On 2005:

"I still get people now saying I got into cricket because of '05, so that's what we should all be most proud of: that we inspired people to like the game" - Michael Vaughan

With the seemingly never-ending men's World Cup finally coming to an exciting conclusion and with an Ashes summer looming on the horizon, many thoughts have turned to the magical summer of 14 years ago. On Sunday, Channel 4 put out a documentary about the 2005 Ashes series, a series which captured the nation's imagination and, as captain Michael Vaughan stated at the end of the documentary, was the beginning of so many people's cricketing stories: mine included.

25 Years On

A special evening.

In a corner of the ECG, in front of the flats at the Hayes Close End, are some ladies toilets. For reasons long since forgotten, these have become affectionately known as 'Nasser's Loos'. The steps leading up to 'Nasser's Loos' are rotten and, despite them being in this state for a number of years, have never been fixed. Some seats in the ground are covered in dirt and cobwebs - we've often joked about cleaning for our memberships - and the place where Tendo smashed a six into the media hut is still visible due to the fact the polyfilla has never been painted over.

And there's something deeply comforting about all these things. You can visit a Test ground on a county day and you will be greeted by swathes of empty seats and, in the case of some international grounds (coughhampshirecough), some fairly soulless surroundings. Walking into the ECG via the steep path and past the street art of the underpass of the River Gate, you're greeted by a shed. No fancy turnstiles, just a shed. Here, you scan your membership card/ticket, something that only came in at Chelmsford a couple of years ago. And it's as you walk past this shed that you get a sense of 'home'.

Ipswich Town: A Tragic Romance

"You can actually pinpoint the second when his heart rips in half."

There are many excellent things out there about Ipswich Town's current plight but I guess I'm writing this in answer to a question that my brother asked me about my midweek expedition to Lincoln City. "Why did you go?"

The answer? I don't really know. As I said in a message to my friend after I got home, "I knew it'd happen. I could've stayed at home, had a decent night's sleep but no, I went. And watched that shower of utter shite." At least I can be comforted by the fact the rest of the nation witnessed, and had to suffer 90 minutes of, my pain as well.

As soon as Lincoln's winner went in, that was it. The crowd, who'd already been pretty glum from before kick-off at the mere mention of the dreaded Skuglas partnership, turned. Anger and heartbreak was directed at anyone on the pitch wearing the blue shirt, the source of pride to all in that away end. I've only ever cried once over a football match. Once, in the nearly seventeen years of supporting this bloody football club.

Let me paint the scene - it's a Wednesday. Wednesday 18th May 2005. Ipswich Town are in a play-off semi-final second leg at Portman Road. The opposition is West Ham. After finishing third in the league, coming cancelling out a two goal deficit at Upton Park to make it 2-2 on aggregate... Well, you know, or can at least figure out, the rest of what happened on that Wednesday night in May. 

It's a date I think about a lot in relation to the current state of Town. Another is when Marcus Evans took over. Another is when Jim Magilton was sacked and the family club I grew up supporting suddenly became something I didn't recognise anymore. We appointed Roy Keane, clearly in the hope of getting some publicity rather than promotion. He took us to a League Cup semi-final and then was gone, to be replaced by Paul Jewell. 

I, rather luckily I guess, experienced most of these years from afar, cast off at university in the wilderness of the north west. But those years have blurred into one long grim package, rather like this current season. We lunge, clumsily, from one game to another: one week playing like a team of strangers, the next stringing some passes together, the next remembering what a shot on target is and treating everyone to a couple of them. But most of the time we look like we are dial up in a world of fibre optics.

Last night, my football club, the one I have 'passionately' supported since I was 8 years old, died a death on national television. My beloved football club became a laughing stock (well, even more so) as we lost to a side 59 places below us in the football ladder. My beloved football club showed, on national primetime television, that it has stagnated and may as well be that rotting piece of apple you find stuck to the base of your bin. It's dying a slow death in the Championship and, if things don't change, will continue on a downward decline. The Championship's not going to remain 'Ipswich and Friends' forever, and that's definitely not because we're getting promoted.

Anyway, as I said, there are excellent pieces out there about Ipswich Town's current state, and this post isn't really to address those issues. I'm not really sure what this piece is, but I'll go back to another earlier point, I've only ever cried once at football. But last night, after that final whistle went and I walked away from the Sincil Bank, I felt like crying over this sport again. The result at Portman Road, and manner of it, against Lincoln had left me with a thundercloud over my head for much of that weekend. Last night at the replay, it left me broken.

I have spent seventeen years of my life pouring my heart and soul into following this football club. I have missed rehearsals, birthday parties and god knows what else, all to follow Ipswich Town across the country. Football, to me, sadly, is a way of life. In fact, given that I don't have much else going for me, it is my life. And to have something so beloved to me not try and not look like they even care, is utterly heartbreaking.

I want to watch an Ipswich Town side giving youngsters a chance. I want an Ipswich Town side passing freely, having some attacking intent. I want Ipswich Town to be a part of the community again, being the affordable family club that so many of us fell in love with. 

I want the joy, happiness and pride to come back.

I want my Ipswich back.

The Ashes: Cardiff Test, Day Four

Day four of this intriguing contest sees England chasing 10 wickets to take a 1-0 lead in this Ashes series. Australia being Australia will do their best to make an effort in chasing down the mammoth target of 412, but on a wearing pitch and with the Welsh weather set surprisingly fair, there's only one likely outcome.

Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad open with the new ball for England. Here's the action from day four down in the Welsh capital.

The Ashes: Cardiff Test, Day Three

This Test continues to canter along at quite a pace. England have arguably had the better the opening two days - could they grab the initiative on day three? Australia begin the day on 264-5 with Shane Watson and night watchman Nathan Lyon at the crease. Mark Wood and Stuart Broad open the bowling for England. Here's all the action from day three at Cardiff.

The Ashes: Cardiff Test, Day Two

And so, to day two. A fairly even opening day to the Ashes (feels like a long time since that's been said), would anyone grab the initiative on day two? After the wicket of Jos Buttler the previous evening, England begin the day on 343-7, looking to get as close to 400 as possible. Australia, meanwhile, search for some bowling consistency. Here's the action from another enthralling day down in the Welsh capital.

The Ashes: Cardiff Test, Day One

Here they are, the duck England squad. Front row (L-R): Finn, Anderson, Root, Cook (C), Broad, Bell. Back row (L-R): Lyth, Ali, Wood, Stokes, Buttler, Ballance, Rashid. Unfortunately I couldn't find a team photo to mock up for Australia, so you'll have to bear with me for them. 

Crikey, I didn't expect to be doing this again, but here we are. The reason for bringing back duck cricket is, as you would expect, quite odd. But that's duck cricket for you. Anyway, having spent the past three years gathering dust on my various bookshelves, the ducks have been dusted off and are ready for a summer of representing the Ashes action.

And so, to the action. Like six years ago, the first Test is taking place in the rain sunshine of the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff. Six years ago, the Test finished in a pulsating draw as the last wicket pair of Monty Panesar and Jimmy Anderson held out for 11.3 overs. What will this Test bring? Here's day one...

KP: The Autobiography

There's a scene in The Simspons episode 'Homer at the Bat' where Bart and Lisa continually bait the baseball player Darryl Strawberry from the stands. Marge, their mother, chastises the children but Bart and Lisa respond with reasoning: that he's a professional athlete, that he's used to it and the taunting "rolls right off their backs". It then cuts to an image of Darryl Strawberry, sniffing and with a tear rolling down his cheek, reminding us that this mega-star of baseball is, in fact, a human being with feelings.

Throughout reading Pietersen's book I found myself thinking of this Simpsons scene. We, the spectators, sometimes all too easily forget that the people we are watching on the field in front of us are human beings, who can hear our criticisms, our insults and our praise. And then there were other times whilst reading it that I found myself expecting someone to be hit by a bus, like Regina George in the film Mean Girls.

It is, perhaps, one of the most frustrating books I have ever read. There were times when I would shout at it, throw it in a corner and refuse to pick it up again for an hour or so. But curiosity always got the better of me and I would find myself picking it up again and devouring it.

I admit to being a fan of Pietersen and someone who has always sympathised with him. It might be because I only started following cricket in 2004 and am not used to the conventional English cricketer, but there was something about him back then that I liked. I remember reading a quote in 2005 from Michael Vaughan stating something along the lines of all Pietersen wanted was a hug, some reassurance and suddenly I found myself sympathising with this larger than life character with the big, bold hair and wondered if there was something more to him than this 'ego' on show.

Pietersen himself admits something along those lines throughout the book. It is, as you would expect, an incredibly open and frank account of himself. We gain background knowledge of his childhood in South Africa, of his family life (with an account of his father that would probably be of great interest to many psychologists). His South African childhood and his battle with his national identity are always underlying, always a tension within himself and within the book. He states, on page 134, that "I'm not as cocky as my image suggests. I'm as insecure as the next bloke, and when I first played for England I was desperate to be accepted."

This desire for acceptance, this wanting to be seen as someone who he eventually realises he is not, is something that Pietersen regrets. He admits that "off the field, I'm a much quieter more solitary person than people imagine" (p225). It is clear that throughout Pietersen's career that he feels there has been this great misunderstanding around him. His need for constant reassurance is not met, admitting that he needs "someone to come along and tell me that I'm playing like a million dollars" as he describes himself as "very shallow" (p129). He is frustrated by the image created of him early in his career and is annoyed by how these early conceptions of him have not been disregarded with the more matches he has played.

Of course, he hasn't helped himself. The sagas in 2009 and 2012 are incredibly difficult to forget, soap operas that were embarrassing for all involved. But they are something, especially in the case of 2012, that he is apologetic about. However, he is a man who is frustrated and hurting. A man who looks at the conduct of some of his other professionals and wonders why they're not being punished like him for similar misdemeanours. A man who looks at his coach stepping down from ODI cricket and wonders why they are allowed to pick and choose their formats whereas he, a player in a similar position, is not. "It was one rule for one player and another rule for me" (p198) he says.

When he talks about the skills involved in playing cricket, it is an incredibly fascinating read. He talks about the technical side of the game, the adjustments that must be made when playing spin. At times, it does read like a love letter to the IPL but at others, you realise that maybe this is knowledge and experience that a lot of young English cricketers would benefit from. When he talks about the mental side of the game, it is again another interesting read. It gives an insight into the mind of and the pressures on the professional cricketer, especially a batsman. Pietersen says, on his seeming arrogance at the crease that "conveying arrogance at the wicket has always been about using my body language as a defence mechanism. Never let them [the opposition] see a weakness. Never let them know there is a war going on in your head" (p143). His insistence that he has helped to coach younger cricketers, his passion and commitment to practice (although, interestingly, mostly alone and on his own cricketing terms) and his knowledge and enthusiasm for the game all come through in these passages, which is what makes these parts, in a book filled with high school-esque drama, worth reading.

It would be easy to dismiss the claims in Pietersen's book as those of a bitter ex. Too easy. Because if you can wade through the endless 'buddies' and continual sniping and elements of his flashy life, then you come to realise that, at the heart of it, he may just have a point. One of the most interesting parts of the book comes in one of the early chapters, 'I Am Like a Hurricane. Not.' He states, "I don't do comfort zones, and if I feel like you are the kind of person who enjoys the comfort zone way of life, I tell you [...] I think me confronting mediocrity throughout my career has earned me this reputation of being destructive." (p117). This book is Pietersen's very public attempt at confronting the mediocrity that appears to be endemic in English cricket.

Yes, he's big, brash and not everyone's cup of tea, but rather than ignore or dismiss this autobiography, perhaps it should be used as a wake up call that English cricket is far too in its own comfort zone. Cricket, especially English cricket, needs big characters, who stand up for their beliefs, otherwise cricket will decline in this country. The English may well have invented this game, but it is the other nations that are rising up and making the game what it is today. And the longer it is that the powers that be in English cricket keep their heads in the sand, the worse off cricket, both in this nation and abroad, will be for it.

(All quotes come from Kevin Pietersen, KP: The Autobiography (St Ives: Sphere, 2014)

On 2012:

A golden Monday 3rd September 2012 - Thank you Mickey Bushell.

Today marks the end of phenomenal sporting year and has caused me to make a brief return from blogging hiatus to provide a personal reflection on the year of 2012. There are plenty of blogs/articles out there which will provide better and more analytical reviews of the incredible events of this year but, since I have watched so much sport this year, I thought it was easier to make a post rather than clog up Twitter feeds.

I've been all over the country watching cricket this year, travelling up north to Durham, Old Trafford and Headingley, out west to Worcestershire and a wet Glamorgan and have spent more time than is necessary on the Greater Anglia service down to London Liverpool Street to head to Lord's and The Oval. I've spent so long watching Hashim Amla this summer that it bordered on Stockholm Syndrome in the final ODI at Trent Bridge. And through my travels, watching both cricket and Ipswich Town, I've met so many wonderful people, so many that if I tried to list them all then I'd undoubtedly miss someone. 

2012 will be looked upon with great fondness by many people, both in Britain and abroad, but for me, here are five personal moments that have made my year.

Farewell, Straussy.

In happier times Down Under, celebrating a 50 at the SCG.

"The truth is I haven't batted well enough for a long period of time now. [...] I've run my race." - Andrew Strauss in his press conference announcing his retirement from all cricket.

I've been sat here since Strauss' press conference took place trying to think of something to write. I've watched the cursor blink at me, trying to put into words how I feel about one of my favourite players retiring from the game.

As someone born in the early '90s, I didn't have the pleasure of watching England be truly terrible at cricket. Instead, I got into cricket in 2004, around the time Andrew Strauss was establishing himself at the top of the Test order. Since then, I've grown up watching the rises and falls of the career of this quiet, but commanding, presence in the England team. From that catch of Gilchrist at Trent Bridge to the career saving 177 at Napier in 2008 to leading England to their first triumph Down Under in 24 years, Strauss' influence on English cricket will surely be remembered fondly for years to come.

About to do the sprinkler at the MCG after England's 2010 triumph.

After the highs of 2011, it's been a tough year for Strauss and England. Four straight Test defeats kicked off 2012 and questions about his form began to resurface. His captaincy and his batting were exposed due to England's failings and he realised that, at the age of 35, it's difficult to stop the slump.

Rather than cling onto former glories, Strauss has bowed out of the game having played 100 Tests, in which he scored over 7000 Test runs at a respectable average of 40.91 and held onto a record 121 Test catches. His partnership with Cook has scored more runs than any other opening partnership in English Test cricketing history and his captaincy record, whilst somewhat blemished by this dismal 2012, shows that England won almost half of the matches in which he was in charge.

There are some unwanted memories in there too. The 2006/07 Ashes series, and his massive slump of form during and after it, is one which he'll probably use his 100 bottles of wine to forget about, especially as he was the unfortunate victim behind Shane Warne's 700th Test wicket. Four years later, the furore surrounding the spot fixing accusations against Pakistan in 2010, and the repercussions it had on the ODI series, left him looking visibly drained, but he managed to cope with the daily uproar and Ijaz Butt and displayed great integrity whilst doing so. This summer is one he'll also wish to put behind him, especially with the entire Pietersen affair, something which he'll surely be relieved to have off his plate.

Celebrating his 141, his last Test century, which came at Trent Bridge against the West Indies.

I have many memories Andrew Strauss and it's difficult to select a favourite moment. His two centuries in the 2005 Ashes series, one of which came about after being left bleeding by Brett Lee, are usually overlooked because of the worship of the personalities of Flintoff and Pietersen. The career saving knock of 177 against New Zealand, which I watched in darkness whilst wrapped in a duvet on the sofa nursing a migraine, is up there too. Watching him at Lord's make his maiden first-class double hundred last summer was also a joy, because the celebrations of himself, and Matthew Hoggard, showed how much it meant to him. Being there as him and Cook put on 150-0 after bowling Australia out for 98 at the MCG is certainly a highlight of my short cricket watching life, as is his aggressive 50 at the SCG, where he came out all guns blazing to really put the Australians under pressure.

Today marks the beginning of a new era of English cricket, but for now, I just want to say that it's been a pleasure growing up watching him and it was wonderful watching a successful England team, while it lasted, around the globe. Strauss handled nearly everything, from Ijaz Butt to being asked to pose with a duck shaped candle, with dignity. Whilst his form with the bat was patchy at times, it was when he was in form that watching him square cut to the boundary would always be a glorious sight. An incredibly intelligent man, it is surely to be fully expected that he remains in cricket after his retirement but if he does want to enter into something political, I hope that it's cricket administrators, rather than Tory MPs, who are looking nervously over their shoulders.

Strauss has had his critics, but the way in which he has conducted himself as an England player has earned him much respect and plaudits around the cricketing world. England's next Test match is in November in Ahmedabad and it will be strange to see Alastair Cook head out to the middle without the light blue helmet of Strauss next to him. It'll be even stranger to watch Cook face the first ball.

Thank you for the memories, Straussy.

England 0-2 South Africa: Where Do We Go From Here?

I, for one, welcome our new South African overlords.

It was a boiling hot day at a packed Oval this time last year. Fans had flocked to the ground to witness history, whether it be Sachin Tendulkar's 100th international century or England's historic rise to number 1 status. When Sreesanth was bowled by Graeme Swann to hand England another innings victory, the celebrations began, despite nobody in the England squad really knowing what to do with the Test mace. After years of turmoil, a dawn for a golden age of English cricket was heralded and many believed that it was a chance for this team to dominate international cricket like no other English side had before.

That was the plan. Instead, woeful batting performances against a resurgent Pakistan in their adopted home saw England slump to a 3-0 whitewash, their first since the fateful 2006/07 Ashes series. A further loss to Sri Lanka in Galle meant that England had begun 2012 with four straight Test defeats. Their number one status was already in the balance having been in possession of it for less than eight months. England managed to win in Colombo and the rain in New Zealand meant that they headed into the English summer clinging onto a status they had worked so hard to obtain.

Had South Africa been able to bowl out Graham Onions in 2010, highlighting an example of where they've been unable to win at home, there may not have even been a debate about the best team in the world. Still, it meant that South Africa arrived in England knowing that even the slenderest of victories would propel them to world number one. Their preparation for the series couldn't have been much worse, rain hindered opportunities out in the middle, Peter Trego took a fancy to Morne Morkel and then Mark Boucher's horrible eye injury against Somerset, forcing him into retirement, meant that concern for his well-being was always at the forefront of their minds.

After a testing first day to the series, in which Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott combined to once again steady England after the early loss of Andrew Strauss, South Africa bounced back on the second day and, since then, never really looked anything other than the best team in the world. At The Oval, Alviro Petersen could only watch on in despair for his duck as Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and the record breaking Hashim Amla piled on the runs, and the misery, against a flagging England attack. After this thrashing at The Oval, South Africa went on to mostly out bat, out bowl and out field their opponents. In the case of fielding, England didn't help themselves and the old cricketing cliché of 'catches win matches' should probably be scrawled on the wall of every dressing room England enter this winter. 

Had it not been for Kevin Pietersen's innings at Headingley, England may well have lost this series 3-0. As South Africa, wearing shirts dedicated to Mark Boucher, walked around the Lord's outfield showing the mace off to the gathered South African and a few curious England fans, England watched on from the home dressing room wondering where to go from here.

There are concerns for England on and off the pitch. Firstly, there is the whole sorry saga surrounding Pietersen to sort out. With each passing day, the story becomes more and more ridiculous with accusations, breaches of trust and Piers Morgan/Michael Henderson leaving many people questioning their stance on it all. As it currently stands, it would appear that so long as Strauss and Flower are in charge of this England side, there is no way back for Pietersen.

The whole thing has been handled with all the delicacy of a bull in a china shop and, at times, feels more like a teenage drama in high school than a serious international cricket team. Both sides have their faults, but Pietersen's are far more publicised thanks to his own idiocy. For now, until Strauss and Pietersen have their meeting, it would seem that England are heading into the future without their box office, but insecure and troublesome, batsman in tow. This may well lead to a sense of team unity returning, but we would be kidding ourselves if we believed that this is the only area of concern.

England's batting line up has looked a shadow of its former self this year. Since becoming captain, Strauss has only scored centuries against Australia and the West Indies. His captaincy has always been conservative, but with a negated attack and his fellow top order being out of touch and patience, Strauss' batting form and tactics have once again been exposed. After a break with his family, Strauss has a meeting with Pietersen and then a couple of County Championship matches for Middlesex before England head to India.

Strauss, like the rest of the England top order, has made some starts. But the problem is, compared to the South African batsmen, that throughout the series, they never looked set. South Africa made five centuries this series. England? Only two. The English batsmen wasted good starts by wafting outside off stump, missing straight ones or running themselves out. Cook, Bell and Trott have all been guilty of this, with only Prior, and Pietersen, looking like they could take on a very strong South African bowling attack.

England's bowling attack has been a proud part of the rise to number one, but for this series they haven't seemed at their best. Anderson, who was economical but unlucky at times, picked up 9 wickets at 40.66, whilst Broad and Bresnan looked way off their best. Bresnan has been struggling with an elbow injury for much of the year whilst Broad can't decide whether he's gone back to his 'enforcer' stage. Steven Finn showed glimpses of his ODI form, especially in a spell in the second innings at Lord's, but he is still developing as a Test player. His ability to take wickets is impressive, but some of these wickets have come off absolute tripe and sometimes his figures do not make pretty reading. He has, however, managed to stop his habit of knocking over the stumps with his knee after South Africa complained that it was a 'distraction' during the Headingley Test. Graeme Swann didn't have the impact he would've hoped to have had with only 4 wickets at 77. Whilst he was economical, there is a worry surrounding the state of Swann's elbow and England will be hoping that Swann can return to having some kind of impact for when they head to India this winter.

Whilst the South Africa series has been one to forget for most of the England side, there are some reasons to be cheerful. James Taylor didn't take full advantage of Ravi Bopara's latest setback, but he looks like he's got the technique and the head for international cricket. He played well at Headingley before he was bowled by Morkel and at Lord's a good delivery and a stupid run out proved to be his downfall. His performance may not have completely closed the door on Bopara, but the Lord's batting display of a certain ginger lad from Yorkshire may well have done.

Jonny Bairstow was given a good working over with the short ball by the West Indies. He was dropped and sent back to Yorkshire where he struggled for a while before making a century against Leicestershire in July. His timely century for the England Lions at Old Trafford against the touring Australia A side and the dropping of Kevin Pietersen meant that he returned to the Test fold. Predictably, as soon as he walked to the crease, South Africa set about the short ball barrage. But Bairstow coped, in both innings, and fell agonisingly short of  a well deserved maiden century in the first innings after trying to play a flick through midwicket off Morkel. He followed this 95 up with another half century in the second innings, an innings which displayed his aggressive potential.

This winter sees England head back to the subcontinent and then head off to New Zealand. The pressure will be off England, as they have returned to the 'hunters' status, but India will be seeking revenge for that 4-0 hammering inflicted upon them last year. Without Pietersen, question marks over the form of some in the top six and with two youngsters who've never played a Test match in India in the top order, England may well be in for a tough winter. Cracking the subcontinent is something that Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss want to do and they must hope that the team can come back together again as they begin their challenge to South Africa for that number one status.

Sympathy for the Devil?

Calm before the storm: Pietersen celebrates his century for England at Headingley. 

From the moment he appeared on the England scene in 2004, Kevin Pietersen has always been a somewhat polarising player. It cannot be denied that he is an excellent cricketer, someone with the ability to change a match in a session, but his personality, one seemingly of brashness and arrogance, is one which rubs a lot of people up the wrong way. His desire to be appreciated and celebrity status has led to him making mistakes, and these mistakes may well have, potentially, drawn the curtains on his international career.

Having retired from international limited overs cricket in controversial circumstances earlier this year, Pietersen's feud with the ECB has escalated so rapidly over the past week that he now finds himself dropped from the England squad. The whole sorry saga began with him wanting to spend more time with his family, then it became about wanting to play a full IPL season and now it's turned into a ridiculous and almost high school drama about Twitter and text messages, the bane of every teenage girl's life.

Since rising to the top of the Test rankings last summer, things have not exactly been plain sailing for the good ship England. In October, whilst on a disastrous tour of India, Graeme Swann, another big personality in the England dressing room, published his autobiography in which he wasn't exactly complimentary about Kevin Pietersen's captaincy skills. In any working environment, cliques will form, and the England dressing room is almost certainly no different.

This being said, it's easy to not feel sorry for Pietersen. Outlandish videos and embarrassing press conferences mean he is a difficult person to understand. For example, his press conference at the IPL earlier this year, where he lamented the absence of some of his England colleagues because of 'second rate Australians', wasn't exactly greeted with rapturous applause. The video he released on Saturday was one to appease, but there was no hint of an apology within it and seemed to be done because he knew the axe was falling anyway. However, a key element of England's success over the past few years has been the management's ability to control the ego. The way in which details of these private meetings about his England future were leaked to the press was reminiscent of the fiasco of 2009 and means that trust between both parties has been broken.

Many have not forgiven Pietersen for this 2009 debacle. He forced a man out of his job, and also wanted his now coach gone too and this, undoubtedly, must have had an impact upon relationships in the dressing room. But there are two sides to every story, and it is incredibly important to remember that. Pietersen wants to continually come across as being the victim, and looking at previous history, it is possible to see why he feels this way. Earlier this year, Pietersen got fined for tweeting his opinion about Nick Knight's punditry. Stuart Broad also suggested that Knight's not very good at his job and nobody batted an eyelid. As stated, Swann was allowed to publish an autobiography in which he criticised some of his team mates. Pietersen may or may not have sent private texts, which either contained 'acceptable banter between team mates' (South Africa's Moosajee) or 'derogatory' remarks about his captain. The ECB, according to the South African camp, have not asked to see the texts but it was Pietersen's inability to deny their existence which saw him dropped from the squad. For those who label Pietersen as greedy, or think that he shouldn't be allowed to pick and choose his cricket, let us not forget that it's the ECB who got involved with Stanford, a man who now has a 110-year jail sentence for fraud. The people who let that happen are still employed by governing body. Let us also remember that the ECB allowed Andrew Strauss to skip the Bangladesh tour, although this helped him to be rested and be able to lead the team to the success in Australia.

Respect, though, has been lost on both sides. Pietersen, with his infamous Headingley press conference, alleged text messages which seem to be about his captain, YouTube video and perceived insult at the infamous @KevPietersen24 parody account, has lost the respect of the ECB, and his England teammates. The ECB has lost the respect of Pietersen through their leaks to the press and because he feels victimised. There must surely be more to come with this story, which may well be revealed once this Test series has concluded, but as it currently stands, it feels like an incredibly silly drama between two sides who are just as bad as one another. And it's easy to forget that there is a very important Test match starting on Thursday, because the feud between Pietersen and the ECB continues to be fought out in the playground-esque arena, and now Piers Morgan has appeared to egg them on in the background.

Pietersen being dropped may well mean that the squad return to some semblance of unity. Statements and newspaper columns from England players suggest that they're pleased Pietersen is not in the squad, and they believe they are better for it. His absence gives youngsters a chance to gain experience playing top quality international cricket and it also means that 'Team England' are able to pose for a photo with the Investec Zebra with a smile on their faces.

England managed to win ODI series against the West Indies and Australia without Pietersen, but these teams are not South Africa. With youngster Taylor, who impressed on debut at Headingley, and Bairstow returning to the squad despite questionable form since being worked over by Kemar Roach, England head into the Test at Lord's hoping that their team can come together and perform to overcome this strong and in form South Africa side. England won a must win Test without Kevin Pietersen against Australia at The Oval in 2009, but that side contained a demoralised Mitchell Johnson, not Dale Steyn.

Should England win, they retain their number one status. Should they lose or draw, England will lose that precious number one ranking, less than a year after they gained it, and all that hard work may well have gone to waste. There was talk of this side becoming one of the greatest England sides ever, there being a golden era for English cricket coming. Instead, in true English style, we have become our own worst enemy again and it may well lead to another long and gruelling winter.

Goodbye, London 2012

My earliest Olympic memory is of my mum shouting, "HIT HIM! GO ON HIT HIM!" at Audley Harrison in the early hours of the morning, as  she embraced the millennium spirit by shouting encouragement at the TV for Sydney 2000. Strangely though, it was the 2002 Winter Olympics, and more specifically the sport of curling, which cemented my love for this enormous sportsfest and it was in 2004 that I finally got round to watching the Olympic Games properly. Jumping around the living room and clapping at a slowly dying television as Steve Cram shouted "Come on Kelly" is something which has stuck with me for the past eight years and will, undoubtedly, stay with me for the rest of my life.

So when it was announced on 6th July 2005 that London had beaten Paris to host the 2012 Olympic games, I was excited. My home nation would be hosting a Summer Olympics, meaning I wouldn't have to alter my sleeping pattern and would have the world's greatest show about 100 miles away in a city that, to a 13 year old girl, was a terrifyingly exciting place.

For seven years I've been one of those commuters, travellers, day trippers, sometimes even dogs, who've gone on the Norwich-London Liverpool Street train through Stratford and have seen the way in which an Olympic Park has risen out of wasteland into a world class sporting site. A place where world records would tumble and heroes would be made. A place where national pride spread, thanks to the athletes, the spectators and the wonderful volunteers.

Having said this, I didn't get Olympic tickets. I couldn't afford to risk applying for them. Maybe if I were the gambling type, I could've experienced Great Britain's dominance at the velodrome or been in the Olympic Stadium for Golden Saturday. But I wasn't, and I don't regret not applying, because this games, despite the name, wasn't just London's games. It was Britain's games.

I was up at Headingley for the second Test, you know, the one where Kevin Pietersen scored a brilliant century on the same day Jess Ennis was crowned the world's greatest all-round female athlete, the day Greg Rutherford leapt to an unexpected gold and the day Mo Farah showcased the Mo-bot to an audience Sky 1 could only ever dream of. But from the large number of people dressed up as Bradley Wiggins to the people standing up and singing Spandau Ballet's 'Gold' when news from the velodrome reached the Western Terrace, it was clear that London 2012 had a nation gripped and that the 'Olympic spirit' was well and truly flowing in Yorkshire. 

A digital radio, a dodgy signal and 5 Live crackling away on a train carriage packed full of people ready for a Saturday night is probably a fairly usual occurrence, especially during the football season. But when a guy, who'd spent his day dressed as the Cookie Monster at the cricket, has three people crowded round a tiny mobile phone screen, hoping that the signal would hold out so they could watch incredible athletes run 10,000m and join in with the 80,000 people screaming encouragement for the one with the GB crest on his chest, then you know it's something special. Being greeted by other passengers giving funny looks as we cheered, joining millions across the nation, when Mo Farah crossed the line, was a wonderful moment and certainly one I won't ever forget.

Rain meant sparse amounts of play during the fourth day, a Sunday, a month after Andy Murray's big date in the Wimbledon final. A month later, it was the same opponent, the same venue, but this time, a different prize and a far, far different atmosphere. I had updates coming through thanks to my mum and Twitter, but once the lightning arrived at Headingley, everyone was downstairs and watching. The queues for the bars were empty as everyone was transfixed as they watched Andy Murray blowing Roger Federer away. Match point. An ace. Mass jubilation. The national anthem was being sung by drunk people in fancy dress. People, who had in no way supported Murray in the final a month ago, suddenly felt it was their national duty to cheer on the man from Dunblane. The Western Terrace cheering for a Scotsman. You think you've seen it all.

This Olympics wasn't just about London. This Olympics was about the nation. It was about celebrating and supporting athletes, from the incredible, like Sir Chris Hoy and David Rudisha, to those who were making history just by being there and who gave their all, despite the odds being heavily stacked against them. It was about giving Britain something to feel proud about, something to unify an apparently 'broken' nation, something to prove all the doubters wrong.

London 2012 showed that the British people are one of the most eccentric, and passionate, bunch of people you could ever wish to meet. They carried home tired athletes, creating a cauldron of noise and a wall of colour for British participants. The volunteers created a community spirit, something to be proud of and also allowed for some truly wonderful moments, especially the Bolt fist-bump before the 200m final.

So, London, thank you. The 29 gold, 17 silver and 19 bronze medals for Team GB have been spectacular. Hearing the national anthem be sung so joyfully as the Union Flag has been raised has left many people with a lump in their throat. We have introduced a whole generation to sports outside of the mainstream domain, and have provided them with heroes of humility, like Jess Ennis. There are people who have arrived at these games overcoming personal tragedies, civil wars, poverty, etc, to represent their countries and it is those people that we have celebrated. We have put on a show to the world and it is a show we can be proud of, because where else would have a 40 foot Voldemort being defeated by an army of Mary Poppins?

The Olympic flame may well have been extinguished, the BBC Olympic channels are no more and we may well have returned to the travesty of Heir Hunters and Bargain Hunt, but soon it will be time for the Paralympics, which, by the sounds of it, will be one of the most well-supported Paralympics ever.

Bring on August 29th. 

Ravi Bopara: Is it his time?

Bopara walks off delighted to know a post-match interview
with Nick Knight awaits him.

Ravi Bopara is one of those players who, no matter how much some areas of the cricket watching general public don't want him to, continually turns up in the England squad.

After an impressive ODI series against Australia, where he scored 182 runs at an average of 91.00 and also managed to take 4 economical wickets, Bopara now finds himself in the Test squad for The Oval.

Bopara comes in for Jonny Bairstow who, having been found wanting on the short ball by the West Indians, has been sent back to Yorkshire to continue his development. Whilst it's disappointing for Bairstow, he is only 22 and there is certainly promise there. However, if he struggled with Kemar Roach then it's difficult to see how he would've overcome Dale Steyn or Morne Morkel.

Bopara was also selected ahead of Eoin Morgan, who held the number 6 spot ever since Paul Collingwood retired and Ian Bell moved up the order. But an incredibly poor series against Pakistan in the UAE and his decision to sit on the bench at the IPL means that Morgan has gone back to being seen as a one day player for England, rather than a Test player. Morgan was impressive against the poor Australian tourists, but against a swinging ball his technique is questionable.

Rather than call up someone deemed to be in form from the county game, something which would've occurred before this new modern era, England return to the familiar and his name's Ravi Bopara.

Bopara made his Test debut aged 22 in 2007, where he infamously picked up three ducks in 5 innings against the Sri Lankans. He wasn't seen again in the whites of Test cricket until 2009, where he came in at 3 against the West Indies and made three consecutive centuries. This success meant that he came in at three against the Australians in the 2009 Ashes series and in the seven innings he played before being replaced by Jonathan Trott at The Oval, he could only amass 105 runs at an average of 15. He was sent back to Chelmsford where his form had more dips than an Alton Towers roller coaster, but in 2011, after an injury to Jonathan Trott, Bopara returned to the Test fold against India. With everyone around him scoring runs with ease and Bopara knowing he was nothing more than a fill in for a shoulder injury, Bopara walked to the crease at Edgbaston with England 596-4 and only made 7 before he was out LBW to Mishra. At The Oval, where England were 487-5 when Bopara walked to the crease, he finished on 44 not out as England declared on 591-6. After the 12 Tests Bopara has played, his average currently stands at 34.56, which isn't that bad until you take out the runs he made against the West Indies.

If you looked up confidence player in the dictionary, a faded picture of Ian Bell would be covered up with one of Ravi Bopara. Whilst he has the technique, Bopara's mental frailties have always been exposed on the international stage. After the West Indies series, he had all the swagger of someone who spends a lot of time with Kevin Pietersen, but during the Ashes series, he was scratchy, slow and, especially at Lord's, incredibly painful to watch. Bopara, now 27, returns to the Test squad knowing that he has the chance to press down a claim for that number 6 spot. He's older, more experienced and his excellent ODI series against the Aussies aside, Bopara has been playing relatively well for Essex this season, when their matches haven't been flooded off. His unbeaten century against Yorkshire back in April, having come in on a hat-trick ball the night before and somehow surviving the incredibly testing conditions, was played with authority and, with help from the lower order, led Essex from 42-5 to a more reasonable 199 all out. Having been out with injury for much of May, Bopara led Essex to victory over Gloucestershire with an unbeaten 120 in the CB40 match at Chelmsford in June.

Bopara is in some kind of form, he has the advantage over those competing for that number 6 spot of being able to bowl and become that bit part bowler England have been lacking since the retirement of Paul Collingwood. He has been given another chance to prove himself and now Ravi needs to grab this opportunity and prove to his doubters that he can do it. He, and England, are coming up against one of, if not the, best bowling attacks in world cricket at the moment and everyone, not just Bopara, will need to be on top of both their game and their mind. For Bopara, he will be tested by pace and line and length. Early on in his innings, he's rarely pretty to watch as he walks across his stumps a lot and is likely to nick off into the slips, something which the South Africans will surely know. It will be challenging, but if Bopara can come through it, then England will hope that he can finally blossom into the player that many at Essex know he can be.

Twitter and Cricket: #KnightGate

"I don't even know what it does", said Geoffrey Boycott on Test Match Special during the evening session of the latest Test with the West Indies. The microblogging social networking website of Twitter has grown in popularity and stature since its formation in 2006 and it has many fans. I, having grown up with websites like Bebo, MySpace and Facebook, am included in this and having had an account on the site for nearly three years, I spend a lot of time on it.

Twitter, like any social networking site on the internet, is a hive of information. What Boycott, and others, don't seem to understand is that it's a site for discussion, entertainment and sharing of knowledge. Some tweeters may well have a tendency to update you with what they had for breakfast, but others will have something genuinely interesting to say. Friendships can form on there. My passion for cricket and sport in general has allowed me to meet people who have similar interests to me and means that, finally, I have someone to watch sport with, something that never happened when I was younger.

Of course, my banal rambling aside, Twitter also provides a platform for the celebrity, politician or sports star to share details of their life. One of those characters is that of Kevin Pietersen, who this week got in trouble because of his comments about the Sky commentator, Nick Knight:

Now, I'm not really a big fan of Nick Knight's commentary style. I have nothing against him as a person and I will give credit where it's due, as he's improved since I saw him presenting my mum's ECB coaching videos, but there's just something about the way he commentates that I don't like. Of course, some people do like it. Others think Ian Botham is a superb commentator, others can't stand Henry Blofeld's love of pigeons and nobody is ever quite sure how they feel about Nasser Hussain. James Anderson has his own opinions on commentators in general and said in a recent feature in the latest edition of The Cricketer that "Cricket commentary must be one of the hardest jobs in the world. It is the only way I can make sense of how so many of them talk such absolute guff".

Pietersen was fined a reported £3000 for the tweet and, of course, it's not the first time Pietersen's been in trouble over his use of Twitter. In 2010, he announced he'd been dropped from the ODI squad having apparently forgotten how to use the direct messaging service. He was fined for his comments back then as well and this, arguably, was a far more worthy reason for him to be fined. Other English cricketers have got into trouble for their use of the site. Tim Bresnan was less than impressed with someone's creative use of Photoshop and the Yorkshire all-rounder Azeem Rafiq was banned after a Twitter rant. There are those, such as Graeme Swann, who use Twitter to entertain (and make fun of Steven Finn or Tim Bresnan). David Lloyd and Michael Vaughan, both former players (and in Bumble's case, coaches) turned commentators enjoy filling your timeline with those who 'abuse' them and their attempts to outwit/humiliate the perpetrator.

The relationship between the sports star and the media has become one of the player presenting a bland front and not really saying much. Cliches galore have slipped into speech, sometimes a sparkle in their eye suggests they want to get something off their chest, but they can't. Even the England Lions receive media training as part of their development. Presumably this'll now include a module on Twitter etiquette. However, Pietersen's not going to stop tweeting, nor will his opinion of Nick Knight change. There are those who will argue that if Knight's allowed to criticise Pietersen, how come Pietersen isn't allowed to criticise Knight? There are others who will say that Pietersen should be respectful and wonder what the reaction would be like if this was a team mate or member of staff. Mind you, we know what happens when he criticises a member of staff, don't we?

It's also not the first time that an England cricketer has singled Nick Knight out for criticism. During England's ODI series in India, in which Stuart Broad was sat at home eating crackers/what was really just a student diet and saying that this was really beneficial to his beanpole body, Broad tweeted this:

Maybe it was because it's Stuart Broad, someone who some don't think suffers from chronic foot-in-mouth syndrome. Maybe it's because it was said during the ODI series in India which everybody seems to have forgotten about. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but had this been said during a home series, would it have caused a similar reaction? With Pietersen causing headlines with seemingly every move/statement he makes, has he just become an easy target?

Twitter is a fantastic platform. In a way, it's like a massive press conference, only with more grammatical errors, overuse of exclamation marks and sometimes horses. With more and more cricketers signing up, opinions, spats, and the odd gaffe (Dale Steyn tweeting an "accidental cobra" in the background of a picture, for instance) are now a part of the game. And this will mean that it will continue to perplex and baffle the likes of Boycott and the technophobe Alastair Cook. But it will also continue to create debates and sometimes allows people to feel closer to the action, something which should be celebrated, and not scorned.

England v The West Indies: The Lord's Test, Day 1

There's something magical about the first Test of the international summer in England. It might be the muffled applause of the gloved hands, echoing around a three quarters full stadium. It might be the fact that champagne bottles adorn the boundary as those adorned in red and yellow stripes decide that 11 in the morning is a superb time to crack out the alcohol. It may just be that long suffering England fans are finally able to watch international cricket in their own time zone. Anyway, Test cricket's back and it's at Lord's.

Who would be England's third seamer? Well, after a comment from Mike Atherton about Strauss being "long in the tooth", it was revealed that Tim Bresnan had made the cut. Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow was to make his Test debut and was presented with his cap by close family friend, Geoffrey Boycott. For the West Indies, Ravi Rampaul had a stiff neck so it handed a Test debut to Trinidad quick (I'm just going from reports here. I didn't quite reach West Indian domestic cricket in my winter exploits) Shannon Gabriel.

Still, cricket's back, rubber ducks are back and awful puns may or may not be back. Here's day 1 from Lord's:

England v West Indies: A Test Series Preview

Ah yes, it's that time of year again. Rummage around in the back of your wardrobe for those winter thermals that you put away during the heatwave in the final week of March, dust off your hand warmers and brush England's winter exploits to one side because England's international summer kicks off tomorrow. It's back to the green and pleasant land of seaming pitches and, presumably, empty seats because it's May. In England. And it's the West Indies.

The West Indies arrive and prepare to play in country which can't seem to decide which season it is, with the weather ranging from sunshine to hailstorms in the space of an afternoon. Around the county circuit, it's been a spring of discontent. My own county of Essex have been struggling since their first, and so far only, victory of the season in the first County Championship match of the season and other teams have also struggled to reach 200 on a regular basis. Days have regularly been washed out, with New Road being half submerged in water for a few days and a match at Gloucestershire being abandoned without a ball being bowled. It wouldn't be surprising if, like the Sri Lanka series last year, the three Test matches to be played are rain affected at some point.

Such is the beauty of the British weather. This isn't the MET Office and I long since gave up any dreams of being a meteorologist when I realised it'd help if I wasn't afraid of thunder storms, so I digress and move onto the cricket. Long ago, the West Indies coming over would've sent fear through the England batting order, and they wouldn't even need a spinner to do that. Today, anything less than an England whitewash would be seen as a disappointment.

To expect the West Indies to challenge in early English summer conditions is difficult, especially against a side who haven't lost a Test series at home since 2008, but they're not as bad as some make them out to be. Granted, they're not likely to be challenging for the number one ranking (although the top five is a target) and are liable to a collapse of England against Ajmal proportions, but they are, like many sides in international cricket have been, a side in transition. Ottis Gibson has been their coach for over two years now and captain Darren Sammy has been in charge of all three formats for around a year and a half.  They are a young side, with the average age of the squad for this series being around 26, but they do have some bright prospects coming through.

In the squad for this series, only five of those who came over in 2009 remain in the squad. One of those who remains is Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who in 2007 proved a stubborn thorn in England's side and, as recent showings against Australia suggest, he has the potential to do that again. For many years he, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle have been the major batsmen in the West Indian line up, but with Gayle's changeable relationship with the WICB and Sarwan's loss of his central contract meaning he now props up Leicestershire's middle order, Chanderpaul must act as a 'father figure' of batting to the youngsters coming through.

One of these batting youngsters is that of Darren Bravo. There's a mandatory reference to him being Brian Lara's cousin, left handed, etc. here, but Bravo is one of the West Indian players I'm excited about. This may be because I'm, somewhat unfairly, subconsciously comparing him to his half-brother Dwayne's performance at the Rose Bowl for Essex in 2010, but I'm hoping that Darren Bravo performs this series. He played a handful of matches for Nottinghamshire last season and his average was in the mid-30s, but in the warm up match against the Lions he got a half-century in each innings. He had a disappointing series against the Australians, but after 30 Test innings, his average is a relatively healthy 49.59. If he can perform in English conditions, then that would be wonderful for West Indian cricket, especially with the lynch-pin of Chanderpaul being 38 this year.

On the bowling front, England would do well not to completely underestimate them. Whilst the England Lions cruised home to a 10 wicket victory in Northampton, when Darren Bravo's coming on as first change, you know something's not quite right. Kemar Roach did not bowl in the second innings, and Fidel Edwards and Ravi Rampaul only bowled 10 overs between them. They bowled the combined total of 45 in the first. Should Edwards, Rampaul and Roach be fit and firing for the series, then England may well face some tricky spells. It won't exactly be the stuff of West Indian legends, but Kemar Roach, like Darren Bravo, is a West Indian youngster I'm excited to see in England.

Roach currently has 62 Test wickets under his belt and was the leading wicket taker for the West Indies against Australia, where he took 19 at 19.73. He can be expensive at times, but the 23 year old has pace and in the seamer friendly conditions of the early English summer, this may cause the English batsmen a bit of difficulty at times. 

Darren Sammy and Ottis Gibson aren't stupid though and are fairly realistic about the West Indies chances in the Tests. They know how strong England are at home and are also aware of how brittle their batting line up is. The ODI series is the one that the West Indies are more excited about, especially with the return of Chris Gayle. Sammy will be hoping that his young side will be inspired by the surroundings of Lord's and the potential to be on the honour's board, whilst Ottis Gibson has been left hoping that the match reaches four days.

When you look at the England bowling attack, though, it might take the weather to take the Lord's Test to a fourth day. England's bowlers have been superb over the past couple of years and this winter demonstrated that to full effect. They, especially James Anderson, toiled away in the searing heat of the Middle East and Sri Lanka and helped give England platforms that their batsmen failed to capitalise on. All the talk before this series is of who will be that third seamer. James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann (although how much he will be used is up for debate) are all shoe ins, but it's a choice of lucky charm Tim Bresnan, Steven Finn and Graham Onions for that final piece of the bowling jigsaw. 

I would expect England to select either Steven Finn or Tim Bresnan. Finn has come on leaps and bounds in the past year and would be playing at his home ground, but I would be tempted to go for Graham Onions. He picked up 7 wickets against the West Indies the last time they played at Lord's. In the County Championship match between Middlesex and Durham, he bowled Andrew Strauss for 0 and 6 on his way to picking up excellent match figures of 10-73. He is the fourth highest wicket taker in Division 1, with 23 at 14.52. Durham have had an awful start to the season, but Onions has stood firm and performed when required. I would love Onions to play, but that may be for sentimental reasons because I still remember the treatment of him in South Africa in 2010. Then of course there's Tim Bresnan. Bresnan had a superb series against India last summer and was a noticeable absentee in the disaster in UAE. He returned for his first Test match of the winter in England's victory in Colombo, where he wasn't really in on the wickets, but provided England with something different in the middle overs.

Of course, the bowling debate is something of a positive to have come out of England's dismal winter. The form of Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell's awful time of it are two things that have been much discussed in the run up to this series. Ian Bell had an incredible 2011 and it seemed like so much had been put behind him, but a miserable time of it at the hands of Ajmal and co was not exactly ideal for his confidence. He began the county season with three low scores, before hitting 120 out of Warwickshire's first innings total of 267 against Durham. He followed this up by then scoring 82 not out against Northants to guide Warwickshire home in a CB40 match. However, he decided to play for the England Lions and managed only 29 before being bowled by Roach. He didn't get a chance to bat in the second innings, but Bell, when he's on form, is a wonderful player to watch and I fully expect him to find 'form' again this series.

Andrew Strauss, on the other hand, remains centuryless. After the "witch hunt" of Sri Lanka, the cauldrons and broom sticks are probably on standby and packed in a cupboard in the Lord's media centre. Strauss has not had a happy start to the season, his highest score so far for Middlesex is a mere 49 against Worcestershire. His last first-class century came in a warm-up match against a Sri Lanka Development XI in March, but for his last Test century, you're heading back to the happier winter times of Brisbane in 2010. For his last one on home soil, you have to go back even further to the Lord's Test of 2009. With South Africa meaning far, far sterner bowling tests are coming, Strauss will know that he needs to find form, and will be trying his best to find some. 

A timely Ravi Bopara thigh injury has meant that he's now on the sidelines for at least two weeks, meaning that England have decided to hand the batting at number six baton to Yorkshire youngster, Jonny Bairstow. Bairstow is an incredibly exciting prospect and has shown himself to possess an incredibly cool head in limited overs cricket. On debut against India, he basted 41 off 21 deliveries and handed England a 3-0 series victory. If he can perform well in this series, the hapless Bopara may well have run out of England chances without having played a Test match for England since August 2011. Still, England have been lacking a northern ginger ever since Colly retired last year, so Bairstow is a welcome addition to the squad.

Anticipated result: England 2-0 West Indies (weather affected Test being a draw). If the weather's good, which it probably won't be judging by the first two months of the county season, then you would expect England to win 3-0. The West Indies have some talented youngsters coming through, but with the clouds gathering and England back on the green, seaming pitches of home, you get the feeling that the Calypso Collapso headlines may not be that far away.

The ducks will be back, probably, as I slowly try and not fail my second year. Anyway, here's to the English summer and being able to watch cricket in your own time zone again! 

Close Encounters, Umbrellas and an Abandonment: Day Four, Yorkshire v Essex

Cheerful scenes at Headingley.

The public transport system of Sundays meant that I managed to miss Masters’ wicket of Sayers, but judging by his willingness to run in and bowl double the amount of overs that the other quick bowlers managed, it was a wicket that he deserved. The wicket brought to the crease Jonny Bairstow, and it was clear that he and captain Andrew Gale were going to go for the declaration.

Gale and Bairstow were positive. Bairstow cut Masters for 4 just before there was a rain delay. If a result was on the menu, the rain was the dish that looked the least appetising. Luckily for Yorkshire, it was only a shower, so Essex were back out with Tom Westley and Greg Smith bowling to a spread field with plenty of men on the boundary.

Smith bowled better in Yorkshire’s second innings than he did in the first. Having picked up the wicket of Joe Root, caught down the leg side, last night, he added the wicket of Jonny Bairstow too. Looking for quick runs, Bairstow went for a shorter ball and ended up pulling it to Adam Wheater at deep backward square leg.

Yorkshire’s attacking intent was clear. Throughout their mini partnership, Gale and Bairstow had pushed each other for twos, especially when the ball was heading in Charl Willoughby’s direction. In the same Smith over of the Bairstow wicket, Gale went for another six, but looked like he didn’t have enough timing on it. It was sailing to Willoughby at long off, but he somehow managed to drop it. In fact, it wasn’t even a drop. It just sailed through his hands.

About 45 minutes before the lunch break and after a Tymal Mills over, Gale decided he’d had enough. He clearly thought that there was something in the pitch, especially from the Kirkstall Lane End, for his bowlers to exploit and knew that a quick burst before lunch might see his side pick up a couple of quick wickets. There was also the weather to think about.

So, with his side 214-4 and with a lead of 261, Gale walked off. There were some murmurs in the stand, as many were confused about what was going on, but it soon became clear that Yorkshire had declared. Gale was not out on 48, but personal milestones clearly meant nothing compared to giving his side a chance at victory. Essex would require 262 in 74 overs or less and would want to show that their batting performance in the first innings was a minor hiccup.

Well, that was my hope anyway. Ryan Sidebottom and Ajmal Shahzad had different ideas, Shahzad especially. The battle of the first innings was definitely the one between Alviro Petersen and Shahzad coming in from the Kirkstall Lane End. Petersen was having a torrid time of it and it was no different in the second innings. Having managed to get off the mark, Petersen then managed to miss one that seemed fairly straight. The umpire had no hesitation in raising his finger and Essex once again found themselves losing an early wicket. 4-1 and there was still some time to go before lunch.

Tom Westley came in on a pair. Westley is a young player who, like Godleman and Jaik Mickleburgh last year, was fairly disappointing at the top of the order. With Alastair Cook returning for a couple of games in May, Westley will want to show that he deserves his chance at number three ahead of players like Mickleburgh and even Mark Pettini. He managed to get off his pair first ball and this innings played a bit better. He was hitting a lot of deliveries through the leg side and did play and miss a couple of times, but he managed to survive until the lunch break.

Godleman at the other end looked like he was also having trouble with Shahzad. Some deliveries were keeping a bit low. Petersen’s had kept a bit low, but he was also playing with his bat behind his pad, which is a huge danger in the early season conditions. Godleman seemed to be doing something similar and had survived a couple of LBW shouts until he was given out when he was on 2.

I got the camera out, Bernie got out. Sorry, Essex fans.

Like with the first innings, Godleman was not happy. The umpire took a long time to raise his finger and by this point, Shahzad’s eyes had nearly popped out of his head. For me, from where I was sat although with Essex tinted glasses, it looked a bit high. Still, the umpire’s decision is final and Godleman had to go and Essex were in a whole heap of trouble at 7-2.

Ravi Bopara once again found himself at the crease earlier than he would’ve hoped and, like in the evening session of the first innings, was having a lot fly past his outside edge. He played a lovely cover drive off Shahzad, but a lack of power combined with a wet outfield meant that it didn’t go to the boundary. Ravi played well this match and will surely be a welcome addition to the Essex middle order before England, perhaps, come knocking again.

Dry conditions over lunch meant that it looked like there may well be play for much of the afternoon session. During the lunch break Tim Bresnan was bowling on the outfield with Jason Gillespie as wicketkeeper. He hit the single stump plenty of times and must’ve spent the majority of the match sat in the dressing room eyeing up Petersen ahead of the summer.

When the players did come back out, the clouds were threatening behind the pavilion. Just after the first ball of a Sidebottom over, the heavens decided they’d open and the daily April apocalypse duly arrived. It forced Essex off at 26-2, with Westley on 12 and Bopara on 5.

After an afternoon session of several cups of tea, nearly bumping into both Graham Napier and Tim Bresnan and ending up awkwardly smiling at Charl Willoughby, the umpires emerged from the pavilion. They were joined by the ground staff out in the middle, but despite the sun coming out overhead, the weather that was threatening behind the pavilion meant that at 15:52, play was abandoned and the game was declared a draw.

Yorkshire will be thoroughly disappointed, especially after such a positive declaration. For Essex, the weather must have been of some relief and for them, it is back down to Chelmsford where they will face Northamptonshire on Thursday. There will be injury problames for Essex. Napier has just undergone his first round of physio for his calf injury, Phillips can hardly bend down and Bopara isn’t allowed to bowl. Essex will soon welcome back 18 year old Reece Topley from his England under 19 escapades, but with Napier gone, Smith and Chambers expensive, Mills only 19 and Willoughby having not bowled in a “proper” match since getting injured at Fenner’s earlier this month, the bowling attack is looking like it may well have to be the one man show of Dave Masters again.

Of course, the bowlers managed to fight back against Yorkshire, so it’ll once again be the batsmen under the microscope. Granted, it is April, Essex were playing at Headingley for the first time in, off the top of my head, three years and they came across a strong Yorkshire bowling line up, but if the side harbour serious promotion ambitions, then they can’t afford to keep losing early wickets. Even against Gloucestershire they did. Essex will be hoping that Alviro Petersen can soon begin to perform, but apart from his 156 against New Zealand, he’s been getting a string of low scores. With England presumably awaiting him this summer, if he keeps playing round straight ones, he’s going to be in for a rough time.

I wasn’t the only Essex fan in the ground. There was a lovely gentleman from Southend who I ended up chatting to during the rain delay. As we were leaving the ground after the abandonment of the match, he informed me that he was only doing the away games this year. He was all too happy to support the team, but this season he’d refused to buy membership and also refused to visit Chelmsford as he didn’t want to give the club a penny this year after the shambolic cancelling of the Southend Festival. There’s not really been a clear explanation as to why the festival has been cancelled, last year it drew in record crowds and, sadly, like with most issues that currently surround the club, the reasoning behind the decision has been kept very quiet indeed.

Still, I’ve enjoyed my hour and three days in Leeds. It’s been cold, it’s been wet and so much tea has been drunk that I was given a free one on the final day, but it’s been good fun and it was lovely to be watching the county I support in a different ground. It’s certainly an experience being an away fan at Headingley and it’s certainly one that I would thoroughly recommend. 

And if you're going to visit Headingley at this time of year, I recommend a snazzy blanket like mine.