Reverse Swing

The most telling moment in Stephen Brenkley’s profile of Ian Blackwell in yesterday’s Independent is when the Somerset all-rounder says:

“When you’re drained and tired you need a quick fix sometimes and you have something like a ham-and-cheese toastie, which you know is bad but you know is nice. It’s stupid really.”

This we know, this we understand, because it makes him seem ordinary just like the rest of us. Most sportsmen wouldn’t come up with something like that, but Blackwell isn’t afraid to say these things. This may have delayed his introduction to the English Test team. You can’t imagine Duncan Fletcher approving of someone who says things like that.

On another occasion he said, “ I feel ill if my weight drops below 16 stone.” If you’re ever been on a diet and felt all empty inside and fancied a bit of a nosh you know instantly what he’s talking about. Any further explanation is unnecessary.

He posts on the Grockles website with supporters. So does his Mom, because she’s pleased he’s doing well. He uploads pictures of the team to his website. He does the same things as ordinary people and the fans appreciate that.

I saw Blackwell a couple of years ago, fielding on the boundary in a Keith Parsons benefit match. He was doing it sitting down in a chair. When the ball came he leapt up instantly to field it and threw it in hard. If most people were fielding in a chair, even in a benefit game they would look like a look-at-me smart-arse, and you’d want to see them fall over and mess it up. Not with Blackie. He did it with style, seeming to say, “ Actually I’m a bit shagged after a long season, you don’t mind if I sit down for a while do you?” The crowd didn’t mind.

I think in the end Fletcher has recognised that Blackie can’t be anything other than himself. His tidy slow left arm may have been his passport to the team, but it’s his explosive batting that could set things alight in India. When he hits the ball it goes a long way, and he’s averaged over 50 in the first-class game over the last three seasons.

I hope he gets picked for the test against India tomorrow. Not just because he’s a one-off and a character, but because he deserves his place on merit.

28/02/06

Interesting interview with Troy Cooley on Cricinfo ,where among other things he talks about reverse swing in India, the SG ball and wickets.

Without revealing too much, and saying what they are, he also mentions the “variations” that all of the England bowlers have been working on over the winter.

“Coming out of Pakistan we had a look at a few areas that we could improve on – variations and things like that for the subcontinent wickets. We’ve looked at covering those bases. I know in England you basically look at the seam position, but they’ve all been tasked with making sure that they look after the variations and they all practise them. Hopefully they will be able to produce them when the conditions suit. ”

Troy Cooley interview

 

SI_0034_CIMG2279

Originally uploaded by RMNL.

Cricket in Singapore.

On this Indian tour England have enhanced their reputation as members of the frequent flyers club. With Michael Vaughan on his way home with an injured knee and Owais Shah and Alistair Cooke flying to India the air miles have been totting up.

Meanwhile the sick bay remains busy. No sooner was Simon Jones discharged after suffering an upset stomach, then he went and twisted his knee bowling in the nets. Luckily it wasn’t that knee, the one damaged in Australia, but the other one.

It seems remarkable now, to remember that England got through the whole of the 2005 Ashes series with 12 players. And Gary Pratt of course.

In a curious way these major changes in personnel may have taken the pressure off them: new captain and vice-captain, new players coming in with a point to prove? We’ll see on Wednesday.

Back on his home soil, Graham Smith continues his return to form at international level with a century in the first ODI against Australia. This follows on from his match-winning innings in the Twenty20 international.

At one point there was a replay of the Simon Jones/Matthew Hayden incident from the 2005 ODIs in England, when Andre Nel hurled the ball at Michael Clark, hitting him on the body. Unlike Hayden, Clark kept his cool, and when Nel tried to apologise, he told him to get on and bowl, not letting the incident get to him.

I hope not. Vaughan’s knee is still dodgy, Trescothick has flown home for personal reasons, and so the BBC is suggesting that Flintoff will be skipper for the first test. He’s not captained at county level and I think that’s just a bit too much on his shoulders as key batsman and bowler. I’d go for Strauss.
On the back of the doom and gloom, and with the defeat against the President’s X1 there’s a piece of good news. The prolific Alistair Cook flies in, and looks likely to make his test debut on Wednesday.

The England coaching set-up gets even bigger. In their quest for a top-class spinner the ECB have appointed David Parsons, as coach, and he is currently working with the A team in Antigua. Previously coach of the England under-15 team Parsons never played first-class cricket. The ECB no longer see experience at the higher level of the game as an essential prerequisite on job descriptions for coaching staff. Recently David Parsons has worked alongside Terry Jenner and John Embury.
New Spin Coach

Fidel Edwards

Originally uploaded by caribbeancricket.

Great shot of Fidel Edwards about to deliver. You can see it’s all in his arm.

A long, hard day in the hot field at Vadodara for the England pace bowlers, and some insight from Freddie on reverse swing.

“We didn’t get any reverse swing today, but that’s down to the pitch,” he said. “There was a period where we thought we might, but didn’t, and with the lush outfield and on a wicket that isn’t abrasive, it’s tough. As for the Test match pitches I’m not sure, to be honest. If that’s the case then we might have rethink our tactics on it.”

To while away the time in the sick bay in India, it looks like the England team have taken up blogging. Banger, Viceroy of Keynsham leads the way.

Among the comments, as well as Banger and Collingwood, Justin Langer gets in there somehow.

England Team Blog