Just like the last 3 Tests, the one-dayers are proving to be no contest. The 3rd Test was still exciting as it turned the series around after India's victory at Lord's. The win was needed for England to prove they are still one of the best in Tests. Only in Tests. Tests are important for the British, so much that they play with the same attitude in One-Day.

India tour of England has hardly been exciting this time around. There is no competition. You get no brownie points for guessing who will win. If the Indian cricket team was left bare for the world to see, the same is happening with the English team. This is nothing new for them though. They give so much adulation to their Test batsmen that they make up for an unquestionable part of the one day team as well. Since the ousting of the flamboyant Kevin Pietersen, England haven't found a replacement for him yet. Or to say it right, they didn't even think that they need someone to replace him. Alex Hales has just now been given a chance but what can one man do? We have still got captain Alastair Cook in the team, who scored 19 off 33 in the 2nd one day and 44 off 65 in the 3rd. He not only bats at a meagre strike rate for a batsman, he is also the opener and the captain. We must not forget that it's his coming back into form that changed the course of the Test series.

In One-Day, it matters a great deal how you start the innings and also, the captain leads from the front and Alastair Cook definitely doesn't set a good example for his team to follow. If you start out slow, you lose a few wickets and thus the rest of the batsmen naturally feel under pressure. I'm sure Alastair Cook never tells his batsmen to go bang bang. I don't think England can ever dream of being a good one-day team with their old style strategies.

Let's compare England to other teams. Australia's highest ever total in One-Day is 434 vs South Africa and all of their top 12 totals are 350 or over. England's highest total is 391 vs Bangladesh followed by 363 vs Pakistan and their 10th highest total is 327. Compare this to India, who have scored over 400 four times and whose 10th highest total is 373. South Africa too has all of their top 12 totals over 350 and has scored 400 twice. I'm sure England doesn't realise you need massive totals to win one-day games in this day and age. Instead of bringing in swashbuckling batsmen, which are available in their Counties, England has a policy to play all-rounders and have depth in batting. So they have depth, this should enable them to reach 350, shouldn't it? What was Woakes doing coming in at 149/6? Couldn't he take England to a competitive total at least? Hasn't Alastair Cook got batsmen that he relies on all-rounders who would do both jobs? Hasn't England got better bowlers than Jordan, who was also made to play the last 3 Tests?

Graeme Swann has insisted England need to include Kevin Pietersen in their plans following rumours in the cricket press the batsman could be set to be dropped. Swann, who announced his retirement from the game following England’s third Test defeat in Perth, has made it clear Pietersen still has a big role to play for England in the "short-term" future.

In the wake of the 5-0 Ashes humbling this winter, Pietersen appears to have been singled out by some as being part of England’s problem rather than their solution – with Andy Flower reportedly even issuing a “him or me” ultimatum to the ECB.

While the Ashes was by no means a success for Pietersen, the batsman still finished as his team’s leading run-scorer during their dismal series Down Under – which will rank as one of KP’s least impressive achievements.

Despite his label as a trouble-maker, Pietersen has received the backing of a number of England players past and present, with Swann the latest to insist the enigmatic batsman is still crucial to any hopes England have of reclaiming their place among the world’s best Test sides.

"England's short-term future should include Pietersen. People seem keen to create a rift between Kevin and the rest of the team,” admitted Swann.

"Since being reintegrated in 2012, his attitude has been great. He was England's top run scorer in the Ashes and is one of the world's best players, so why get rid of him?"

With a decent break before the next Test series, the look of this England squad could dramatically change before the summer. While it remains to be seen whether Pietersen will still be part of England’s Test line-up against Sri Lanka in June, we know it would be hard to name someone who could bring what KP does to the team.

England all-rounder Stuart Broad has revealed that he has no concerns over what was said between England and Australia players on the field during the first test but he was critical of some of the off-the field talk from the Australians.

England suffered a humiliating defeat by 381 runs in the first Ashes test at Brisbane with their batsmen failing miserably to cope with the short bowling of Mitchell Johnson in particular.

As well as the aggressive short pitched bowling there was also a torrent of sledging which clearly unsettled some of the England players but, for Broad, the on the field verbals are all part of the game.

“I think the on-field stuff has been fine,” the 27 year old said. “You’re playing in an Ashes Test match – you expect it to be tough. I grew up hearing all sorts of stories about ‘sledging’, and on the field I don’t think a line’s been crossed.”

In the aftermath of the first test defeat England’s Jonathan Trott has left the tour citing a stress related illness but before his departure was announced, Australia batsman David Warner was critical of his performance.

For Broad, taking criticism of individual opposition players off the field is a step too far and he would certainly not expect that from his England side.

“Off the field, there have been some mistakes made,” Broad said. “As an England side, we pride ourselves on how we conduct ourselves when talking about the opposition, because you never know what’s going on in their changing rooms and lives,” he added.

Australia will certainly go into the second test buoyed by their dominance at Brisbane but fans know that England still have the quality to turn the series round.

If Broad and his teammates can use the Australians’ on and off the field comments as motivation to lift their game ahead of the second test at Adelaide on 5th December then they could upset the Ashes betting odds and breathe life into the series.

Image Source.

Despite clearly not being everyone's favourite person, Kevin Pietersen's announcement that he wants to play on for England until 2016 is great news for Andy Flower and the rest of the squad.

Pietersen has rarely been too far away from controversy off the pitch and, if some reports are to be believed, he still does not enjoy a completely harmonious relationship with everyone inside the England dressing room.

 

Jonathan Trott has responded to Australia coach Darren Lehmann's recent jibe that England were "dour" in their 3-0 Ashes victory this summer in exactly the right way.

Lehmann branded some of England's play in their comfortable home victory as "dour", while he also claimed his side had "made inroads" into Trott's mind ahead of the return Ashes down under, which begins with the first Test in Brisbane on November 21.

Lehmann appeared to be suggesting the England star's below-par batting displays were down to his side being able to nullify him and work him out at the crease and not as a result of the Warwickshire man's own mistakes.

Several cricket betting pundits believe there is no disputing the fact that the 32-year-old was one of the big let-downs for England, in a series that otherwise will be remembered for one in which the home side got the job done in a professional manner, as opposed to a spectacular and dramatic win like back in 2005.

Trott only managed an average of 29.30 during the recent Ashes series, but says he has been working hard on improving and will be ready to face the Aussie attack again at The Gabba next month, a fixture for which England are the favourites in the cricket betting odds.

"When you don't score runs people like to think they've worked you out, but sometimes that's cricket, things just don't go your way," he said. "I've been working really hard to put a few things right technically and work things out and make sure I get to Australia playing really well."

Trott was also asked recently about the early comments coming out of the Australian camp as they continue to lick their wounds following another Ashes defeat in England and, while refusing to enter into anything remotely approaching mind-games, his riposte was perfectly judged and will no doubt have wound Lehmann and co up somewhat.

He said: "I'd take another dour 3-0 in Australia. I know Australians are a confident bunch of guys, but they've lost the Ashes series and they are making comments already.

"That's just the Australian way, that's how they are - I think we go about our cricket a little bit differently."
The words of a confident man who, while admitting on one hand he needs to improve personally, knows a 3-0 win for his team does very much speak for itself.

Image by Rae Allen. 

Despite the series ending in defeat, England’s ODI series against Australia did bring with it some bright spots. With a number of key Test players rested, including Alastair Cook, James Anderson and Graeme Swann, this series was always going to be about discovering new talent.

England have made a real mistake in keeping the same squad that narrowly beat Australia in the first Ashes Test last weekend, captain, Alastair Cook, maintaining his faith in Steven Finn and Joe Root despite poor outings.

There was talk in the cricket betting world that selectors would drop Finn for Tim Bresnan after the former took just two wickets at the cost of 117 runs over the two innings. Finn struggled at Trent Bridge and was the main reason Australia’s fantastical run chase became so nearly a reality.

After Jimmy Anderson took three early wickets on Sunday, Cook turned to Finn in hope the 24-year-old would clinch the 10th but Brad Haddin had different ideas, smashing the seamer for boundaries past square leg and long on.

To compound a miserable final day, Finn gave away four byes and dropped a catch that cold have cost England the first Test. He was probably as relieved as Cook when James Anderson’s 10th wicket was given on review.

Bresnan, with bags of experience and the consistency to bowl a good line when required, would be a far better option heading into a Lords’ Test that Australia usually enjoy. The Yorkshireman’s average is slightly worse than Finn’s but his economy isn’t and that’s what almost cost England the match on Sunday.

As for Root, he joined the top order in controversy after ousting Nick Compton and was under pressure to perform. A 30 in his first innings showed promise but five off 31 deliveries in the second exposed a nervous player lacking confidence. Root’s place was probably saved by his wicket of Ed Cowan when playing two overs as recovery spinner and that talent means Graeme Swann is not the only spin man Cook can turn to.

Because the second Test is just four days after the first, it’s easy to see why England stuck with the same team. However, those who bet on the Ashes can expect a couple of changes if England fail to perform at Lords’, with Finn and Root the main candidates for demotion.

England’s hopes of winning another Ashes series on home soil are under threat after batsman, Kevin Pietersen, was ruled out of the spring competition with a right knee injury.

Pietersen, England’s talismanic number four, suffered the hurt during preparations for his side’s third and final Test with New Zealand, which begins on Thursday.

The 32-year-old is expected to be out for six to eight weeks, miss the Indian Premier League, and the start of the country cricket championship – an absence that could have a detrimental effect on his game heading into the international summer.

With England set to play a home series against the Kiwis before facing Australia, Pietersen will target that 16 May deadline as the date for his recovery.

However, there is still concern from cricket betting news outlets that he won’t be fit to face Australia later in the summer: a predicament that could leave England short in the batting order.

For Pietersen is the only real batsman England can rely upon to claw back a match-saving haul other than captain, Alastair Cook. Granted, Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, and potentially Joe Root are solid at the crease but they lack that flair and persistence that make great batsmen stand out in Ashes series.

Cook proved it last time out against Australia with three centuries, while Pietersen managed a 227 haul in Adelaide the same series.

If England are to scalp an average yet improving Australian bowling attack they need Pietersen in their order. Root is a good number six but neither he nor Jonny Bairstow are strong and experienced enough to take up a more important role up the order.

Hopefully, KP will quickly recover from this injury and be back in the England set-up without a problem, but there will remain a lingering doubt in the minds of fans claiming their in-play bet offer regarding his fitness heading into a major summer of Test cricket. Many such offers can be found at sites featuring betting apps although England fans should be wary of being overly confident against any Australia team intent on reclaiming the old urn.

Cricket Australia has continued its resurgence under new captaincy after George Bailey’s side cruised into the ICC World Twenty20 semi-finals on Tuesday, upsetting the world rankings in the process.

The Australia cricket betting considered them as outsiders for the tournament at its outset, but they have now shot up to sixth in the world rankings following their exploits in Sri Lanka.

Yet in beating India and South Africa earlier in the group, Bailey and co. proved they have what it takes to raise to the top of short-form cricket once again.

They now face West Indies again, looking to equal their final appearance two years ago. Punters who bet on cricket are even lumping their money on a Australian World Cup triumph, as they finally look to be taking the format seriously.

All this success comes in contrast with England, who crashed out of the tournament following humbling defeats to Sri Lanka and West Indies. While Bailey’s men were preparing to notch up the 112 needed to secure progression to the semi-finals, Stuart Broad’s side limped to an uninspiring 15-run defeat to the Windies in Pallekele.

The defending champions are already home while Australia look to win the title they almost lifted in 2010. The Aussies look resurgent under Bailey and with Test captain Michael Clarke in the middle of reforming his side ahead of a busy year to come, suddenly Australia strike the pose of future world dominators once again.

While Australia rise, England continue their fall and their T20 humiliation comes after a difficult summer of cricket where Alastair Cook’s Test squad lost their number one spot to South Africa

Although not expected to win the World T20, the fact that Australia are in the semi-finals proves they have turned a new leaf. This success – matched with a reformed Test side that will welcome South Africa this November – could propel Australia back to cricketing fruition in time for back-to-back Ashes series next summer.

More articles in this blog:

• Not The Most Conservative Sport Anymore
• Aleem Dar and Hussey leave England wrecked
• England's ship was meant to sink
• Australia primed for cricketing comeback
• Wallpaper: Sexy England Cricketers!

Australian Test skipper Michael Clarke believes the country’s Twenty20 squad have the ability to win the upcoming World Cup in Sri Lanka which all gets underway on September 18.

Clarke will not feature in the tournament later this month, having decided back in January that he would focus on playing for the Australian Test and one-day teams.

The Aussies are considered outsiders according to the T20 world cup betting odds and sit in ninth place in the Twenty20 world rankings. However, the Test captain believes there is enough talent in the squad to win the upcoming tournament.

Clarke said: "I think we can win the Twenty20 World Cup for sure. "We've got the talent, I think we showed that in the last game against Pakistan in the UAE. "We've showed it in patches over the last couple of years and we made the final last time around and I hope we can go one better."

There is no doubting there has been a steady decline in Australian cricket as the dominant force of the game over recent years but there have also been recent signs the side are improving in all forms of the sport. With the loss of the likes of Shane Warne, Glen McGrath, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist in a relatively short space of time, it would be hard for any team to maintain the high standards that we have come to expect from the Aussies.

However with young players coming through and a strong willed captain in the in the form of George Bailey, they certainly have the potential to go far in the upcoming World Cup and even challenge for the title in the subcontinent.

More...

• England must address sub-continent flaws
• Broad leads the way for England
• Strauss queries “strange” test venue
• Anderson targets Botham’s record
• Football Supporters

With the retirement of Andrew Strauss comes a great opportunity for new England captain, Alastair Cook.

The left-hander now rules both Test and one-day squads and is set for a gruelling next couple of years, as England restructure their squads after a period of world dominance.

Cook’s first job is to prepare England for a tough tour of India, where he will walk out to the crease with a new partner. Until November, the captain will have a serious problem reeling through the back of his mind: who will replace Strauss at the top of the Test order?

With Strauss now gone from the Test squad, England suddenly look quite lightweight at the crease.

Cook was magnificent against Australia in the last Ashes series and has proven himself as a reliable starter, yet he has been gifted the chance to learn the art of opening a Test innings alongside one of England’s greatest ever captains.

Now, without Strauss, Cook must lead the line and bring in a partner up top. Calls for Ian Bell or Jonathan Trott to ascend the batting order have been voiced by many people, but these two have cemented good form lower down, and it would be unwise to dislodge them from a position they feel comfortable in.

Cook may therefore look to one of Yorkshire’s two lighting batters, Jonny Bairstow or Joe Root. Bairstow has proven hit mettle in one-dayers and hit a magnificent 95 in the first Test innings against South Africa at Lord’s, but was playing at a comfortable sixth man.

A step up could unsettle the Yorkshireman, however, and therefore Cook may opt for Root, who has a 40.57 first class average.

Root has done well at Headingley this season and continues to show good form with the bat. Although India would be a baptism of fire for the 21-year-old to make his Test debut, Cook’s experienced presence may well see him develop into another great England opener.

More..

• Cook targets 50-over success
• Unbeatable Cook leads England fightback on Day 4
• England demolish World No.1 India by 319 runs
• Another ton by Alastair Cook puts England on top!
• England continues to reign Down Under

This is a guest post. Hence it is not written by blog author jimmymycrushie.

There have been a lot of great cricket players throughout the years, but one that really sticks out would be Shane Warne. He’s known as a great cricket player, but equally famous for his activities off the pitch.

Today Shane isn’t playing cricket anymore, but playing poker for a poker site called 888. He’s become the team captain for their live poker team they have. The team participated in the WSOP, one of the biggest poker tournaments in the world and Shane participated.

But when Shane played he was known as one of the best bowlers of all time with over 1000 wickets behind him. Warne was born in Australia in 1969 and started playing first-class cricket back in 1991. His premier though was back in 83/84 for his university (University of Melbourne Cricket Club). He has played both in Australia for Victoria as well as for England in Hampshire. Shane retired from first-class international cricket in 2007, but made a small comeback to play in the Indian team Rajasthan Royals in March 2008. With a win in the Indian Premier League, a lot of fans wanted Shane back in international cricket.

Banned from cricket
Back in 2003, Shane was banned from play due to a positive drug test. The test showed that there was a sign of a banned diuretic in the system and Shane was reviewed by the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) and they imposed a one year ban. During the ban Shane could play in charity matches, a rule that was highly criticized by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Warne returned to international cricket in February 2004. As soon as March the same year, Shane became the second cricketer of the West Indies to take 500 test wickets.

From a personal view
Shane was married to Simone Callahan and they had three children together. In 2010 Shane announced on Twitter that he and Simone are going through a divorce.  Lately there have been photos and articles about Shane and Liz Hurley are an item.

There’s a lot to the Shane Warne story and we all look forward to see the next adventure of his amazing life.

Other posts:
England Continues to Shock in 2011; Wraps Lanka fo...
Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott carry winter domi...
India finally get their man; England keep theirs
New Flower deal could mean missed tours

It had been a while since I stopped enjoying this Ashes, but watching Cook and KP bat reignited the fire. Alastair Cook is having the time of his career. He is the one who was being considered for making the way for someone else, before Ashes, but rose to the challenge, quite magnificently. He's been itching the Aussie eyes. Australia's new "discovery" Michael Beer almost got Cook out. But almost is an important word. After he was given out Billy Bowden doubted that it might be a no ball and so it was. Cook was walking away and it was nice to see KP call him back. Bell, too scored a ton and continued his tradition of almost never scoring a century when no one else did before him in the innings. It's been only once when his century came when no one else reached 3 figures. That happened earlier this year, against Bangladesh. But not like he has always only capitalised on opportunities, there's been 70+ scores when runs were badly needed. And his ton in '05 against Pakistan came when England were 39/2 and he shared a partnership of 154 runs with Kevin Pietersen. KP, Cook, Bell seem to bat well with one another.

Meanwhile, at the SCG, England are in command and winning the Ashes by 3-1 seems likely. I'm not much concerned with an innings defeat. For me, 3-1 is more than enough. It's Down Under, it's against the ex-World No.1, it's the Ashes.

Some interesting stats about the hot Cookie

Alastair Cook has spent the most time ever in a 5 Test series, over 36 hours at the crease. Cook is now the 2nd highest English series scorer with 766 runs behind Wally Hammond's 906.
He is engaged to former glamour model, Alice Hunt. I heard she is 33 and was among the England WAGs involved in Allen Stanford fiasco.

Brief scores after Day 3:

• Aus 280 (Johnson 53, Watson 45, Anderson 4/66, Bresnan 3/89)
• Eng 488/7 (Cook 189, Bell 115, Strauss 60, Prior 54*, Johnson 3/97)

Australia batted first again. Anderson started well again. But he was taken off by Strauss after conceding 8 runs (2 boundaries off his last deliveries) in his 3rd over. Bressie took his first wicket of the series by removing Paine. Swann got Watson's wicket in his first over (17th over of the innings). England took a very long time to take the third wicket, during which I went downstairs. I am so not enjoying this series. Why does Australia play a One Day series in England? Anyways, Anderson took Ponting's wicket for 92 in the 42nd over. I don't think Ponting would be too disappointed, that asshole has always wanted Australia to win more than anything else. Australia lost one wicket each in the 48th and 49th over and finished at 290/5. They could score more, given how long Ponting and Clarke played. Clarke finished on 99 not out. There was a time when he used to bat with a good strike rate. Now he was left at 99 because he isn't any good in the death overs.
                                                               Kieswetter failed again and KP's dismissal was controversial. I've seen it lots of times that KP is given not out because of his long stride but not this time. Seemed like he shouldn't have been given out, to me. You can't always believe hawk-eye. I only started watching when England had lost 4 wickets. Morgan and Swann have been impressive ever since they came into the side. Ponting had criticized England's bits and pieces players before the series began. I would say that he has been proved right but England do have better players and England have had a long batting line-up for a long time but every time they collapsed, they all did. Getting out like tail-enders, one by one. Swann should be sent up the order, he should be shown some belief. Someone who opens the batting for Nottinghamshire cannot be a No.10 for England. Wright hasn't done much with the bat, ever, for England, in one day cricket. When he came into the side, I thought he is taking his time to settle down. I would like to see Belly replacing him and anyone replacing Bresnan. Until next time, take care, Cheers!

Surprising everyone, Strauss won the toss and elected to bowl first. James Anderson started off well and Bresnan leaked runs. By the end of over 9, Australia were 45/0, Anderson had given 11 in 5 overs, Bressie 34 in 4 overs! I don't know a lot about bowling but I know a few ways of taking wickets. If you keep it tight from both ends, the batsmen will get frustated and they will try to hit you, giving you a chance to get them out. Yardy got the breakthrough. A sharp stumping by Kieswetter off Swann, got rid of Punter. It took England a while to take the third wicket of Watson for 61. Watson rarely gets past 50s so this must be an achievement. Then England kept taking wickets at regular wickets and the Australians never seemed to get out of trouble. Anderson and Broad wrapped the Australian innings for 212 by taking 4 wickets in 3 overs. Awesome stuff from Anderson.
                                                       Kieswetter was bowled by Tait in the first over of the innings. Young lad gone but we have a long batting to come. England would chase this modest total easily. I didn't watch much of England's batting thinking that they would chase it comfortably and slowly. During this time, I watched a bit of a movie, England vs Germany, surfed the net with an eye on the score. I only took interest in the match when England were 7 down. And I left the computer for tv when Swann got out. When Broad got out, I really thought Australia would take it from here and whitewashing plans would be over. But Bressie, the Yorky took us home in Lanky. We've better bowlers than him but he is gonna play some matches now. What a win. The first close match of the series. 3-0. Swann got the Man Of The Match award with his 4 wickets. The ever smiling Strauss is happy with the win and his 87. Cheers!