So with England out in Bangladesh everyone thought that it would be a good time for England and more importantly Kevin Pietersen to get some runs under his belt both in the One Day and Test forms of the game, something which he has struggled with of late.
After the One Day Internationals however this does not seem to be a plan that is going well with him getting a highest score of 22 in the 3 games and generally showing for some reason that he cannot play left arm spin very well something which was highlighted when he repeatedly got out to Yuvraj Singh last time we played India and the fact that whenever KP was at the crease they brought him on to bowl.
There is hope however with a 2 game test series coming up that he will be able to get in and get some runs at some point throughout the 4 innings (potentially) although they do have a lot of spinners and he will have to work on his technique against the left handed spinners in particular. The warm up game saw Michael Carberry opening the batting with Captain Cook and it looks as if that is the way they will go for this tour with Andrew Strauss having a well deserved rest before the summer tests back in England.
The bowlers however are not having a good time with injuries to both Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad meaning that they may not make the test matches, however there is more hope for Stuart Broad to play in both. It will be most interesting to see the composition of the side as many people believe that we will go in with 2 spinners which means that Graeme Swann will probably be partnered by James Tredwell.
Even with playing two spinners I presume that they will go in to the first test with 6 batsmen, the keeper then two spinners and two seamers probably using Paul collingwood as the fifth bowler should they need one. So with the first test starting Friday it will be a good chance to see just where England are at and if they can keep up their 100%.
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
England draw the Twenty20's
Friday and Saturday saw the first action of England touring Dubai where they played Pakistan and will also play Bangladesh starting this week.
The first game saw England take the win away from Pakistan with a brilliant batting performance from the ever improving Morgan (especially when he ended the game with 4, 4, 6) and a good return to runs for Kevin Pietersen, apart from his suicide single to get off the mark. It was also a good fielding performance with Stuart Broad in particular taking both wickets and some very good catches.
The second game went the same way with England batting first and thanks to a good team effort and some big hitting from some of the lower order they got up to a good total of just shy of 150 but this time (despite some more excellent fielding and catching) Pakistan had the batting talent to knock the runs off and finish the short series with a win per team in what was a fairly even contest over the 2 games.
Elsewhere it's unfortunate to see that the West Indies have been blown away by Australia who are looking more and more like the side that they used to be when they could beat anyone in the world. Australia seem to be pulling together as a squad and especially Shane Watson seems to be digging in to get both runs and wickets and with Doug Bollinger bowling well and Shaun Tait bowling at a fantastic speed it seems that they will match most teams that are out there.
There was a fantastic game of One Day cricket over the weekend as well with India playing South Africa. In what should have been a game that India won easily after they posted almost 300 and it was going swimmingly when the South Africans were 7 down with a lot to get but Wayne Parnell and Dale Steyn both hit more than 30 and should have won the game for them before India won by 1 run.
The first game saw England take the win away from Pakistan with a brilliant batting performance from the ever improving Morgan (especially when he ended the game with 4, 4, 6) and a good return to runs for Kevin Pietersen, apart from his suicide single to get off the mark. It was also a good fielding performance with Stuart Broad in particular taking both wickets and some very good catches.
The second game went the same way with England batting first and thanks to a good team effort and some big hitting from some of the lower order they got up to a good total of just shy of 150 but this time (despite some more excellent fielding and catching) Pakistan had the batting talent to knock the runs off and finish the short series with a win per team in what was a fairly even contest over the 2 games.
Elsewhere it's unfortunate to see that the West Indies have been blown away by Australia who are looking more and more like the side that they used to be when they could beat anyone in the world. Australia seem to be pulling together as a squad and especially Shane Watson seems to be digging in to get both runs and wickets and with Doug Bollinger bowling well and Shaun Tait bowling at a fantastic speed it seems that they will match most teams that are out there.
There was a fantastic game of One Day cricket over the weekend as well with India playing South Africa. In what should have been a game that India won easily after they posted almost 300 and it was going swimmingly when the South Africans were 7 down with a lot to get but Wayne Parnell and Dale Steyn both hit more than 30 and should have won the game for them before India won by 1 run.
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
England vs Pakistan starts this week
This Friday starts the long anticipated tour of England being in the United Arab Emirates to play both Pakistan and then Bangladesh. The first game between the senior sides is this Friday with the first 20/20 international between Pakistan and England although the England Lions and Pakistan A team have already played a few games and have a couple more this week.
So far the England lions have been firmly on top beating Pakistan A in both of their 20/20 matches relatively comfortable and it has been very good to see some of the lads doing really well and pushing for either a call up or a return to the full side. People such as Ian Bell who has yet to get a bad score on the tour, Craig Kieswetter has been in good form and should earn a place in the squad for the Twenty/20 World Cup, Adil Rashid has been bowling well and Peter Trego has been batting and bowling consistently.
Elsewhere the Test Match Series between India and South Africa is still going on and the second test was noticeable for a batting collapse that could rival any that England have done previously when they went from 251-3 to collapse to 296 all out in the space of 25 overs after tea on the first day after centuries by Petersen (on debut) and Amla had them going well. In reply India started strongly and never looked back with no fewer than 4 players making hundreds (Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dhoni and Laxman).
There was also a fantastic game of One Day International Cricket between Australia and West Indies the other day where both sides showed exactly what they are capable of. Batting first Australia made a good score of 324 and for a while it looked as if West Indies were going to get nowhere near the total but some good hitting managed to get them to a respectable total of 274 which is an improvement on the rest of the series so far.
So with cricket being played almost all around the world at the moment there's so much action it really is brilliant and gives me more to watch and write about.
So far the England lions have been firmly on top beating Pakistan A in both of their 20/20 matches relatively comfortable and it has been very good to see some of the lads doing really well and pushing for either a call up or a return to the full side. People such as Ian Bell who has yet to get a bad score on the tour, Craig Kieswetter has been in good form and should earn a place in the squad for the Twenty/20 World Cup, Adil Rashid has been bowling well and Peter Trego has been batting and bowling consistently.
Elsewhere the Test Match Series between India and South Africa is still going on and the second test was noticeable for a batting collapse that could rival any that England have done previously when they went from 251-3 to collapse to 296 all out in the space of 25 overs after tea on the first day after centuries by Petersen (on debut) and Amla had them going well. In reply India started strongly and never looked back with no fewer than 4 players making hundreds (Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dhoni and Laxman).
There was also a fantastic game of One Day International Cricket between Australia and West Indies the other day where both sides showed exactly what they are capable of. Batting first Australia made a good score of 324 and for a while it looked as if West Indies were going to get nowhere near the total but some good hitting managed to get them to a respectable total of 274 which is an improvement on the rest of the series so far.
So with cricket being played almost all around the world at the moment there's so much action it really is brilliant and gives me more to watch and write about.
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Australia vs West Indies and India vs South Africa
This week there has been quite a lot of action around the world with the One Day International Series kicking off between Australia and West Indies and already they have shown that this current Australian team is too good for a West Indies team that is in transition and is in dire need of strengthening their squads so that they can compete with some of the top teams around.
I think the funniest thing was in the Twenty20 Internationals against Pakistan at the end of last week when Shaun Tait was bowling at around 160 kph which is about 99.86 mph and without a doubt it was some seriously good quick bowling and Brad Haddin was talking to the commentators and saying that without a doubt it was the quickest he had ever kept to and that even though he was halfway back to the boundary it was still hurting his hands.
Elsewhere it is the battle of the top 2 in the test arena with the first test between India and South Africa taking place. After South Africa batted first and slipped for 6-2 Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis then proceeded to put on 340 runs with Hashim Amla making a good double century and Kallis making a good score of just under a double century and they posted a good score of 558 declared.
The Indian reply got off to a good start and when Sehwag was finally out they had reached 192-4 but enter Dale Steyn and just a short while later they were all out for 233 and Dale Steyn had finished with figures of 7-51 and the follow on was enforced. India are currently 242-6 in their second innings and are still trailing by 83 runs and without a doubt are looking at a heavy defeat be it by an innings or by South Africa knocking off a small amount of runs.
So with England starting their tour of the United Arab Emirates to play against Bangladesh then there is more cricket coming up including the Australia and West Indies tour and the rest of India vs South Africa.
I think the funniest thing was in the Twenty20 Internationals against Pakistan at the end of last week when Shaun Tait was bowling at around 160 kph which is about 99.86 mph and without a doubt it was some seriously good quick bowling and Brad Haddin was talking to the commentators and saying that without a doubt it was the quickest he had ever kept to and that even though he was halfway back to the boundary it was still hurting his hands.
Elsewhere it is the battle of the top 2 in the test arena with the first test between India and South Africa taking place. After South Africa batted first and slipped for 6-2 Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis then proceeded to put on 340 runs with Hashim Amla making a good double century and Kallis making a good score of just under a double century and they posted a good score of 558 declared.
The Indian reply got off to a good start and when Sehwag was finally out they had reached 192-4 but enter Dale Steyn and just a short while later they were all out for 233 and Dale Steyn had finished with figures of 7-51 and the follow on was enforced. India are currently 242-6 in their second innings and are still trailing by 83 runs and without a doubt are looking at a heavy defeat be it by an innings or by South Africa knocking off a small amount of runs.
So with England starting their tour of the United Arab Emirates to play against Bangladesh then there is more cricket coming up including the Australia and West Indies tour and the rest of India vs South Africa.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Cricket this week
This week has seen a break from most of the major action that has been taking place on the cricket field this week with the exception of Australia wrapping up a 5-0 win over Pakistan in their One Day International Series, however there have been plenty of stories off the pitch that have been just as important.
Firstly Ottis Gibson has left the England coaching set up (he was their bowling coach) and has taken the head coach job for the West Indies. It was quite a shock when the news was first announced, as just a few years ago he was still a player with Hampshire and he hasn't had much experience with coaching especially when it comes to being the head coach.
Elsewhere the series between Australia and Pakistan ended on a bit of a sour note when Shahid Afridi was given a 2 game ban for biting the ball, which was a bit pointless as they were already 4-0 down in the series and its not as if he could make the ball that different just by biting on it although maybe he just thought it tasted good.
Elsewhere there were wins for Kenya over Scotland and Ireland over Afghanistan in a 20/20 Quadrangular Series. That is all for this week but there is more cricket coming up soon.
Firstly Ottis Gibson has left the England coaching set up (he was their bowling coach) and has taken the head coach job for the West Indies. It was quite a shock when the news was first announced, as just a few years ago he was still a player with Hampshire and he hasn't had much experience with coaching especially when it comes to being the head coach.
Elsewhere the series between Australia and Pakistan ended on a bit of a sour note when Shahid Afridi was given a 2 game ban for biting the ball, which was a bit pointless as they were already 4-0 down in the series and its not as if he could make the ball that different just by biting on it although maybe he just thought it tasted good.
Elsewhere there were wins for Kenya over Scotland and Ireland over Afghanistan in a 20/20 Quadrangular Series. That is all for this week but there is more cricket coming up soon.
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
The Under 19 One Day Tournament and the rest of the Week
For the past week or so I have been watching the under 19 cricket on Sky and it's been a really good tournament and if we take it as a sign of things to come then it looks like there are going to be some good players coming through the ranks into the full international sides. I've been watching some of the games that included England, Pakistan, West Indies, India and Australia and they all have people that are going to be big talents in the coming years.
I have been most impressed by the West Indies, Pakistan and of course the Australians as I think that over the course of the tournament they have played the best cricket and in the case of the West Indies it is definitely a good thing for the future as through all the turmoil that they have been through lately it will be a big confidence booster to know that they have good young players ready to step up to the full international side.
The final takes place this week with Australia and Pakistan facing each other for the trophy and on the performances of the teams so far it seems as if this will be a win for Australia which is not that surprising really as it seems that whatever level they compete at they always have a strong team and definitely have strength in depth and will continue to be a driving force in world cricket for a long time to come.
Elsewhere the Australian national side have been playing One Day Internationals against Pakistan and despite the fact that Pakistan do seemingly have a good side it has been a one sided series with Australia outplaying their opponents in every game so far with people like Cameron White, Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh all getting in the runs and Ryan Harris and Nathan Hauritz regularly taking wickets.
This week has also seen the Test Series between Bangladesh and India end in a 2-0 win for the Indians and without a doubt it has shown that Bangladesh have the talent within their ranks to play some good Test Match Cricket but they still seem to be overawed at times and their batting line up has the tendency to collapse at an even greater rate than the English one does. So with India hosting South Africa next week and England's tour to Bangladesh getting ever closer the world of cricket is a busy one to be involved in.
I have been most impressed by the West Indies, Pakistan and of course the Australians as I think that over the course of the tournament they have played the best cricket and in the case of the West Indies it is definitely a good thing for the future as through all the turmoil that they have been through lately it will be a big confidence booster to know that they have good young players ready to step up to the full international side.
The final takes place this week with Australia and Pakistan facing each other for the trophy and on the performances of the teams so far it seems as if this will be a win for Australia which is not that surprising really as it seems that whatever level they compete at they always have a strong team and definitely have strength in depth and will continue to be a driving force in world cricket for a long time to come.
Elsewhere the Australian national side have been playing One Day Internationals against Pakistan and despite the fact that Pakistan do seemingly have a good side it has been a one sided series with Australia outplaying their opponents in every game so far with people like Cameron White, Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh all getting in the runs and Ryan Harris and Nathan Hauritz regularly taking wickets.
This week has also seen the Test Series between Bangladesh and India end in a 2-0 win for the Indians and without a doubt it has shown that Bangladesh have the talent within their ranks to play some good Test Match Cricket but they still seem to be overawed at times and their batting line up has the tendency to collapse at an even greater rate than the English one does. So with India hosting South Africa next week and England's tour to Bangladesh getting ever closer the world of cricket is a busy one to be involved in.
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
A draw in South Africa and the Squad to Bangladesh
So with the series out in South Africa having finished in a draw England can be proud of what they have accomplished out there because it is not an easy place to go and play test cricket. It was just a shame that the first bad game we played in the series was the final one and after being destroyed by South Africa in the final test match we walked away with a drawn series, which in itself is not that bad of a result.
It was just a shame that certain people such as Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott didn't turn up for the last test and without a doubt KP didn't turn up for the entire series and he will definitely have to improve when the team flies out to their next tour series in Bangladesh, although some of the others will be under pressure to get big runs out there as well.
After a good series in South Africa and with captain Andrew Strauss mentioning that the team were behind where they needed to be in preparation for the ashes at the end of the year it was a surprise to see the touring squad to Bangladesh be announced with Andrew Strauss and James Anderson being rested and Alistair Cook taking the captaincy, a move which some have said is not good enough for the whole squad to gel.
Without a doubt the squad that will be sent their should be good enough to win but it is also an ample opportunity for the batsmen to get runs especially Cook, Matt Prior and KP. Although both Bell and Collingwood had good series out in South Africa without a doubt they will both want to try and rack up some runs of their own in the 2 match test series in Bangladesh.
Elsewhere the bidding for the Indian Premier League is underway with Graeme Swann, Shahid Afridi and Brad Haddin being the highest priced cricketers entered. There are only a few of the England players that are entered into the auction but one of the early ones that has been picked up by a team is Eoin Morgan.
It was just a shame that certain people such as Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott didn't turn up for the last test and without a doubt KP didn't turn up for the entire series and he will definitely have to improve when the team flies out to their next tour series in Bangladesh, although some of the others will be under pressure to get big runs out there as well.
After a good series in South Africa and with captain Andrew Strauss mentioning that the team were behind where they needed to be in preparation for the ashes at the end of the year it was a surprise to see the touring squad to Bangladesh be announced with Andrew Strauss and James Anderson being rested and Alistair Cook taking the captaincy, a move which some have said is not good enough for the whole squad to gel.
Without a doubt the squad that will be sent their should be good enough to win but it is also an ample opportunity for the batsmen to get runs especially Cook, Matt Prior and KP. Although both Bell and Collingwood had good series out in South Africa without a doubt they will both want to try and rack up some runs of their own in the 2 match test series in Bangladesh.
Elsewhere the bidding for the Indian Premier League is underway with Graeme Swann, Shahid Afridi and Brad Haddin being the highest priced cricketers entered. There are only a few of the England players that are entered into the auction but one of the early ones that has been picked up by a team is Eoin Morgan.
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