Happy New Year. I hope your stomach is bursting and your liver is slumping somewhere on the toilet floor. It’s definitely mine. It’s usually a sign that everyone is having a good time…or at least I am. I can’t comment on the comments on political correctness, left, right, brexit, ecb, my kids, too much immigration, too little immigration, why isn’t there more brandy and who gives it must be in my fifteen pounds Endure black currants in a bottle of Prosecco.
Anyway, it was back to everyday life today – I mean supporting England cricket and crying over the latest news of Harrison’s Harebrained Have A Hit. Let’s deal with T20 cities first.
I suggested two weeks ago that the new competition is not going to be smooth sailing and that the ECB may be forced to (a) make major revisions to its proposals, or (b) abandon the entire project. This is due to growing divisions among the regions over financial arrangements and other structural issues. My sources suggest the latter is a real possibility…and still is.
According to The Times, the latest news suggests a major overhaul is underway. In my opinion, this shows that the ECB is trying to appease dissidents behind the scenes and save their short-sighted and unpopular projects.
What exactly are these reforms? According to The Times, T20’s cities will no longer be based on… wait for it… cities! And the team doesn’t even have a home court. They’re just kind of nomadic, playing on different courses all over the country. correct.
Clearly, the ECB was forced to make this concession, as smaller countries had reason to fear that such competition would jeopardize their existence. They worry that only clubs with large friendly grounds will really benefit and want to secure the rights to stage their own games. All of this seems fair enough, if you ask me.
However, it’s not all bad news for the ECB. When a franchise isn’t in one city and the game is running across the country, they can do one of their all-time favorite things: bid on the county for the right to host the game! Harrison and Graves really had to rub their hands happily. After all, the application process for international competitions used to be very efficient. no.
So what we’re left with: a T20 match involving some random franchise, set in a random location, in an unspecified format, and aimed at a whole new audience, i.e. people who aren’t currently fond of cricket (or even know it exists). The whole thing is full of “farce” and “failure”.
Why would someone who doesn’t like cricket these days suddenly take an interest in the sport because an away team of randomly recruited mercenaries are playing in the streets? What makes this more appealing than watching a NatWest Blast game involving a team with (some) local talent permanently stationed in the community? Confusion.
Oh, you know all the talk about a game at the Olympic Stadium (or London Stadium or West Ham Park or whatever it’s called now), which doesn’t seem to be happening either. Why? Because the ECB just noticed that the stadium was busy with other activities in the middle of summer. No fucking Sherlock.
Anyway, it’s now reduced to ashes. The 5th and final Ashes Test starts tonight at SCG. England can afford to try as Alastair Cook’s double century on a pitch that the ICC has just labeled ‘poor’ (because it leaves bowlers hopeless in hell) finally avoids whitewashing. Therefore, Mason is very likely to play Crane. Hallelujah.
As bad as Moeen Ali is on the Ashes tour – as he does on every tour – I’d rather keep Tom Curran in England. That’s because (a) our dicks would be ridiculously big if Woakes had to hit 7, and (b) I’m not impressed with Curran at MCG. He brought “a lot of energy” but it looked like he never brought in any wickets. I’m just skeptical that a bowler running 78-82 mph can be effective at Test level…unless he’s actually pretty special.
I was wondering what you guys think about England’s draft woes. Surely Moeen will get some runs in the end, right? I also wonder if you care about the result in Sydney. Are you interested in the results of general dead teeth?
It’s a topic brought up by Dan Splarn, who sent me this glowing tribute to Cook’s marathon last week. Apologies to Dan for not posting this as a standalone article:
The way Alastair Cook celebrates this great double century speaks for itself.
While Barmy’s army yelled its approval, the England dressing room cheered collectively and even die-hard Australian fans stood up to acknowledge the Poms’ fight, Cook was relatively silent in his celebrations.
Granted, his broad smile was unmissable, and there were a few brief moments in which he allowed himself the pleasure of such an epic milestone – but within 40 seconds, Cook was practicing his straight run, gathering his thoughts And refocused on the task at hand: whipping his team into dominance and bringing some pride to the previous disastrous Battle of Ashes.
Cook’s 634 minutes in New York follow three very disappointing performances in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth