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This wallpaper is my first one of Kevin Pietersen. I have often felt he deserved one, along side those of players like Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook and Steven Finn. This is a tribute to him as the ECB have ended his England career.

It came at a time when Kevin Pietersen had more runs than any other Englishman currently playing, in Test cricket. Only Graham Gooch, Alec Stewart and David Gower are ahead of him. Alastair Cook is close behind him with 8047 runs. Kevin has 8181 runs in Test cricket.

Kevin also has the highest runs by an Englishman in Test, One day and Twenty20 combined. In Twenty20 Internationals as well, he is the at the top among English players with 1176 runs with Eoin Morgan close behind at 1076 runs. In an all time list of career runs in the world in Twenty20 Internationals, KP is at 11.

ECB sure knows how to waste talent. I doubt if any English player will ever score 10,000 runs in Test cricket. Alastair Cook must be aware of the ECB.

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• Wallpaper: Sexy England Cricketers!
• Stuart Broad Wallpaper
• Steven Finn Wallpaper
• Jimmy Anderson Wallpaper
• The misery called English cricket

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The English played like 20 year old reckless beings

Kudos to Alastair Cook and Paul Collingwood. To Alastair Cook, for facing the challenge and coming out as the top performer of the Ashes 2010 by quite a distance. And to Paul Collingwood, for quitting Test cricket. England were reluctant to drop him and he had his chances but the continuity of his tough times have been too long in recent times. He has made it easy for himself and for England. Many cricketers want to end their career on a high, so as to be remembered. And not just remembered, but remembered as successful. But this was the right time to go. He is 34 and will continue to be England's captain in the shortest format and play in One day Internationals and IPL.

The Indian Premier League is a funny thing and provides a lot of stories for the media. Recently, the auction for the 4th edition.  Kevin Pietersen (previously Royal Challengers Bangalore) will play for Deccan Chargers, Stuart Broad (IPL debutant) for Kings XI Punjab, Eoin Morgan (previously Royal Challengers Bangalore) for Kolkata Knight Riders, Paul Collingwood (previously Delhi Daredevils) for Rajasthan Royals, Owais Shah (previously Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders) for Kochi, Dmitri Mascarenhas (previously Rajasthan Royals) for Kings XI Punjab, Michael Lumb (previously Rajasthan Royals) for Deccan Charger. The list of the unsold is obviously long. But some unknown players have been 'bought' for huge amounts while Graeme Swann, Matt Prior, Luke Wright, Ravi Bopara, Chris Gayle, James Anderson etc. have gone unsold. And in this bid for humans, it is a humiliation for the unsold. Sourav Ganguly and Brian Lara have also gone unsold but I don't think there is anything wrong in ignoring past heroics. James Anderson is a must-have in Tests but not in Twenty20s. The schedule of the English and ego-clashes of BCCI and ECB must have also been considered.

Meanwhile, in the cleaner form of cricket, England have made a record of winning 8 Twenty20 Internationals in a row, overtaking Pakistan and South Africa. The last time England lost a Test series was in Feb-Mar '09, one day series/tournament in Sep-Oct '09, Twenty20 series/tournament in June '09.

Other posts:

• England set for 3-1 Ashes victory
• Year End Specials: Highest Wicket Takers in 2010 
• England retain the Ashes in style
• KO: England hammers Australia, gone in 2 sessions 
• Australia on the way to leveling the Ashes

England vs Australia 3rd Test: 16-20 December
Day 3
This Test has been exciting. 35 wickets have fallen in 3 days. Tremlett has been a real star, he has taken 8 wickets in the match, all of which were among the top 7. There is been a bit of drama. Collingwood was given out on a referral, overturning the decision of the on-field umpire in the 1st innings. I didn't watch it live, though it looked out in the replay much later. It was unexpected. The height and whether it was struck outside off were in question. To me, height didn't seem a problem though. There have also been word exchanges. Johnson and Anderson have liked chirping up. Today, Watson, on 95, was given out and he referred it straight away. He was stunned when the 3rd umpire too, gave it out. Showed his bat to the umpire. We have seen naked pitch invaders in the past and it happened today as well. The second time at WACA in 2 years. He only started to undress after invading the pitch and was carried off by authorities. The Aussies were busy laughing, didn't mind the delay!

When Australia posed a target of 391, I thought both teams have an equal chance of winning since the highest successful run chase at Perth is 414/4 by South Africa against Australia in December '08. Last time England toured Australia, England managed 350 in the 4th innings but lost. But now that England have lost 5 wickets for 81, it's needless to say who has a better chance. The icing on the cake for Australia was getting Collingwood out on the last ball of the day. England sent Jimmy Anderson when the 4th wicket fell. Why do they always send a nightwatchman? Now with Strauss, Cook, Pietersen, Trott, Collingwood back in the dressing room, England are in trouble. And Australia couldn't ask for a better chance to level the series. And remember, there are still 2 days to go.

Until next time, take care. Cheers.

Brief scores:

• Aus 268 (Johnson 62, Hussey 61, Haddin 53, Anderson 3/61, Tremlett 3/63)
• Eng 187 (Bell 53, Strauss 52, Johnson 6/38, Harris 3/59)
• Aus 309 (Hussey 116, Watson 95, Tremlett 5/87, Finn 3/97)
• Eng 81/5 (Harris 2/22, Johnson 2/28)

Related posts:

• Tremlett & co make Australia falter
• Australia butchered by England! 
• Rain a concern as England aim to take lead in Ashes
• Another ton by Alastair Cook puts England on top!

England vs Australia 3rd Test: 16-20 December 2010
Day 1, just before tea
England won the toss and elected to field first at WACA, Perth. Despite Stuart Broad's injury, Finn didn't get the new ball. Thankfully, England went for Tremlett. The other options were Shahzad and Bresnan. Though they probably didn't consider Shahzad. I have heard writers and commentators describe Twenty20 as 'blink-and-miss'. Well it has just been like that today at Perth. The pitch was bouncy, as usual and made use of it. There was also just a little bit of movement. There are talks of England being the new Australia. Well, England is certainly winning more than they have in a lot of years and even dominating down under. The UDRS actually helped today, in two decisions, it saved Watson in the very first over of the match, bowled by Anderson. It got England the important wicket of Hussey. Australia made quite a few changes to the side. Katich (injured), North, Doherty and Bollinger made way for Hughes, Smith, Johnson and Hilfenhaus. North wasn't scoring runs and I think Hilfenhaus is good. Johnson has the power to swing the match either side. The Aussies were aggressive today but that didn't help as they lost their 5 wickets for 69. Currently, they are 163/6. Cheers.

More..

• The screwed up English cricket
• England set for 3-1 Ashes victory
• Pietersen a huge plus for England
• England retain the Ashes in style
• KO: England hammers Australia, gone in 2 sessions

It's the best day for England. They came out like tigers and crushed Australia. It took England 20.1 overs to take 6 Australian wickets. There is a storm of anger, criticism and sadness in Australia. This is Australia's biggest defeat to England at the Adelaide Oval in 118 years. Also, England's 100th Test win over Australia. The last time Australia was beaten by an innings was in 1993, by West Indies. It has been 24 years since England took the lead in an Ashes series in Australia. Before the series, former cricketers had regarded this Ashes as the best chance to beat Kangaroos at home and that seems true. Ricky Ponting has lost 2 Ashes already, will this be the third? Not many Aussie captains have achieved that! I don't expect Australia to bounce back. Kevin Pietersen may have observed Australia as wounded animals before the Ashes but they are not rebels, not revenge-takers, they are like those fast bowlers, who become losers once they go for runs. Australia were on a  winning streak for a long time. It's time for the reverse. Since England arrived in Australia, everything have gone their way. The media reckons Stuart Broad's injury as the only loss in this Test, but it may be a blessing in disguise. Sure, Broady was bowling well but not taking wickets. Bring Tremlett or Shahzad and please, no Bresnan this time!

I'm sure more records were broken and I'll take a look at them later. For now, let me sink in the victory. Big cheers to England fans!

Man of the Match: Kevin Pietersen

Brief scores:

• Aus 245 (Hussey 93, Haddin 56, Watson 51, Anderson 4/51, Swann 2/70)
• Eng 620/5 dec (Cook 148, Pietersen 227,Trott 78, Bell 68*, Collingwood 42, Harris 2/84)
• 304 (Clarke 80, Watson 57, Hussey 52, Katich 43, Swann 5/91, Finn 2/60 Anderson 2/90)

Related posts:

• Rain a concern as England aim to take lead in Ashes
• Another ton by Alastair Cook puts England on top! 
• Australia tumbles as Anderson rumbles!
• England retain the Ashes in style
• England set for 3-1 Ashes victory

Thanks to Kevin Pietersen, England are much ahead in the game after Day 4. The entertainer didn't only hit a double ton but also took the crucial wicket of Michael Clarke on what turned out to be the last bowl of the day. It's been 4, no, I shall say just over 3 days because many overs on Day 3 and 4 were washed out. And Australia's over rate doesn't help either. I'm certainly very pleased with KP's success, I was even against it when he was dropped from one-dayers against Pakistan in summer. I said it out loud here, I'm with KP, are you? He's massive, so is his ego and ambitions. The guy rises against challenges, like playing against South Africa, who didn't pick him over racial quota or rivals, Australia. Most of this series so far, things have gone England's way. Now, after declaring on a massive 620/5, England need to get 6 Australian wickets for less than 136 more runs.

Steven Finn is the leading wicket-taker in the series but I don't think Strauss knows it. Or does he know it and believes in saving runs? With such a huge lead in the kitty, I don't think Strauss needs to worry about that and when the wickets fall, no one gets going! Finny has taken 8 wickets in the series, followed by Anderson, Siddle, Swann (6 each). With 2 wickets, Stuart Broad is the lowest wicket-taker among the main bowlers who have played in both the Tests. Shane Watson has also taken 2 wickets and bowled 46 overs but he is the opener. Mitchell Johnson has been the biggest disappointment but wasn't picked for the ongoing Test.

Only Sachin Tendulkar has hit more centuries (19) than Alastair Cook before the age of 26. Don Bradman struck as many centuries as Cook has hit (15). Also, Sachin hit 21 50s before turning 26, while Alastair has already struck 23. Bradman lags behind with six 50s before 26. But Cook still has the chance. He'll turn 26 on December 25. The 3rd Test will begin on December 16, Perth.

Brief scores:

• Aus 245 (Hussey 93, Haddin 56, Watson 51, Anderson 4/51, Swann 2/70)
• Eng 620/5 dec (Cook 148, Pietersen 227,Trott 78, Bell 68*, Collingwood 42, Harris 2/84)
• Aus 238/4 (Clarke 80, Watson 57, Hussey 44*, Katich 43, Swann 2/72)

Related posts:

• Another ton by Alastair Cook puts England on top!
• Australia tumbles as Anderson rumbles!
• England ends on a high as 1st Ashes Test drawn
• Astonishment at its best, daring ECB drops Kevin Pietersen

England vs Australia 2nd Test: 3-7 December
Day 2
Seems like England carried the momentum of the Gabba to Adelaide. After getting Australia out for 245, Alastair Cook continued his innings of 235*. At the end of Day 2, he is on 129*, along with star batsman Kevin Pietersen. There were question marks over the places of both before the Ashes began. Day 2 started in a dramatic fashion with the wicket of Andrew Strauss. But that was all for Australia. Australia bowled 88 overs after that and could only take one wicket - Trott (78). Alastair Cook is having a great series. He was under pressure when it began and the action has been around him. If Day 4 of the 1st Test was about his and Strauss' ton, Day 5 was about his double ton. He has been on the field for most of the series so far. In my post, England ends on a high as 1st Ashes Test drawn I've mentioned exactly how much time he spent on the field. He is young, he is sexy and he is selectors' favourite. Ali Cook will turn 26 this Christmas. He has struck 15 centuries so far.

The weather forecast says it will remain mostly cloudy at Adelaide with chances of shower at times. But then, it predicted thunderstorm for today as well. Rain has the best chance of saving Australia, followed by Hussey, Ponting and Clarke. England shall declare at 600 and aim for an innings defeat. Lastly, I would like to congratulate Ricky Ponting for his 150th Test. What a game it's turning out to be for him.

Brief scores:

• Aus 245 (Hussey 93, Haddin 56, Watson 51, Anderson 4/51, Swann 2/70)
• Eng 317/2 (Cook 136, Pietersen 85,Trott 78)

Related posts:

• Alastair Cook Wallpaper!
• Centurians Cook, Strauss and flat pitch get England out of trouble
• England ends on a high as 1st Ashes Test drawn 
• Australia tumbles as Anderson rumbles! 
• Cook shines at Oval but not enough for England 

England vs Australia 2nd Ashes Test: 3-7 December
Day 1
I woke up when England had already taken 5 Australian wickets. Though later, I did see the wickets. Their celebration made me as jubilant as the score did. Actually, more. They were running all across the ground. The wonderful thing was taking 3 Australian wickets for just 2 runs. How often do you see any team at 2/3? And that too, Kangaroos at home? Can it get any better?

The Australians brought Harris and Bollinger in place of Johnson and Hilfenhaus. I would have kept Hilfenhaus, by dropping Doherty. It's not a rule to have a spinner, is it? So, when your faster men are way better than your spinner, why keep him?

The star again was Jimmy Anderson. He did not take as many wickets as Finn in the 1st Test but he was equally good. Today, he must have been tremendous. Stuart Broad has struggled for wickets in the Ashes so far. This is not something new, I expected this to happen until he took wickets against Pakistan and in the warm-ups. Broad and Finn picked up one wicket each today. Graeme Swann is going to take some wickets, as he is a spinner, bowls a lot of overs and he's good, especially against  left handers. But I don't expect him to do what he has been doing since he debuted - rip off the opposition. The UDRS brought controversies today as well. It may fail to serve justice but it sure brings the drama. The man at stake was Ryan Harris and he kept referring from the dressing room after been given out.

I was unsure about writing this post, not having watched most of the day's play so I kept it nice and short rather than stretching it out. Hope you are enjoying the Ashes as much as me. Until next time, take care. Goodbye from jimmymycrushie.

Brief scores:

• Aus 245 (Hussey 93, Haddin 56, Watson 51, Anderson 4/51, Swann 2/70)
• Eng 1/0

Related posts:

• England fights back on Day 2: The game is on! 
• Aleem Dar and Hussey leave England wrecked
• Centurians Cook, Strauss and flat pitch get England out of trouble
• England vs Australia 2nd Ashes Test: The Preview

Kevin Pietersen is furious at the pitch curator of Adelaide Oval, Damian Hough. He expressed it in person and then on twitter. England were forced to practice indoors due to rain which frustrated KP. He tweeted when it was about 4pm in Adelaide (5:30 am GMT):

What should a groundsmen make sure he does 2days out from a test match????

Cover the nets when it rains maybe???

PATHETIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To which, Cricket Australia replied,

SACA has put out a statement re rain 2day, 1st priority was to protect Test track, practice wix [wickets] then covered, normal practice 2moro.

Guess where they replied? Twitter of course. Soon, it will replace media conferences too.That time is not far away when team will be announced via twitter.

The England team will probably be unchanged unless there are last minute injuries. The Australian media suggests it's almost finalised that Johnson will miss the 2nd Test. It doesn't come as a surprise, since he got for duck, didn't take any wicket and dropped a catch too, at the Gabba. Reports say that Johnson missed Australia's practice session following a brawl with Aussie selectors who told him he wouldn't be playing at Adelaide. Though no wonder Michael Clarke denied it. Bollinger is likely to replace him. And Ryan Harris, notched his pace up during the practice session to impress the keen-eyed selectors.

Although Johnson was the highest wicket-taker in both Tests and ODIs last year, has a good record in Australia, I personally don't believe in him. His bowling is many times wayward and either he gets 5 or none. Johnson averages 27.61 in Australia, with a strike rate of 52.7. The only places he fares up better in, are New Zealand and South Africa. His worst average is against England, 41.05 while his career average is 30.08. That is an enough reason to drop him. During the 1st Test, we could see how sunken his body language can get.

I received a tweet from Adrian Duell (@RedL1on), an Australian, which said:

@shadds_criclova @Jimmymycrushie only England would be happy and upbeat because they didn't loose.

To which I'd like to say that the one who comes out of a hole is victorious. Sometimes, a draw is like a win. Obviously, this wasn't as much of a triumph as the Cardiff Test (Ashes '09) was but it proved to be quite a thumping for the Aussies. Most of the Aussie side and fans looked mashed. Aussie fans were a rare sight on Day 5 and the Australian team was down in the dumps in the field. Except, a few, like Ponting.

An English journalist, reports from down under, how the Austrlian media and fans are keeping up and it's a must read, Interview with the man down under: 1st Test

Cheers.

Related posts:

• England fights back on Day 2: The game is on! 
• Aleem Dar and Hussey leave England wrecked
• Centurians Cook, Strauss and flat pitch get England out of trouble
• England cricketers on twitter! 

England vs Australia 1st Ashes Test: 25-29 November
Day 4
After surviving the last hour on Day 3, England started Day 4 on 19/0. Andrew Strauss smacked the ball all around the park and Alastair Cook batted with such determination as if he would never get out. His place was under scrutiny against Pakistan where he scored a ton to retain his place. But I, and many experts, doubted if he would succumb against Australia. England have been a good team for long, they have had the good players, they have been hard working. But now, they are also finding winning ways and are more consistent. There have been quite a few series in which all Ali Cook did was scoring a ton. In the 1st innings of this Test, he made 67 and is not out on 132 in the 2nd. That's a total of 199 runs. On his previous Ashes tour, he made 276 runs, though he still struck a ton at Perth. I reckon times are changing because of his determination and 67. The pitch was flat and on top of that, Australia dropped a few catches. Mitchell Johnson dropped Andrew Strauss when he was on 69. Siddle, Clarke also dropped catches. Clarke dived and almost caught it but couldn't hold on, Trott was the batsman.

It's probably going to be a draw but a result is possible. Australia would need to get England out very early and England would need to get to 500 quickly, declare and get Australia out in about 50 overs. Both are unlikely though. The highest successful chase at this ground is 236. The pitch helped the bowlers on Day 1 and slowly became flat.

Brief scores:

• Eng 260 (Bell 76, Cook 67, Pietersen 43, Siddle 6/54, Doherty 2/41)
• Aus 481 (Hussey 195, Haddin 136, Katich 50, Finn 6/125, Anderson 2/99, Swann 2/128)
• Eng 309/1 (Cook 132*, Strauss 110)

Other posts:

• Ashes 2010 gets underaway: England thumped on Day 1
• England fights back on Day 2: The game is on!
• England on top as Ashes about to roll
• Aleem Dar and Hussey leave England wrecked
• Cook shines at Oval but not enough for England

Click on the image for the 1024x768 size view. Ah, I'm knackered, never spent so much time on a wallpaper!

Currently, I'm reading Coming Back To Me: The Autobiography of Marcus Trescothick. The best thing is that he has been totally frank and honest while writing the book. Unlike Gibbs, he has not tried to make it dramatic. It's just dramatic because of how his life has been. He has mentioned a lot of cricketers but Jimmy Anderson has been mentioned the most!

Other Wallpapers:

• Steven Finn Wallpaper! 
• Eoin Morgan Wallpaper!
• Jimmy and Belly Wallpaper! 
• Alastair Cook Wallpaper!
• More Wallpapers...

You'll no longer miss out on All Out Cricket since you can have it, right here, on your computer! The 14 page 4th issue will give you insights on the PCA Awards, pictures from the boot camp that I hadn't seen before, video interviews with technically sound Ian Bell and hotties Steven Finn and Stuart Broad. And also the chance to buy  bats and other cricket accessories for a less than usual price.

Check it out here!

You can win a track day with Jaguar, the official vehicle supplier of the England team, if you are over 18. However, participants at the track day must be 28 or over. You must also be a resident of UK. So I cannot enter the contest, not like I'm into cars anyway.

Click here to enter the contest!

Win a bat signed by the England team

International 2011 tickets on sale!

Click here to watch Maximuscle Steven Finn Video Interview

Steven Finn has taken over James Anderson in my heart. By the way, Stuart Broad is on twitter (@stuartbroad8) and Matt Prior (@mattyp635) had joined twitter but left after just one tweet.

Watch Stuart Broad Maximuscle Stuart Broad Interview

Remember, you heard it here first! Don't forget to subscribe to the blog so that you don't miss out on things like these in the future!

Related Posts: Stuart Broad Wallpaper
                      England cricketers off the field
                      England cricketers on twitter!

Click on the image for the 1074x645 size view.
Other Wallpapers:

• Steven Finn Wallpaper!
• Eoin Morgan Wallpaper!
• Jimmy and Belly Wallpaper!
• Alastair Cook Wallpaper!
• Wallpaper: Sexy England Cricketers! 
• More Wallpapers...