire;
9. the headline to Tawhid Qureshi's article on the Ireland v Bangladesh Test at Mirpur reads "Tector and Tucker push Bangladesh hard"... but not all that hard as they lost comfortably by 7 wickets;
10. the C's new "from the archive" feature shows us a picture of the 1948 Aussies who scored a world record 721 runs in a day at Southend in May 1948 featuring eg Neil Harvey, Ian Johnson, Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller, Colin McCool, Lindsay Hassett, Don Bradman and Sid Barnes.
The ECB has levied fines on six Yorks players for using racist language towards Azeem Rafiq: Gary Ballance, Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, John Blain, Andrew Gale and Richard Pyrah, most of whom are reluctant to cough up, though the fines are relatively small, a total of £37,000 between the six of them.
Ex-Hants skipper and broadcaster Mark Nicholas (65) will succeed Stephen Fry as president of MCC on Oct 1st.
May 5th: 7 county championship matches start today, but Middlesex do not have a game. In those 7 CC matches, four counties have already been bowled out and it is only tea-time!
Yorkshire say that "numerous positive and serious conversations" have taken place following reports that they could be refinanced with money from Saudi Arabia.
Rs had a dismal end to their season losing 0-2 at home to Bristol C who are not much better than us and Rs finished in 20th place six points clear of the relegation places.
Bangladesh made 246-9 in a 50 over game v Ireland at Chelmsford, but the match finished “no result” which means that South Africa have pipped Ireland for the final automatic WC spot.
Does this sound familiar? There are doubts about the fitness of an England pace bowler! This time it is Jofra Archer who has been ruled out of the remainder of the IPL and is returning to England immediately to recover from his latest elbow surgery!
The ECB has warned of the potentially cataclysmic impact of the rising power of overseas franchises such as the IPL while the appeal of Test cricket declines.
The fitness of B Stokes is causing some concern: he has not played in the IPL for 6 weeks; he is unable to bowl and is currently seen only as "batting cover". J Anderson might also be joining him on the sidelines with a groin injury. J Archer is out of contention for England this summer with a "recurrence of the stress fracture of his right elbow". England's vice captain for this summer's Tests is O Pope.
In the G, Andy Bull asks us: "how many indelible memories has T20 cricket left you with? Matches pass by like leaves from autumn trees".
"Bazbal" is still cropping up and I still do not know what it means.
Zac Crawley "does not care" about online criticism of his selection for the Eng Test team.
I have just finished reading "QPR: The Road to '76" by Francis Peacock, which (I am sure you can guess) is all about the (almost) glorious years of Rs in the 70s. It does not bear a publisher's name or how much it costs. My copy was provided (free) by JSCR. It is well worth a read.
The Professional Cricketers' Association has warned that a move away from year-round contracts will hasten the rise of white ball specialists and have a detrimental effect on the main driver of revenue in the English game: the men's Test team.
O Robinson has been cleared to join the England squad for the Test against Ire next week, but apparently he is unlikely to feature because of "tendon irritation". S Broad says that the "build up to this year's Ashes is the biggest he can remember".
Jason Roy is set to end his England contract in order to play in the inaugural season of Major League Cricket in the USA! Chacun a son gout!
Six ex-Yorks players have been sanctioned with fines and bans by the Cricket Discipline Commission for using racist slurs: Gary Ballance, Tim Bresnan, Matthew Hoggard, Andrew Gale, John Blain and Richard Pyrah.
The G has 16 pages of sport today, but there is hardly anything worth commenting on! And (oh no) the dreaded 20 over season is upon us!
IPL 2023 team of the tournament
Here is the Cricketer’s IPL team of the Tournament, 2023:
1.Shubman Gill
The Gujarat Titans' charge to a second successive final came on the back of Gill's efforts with the bat. He was unstoppable with 890 runs to his name, the highest run-scorer in the tournament. That is almost double the amount of his previous best IPL season: he hit 483 in the 2022 edition. With the season on the line in Qualifier 2, he hit an incredible 129 to lead the team to the final. The first name on the Titans team sheet and an easy first choice for the team of the tournament.
2.Yashasvi Jaiswal
Jaiswal was the revelation of the tournament for Rajasthan Royals. After two modest seasons he kicked on this year and showed himself to be one of the most promising batsmen in India with a haul of 625 runs. While some of his more experienced teammates failed to live up to their form of last year, he picked up the slack as the Royals narrowly missed out on the EliminatorThe season was summed up by match 42. The 21-year-old showed poise and perfect timing as he hit 129 but his teammates weren't able to back him up as Mumbai Indians chased down their target of 213. An incredible individual season from the youngster; this won't be the last time he is an IPL team of the tournament.
3.Faf Du Plessis
The explosive South African once again showed why he is so highly sought after in T20 cricket. This was not only his best season in a Royal Challengers Bangalore shirt but his best season in the IPL when it comes to run-scoring. In his second year as the Bangalore captain, he hit 730 as he and Virat Kohli took the team agonisingly close to post-season qualification. But no matter how good he was, Bangalore are going to Bangalore. The perennial underachievers just missed out again, but no one can point to Du Plessis, who provided the fans with plenty to cheer about along the way.
4 Devon Conway
The New Zealand batsman had the type of season he has always looked capable of but has not always shown in franchise cricket.
He formed a formidable opening partnership with Ruturaj Gaikwad as the two fired Chennai Super Kings to yet another final.
Conway's consistency in reaching 672 runs in the tournament sealed his place. His knock of 92 not out may not have won the game against Punjab Kings last month but it was an impressive display that had pundits predicting he would be the Orange Cap holder by the end of the tournament. While that award eluded him, perhaps a place in this team will be consolation.
5.Ishan Kishan
The 24-year-old had a good season with the bat and the gloves for Mumbai Indians.
Kishan seemed to be hitting form at the right time as Mumbai marched into the post-season with a string of impressive scores from the keeper.
The 'what if' moment for Mumbai came when Kishan collided with his teammate in Qualifier 2, which meant he could not bat.
However, with a record of 454 runs, 10 catches and three stumpings he has more than earned his place in this team.
6.Cameron Green
Some eyebrows were raised when Mumbai went all out in the auction to ensure Green would turn out for them this year. The tall Aussie allrounder, who had little T20 match experience before, showed he could be relied upon in the big moments. In a must-win match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Green almost single handedly pushed his team over the line. He hit his first T20 century in the match and then followed it up with knocks of 41 and 30 in the Eliminator and Qulaifier. He hit 452 runs over the season and finished with six wickets. Green proved himself to be a top performer and one that his team looked to in the big moments.
7. Axar Patel
In an otherwise nightmarish season for Delhi Capitals, Axar Patel has been Mr Consistency with both bat and ball. The experienced left-arm spinner took 11 wickets in the tournament but contributed with the bat more than he has done in his previous nine seasons in the IPL, hitting 283 runs. He hit his first ever half-century against Mumbai Indians, his 54 runs turned a whitewash into a competitive game as he tried to keep his team afloat. This may not have been Patel's most exciting season, but his consistency and his tenacity see him make into this team.
8. Ravindra Jadeja
Jadeja seems to have returned to the peak of his powers after a frustrating 2022 season. The left-arm spinner has been a magnet for controversy and rumours since he stepped down from the captaincy last year. However, suggestions of a breakdown with MS Dhoni don't appear to have affected the trust the two have on the pitch. Jadeja remains Dhoni's go-to bowler when a wicket is needed. He finished with 20 wickets with a solid economy below eight. And then came his epic contribution to the final with the bat, hitting 10 off the final two deliveries to secure Chennai Super Kings the title.
9. Rashid Khan
At 24 years old, the leg-spinner already has an impressive T20 franchise record behind him. But the Afghanistan bowler only seems to be getting better as he continues to give IPL batters nightmares in Gujarat Titans colours. He finished with 27 wickets, and was the thorn in Mumbai Indians' side this year, taking 4 for 30 near the end of the season and 2 for 33 in Qualifier 2 to help his side back to the final. Gujarat's bowlers have been electrifying this year and Khan has been a huge part of that.
10. Mohammed Siraj
Siraj has shown his pace and skill many times for both the Indian national team and the Royal Challengers Bangalore. But this season he stepped it up a notch. The fast bowler claimed 19 wickets at an impressive economy rate for a speedster of 7.52. He had an incredible performance against Punjab Kings where he took 4 for 21 in a 24-run win. Bangalore will reflect on another disappointing season, but Siraj's trajectory still only seems to be going up.
11. Mohammed Shami
The experienced seam bowler was in scintillating form this year for Gujarat Titans. He led a stellar bowling lineup that holds the top three wicket-takers in the tournament. Shami topped the lot, winning the Purple Cap for his 28 victims. Gujarat were regularly able to lean on some big performances from the Indian international. While he cleaned up against the teams at the bottom - 4 for 11 against Delhi and 2 for 21 against Hyderabad - he also dominated against the form sides. In the post-season he took 2 for 28 against Chennai and 2 for 41 against Mumbai. Shami continues to set himself apart in T20 cricket.
Ged Matters
Ged (Ian Harris) reports on a day at the 2022 England v New Zealand match
Daisy had especially enjoyed the relaxed vibe of our Sunday at the India Test in the “crowds but not full crowds” pandemic summer of 2021.
“Can we sit in the same place again?” she asked, ahead of the Platty Joobs Test.
The Lower Tavern Stand – the least fashionable members and friends area.
I made a beeline for that place on arrival. Despite a plethora of reservations in that area, I found the same seats as we had used the previous year, unreserved. We grabbed those.
“This isn’t the stand we sat in last year,” said Daisy. “The one we sat in last year was much smaller”.
“It was less densely populated,” I said. “Not only is this the same stand, I think these are the exact same seats.”
Daisy protested.
I tried using evidence to prove my point – in particular a double-selfie of me and Daisy in the same spot the previous year.
The evidence was pretty convincing to those sitting around us, who were starting to take an interest in our debate. Daisy mumbled about deep fakes and other unspecified uncertainties.
On the way home, Daisy said she’d had a lovely day and commented on the relatively relaxed vibe in the Lower Tavern Stand… just as she had done the previous year.
In memoriam
Les Berry passed the following sad news to me:
Jack Gabb was a terrifically loyal supporter of the Club and as Waheed points out in the email used to travel up from the coast for most matches. I only became a member at the Bush towards the time Jack was giving up the bar duties, but got to know him quite well in more recent times. So, not a happy close season for the Club with Ian (Rocker) Robinson also getting dismissed after a long innings - another stalwart who will be greatly missed. I think tributes to both chaps are being planned.
Waheed noted: Those who were present when Jack was awarded his life membership will no doubt never forget his acceptance speech at our club dinner, which was easily the highlight of that night. He will be sorely missed, and our thoughts are with his family Lesley, Richard and Paul.”
Bill Groombridge informed me that Tony Smith died recently after a lengthy battle against cancer. He fought it off twice but the third version got to his brain. He had a great life and hit his objective of reaching 80, which he had been told was impossible!
Rangers Star
My cousin , Robin Sharp, sent me this photo of his grandson, Arthur.
The way things have been going at Loftus Road he will probably be in the first team next season.
Publication Dates
Apologies for the late circulation of this edition. July will be issued in the first week of the month and August will be on time. September will be late. All this due to the address lists only being available to me on an old computer in the Peak District.
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
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