Kevin Pietersen was fined for saying the following on Twitter: "Can somebody PLEASE tell me how Nick Knight has worked his way into the commentary box for home Tests?? RIDICULOUS!!". This is, apparently, prejudicial to the interests of the ECB.
Yeah, whatever, but nobody can deny that Pietersen has a point. Knight has never expressed an actual opinion since his broadcast career began. He does a funny thing with his top lip before espousing his latest nugget of vapid, cliched nonsense which, once you've noticed it, is really annoying and impossible to avoid. So far, so bad, but the bigger problem lies beneath.
Sky's commentary team is a cosy coterie of former England captains, coaches and Nick Knight. Professional broadcasters are conspicuous by their absence. The same is true of Test Match Special where Henry Blofeld is the last of the classically-trained journalists to appear regularly. The same is true around the world where Tony Cozier and Harsha Bhogle are about the only professionals in a world where Laxman Sivaramakrishnan can find work in commentary. There's a fetishisation among broadcasters to go for the ex-pro regardless of any other concerns. This is almost unique in cricket, unlike other sports where a professional commentator will describe while an ex-pro adds colour and tactical insight. With the box full of ex-pros, you end up with neither.
The other element is something the ECB response to Pietersen's outburst hints at: the commercial concerns of the broadcaster. Heaven forbid someone with strident opinions be allowed to spout forth. There's a reason that it was only Michael Holding's entertaining rant directed at the WICB was the only real area of dissent on Sky's coverage allowed. The sponsors must be appeased. The same is true on the BBC; despite their lack of sponsors themselves, the ECB's must not be upset or in any way associated with negative coverage. Each of these two areas leads to anodyne, boring coverage, but the two together leads to anodyne, boring coverage brought to you by an anodyne, boring old boys club.
Knight is rubbish, but the bigger issues lie in the policy of recruitment and the lack of risk-taking engendered throughout the game. Pietersen will not be allowed near a commentary box until he has that element of outspokeness surgically removed.
And if any players want to sound off about commentators under the cloak of anonymity, do drop me a line on twitter
Thursday 24 May 2012
Thursday 17 May 2012
A debate where debate is not needed
Happy new Test series!
Yes, the cold, grey skies - well, over Leeds they are; seems it's better in London - herald the onset of the English Test summer. The West Indies are the opponents for the first part of the summer and not expected to provide a huge amount of resistance. They arrive depleted for a number of reasons - politics, IPL, intransigence, disinterest - and as has become the norm when they arrive for Test matches in this country, the weather flatly refuses to be anything other than wintry. At least they don't have to go up to Durham this time, where the sight of a shivering Shiv Chanderpaul fielding at slip wearing every jumper he's ever owned is a pitiable one.
On the flip side, England are a happy and settled bunch after ending a pretty torrid winter with a much-needed and morale-boosting win. They've added Jonny Bairstow to the squad and he's expected to play, batting at six. The Todd Flanders look-alike is in fine form and has shown in county and international one-day cricket that he fears nothing. He'll come in for Samit Patel from the last time England played a Test with Matt Prior dropping down a spot as England revert to the four-man attack that's served them so well in every place other than south Asia.
Of that four man attack, Graeme Swann, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad are givens. There should be no debate about the fourth either, and yet it seems a bone of contention. Yes, England are blessed with a number of different options, but one of those stands out so far above the others that it shouldn't be an issue. Steven Finn, Chris Tremlett and Graham Onions are all fine bowlers, of course, but how Tim Bresnan has become anything other than a first pick borders on the scandalous.
After 11 Tests - in all of which he has been on the winning side, lest we forget - Bresnan bats at over 40 and bowls at under 25. As a lower middle-order batsman alone, his figures would warrant discussion. As a bowler alone, he ought to be ahead of the others. As a package, he should be undroppable. As genuine all-rounders go, there's onlyAnthony McGrath Jacques Kallis that surpasses his figures. He offers so much more than stats though. His stereotypical willingness to keep running in is reminiscent of his fellow Yorkshireman Matthew Hoggard and that effort gets rewards. And yet the debate goes along the lines of 'and if there's an injury to one of your first three seamers, there's always Bresnan to come in'.
He's done the hard miles for England, ploughing up and down motorways after being overlooked in favour of someone that the Prozone devotees determines is better horse for a particular course, missing chunks of county games as a result, but he still takes it on the chin and grinds through the overs for Yorkshire. The time has come, however, for him to be a mainstay of this England attack. He's proved himself. No longer should it be a case of 'if there's an injury, there's Bresnan to come in'. It should be 'who have we got if Bresnan is injured?'. The fact there's even a discussion over his inclusion is a debate that we need not have.
Yes, the cold, grey skies - well, over Leeds they are; seems it's better in London - herald the onset of the English Test summer. The West Indies are the opponents for the first part of the summer and not expected to provide a huge amount of resistance. They arrive depleted for a number of reasons - politics, IPL, intransigence, disinterest - and as has become the norm when they arrive for Test matches in this country, the weather flatly refuses to be anything other than wintry. At least they don't have to go up to Durham this time, where the sight of a shivering Shiv Chanderpaul fielding at slip wearing every jumper he's ever owned is a pitiable one.
On the flip side, England are a happy and settled bunch after ending a pretty torrid winter with a much-needed and morale-boosting win. They've added Jonny Bairstow to the squad and he's expected to play, batting at six. The Todd Flanders look-alike is in fine form and has shown in county and international one-day cricket that he fears nothing. He'll come in for Samit Patel from the last time England played a Test with Matt Prior dropping down a spot as England revert to the four-man attack that's served them so well in every place other than south Asia.
Of that four man attack, Graeme Swann, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad are givens. There should be no debate about the fourth either, and yet it seems a bone of contention. Yes, England are blessed with a number of different options, but one of those stands out so far above the others that it shouldn't be an issue. Steven Finn, Chris Tremlett and Graham Onions are all fine bowlers, of course, but how Tim Bresnan has become anything other than a first pick borders on the scandalous.
After 11 Tests - in all of which he has been on the winning side, lest we forget - Bresnan bats at over 40 and bowls at under 25. As a lower middle-order batsman alone, his figures would warrant discussion. As a bowler alone, he ought to be ahead of the others. As a package, he should be undroppable. As genuine all-rounders go, there's only
He's done the hard miles for England, ploughing up and down motorways after being overlooked in favour of someone that the Prozone devotees determines is better horse for a particular course, missing chunks of county games as a result, but he still takes it on the chin and grinds through the overs for Yorkshire. The time has come, however, for him to be a mainstay of this England attack. He's proved himself. No longer should it be a case of 'if there's an injury, there's Bresnan to come in'. It should be 'who have we got if Bresnan is injured?'. The fact there's even a discussion over his inclusion is a debate that we need not have.
Thursday 3 May 2012
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a tribute
In the final Test between the West Indies and Australia, Shiv Chanderpaul became the tenth player to pass 10,000 Test match runs. At the same time, he lifted his career average back over 50 and went back to the top of the Test batting rankings.
Never the easiest on the eye, Chanderpaul remains a favourite here at Tasty Morkels. Gritty and grafting rather than flamboyantly calypso, he is still capable of explosive innings. An ODI 150 in India stands out in the mind's eye, for instance. He's just an all-round great who can conjure up stats like his average knock against Australia lasting over four hours and the fact that he is the player that has been on the losing sides in Tests most often. That's a harsh legacy for one so capable and one who prizes his wicket above pretty much anything else.
But how to honour him on his achievement of making it to 10,000? We got the Subbuteo Cricket down from the attic and created a special Shiv guard of honour, with the majority lining up in good order and one down the end stood outrageously towards leg:
Well done Shiv. Don't ever change.
Never the easiest on the eye, Chanderpaul remains a favourite here at Tasty Morkels. Gritty and grafting rather than flamboyantly calypso, he is still capable of explosive innings. An ODI 150 in India stands out in the mind's eye, for instance. He's just an all-round great who can conjure up stats like his average knock against Australia lasting over four hours and the fact that he is the player that has been on the losing sides in Tests most often. That's a harsh legacy for one so capable and one who prizes his wicket above pretty much anything else.
But how to honour him on his achievement of making it to 10,000? We got the Subbuteo Cricket down from the attic and created a special Shiv guard of honour, with the majority lining up in good order and one down the end stood outrageously towards leg:
Well done Shiv. Don't ever change.
Yorkshire part 2 - An apology
A few days ago, we suggested that Yorkshire had hit rock bottom and were about to turn things around 180 degrees and ride the surge to division 2 glory and onwards to next season's county championship title.
In light of an archetypically Yorkshire implosion, the club have seen fit to let one of the finest bowlers on the staff leave the club. Ajmal Shahzad had a troubled 2011, but started this season with a bang, right up there with his pace and making the ball talk which earned high praise from the coaching staff. He was praised in particular for his work ethic in getting back to something like the form that earned him one Test cap and a number of appearances for England in the shorter forms, including the last World Cup. There's a suggestion that Tim Bresnan's availability and the decision to give him the new ball over Shahzad has led to a deterioration in his attitude, something that the impending arrival of Mitchell Starc - surely a new-ball bowler if ever there was one - wasn't going to ease.
The reasons will, apparently, be made clear of the coming hours, days and weeks, but from this vantage point it looks like a sorry shambles, the like of which Yorkshire are alone in engineering. Twas ever thus, from alienating the likes of Ray Illingworth and Brian Close to the more recent episode with Matthew Hoggard. Shahzad's explosive pace is something that the side need in order to wake them from their slumbers. Uniquely, Yorkshire find a way to make that impossible.
Whatever has gone on, we feel we owe our readership an apology. It's never been plain sailing at Headingley and this season is no different. To have given you the impression that things were somehow different this time was irresponsible and we apologise for having caused any confusion and/or distress.
FURTHER READING: David Hopps, as ever, is pretty much bang on the banana over at Cricinfo.
In light of an archetypically Yorkshire implosion, the club have seen fit to let one of the finest bowlers on the staff leave the club. Ajmal Shahzad had a troubled 2011, but started this season with a bang, right up there with his pace and making the ball talk which earned high praise from the coaching staff. He was praised in particular for his work ethic in getting back to something like the form that earned him one Test cap and a number of appearances for England in the shorter forms, including the last World Cup. There's a suggestion that Tim Bresnan's availability and the decision to give him the new ball over Shahzad has led to a deterioration in his attitude, something that the impending arrival of Mitchell Starc - surely a new-ball bowler if ever there was one - wasn't going to ease.
The reasons will, apparently, be made clear of the coming hours, days and weeks, but from this vantage point it looks like a sorry shambles, the like of which Yorkshire are alone in engineering. Twas ever thus, from alienating the likes of Ray Illingworth and Brian Close to the more recent episode with Matthew Hoggard. Shahzad's explosive pace is something that the side need in order to wake them from their slumbers. Uniquely, Yorkshire find a way to make that impossible.
Whatever has gone on, we feel we owe our readership an apology. It's never been plain sailing at Headingley and this season is no different. To have given you the impression that things were somehow different this time was irresponsible and we apologise for having caused any confusion and/or distress.
FURTHER READING: David Hopps, as ever, is pretty much bang on the banana over at Cricinfo.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)