Has anybody heard anything from Shane Warne since Wednesday? He did predict Australia to win the 4th Test and level the Series. Watching the highlights last evening, Geoffrey Boycott illustrated in a couple of minutes what has gone wrong with the Aussies in this Series, except for on the docile pitch at Lord’s. Too much front-foot aggression to the moving ball leading to edges – that was why England were playing yesterday morning with five men in the slip/gully cordon. I am hoping that what happens today is that Joe Root gets to a double century with somebody at the other end chipping in some runs and then England declare. With a lead of around 350, they can finish Australia off by the end of Saturday. That would seem the fairest result for the folks that have advance tickets for Sunday. I have a horrible feeling that what will actually happen is that there will be an hour of play on Sunday morning to finish the match and the folks with Sunday tickets will get ripped off.
Wow, a Scotsman talking cricket. In the faint hope one of our Irishmen takes to the game (some hope), here's a recap. on the LBW rule, by Stephen Fry. I confirm it's mostly correct (I think) as I umpired at school, and got a thick ear a few times from batting louts who were bigger than me at the time. Oh, I got such a bang out of raising my finger, interfered with my judgement sometimes.
Moi!!! At age twelve my mum sent me to a private school 'up the toon' where I played cricket and rugby, neither to stellar heights. I had however played cricket with friends in the 'links' from an early age and always watched this fine sport when it was in the TV. One of my earliest recollections is when my mum, dad and I moved into my Granny's house when she was ill. My granny and I used to watch England v. the West Indies every day. As this was before health kicks we used to scoff crisps, sweets and fizzy juice! If I recall correctly England's openers were Edrich and Barrington (my favourite) and the West Indies stars were a plenty: Kanhai, Sobers, Griffiths, Gibbs and Wes Hall. As an aside we 'commited' what now seems a common misdemeanour. When I was about to start primary school we 'moved' from the council scheme we stayed in on the outskirts of Edinburgh into my Granny's in an area near Leith so that my name could be put down for Leith Academy for which my mum paid the princely sum of £2 per term! A family of rogues no less!
Kenny, don't think it was Barrington in '63 versus WI as he normally batted 4 or 5 (the Aussies used to say he was the toughest to remove). It was pre-Boycott so I'd hazard a guess it was at times Bolus.
Memory failing this 'old' codger; Ken Barrington probably did bat at 4/5. I can remember Brian Statham as one of England's bowlers; not sure if Fred Trueman still around during the series I remember? West Indies openers - Basil Butcher(?) plus?
I went to 2 days of the Final Test and yes Fred was still there (in fact he went beyond Statham as that may have been Statham's last test, but even in saying that I recall he had a strange recall a couple of years later). Unfortunately Trueman was injured after bowling one over in their 2nd innings after having a fabulous series. So the Windies won. A few weeks later I met the WI opener Conrad Hunte. I nicer man you could not imagine. A real gentleman.
WI team first test. CC Hunte E McMorris GS Sobers RB Kanhai BF Butcher JS Solomon FMM Worrell DL Murray WW Hall CC Griffith LR Gibbs England. MJ Stewart JH Edrich ER Dexter KF Barrington MC Cowdrey DB Close JM Parks FJ Titmus FS Trueman DA Allen D Shackleton
Yes I think you'll find Stewart played in 3-4 tests as well. His son was better but he wasn't bad. The 2nd Test was a cracker when Cowdrey's Achilles snapped and Close played one of the bravest innings I've ever seen.
Strange English side. Ron Two off-spinners and Shackleton (who was a magnificent bowler) opening the bwling on the slow side of medium pace. Dexter, who was a really good bowler, was probably faster. One of the weaknesses of the side was Parks who they played for his batting. Murray was a better keeper but the best keeper in the country was Jimmy Binks by a long way. In fact you could have had 4 or 5 Yorkshiremen in the team then, but it never happened.
“Is it worth remembering how this ‘Ashes’ business began – with Australia all out for 63 in the first innings at the Oval in August 1882, before coming back in the second innings and winning the match? RIP English cricket and all that. “Six years later, at Lord’s in 1888, was actually the only other time (before yesterday) that Australia found themselves all out for exactly 60 in an innings. They won that match too, by 61 runs.” 18/1 on the Exchange for Australia to win. Bookies only going 5/1 to 6/1
This could last until the 4th day if this pair scrape through to tea. But it is scrape through as they are not convincing. If they do survive they could give the other batsmen a lot more confidence. England need a wicket to unsettle the Aussies
As a lifelong fan of the Rolling Stones all I can say is "It's All Over Now". That's me inspired to a short musical interlude courtesy of Jagger/Richards (Bobby Womack)!!
