A little humour to lighten the mood:
Contrite Flintoff Ends England Exile
http://www.the-spine.com/archives/753
Contrite Flintoff Ends England Exile
http://www.the-spine.com/archives/753
JTrader
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Completely agree.
Far too long a tournament.
Also, players playing far too many games per year = makes each game have little significance for both fans and players. But, whatever brings in the cash...
JTrader
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And now it is only a 4 test series, whereas along with Australia, it used to be Englands most "glamorous" series.
Don't know why, but to me a series consisting of an even number of test matches just sounds wrong. Although I recognise a 3 or 5 test series can be drawn also..........
Yes, but they will probably make up for the missing Test by having half a hundred meaningless one day games in a triangular tournament ( which may include the might of Ireland ) and call it the XYZ Championship of Great Britain.
They will then present a massive trophy - purchased from Tesco for the occasion - along with a cheque to the winning team of £ 500 which won't even pay for a round of drinks for Flintoff.
I wonder if you can get a wager on Betfair related to Flintoff's boozing activities.
They will then present a massive trophy - purchased from Tesco for the occasion - along with a cheque to the winning team of £ 500 which won't even pay for a round of drinks for Flintoff.
I wonder if you can get a wager on Betfair related to Flintoff's boozing activities.
JTrader
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Yes i also think these one day series tagged onto the back of test series are a joke.
It made me laugh in Australia, after being whitewashed in the test series. England won the triangle 1 day thingy, then made out as though this did or almost did make up for losing the test series
.What happened to cricket lovely cricket?
Thirty two years ago Australia and West Indies contested the first ever World Cup Final at Lords. Two great sides battling it out. I was a cricket-mad 10 year old. My summers revolved around cricket. That day is etched in my mind. Roy Fredericks hooking Lillee for six out of the ground. Lloyd's century. Lillee and Thomson batting in the dark. The jubilant West Indian supporters massed around the boundary. Ready to celebrate victory.
That match was the culmination of a tournament which had 15 matches. Fast forward to 2007, and the recent World Cup debacle. 57 matches. I did not bother watching a single ball.
Cricket has had the life sucked out of it, and its soul destroyed, by cynical administrators and marketing executives. The glorious game of the seventies, when nearly all of the world's finest played in county cricket, began on the road to perdition with Packer in '77. Sure, the top players now earn much bigger salaries, but I now take much more interest in the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible than I do in my once beloved cricket. Snooker has retained it's traditions and continuity, whilst adapting and successfully incorporating modern technology, and the modern world.
Aside from the Australians, and the truly great Warne and McGrath in particular, the standard of players across the world, and in the county championship in particular, is light years below what it used to be. As for England's next opponents, the West Indies...
I prefer to remember the great sport it used to be.
Thirty two years ago Australia and West Indies contested the first ever World Cup Final at Lords. Two great sides battling it out. I was a cricket-mad 10 year old. My summers revolved around cricket. That day is etched in my mind. Roy Fredericks hooking Lillee for six out of the ground. Lloyd's century. Lillee and Thomson batting in the dark. The jubilant West Indian supporters massed around the boundary. Ready to celebrate victory.
That match was the culmination of a tournament which had 15 matches. Fast forward to 2007, and the recent World Cup debacle. 57 matches. I did not bother watching a single ball.
Cricket has had the life sucked out of it, and its soul destroyed, by cynical administrators and marketing executives. The glorious game of the seventies, when nearly all of the world's finest played in county cricket, began on the road to perdition with Packer in '77. Sure, the top players now earn much bigger salaries, but I now take much more interest in the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible than I do in my once beloved cricket. Snooker has retained it's traditions and continuity, whilst adapting and successfully incorporating modern technology, and the modern world.
Aside from the Australians, and the truly great Warne and McGrath in particular, the standard of players across the world, and in the county championship in particular, is light years below what it used to be. As for England's next opponents, the West Indies...
I prefer to remember the great sport it used to be.
JTrader
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Money is a big factor. While England cricketers are paid a lot, the average uncapped (by England) county player, probably makes around £40k per year.
Kids would rather play other sports, er. soccer. If they aspire to be pros, they also know that soccer pays more, and the working hours are shorter.
Cricket can be a pretty lame sport to play, lets be honest
and it is very time consuming. On and off, I've played for four seasons in total in a local league, but then decided I'd rather leave my saturdays/sundays free for other things. I've also played with more talented players than myself, who also quit, or decided not to play senior cricket after becoming too old for juniors, due to the amount of time a game takes up, and a general feeling of "can't be arsed!".Although county cricket is no doubt a lot more professional than 20 years ago. I read Simon Hughes highly entertaining book/s. They paint a far from professional image of county cricket
.
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Jack o'Clubs
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Fantasy Cricket?
Any of you cricket fans signed up to the Telegraph's fantasy league? If so, fancy setting up a T2W sub-league for a bit of fun over the summer?
Any of you cricket fans signed up to the Telegraph's fantasy league? If so, fancy setting up a T2W sub-league for a bit of fun over the summer?
JTrader
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Worth loggin on just to savour that memory........ Thx
I think a certain Mr Richards was involved in a run out or two as well .... :cheesy:
Oh and wasn't Fredericks out hit wicket or was that Kallicharan ? My memory is not what it was.......:cheesy:
2007
England win 3- Wi draw - no contest once again........
Hit wicket b. Lillee..........7
Hook Shot
Yep...Fredericks was out hit wicket b. Lillee for 7
(what a player he was. He gave that great Australian attack of Lillee, Thomson, Gilmour, Walker etc. a caning on more than one occasion)...
Viv, prowling in the covers, ran out both of the Chappell brothers
Great memories...
Hook Shot
Yep...Fredericks was out hit wicket b. Lillee for 7
(what a player he was. He gave that great Australian attack of Lillee, Thomson, Gilmour, Walker etc. a caning on more than one occasion)...
Viv, prowling in the covers, ran out both of the Chappell brothers
Great memories...
Cheers Pippppin ..
I remember that fantastic game too but I have to admit that I was 22 at the time.
This year's World Cup was an uninteresting farce marred by murder, one-sided games, unreliable weather, Freddie Pedalo Flintoff's bad form and an overall lack of atmosphere.
That game at Lords all those years ago was gripping, exciting and totally unforgettable.
I have already forgotten this year's World Cup.
