Come on Tim

I have to take a little break from cricket as tennis fever is upon us with the start of Wimbledon this week, accompanied by the rain as usual. It does not dampen enthusiasm or spirits as there is something very special about this tournament, that is a favourite amongst players and fans alike. It definitely holds special interest for me, more than any other grand slam.

The familiar cries of 'Come on Tim' were to be heard again as the only British hope, Tim Henman, was involved in a thriller on centre court yesterday. The match was carried over from the previous evening and was hanging in the balance at two sets all and 5 -5 in the final set against Carlos Moya. It was almost like a penalty shoot out or sudden death as the packed crowd on the roofless centre court watched the gladiatorial battle resume. The loyal crowd have been through all the emotions with Henman over the years and were willing him on in a tense finish.

Henman has not had very good results this year, and there have been calls for him to retire, but Tiger Tim seems to pull out his best at Wimbledon and that was certainly the case this time. He seemed in excellent form as both players played some breathtaking shots. The variety of shots make this tournament so interesting to watch compared to the long rallies on clay courts. One of the best shots was a lob from Henman, timed to perfection over Moya's head. He was very dominant coming to the net and also was serving well, with an ace on his second serve at a crucial stage under pressure to hold his serve.

The match could have gone either way, but Hemnan finally won 13-11 and it was unfortunate that it was a double fault from Moya that decided things in a classic encounter.Henman has tougher challenges ahead as his next match is today and one wonders just how far he can go this time and how much is left in the tank. He will no doubt get a lot of support from the crowds as they queue up all night to get into the ground, with most descending upon Henman hill ready for the somersault of emotions that they will be put through again as the local boy commences his next battle.

Woeful Windies loose to Derbyshire and my meeting with Sir Viv

I was at the County ground in Derbyshire yesterday to witness a shock win by Derbyshire against the wilting Windies. There was rain in the area all morning and during my journey to the ground but as I reached the ground, the clouds cleared as if to announce my arrival and play started on time.

I have never been to the ground before in a County which boasts some of the most beautiful scenery in the country and is home to some grand stately homes that inspired Jane Austen to feature them in her classic books. The ground was smaller than I had imagined but was not full as I had anticpated but the wet weather might have had something to do with that.

The Windies were fielding a strong line up for the match and most expected an easy win against Derbyshire, who are not one of the strongest County teams. Debyshire batted first and made 135 which seemed a below par score and one which the Windies would cruise to. This is also what Sir Viv Richards felt as he was special guest at the ground. I was seated in the next table to Sir Viv, who has been so disappointed by the poor performances by his fellow countrymen. He still has this magical aura about him and one wishes that some of that would rub off on the Windies. Sir Viv recounted some stories of his cricketing career and his beginnings at Somerset with his close friend Sir Ian Botham, to his prolific form in the 1976 series in England which was inspired by 'we will make them grovel' comment by Tony Greig. He predicted at half time that the Windies would beat Derbyshire comfortably and if they did not, they should be sent home.

As I settled down to watch the Windies innings, I could not believe what transpired. The wickets started tumbling right from the start and there was a danger that there would be more wickets than runs on the scoreboard. The body language of the Windies said it all as they trudged off slowly with hardly any eye contact with each other. It was if they were helpless or just did not care, as there was no real effort put into their performance. Their bowling had been quite good but when they were batting it did not seem like a contest as they surrendered far too easily and were all out for 84. Maybe all the rain had dampened their enthusiasm, but everyone is quickly running out of excuses for this very sorry looking outfit.

It was just as well that Sir Viv was not there at the end or he certainly would have been fuming. He exudes pride and passion in all that he does and that certainly came out when he spoke and this is something that is sorely missing from this team at the moment. I managed to have a quick chat a and a photo with the great man.

As I started to make my way out of the ground, I had certainly not expected this result but it was the way that they played which most disappointed me. My first Twenty20 match had not been a fast and furious affair that I had expected, but I had a very interesting time at this quaint ground.

As I left the ground, the clouds seem to gather and lo and behold, the rain came back as if on cue on my departure. It poured down all the way as I joined the rush back to London and reflected on my day and meeting with a legend.

Twenty20 circus hits the road

The Twenty20 circus starts today as it starts its fifth season in the domestic scene in England. There were lots of doubters at the beginning but it has proved to be a roaring success across the land and worldwide in the cricketing world.

It has become the premier attraction for Counties as they look forward to packed stadiums and a lot of interest all round resulting in them gleefully rubbing their hands.The other forms of cricket has mainly been the domain of middle class men with time on their hands. This shorter version of the game has brought in a younger crowd and whole families out for a few hours entertainment. All the side shows that were used to attract the crowds initially are no longer needed as the cricket itself provides the entertainment. It is ideal for after work and after school entertainment for a few hours.

You can sense the buzz in the Counties around the country as they prepare for what has become the jewel in the crown. The administrators are lengthening the contest by increasing the number of games played to cash in on its commercial success and who can blame them as the attendances keep on increasing. It has brought in large number of people who otherwise would not have been interested in the game and that can only be a good thing.

The players also seem to be enjoying it as it gives them a break from the longer forms of the game and is much more fun as it is fast and furious. It has its own unique strategies and game plans developing as teams master the skills to do well in this form of the game. Surrey and Leicestershire have been two of the most successful sides to date but others are catching up fast.

I am hoping to catch some of that Twenty20 fever myself as I attend my first match between West Indies and Derbyshire at the Weekend. The weather forecast is not great in the north with rain and thunder forecast but hopefully the rain will ease in time to fit the match in.

You will hear all about it as I turn into a roving reporter, always did fancy that job.

England complete series win

England completed a series win against the West Indies with a comprehensive 3 -0 whitewash at Chester-Le Street today. England have been the better side and played better cricket through the series consistently. Their batsman and bowlers are just hitting form now ready for a tougher series against India.

The Windies lost this Test on the fourth day in the session between lunch and tea. At the beginning of that session, the windies were in a good position, looking likely to draw the Test. In what must be their worst session of the series, it all fell apart dramatically and England stole the initiative and it seemed inevitable that England would win. It is almost like the Windies have forgotten how to win and seem to throw it away just when they need to press home the advantage. They have played well and won a few sessions but they have lost the crucial sessions when the pressure has been on them. That has been the difference between the two sides, as England have shown some indifferent form at times but they have won the crucial sessions and that is what Test cricket is all about.

Chanderpaul again was the stand out player for the Windies, showing great resolve when all around him were falling about. He had an amazing series and showed what a good player he is. Bravo was the next best player but he has to go on and make big scores that will win them matches. The bowling shows promise and the inclusion of Fidel Edwards strengthened the team. The fielding was very poor and ultimately let them down as things could have been different if some of those catches had been held. They will now have to go away and work on all aspects of their game and learn from the experience.

England look to be getting better and passed all the tests put before them in this series. All their players seem to be getting into form, with all the batsman getting runs and the bowling attack looking stronger with the return of Hoggard, inclusion of Sidebottom and return to form of Harmison. Monty Panesar takes the plaudits as the bowler who caused most problems for the Windies and got the Man of the Series award for his efforts. They also have an excellent coaching staff behind them which must take some credit for the success of the team.It will be interesting to see how they perform with the more tougher challenge against India.

The action shifts into Twenty20 and ODI's in the next few weeks. There will be slight changes in both the sides in the faster version of the game. England will have a new captain at the helm, with Vaughan resigning and it will be interesting to see how they perform in this version of the game under new management. The Windies have performed better in this version of the game and hopefully it should be a good series.

Take a bow Sir Ian

Ian Botham was knighted for his contribution to cricket and charity work, in a culmination of a life's work. He has been a larger than life character both on and off the field, a peoples champion with a never say die attitude. Who will ever forget Headingley 1981, a match that saw him return to form and centre stage after a stint as England captain where his form had suffered. I was at the ground at Lords in the previous Test match and remember that long walk to the pavilion after his second duck in the match and his subsequent resignation as captain. It made his achievements at Headingley even more special and amazing to his many fans.

The many charity walks for leukaemia and cancer research required an amazing level of physical endurance but they were as important to him, if not more so, as any success on the cricket field as they saved life's. The £10 million he has raised has contributed to the fact that the survival rate has risen from 20% when he started to a staggering 80% today. He will no doubt continue until the success rate is 100%.

I grew up idolising Ian Botham and followed his career closely. I still remember meeting him for the first time as I queued up for an autograph and still remember the time he took after a hard days play to give time to his fans. He made such an impact on the game internationally and he had a following all round the world as people loved to watch him play as he brought the game to life in his own unique way.

He was a colourful character off the field, living life to the full which was well documented in the media, but that was all part of the man and who he was. Everyone has flaws and makes mistakes but it is how you deal with them and come out of them that is the real test.Botham showed that he was human and that added to his appeal.

Ian Botham was a hero to me as cricket is an essential part of life for me and watching him play always gave me such pleasure and is probably one of the reasons for my love of the game. He richly deserves the honour which is long overdue and you can see that he is rightly proud to be the recipient of the Knighthood and why not.

Take a bow Sir Ian.

Coach saga continues

The comical and farcical process of recruiting a coach for India continues it seems. A job that was once coveted as the top job seems to be a hot potato that no one seems to want to take on. The BCCI rightly take the majority of the blame for the shambolic position. It seems that they had naturally assumed that there would be clamour for the position, as they did not even advertise for it or had any foresight in thinking of a replacement when they were well aware that it was likely to be vacant after the World Cup.

By the time they realised that the matter was pressing, most of the top candidates had other positions or were not interested.The events since then with a series of names being mentioned and speculated upon and the amateurish handling of the whole affair has made the position very unattractive to any prospective candidate.

So now there is no coach appointed for a major tour abroad and in another twist, Chandu Borde has been plucked out of retirement to manage the team. How this happened is any ones guess but one is not surprised anymore. His name has never been mentioned before and at 72 years of age he has been out of the game for a long time and one would surmise not in tune with the current players. One can only assume that his role will primarily be to organise and manage affairs externally on a tour or will he participate in the fielding drills and act as batting coach as well? He may be a secret laptop brigade specialist and will bring invaluable analysis and tactical nouse to the team. One can only speculate as to his actual role and the contribution he will make.

One thing is certain and that is that the team are going to have to take a lot of responsibility themselves, none more so than the captain, Rahul Dravid. Former greats like Shastri and Gavasker who claim to have the best interests of the team will take up their positions in the media, safely away from the central stage and let the team sweat it out in the middle. It is a shame that those that proclaim to have the teams interest at heart are not willing to put their money where their mouth is and help the team in their hour of need. They will make comments and may even offer words of wisdom from their safe positions but that will be of little benefit to the team.

It will be interesting to see how India do on this tour with all that has gone on off the pitch. It is likely to be a well contested series, with many of the Indians familiar with English conditions and having much success here. England are warming up well and have the added strength of what looks like an excellent coach in Peter Moores. He seems to me to exemplify what a coach should be and seems a vital asset to the team in his short time at the helm.

If India do not do well one of the reasons given for this will undoubtedly be lack of a coach and if they do well, one will question the need for a coach at all. Whatever happens we have surely not heard the last of the coach saga, many more twists and turn remain.

The good, the bad and the ugly

England sealed a 2-0 series victory against the West Indies in a closely contested match where the pendulum swung both ways during the match. It was an absorbing Test but had aspects of the good, bad and the ugly.

The Windies batting collapse in the first innings was ugly as they once again meekly surrendered without any fight.Their fielding again proved to be less than good with the exception of Bravo who was outstanding.England's bowling in the first innings by Harmison and Plunket was not pretty to watch as they continued to spray it around adding to the extras column.

There were some good performances from both sides. Alastair Cook reached his sixth century in a very short career and proved what a fine prospect he is. The Windies showed some fire power with Fidel Edwards in the side and troubled the England batsmen. Darren Sammy made a promising debut with a seven wicket haul and his batting showed some fight. Monty Panesar proved that he is proving to be a be a world class spinner with his first 10 wicket haul and his first man of the match award.

The best performance of the match undoubtedly was a fighting century in testing conditions by Shivnarine Chanderpaul. He is not pretty to watch but very effective and has been the best player for the Windies for a while now. He is under rated, but when the chips are down you can count on the shy and awkward Chanderpaul to come to the party. He nearly took the Windies to a record breaking win and it just needed someone to stay with him at the end, but Harmison had got that fire in his belly after lunch on the final day which proved too much for the tailenders. He gives the team the stability and consistency that they so desperately require. He got very good support from his team mates to halt England's progress on the 4th day and that must auger well for the future. His knock must rate as one of the best and it is a shame that it was not for a winning cause.

This Test match proved to be an absorbing contest and a lot of credit must go to the pitch as it had something for both the batsman and bowlers if they played well and adapted to the conditions. Both teams can take some positives from the match, the Windies will want to continue the good form that they showed and England will be happy that they managed to win after being tested but both have areas that they need to improve on.

Friendly Northampton

I was at the Northampton County ground yesterday on a glorious summers day, ideal for cricket, where Worcestershire were the opponents for the Friends Provident Trophy match. I have become fond of this ground as you are made to feel very welcome as soon as you enter the ground right from the security at the gates to the executive members. Everyone is very warm, friendly, helpful and very welcoming and you feel a part of a big family.

I was lucky enough to talk to various people at the ground and the one thing that struck me was that most people had a long association with the ground, either as members, players, staff and fans. They all loved the ground and had a passion for the County and were really proud of their achievements. This was evident by the way people talked about the place and their experience of it over the years. They are one of the smaller Counties in the Country but they have a unique atmosphere far removed from the hustle and bustle, impersonal and sometimes arrogant nature of the bigger Counties. Commercial aspects are very important as each County has to work hard to survive and has to become more business minded in their approach to running the club, but it is good to see that the human factor is still retained, which is what appeals to people who love the game of cricket.

Whilst I was busy with my assignment for the day, I could not miss a brilliant century by Graeme Hick for Worcestershire. He is still a class act and played all the shots that he is so renowned for. He looks the complete cricketer and makes you sit up and take notice. It begs the question of why he could never transfer this kind of form into the international scene. His 120 out of a total of 302 set up a comfortable victory for the visitors in the end.

I was keeping half an eye on the score at the Test match in Manchester.This is the home ground of Monty Panesar, who was on duty with England, and one of their key bowlers that could help them secure a win. Monty played well but there was dogged resistance from the West Indies, with Chanderpaul playing a characteristically gutsy innings with help from his colleagues. It was good to see a fightback and leaves the match intriguingly set up for the final day with the Windies aiming for a record run chase to win and England needing 5 more wickets to win the series.

As I reluctantly left the ground, I reflected on a wonderful day, rich in experience and so far removed from the maddening crowd.

Windies show some fire

After all the talk before the match about Vaughan and Flintoff, at the end of the day all the talk was of the on the field performance of the West Indies. The Windies, with the injection of pace from Fidel Edwards produced some fire reminiscent of the great pacemen of the past. They had one of their better days in the series so far and it was good to see them compete.

England won the toss and decided to bat and did well in the first session. There was some discussion on whether they should have bowled with the conditions favouring their bowlers, but it seems most teams want to get a score on the board first. The afternoon session belonged to the Windies, with the accuracy of the bowlers drying out the runs and producing some rash shots from the players trying to get out of the stranglehold.

England made a recovery in the last session with a partnership between Prior and Bell taking them nearer to the 300 mark. Bell produced a crucial innings which started slowly due to the glut of wickets and the rebuilding that was required but produced some classy shots with sweet timing and placement. Prior continued his fine form and was to blame for his wicket as he tried to step up the momentum.

It sets up an interesting second day, with the Windies aiming to get England out without the addition of too many runs. They are amongst the tail with only Bell left. At the time of writing, England have progressed well in the first 30 minutes,scoring well with Harmison keeping Bell company and playing his usual lofty shots. All eyes will be on Harmison the bowler later on the day. He has already received some body blows and it will be interesting to see if he can return the favour and produce the kind of form that demolished Pakistan at this ground last year. The pitch favours the taller bowlers that England possess, as they can extract extra pace and bounce and it remains to be seen if they can make good use of the conditions.

It is all set up to be an interesting day as both teams are in the contest and have plenty to play for.

Coach Idol reaching its climax

The twists and turns in the hunt to recruit a coach for India continues. The contest is full of suspense and surprises, with the all powerful BCCI enjoying being on centre stage as the panel of judges who will finally decide. The contest is being prolonged further until June 9th now, as the previous so called front runner, Dav Whatmore, is out of the running all of a sudden. The new man in possession of that title is former South African coach, Graham Ford. He with another unknown are now contesting the final. One gets the feeling that the identity of this unknown is kept hidden to keep everyone interested.

The BBCI either have known all along who they would like and are just milking it for maximum publicity and drama or they really are clueless and are enjoying the process and going with the flow.

It seems that former and current players are the ones hunting for talent all round the world and nominating candidates that they would like and putting them in the frame. There is a lot of activity in the background with these 'judges' scouting for talent. If it is a two horse race, as we are currently led to believe, it will come down to the voting or political power within the selection committee. The most influential will no doubt get their way.

It is certainly keeping the viewers and media interested and gagging for the next installment as is the aim of all such reality talent contests which have become so popular. The BCCI have jumped on the bandwagon of a successful formula. It seems that the winner will be revealed to the masses just before the team leave for the tour to England. It is like a warm up show before the main event. I wonder how regularly they will decide to run these contests now. It could become an annual event at this rate. They may see sense, perhaps and put cricketing issues and reasoning ahead of talent circuses but if this generates more interest than performance on the pitch, well anything is possible.

Mocking aside, lets hope that however bizarre and seemingly lengthy the process, the winner of this contest is selected, by those powerful custodians of the game in India, on sound cricketing criteria.