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.

I don't think the current display of England should be surprising anyone. And the ones who cited England as favourites for the Ashes definitely forgot which team they were talking about. I feel the biggest reasons for England's losses, always, are selection and the lack of desire for winning.

Moving on, I really like Finn's recent interview, in which he appeared confident.

It's tough for me to leave the tour, I'm upset I'm leaving the tour because I want to be helping England win games of cricket... but I do feel that it's best if I go home now.

I am nowhere near as far away as some people have been suggesting in the press. In terms of the technical things, they are not massive things.

I definitely believe the media is inaccurate on this occasion. I have hardly seen any English bowler bowl as consistently as Steven Finn. In his last one-day, Finn ended up with figures 2/43 with only Tredwell taking more wickets than him-3. Finn did not feature in any game on this tour and it has been heard that there is something wrong with his bowling action.

Check out betting at william hill online!

I feel England need to support their players more, what with Jonathan Trott returning and Graeme Swann retiring. This is not the first time such incidents have happened in English cricket. We have often heard the England dressing room is not a happy place to be.

I'm also against the opinion that Kevin Pietersen's best is behind him, because the man is 33, has scored more than 8000 runs, his Test average in 2013 is close to 52. We have seen KP mature as the years have gone by and he definitely lends psychological advantage to the England team and power to the English batting line-up.

I hope KP will not take premature retirement like Graeme Swann and many other cricketers and I hope to see Steven Finn back in the team soon. On that note, this is me, Sanya signing off. Take care.

England are in real danger of suffering an embarrassing whitewash in the Ashes series in Australia after a thoroughly dismal three matches so far for Alastair Cook's side.

The 3-0 scoreline, which means the Baggy Greens reclaimed the urn for the first time since 2007, is no more than the home side deserved after totally dominating in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. England, who came into the series as slight favourites in the Ashes betting remember, have failed in pretty much every aspect of the game down under and there are now many questions to answer.

The recriminations - which are totally justified - have well and truly started with plenty of pundits suggesting changes are needed now to try and shake up a team that has underperformed so badly it is barely believable.

The fact newcomer Ben Stokes is the only man to hit a century in three Tests shows you just how poor England's supposed leading batsmen have been. Time and again, skipper Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior have given their wickets away too easily and only Ian Bell can truly say he has played anywhere near his best level on a consistent basis.

The tail have, sadly, been unable to offer much support either with Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Swann struggling to make much impact when it mattered most.

Equally, the bowling and fielding has not been up to the required standard with Anderson and co being nowhere near as dangerours as in the previous three Ashes series' - admittedly on three good batting pitches so far.

So what now? There are two important Tests to come in which England must approach with the positive mindset of at least recovering some pride. Plenty will say, 'what's the point in coming to the party now when the damage has been done and the Ashes lost' but some of the squad could well be playing for their futures.

No matter how the remaining Melbourne and Sydney Tests go, England have been so far behind that serious questions need to be asked and senior players - with the finger being pointed firmly at Cook, Pietersen, Prior and even Broad here - now need to stand up and be counted, if only to save some face.

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 tour of India
1st Test: 15-19 November
Day 2
Brief scores: Ind 521/8 dec. Pujara 206*, Sehwag 117, Yuvraj 74; Swann 5, Anderson, Pietersen, Patel 1 each; Economy rates: Anderson 2.77, Swann 2.82, Patel 3.09, Pietersen 3.12, Bresnan 3.84, Broad 4.04
Eng 41-3 (18 overs) Cook 22*, KP 6*; Ashwin 2, Ojha 1
England vs India is usually exciting and the 1st Test at Ahmedabad is proving to be no different. Under Alastair Cook, England set out on a brand new mission - that of triumphing in India. England's record in India is not something to be proud of, but they have a better chance of winning this time. England were used to losing but their approach has been changing since Ashes 2005. The captaincy of Paul Collingwood has done them much good and they have cared more about winning in recent years. This is only his 3rd Test as captain but I believe Alastair Cook is a strong and stable person and he can replicate Collingwood. Ryan Sidebottom and James Anderson, who is still here, prospered by the faith showed by Collingwood and it seems Cook believes in his players as well. He is the one who played a big role in bringing Kevin Pietersen back for this series. KP must be raring to score big after his absence from England matches. India is also keen to win as they are seeing this as "revenge series". Their drubbing in England last year (Tests: England beat India 4-0; One-day: England beat India 3-0 in a 5 match series; Twenty20: England beat India 1-0) is fresh in their minds. Unfortunately, Suresh Raina, who commented he wants to give some pain back, is not playing.

The only England bowler who can be praised in this match is Graeme Swann. The man never fails to perform. He does what Trott does with the bat. Other England bowlers lacked lustre and clearly missed injured Steven Finn. As is often said, Nick Compton is tailor made for Test cricket and scored runs in the warm-up games as well. Cook and Compton looked like a solid pair and I won't blame Compton for getting out the way he did. Some deliveries are such that any batsman can be pardoned. James Anderson, who is the permanent nightwatchman for England, was sent in yet again, though he didn't last long this time. England always sends a nightwatchman in this situation nowadays but it definitely shouldn't be this way. I think a nightwatchman is sent when only a couple of overs are left and you can't afford to lose a wicket and perhaps to surprise the opposition, since they have plans for the big batsmen. But, this is a decision which should be taken on impulse. A nightwatchman is not always needed, like when you are trailing behind by 500 and can't let the opposition mentally dominate you. India celebrated the fall of three wickets today. And England were shaken up thrice. Now, when either side looks at the scoreboard, they'll see the wickets as three, not two, even though No.11s usually score less than 10.

Adressing the media after the play today, Samit Patel said Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell can smash big tons. I agree, these 3 are the key. Alastair Cook is most consistent, Kevin Pietersen can dominate and change the game on his own and Ian Bell has often succeeded in helping England to draw.

More...

• Flintoff believes KP saga can be forgotten
• Will we see the Same KP?
• Performance equals power: Kevin Pietersen beats ECB
• England's ship was meant to sink
• Not The Most Conservative Sport Anymore

The batting
Crazy, crazy stuff from England. We could not guess it was the semi-final of a world cup if we didn't already know. England gave Luke Wright a go at the opening position, which is a laudable decision as Kieswetter wasn't doing his job. But, to send Bairstow at No.3 was a blunder. He is a finisher and a new member of the team. One of the openers can be so, but No.3 is a position where you need solidity. Samit Patel at No.4 wasn't a bad move though, because Bopara is not in form and Buttler is yet to prove his worth. Though in a big tournament like this, you shouldn't be experimenting with the likes of Bopara and Buttler.

The dictator: Stuart Broad brings his electric aura to the side.

The captain who loves to give surprises
The whole team was an experiment. Some were new, others not in form. I wouldn't blame Bairstow or Hales. The easiest way to make new players uncomfortable is to send them at positions they are not suited for and shoving all the responsibility on their shoulders. The ball before Bairstow got out, Hales and him were involved in a terrible mix attempting a run. And on the next ball, Hales got out as well. It takes time for batsmen to gain an understanding of each other and form partnerships. At least someone experienced like Morgan could be sent at No.3 to support Hales. It did work in the previous game when Wright came at 3 and Morgan at 4. There was no need for these crazy experiments. Broad reminded me he is the same man who couldn't hit the stumps from a two feet distance against Netherlands in the ICC World Twenty20 at home.

The bowler who doesn't get tired of performing
Steven Finn was once again impressive. His progress and consistency is something I'm very pleased with. England would benefit a great deal if they play him regularly in all 3 formats. Only Watson, Balaji, Starc and Mendis have taken more wickets than him in this tournament. And Yuvraj Singh has taken as many as him. Yuvraj and Finn have the best economy rate among these. Finn has also bowled the most dot balls in this tournament so far.


The bowler who doesn't get tired of being smacked
I was stunned to see Jade Dernbach back in the side. Only Raza Hasan, James Franklin, Shapoor Zadran, Chris Gayle, Zaheer Khan and Shahid Afridi have taken less wickets than him. And all of these, except Afridi have bowled less overs than him. He has the worst economy rate of 9.83 among all 38 bowlers in this tournament. And only 8 have a poorer strike rate. Only Cummins and Afridi have a worse bowling average. I don't think I need to say anything more on this.

The players who are exchanging roles
Also, Patel went for 27 in his two overs and Bopara for 12, England need to take note. As we have seen lately, Bopara no longer performs with the bat but he does perform with the ball. And as Samit Patel impressed with the bat, might we say they should swap their roles?

The all-rounder
If there was any man in the English side who looked like an all-rounder, it was Graeme Swann. He not only took 2-26 in 4 overs but also struck 34 off 20 in a tense situation. This is something he always does. Bats with a good strike rate, never wastes deliveries and stays calm under pressure. His strike rate in Tests is 80, in one-day it's 90 and 117 in Twenty20. His bowling averages in all formats are better than James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan. This man must be given an award.

The end
That's all I have to say about England's ousting in ICC World Twenty20 2012. We can only hope they'll learn their lessons. Until then, we can only make fun of them and enjoy the drama caused by Kevin Pietersen and everyone's comments on him. Thanks for reading. Good day!

More articles in this blog:

• Title defenders must look for a fresh approach ahead of New Zealand tie
• One-man Urgency not Enough for Stuttering England
• Apprentice Bairstow quickly becomes master
• England succumb to old failings
• An innings that changed life

By Steve Charles
www.LiveFootball365.com

After losing the top spot in Test rankings, England have lost the spot in one-day rankings as well. Inconsistencies in players performance are one of the major reasons for this downfall. However, inconsistencies in performance also mean that top position can be reclaimed in both test and one day cricket rankings, in the near future. Nevertheless, this dream can be materialized only if some exceptional performances English players show in their up-coming matches.

But where inconsistencies are a major reason for this decline, the incorrect decision making in the selection of players has played an equally devastating role. Just take a look at Graeme Swann, who had to sit on benches in the dressing room for three continuous ODIs. The 33 year old Swann is one of the best off-spinners in England and he definitely could have stopped Hashim Amla from scoring too many runs on Tuesday. Even if England had restricted South Africa to around 250 runs, the decision of the match could be different. Furthermore, the 80 runs victory over England has brought the crown of ICC ODI Rankings on the head of South Africa.

But the challenges for England are not ending up here. They have to defend their title also in the upcoming T20 Cricket World Cup. And in a situation when the senior players like Kevin Pietersen are unhappy with the attitude of the English Cricket Board (ECB), the chances of defending T20 title are fainting away. The relief from the first positions in ICC ODI and Test Rankings is just a start; if the ECB members do not take the issue of players’ selection seriously then things can become even worse for England cricket.

More..

• England set for 3-1 Ashes victory
• England embarks on home glory
• No chink in England's armor despite changes
• England flying high
• Ambitious England aims for formidable victory

England decided to rest off-spinner, Graeme Swann, for the remaining two matches of the one-day series against Australia, with James Tredwell added to the squad. Kent spinner, Tredwell, won the last of his five ODI caps in the World Cup in March 2011. He provided cover for Samit Patel.

Swann had complained of discomfort in his right elbow, and England gave him the opportunity to recuperate, ahead of the Test series against South Africa, which starts on July 19. "We had earmarked the fourth and fifth matches in this series as an opportunity to rest Graeme, regardless of the result at Edgbaston, as we have to consider our preparations for the Investec Test series, later this month," said national selector, Geoff Miller. "Graeme has some pain in his elbow at the moment, and we feel that an extra week's rest will allow his elbow to settle."

Meanwhile, Chris Woakes continued to deputise for Jade Dernbach, who had been ruled out of the rest of the series with a side strain. The Warwickshire seamer was in the squad for the third ODI at Edgbaston, but missed out on the chance to play on his home ground, due to the weather.

Despite the changes to the original squad, Miller believed England would have enough quality to seal a victory over their old rivals, and the current betting line agrees. "We have played some very good cricket in the last week to lead this NatWest Series 2-0, and will need to continue that form if we are to win our seventh straight series on home soil," he added.

England would wrap the series up with a victory at Chester-le-Street, on Saturday, ahead of the final contest at Old Trafford, on July 10. The latest odds indicate that a draw is the most likely result, across the series as a whole, coming in at 6/4 in the bookmaker’s window.

More..

• Bangladesh seals emphatic win, England in dismay
• Another jolt in English cricket: Kevin Pietersen out of the World Cup
• My dream World cup 2011
• Are England back to old ways or better than ever?
• England continues to Reign Down Under

England go into the one-day series with an aim to take revenge. But, actually it's more about salvaging pride. England's batting might have shocked Geoffrey Boycott, but this was long overdue. If you leave the Twenty20 International against India, England have lost their last 9 International matches.

Positives can always be taken. The England staff should be proud of Stuart Broad. After all, he is their well crafted weapon. He wasn't a Test bowler when they decided to make him a part of England side in all formats. Earlier, his success came in bouts. But, he was not only the bowler of the series for England, but also batted positively. I have one complaint in the bowling department though. Monty Panesar bowled 141 overs in 2 matches, while Graeme Swann bowled 115 in 3 matches. Swann had a strike rate of 53 while Monty, 60. Also, in Pakistan's first innings in the 3rd Test, he bowled a wicket maiden, but was removed after that. Monty has been in and out of the side, while Swann is here to stay, he has performed consistently. England should be careful to retain his shine and not rust him.

The Test series may have been horrendous for England, but it will help in boosting the popularity of Test cricket. 2nd Test was the most exciting one, as the advantage flipped from one side to the other. It carried to the 3rd Test as England bowled Pakistan out for 99. And then managed only 141 themselves. We had a contest on hand until Azhar Ali and Younis Khan shared a partnership of 216. The series also revived the art of spin bowling as spinners of both teams prospered.

On Friday, England XI swept past England Lions with ease. Steven Finn had referred to this match as important for both sides, since he remembers Kieswetter and Lumb made their way to World Twenty20 and he, himself got into Tests a month after such a game. This match, however, turned out be a battering of the Lions, and thus didn't benefit either side much. England bowled the Lions out for 99, and although a revised target of 230 was set, England chased without any struggle. Dernbach, Swann, Trott, Cook and Pietersen flourished while Finn grabbed 3 wickets, including two tail-enders and Bopara chipped in 36. Pietersen may not have scored that many runs in the Test series, but he looked in good touch in both the Tests and the Lions game. I'm telling you, a splendid knock by him is just around the corner. Haha, got to take my chances, no harm in predicting. Great if I prove to be right!

This is Sanya, signing off. Cheers.

Other posts:

• Not The Most Conservative Sport Anymore?
• Wallpaper: Sexy England Cricketers!
• A true legend within cricket: Shane Warne
• England blistered by Pakistan 3-0; Kevin Pietersen...

Graeme Swann (Eng)

14

64

25.96

54.0

64.29

2

3

Dale Steyn (SA)

11

60

21.41

39.0

45.45

4

2

James Anderson (Eng)

12

57

22.96

48.7

58.33

2

3

Morne Morkel (SA)

11

49

24.06

47.4

45.45

4

2

Zaheer Khan (India)

09

47

21.97

39.8

66.67

1

2

Steven Finn (Eng)

11

46

26.23

39.7

66.67

1

Harbhajan Singh (India)

12

43

40.69

85.3

50.00

3

3

Mitchell Johnson (Aus)

11

40

34.17

57.1

54.55

1

4

Mohammad Amir (Pak)

07

33

22.33

45.7

28.57

0

5

Mohammad Asif (Pak)

08

33

27.36

55.1

25.00

0

6

Glossary:
Win % = Percentage of the team winning when the player took 4 or more wickets
D = No. of matches drawn when the player took 4 or more wickets
L =  No. of matches lost when the player took 4 or more wickets
SR (Strike rate) = Balls per wicket. For e.g., if a bowler took 10 wickets and bowled 50 deliveries, his strike rate would be 5. The lower the strike rate, the better it is. Not to be confused with batting strike rate.

Shakib Al Hasan (Ban)

27

46

26.00

32.4

Ryan Harris (Aus)

16

40

15.17

19.6

Shafiul Islam (Ban)

23

32

31.56

30.1

Stuart Broad (Eng)

16

30

24.86

28.6

Abdur Razzak (Ban)

22

29

32.00

42.4

Doug Bollinger (Aus)

19

28

23.39

32.1

Ashish Nehra (India)

20

28

31.96

33.2

Graeme Swann (Eng)

14

28

18.67

26.3

Clint McKay (Aus)

13

27

19.59

24.4

Kevin O'Brien (Ire)

17

25

21.68

30.4

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

Day 2 turned out to be wonderful for England. At the start of the day, the battle was on, the bowlers won some, lost some. Jimmy Anderson was amazing. Early on, Alastair Cook missed a run out chance. But things turned around after lunch. Jimmy Anderson grabbed 2, Finny 2, Swann 1. Yesterday, I was worried Jimmy's bowling may be a hindrance to winning Ashes. I wanted him to perform for my personal liking over him but most importantly, for England. I'm most interested in Finn at the moment but the bowling and looks of 'The Burnley darling' (as Ian Chappel remarked today) have stimulated me for years. I expected Stuart Broad to take 1 or 2 wickets, Finn to perform and didn't expect Swann to excel today. Broad didn't take any wicket but bowled well, Finn was good and Swann took one but not many. After Day 1, I had suggested that England and especially Broad must bowl more at stumps. Not like my idea couldn't work, but Broad did well even with those predictable short balls. This tells us that he is really good at it. Finn didn't fall during his follow through today and caught a good one of his own bowling.

England's plans worked and the discipline showed. This was great. England's bowling is becoming more consistent, Ian Bell is finally getting out of the classy 40 mode and England have the potential to be the best now. It's our time now. Australia will bat last, which is a good thing. Though England need to set a target of at least 300. If they get Oz all out for 300, they'll need to score 339 at least. Looking forward to Day 3.

Brief scores:

• Aus 220/5 in 80 overs (Hussey 81, Katich 50, Anderson 2/40, Finn 2/61)

Goodbye from jimmymycrushie for now, post your comments below and hope you enjoy the Ashes!

Other posts:

• Ashes 2010 gets underaway: England thumped on Day 1
• England on top as Ashes about to roll
• Wallpaper: Sexy England Cricketers!
• All Out Cricket Goes Digital - video interviews an...
• England cricketers on twitter!

Kevin Pietersen has opted to play for KwaZulu-Natal in October as the county season ends on September 18. Pietersen used to play for them before making his way into the Nottinghamshire team and later to the England team. He has expressed his desire to play as much cricket as possible before Ashes. And South Africa will provide the ideal preparation for it. But he won't be paid for it. Owais Shah, who was in form when he was dropped from the England side after last year's Champions Trophy, will play for Cape Cobras after being released by Middlesex.

Referring to my post, I'm with KP, are you?, I would like to say that even though most people don't agree with me, I stand by my opinions. Pietersen was not performing but I think that Twenty20 and one-day would have been ideal to bring him back to form. To those who think Pietersen did not deserve a place in the side, he couldn't have been worse than Bopara and before the 2nd Twenty20, I'd have said Kieswetter too. The Tests are a lot different, they really test you, put you under pressure. I understand that ECB dropped him to let him play county cricket for a while and also because England are beating Pakistan easily. None of Pakistan's Tests have been drawn in recent times, given their inexperienced batsman and inconsistency. Twenty20 and one-day does provide them a chance to finish the tour with satisfaction because it's easier to win in shorter formats.

England vs Pakistan 2nd Twenty20: 7 September
But that hasn't happened on this tour yet as Pakistan lost another Twenty20 without causing any trouble. From the first ball to the last, it never seemed like Pakistan has any chance of winning. They made one change to their side, bringing in Mohammad Hafeez in the place of Wahab Riaz. Bizarre. How many batsmen do they need for a 20 over game? Their opposition, England played 5 bowlers in both the matches and they played Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal along with Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez and Razzaq. The exciting thing in the match was Umar Akmal vs Graeme Swann. On the 4th ball of the 9th over, the first ball which Swann bowled to Akmal, he hit it for a six! In Swann's next over, (11th over) Hafeez faced the first ball, on the 2nd ball, Akmal again hit it for a six. But this wasn't going to last long as Swanny, the cunning witch, bowled him on the very next delivery. Dumbfounding. And this was it, Pakistan were left struggling at 44/5 and England never looked back. Pakistan were bowled out for 89. England bowlers shared the wickets with Sidebottom, Broad, Swann taking 2 wickets each, Bresnan 3 and Yardy being superb again conceding only 10 runs off his 4 overs.

I had criticised him in my last post but Kieswetter looked impressive but was ran out by Umar Akmal. I wouldn't give Akmal much credit, Kieswetter shouldn't have tried to take a sneaky single. There is not much to talk about England's batting. Collingwood didn't score much but still top scored with 21 and Morgan and Yardy finished it. David Lloyd has regarded this Twenty20 as the worst Twenty20 match he has ever seen. There wasn't much crowd but I think I have seen a worse Twenty20, England vs West Indies on England tour of West Indies last year. It seemed like England played only for formality. No fun.

Related posts: World Twenty20 Champions beat Pakistan effortlessly
                        I'm with KP, are you?
                       Astonishment at its best, daring ECB drops Kevin Pietersen

Quite a few England cricketers have joined twitter. Jimmy Anderson (jimmyanderson9) first tweeted on 27th June 2009 while Swann uses the name swannyg66. Tim Bresnan's (timbresnan) first tweet (28th September 2009) read this:

Just joined twitter to get my own back on Jimmy and Swanny for their constant abuse!!

Bressie, Jimmy and Swanny were involved in banter every now and then but the reason why Bressie had to apologize just after 3 days of tweeting was something else. Photoshoppers on twitter morphed an image of his and made him look overweight (as if he wasn't already), which led Bressie swore at the tweeter! Images of Swanny and Jimmy were also morphed during all this banter and these 3 cricketers tweeted about the images they liked.


Azeem Rafiq's tweets:

 What a fucking farsee. ECB prove it again what incompetent people are working for them.

 John Abrahams is a useless wanker.

England captain, Andrew Strauss offered some advice:

You need to take it on the chin and learn from it because if you don't there are plenty of other people who are going to do it better than you. Players should be aware that what they write on Twitter is going to be seen by people they might not want it to be seen by.  We have had a number of occasions of that. There is also a right way and a wrong way to react to disappointment and venting your frustration on Twitter is not the right way to do it, especially if you have been in the wrong.

I don't see why he needed to do that. This young cricketer could play for England soon but he would have been more likely to play if he hadn't indulged in something as silly as this. He has been banned for a month and by the way, John Abrahams is the manager of the England Under-19 squad. Azeem Rafiq, who was born in Pakistan on 27th February 1991, moved to England in 2001.

Other England cricketers on twitter are Kevin Pietersen (kevinpp24), Steven Finn (finnysteve). Kevin claims that he is "back on twitter". I don't know when he had joined earlier. Out of the 32 KP is following, 11 are Indians. I've counted "IndianPremierLeague" and "Force India F1 Team" as Indians. He is also following Chris Gayle, Mark Boucher, Shane Warne, Gordon Ramsay, Jemima Khan, brother Bryan Pietersen, Darren Gough and the current lot of England cricketers except Swanny. Paul Collingwood (@pcollingwood5) had joined but deleted his account after a while. Twitter, which is sort of a micro-blogging site, is the only social networking site I like but it's not a place for cricketers. It didn't take long for Colly to learn that. Lots of former England cricketers and County cricketers are on twitter too. Notably, Matthew Hoggard is on twitter but he has only tweeted twice, once in 2007 and once in 2009, both through twitterfeed. Will we see a tweet in 2011?

Follow jimmymycrushie on twitter! Until next time, take care. Cheers!

England started day 2 on 331/4. Collingwood went for 82 and Morgan 130. England's tail was brilliant. England lost 6 wickets for 23 runs on day 2. Swann was the best who didn't only give his wicket away but he was also guilty when Prior was ran out. England finished at 354 and Asif with figures of 5 for 77. Pakistan dropped lots of catches, as usual. 7 of the 10 wickets were taken as lbw or bowled. So this is why Asif bowls a lot of deliveries at the stumps.
                The crush of my life, birthday boy, James Anderson bowled impressively and took 3 of the first 6 wickets. Finn, making a comeback after his strengthing programme took the other 3. Strauss gave the new ball to Broad instead of Finn, which I reckon as not the right thing to do. And Strauss did not attack after Pakistan were struggling at 47/6. Shoaib Malik and Aamer shared a partnership of 58 till Anderson finally removed Malik. Pakistan lost 2 more wickets before bad light stopped play. They will start day 3 at 147/9.

Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad and Craig Kieswetter go back to the 60s...

 while Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, Eoin Morgan turn into racers...

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!