Keep Cricket Free

If you’re a cricket fan, or a sports fan, or English, or hell, someone please please please check out this site – Keep Cricket Free. As of 2006, all English Test Cricket will only be available on Sky – a pay-TV service. The question is not an “I hate Sky” argument, because I don’t, but it’s more of a cultural argument – national teams involved in sport should be on national television. Simple as that.

There’s an online petition you can sign (which I’m sure will do bugger all, but do it anyway) and there’s lots of interesting information you can read. The important thing is that with cricket really beginning to take off in England again, it’s important that it’s not lost to Rupert Murdoch’s pocket.

Clicky: Keep Cricket Free

ICC Super Series

Image: BBC

Frankly, it’s a bit of a joke all round. OK so Australia winning isn’t exactly what I want to see full stop, but has anyone noticed that it’s the Englishmen doing all the hard work? Particularly our Freddie. He, Harmy and KP are out there busting their guts in a so-called World XI when it seems like no-one else in the team, the so-called greats of the game like Lara can barely score a run or a take a wicket between them. And at a time when they’re supposed to be preparing for a test series against Pakistan. It’s ridiculous – the whole series has been a complete farce.

If England lose in Pakistan (because our players aren’t sufficiently rested) then it’s going to undo all the hard work and good that’s come from the Ashes series. More here.

Wow. And just, wow.

I’ve been away the past week in England getting stuff done, and yeah, I had a bunch of stuff to talk about, but, frankly, it all pails in significance compared to what the England cricket team has achieved. I’m not even going to discuss it, there’s plenty out on the web about it all, but I just wanted to say well done England and “in yer face” to the Australians. I will say though that the most pleasurable bit of the whole thing is the spirit in which it was all played, the way in which both teams were almost rooting for each other, the way Shane Warne shook KP’s hand after he scored his Ashes-winning 150, the way the two teams got pissed with each other after every game. Well done to the players for being such wonderful representatives of a truly remarkable and exciting game. Footballers could learn a thing or two.

Chhhuuoommme oowwwwwnnn.

(P.S. I put three new Fingers episodes up.)

It’s all about the Cricket

Hell yeah… 2:1 in the series. We’re showing them a thing or two. Shame it should really be 3:1 in the series and the Ashes should now be ours. But still, it’s gonna make the Oval more interesting (if that was possible).

And in related news, my old cricket club wants to fly me in from Guernsey for their last match of the series which if they win will ensure promotion. How rock n roll is that!? Maybe I should ask for a wage.

Australia hahahahaha

It just gets better – 4 losing runs on the trot. They really have the runs. Or the trots. Hahaha. They even lost to Bangladesh. I mean, Somerset was bad enough, but to Bangladesh as well. Giggle. You can’t help wondering if it’ll make them come back stronger and harder though. Still, couldn’t get much worse for them though. Or could it? Still, I’m sure this will help. Will be an interesting few weeks.

Well that was fun!

We finally made the Aussies look very very silly at sport. We gave them a thorough asskicking in the first International Twenty20. Go boys. I’m sure next time it won’t be so one-sided, but to give us our dues, we did bat and bowl very well, and deserved it. Let’s hope we can carry the form into the Ashes series.

What a turnaround

OK, I take some of it back. I still maintain we can’t beat Australia, but we can play some good cricket when we want to. And to win this 4th test match from basically nowhere is an absolute result. Full respect to Marcus Trescothick and Matthew Hoggard* who unquestionably turned this “gonna-be-a-draw” match and won it for us. Woop woop.

Quite why it wasn’t on Test Match Special I have no idea. It’s bloody ridiculous that there was zero way I could be involved in this victory, except for “watching” it on the BBC website ball-by-ball update.

But still. Good win boys! Let’s win the series…

[* incidentally, the very same man I blogged about earlier. Different, eh? ]

(BBC).