Saturday 19 December 2009

For whom the Bell tolls

Paul Harris is not a great bowler. Yes, he's managed to finagle his way up to ninth in the Test rankings basically by boring people out. He doesn't turn it - once thought of as a rudimentary principle of spin bowling - apart from the odd one that grips, such as the one Paul Collingwood got in the current Test match. If any English players should know about his game plan, it's his former Warwickshire team-mates among which Ian Bell is included.

So why then does Bell stand and watch as a straight-onner crashes into his stumps? It wasn't even close to being a good leave, hitting middle and off about half way up. I've been a big supporter and defender of Bell in the past, but that dismissal was simply diabolical. Park cricketers would be furious with themselves for doing likewise and so it's with heavy heart that I have to agree with what has been received wisdom for some time now and admit that he's got to go. He'll forever be remembered as a nearly man. He still has the ability, but every time he goes out to bat for England now, he looks nervous and opposition bowlers are beginning to see him as a walking wicket. The balance of the side for the first Test in South Africa looked all wrong from the outset and another bowler is needed. Bell has to step aside.

Thursday 3 December 2009

Death by 443 cuts

In Mumbai today, India scored a record 443 runs in the day for the loss of just one wicket. What on earth are they trying to do to Test cricket?
This game follows run-fests in Kanpur and Ahmedabad on flat, lifeless and deathly dull pitches. With matches like this, is it any wonder that they're played out in front of row upon row of empty seats? People will vote with their feet if they're not happy about the product being served up and the game will suffer as a result. If I didn't know better, I'd say that the Indian board was attempting to strangle the life out of unprofitable Test matches in order to make the already tubby IPL cow even more attractive to those who would milk it dry. You can get away with a one-sided contest between bat and ball for 75 minutes in a 20-over game, but spin it out over five days and people will turn off.
Moreover, it's making an utter mockery of Test records, batting and bowling. It's high time that the records show the quality of the pitch with asterisks next to any game played in such conditions.