Filed under: Cricket
At last the winter is over for England’s cricketers and fans. I can’t say I’m not disappointed but at the same time, it’s a relief not to have to watch any more pitiful performances. Hopefully the boys will go home, relax and emerge refreshed for the West Indies series that starts in less than a month.
The recent world cup fiasco has also maybe put the final nail in Duncan Fletcher’s coffin. He has done fantastic things for England but I think it’s fair to say that its time to move. His selection choices for the Ashes were madness (think Geraint Jones and Ashley Giles) and his world cup team wasn’t really much better. Personally I’d like Tom Moody as our new coach but seeing how well Sri Lanka are doing, he may not want to move on.
Let’s just hope that when the England team come out to play in their whites at Lords, they have spring in their step and can get back to being the second best Test team in the world. Go England!
It is with shock and horror that I write this post. It seems hard to believe that Bob Woolmer was murdered but that is what the police have now concluded.
No motives have been publicly announced as yet although there are plenty of theories being bandied about. One focuses on match-fixing others suggest it could have been because of Pakistan’s loss to Ireland on Saturday. The Jamaican police have said it is likely that Bob knew his attacker(s) as there are no signs of forced entry. I simply can not get my head round that. I wonder, knowing that Bob was a very open and friendly person, whether he may have just opened his door to some stranger that came knocking. I also find it hard to believe that his murder could have been perpetrated by someone that knew him because that would suggest perhaps someone in the Pakistan camp – although it should be emphasised that the police have not asked any of the Pakistan team to stay in the West Indies so they must be pretty confident that none of them are involved.
For someone that loves cricket and has been arguing that the game can be used as a way of healing divisons between fractured nations and polities this terrible event is a huge blow. How this can happen to the game that is meant to be a byword for gentlemanly behaviour, even if match-fixing and sledging are rife in the game, seems simply incredulous.
Of course the Indian media is having a field day with a fair amount of irresponsible journalism being published. Some have even talked about what may happen if India loses their ‘must-win’ match tonight. Could the same happen Greg Chappell? South African coach, Micky Arthur has gone as far to say that he would never coach a South Asian side because of the pressure put on teams and coaches.
I can only hope that the police find those responsible for this terrible act of violence quickly and that this World Cup can remembered for something other than the tragic death of one of cricket’s most passionate coaches.
Filed under: Cricket
It’s been a wierd and emotional weekend for cricket fans, especially ones with an interest in South Asian teams. Yesterday however came the saddest piece of news yet – the announcement of the death of Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s cricket coach.
My hear goes out to his two sons and wife at this tragic news. I met Dale and Russell in Pakistan the at Lahore Test match between England and Pakistan in November 2005. Through them I was introduced to Bob who was kind enough to let me interview him for my dissertation. He had a great deal of interesting things to say about cricket diplomacy both between India and Pakistan and also the way cricket was used in South Africa to help bolster racial harmony in the emerging ‘rainbow nation’.
As well as being coach of South Africa (1994-1999) and Pakistan (2004-2007) Bob Woolmer spent a few years as the ICC’s high-performance manager and was involved in developing non-Test playing teams such as Ireland.
He was a passionate proponent of bringing the game of cricket to new polities and believed whole-heartedly in the power of cricket. The cricketing world will be a lesser place for his death. Bob, thanks for everything you’ve done for cricket throughout the world. I hope you rest in peace.
Filed under: Cricket
The build-up to the cricket World Cup is well under way and it couldn’t be more exciting. The Australians have been hammered by the Kiwis and England and have finally lost their number 1 spot in the ICC rankings. This will leaves the tournament wide-open which will hearten supporters from the opposing teams.
South Africa are looking pretty good after wins against India and Pakistan. Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India, as well as England and New Zealand all have to potential to do well on the day too.
And there’s always the chance that India and Pakistan will play each other in the later stages. That will be a fascinating match if it happens. I’ll be in Delhi for the whole World Cup and so am pretty excited about experiencing the passion and madness that constitutes Indian support for their team. Especially if they play Pakistan. With the mood reasonably upbeat at present about Indo-Pakistan relations, I think a match would be very interesting and give a further boost to peace.
Its good to see that this topic is being explored outside the cricket playing world as can be seen by this article in an American newspaper.
‘Seeds of peace on cricket field’ http://www.sportanddev.org/en/news/seeds-of-peace-on-cricket-field.htm
Filed under: Cricket
I suppose I must mention the cricket although it pains me to do so….
Not that there’s really anything to say. England were outplayed in all aspects of the game. And it seems that this is still continuing. I can’t really see many positives for the England camp although it is good to see Michael Vaughan back in England colours. And Freddie’s batting improved massively yesterday since the pressure of captaincy was taken away from him (although let’s face it, his bowling was pretty bad).
I can’t really say much more except congratulations to the Australian team who obviously wanted it more and believed they could win it, whereas England never really had the focus to win.
