Posted: Monday, September 21, 2009
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Before the events of the past week, the County Ground at Hove was the source of some uncomfortable memories for a number of the Yorkshire team. Celebratory renditions of “Sussex by the Sea” sat firmly in the minds of those to have been on the receiving end of the home side’s dominance under the leadership of Moores and Adams. From now on, however, memories of Hove will be dominated by a four-day encounter that was as unpredictable as it was exhilarating, and of post-match celebrations in the dressing rooms and on the long journey home. Predictably, this Championship match began as an attritional contest on a surface tailor-made for the home side’s spin attack - Rudolph and I faced Chawla’s first over just fifty minutes into the first day’s play. A first innings score in excess of four hundred owed much to the continued success of our lower order, giving us priceless bonus points in this scrap for First Division survival. The Sussex top order responded with the positive air expected of a side in desperate need of a win. However, the selection of just two frontline pacemen left us with few options to counter the strokeplay of Hamilton-Brown and his partners. A first-innings deficit of forty-five left the game finely balanced. When the first innings’ of opposing sides end roughly equal, and the game essentially becomes a one-innings contest, the third innings of the match carries huge importance. If the batting side starts poorly, a collapse often follows; if big partnerships are built quickly, an unassailable lead is not far from reach. Our second innings – the third innings of the match – paused at the close of play on day 3 with all three results still possible in the game. With the pitch deteriorating like no other seen this summer, every run was vital, and a natural result was highly likely. A tense morning session followed on day four, leaving a victory target requiring a run-a-ball for forty overs. We knew Sussex would chase the target, promoting the strike power of Gatting, Hamilton-Brown and possibly Smith to do so, and we predicted a frenetic final session to decide the match. However, the events of the hour’s play after tea were far from our predictions. Wainwright bowled with the aggression he had so wanted on day two, Hoggy swung the ball both ways at will in a destructive spell down the hill, and the spoils were ours with fifteen overs remaining in the game. The subsequent celebrations started on the field, continued in the dressing rooms, and later on the journey home. After a turbulent season of disappointments, this was a sweet moment of success and a reward for the team’s persistence.
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Posted: Friday, September 11, 2009
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The morning after the night before, and I have recollections of an encouraging win for a youthful Yorkshire team under lights at Headingley. Clearly, with two matches remaining in the Pro40 competition, no chance of a challenge for silverware, and important Championship cricket approaching, yesterday’s fixture was another opportunity for captain and coach to give valuable experience to Yorkshire’s emerging players. Having said that, the team selected had balance between youthful enthusiasm and wise experience – vital if the fixture was to prove constructive for the Club’s development in one-day cricket. Having lost what seemed to be an important toss, our inexperienced attack faced the challenge of restricting a well-drilled Gloucestershire line-up on a good pitch, watched by the television cameras. All the bowlers showed maturity at some point in their performance, but notable was the controlled aggression of Shahzad with the new ball and the lesser-paced guile of Patterson. Ajmal has continued to improve this summer, and is now reaping the rewards of hours of his hard work, both on the field on slow, true pitches, and off the field in the gym, where he has trained himself into excellent condition. Our performance in the field showed signs of continued improvement in players who have had little exposure to the one-day game. Captain McGrath had little difficulty in managing his attack or his fielders, and would have left the field in confidence at the halfway point. Our chase under lights was obviously very encouraging and enjoyable. My first experience of batting under floodlights at Headingley was a memorable one, and it was a timely boost for me to play a significant role with the bat at the top of the order in front of the television cameras. Without doubt, it was useful to open the batting with Jacques, with whom I have enjoyed some key partnerships in Championship cricket this summer. After a flying start, we were both keen to take the team home by ten wickets, but that was not to be. The pitch played very well under lights. As expected, there was a little seam movement from Lewis as the evening dew settled but, if anything, the surface played quicker for our chase than it had in the early overs of the first innings. Yet again, Jacques proved his worth with the bat and his hunger for runs. He continues to be a reliable and consistent feature of our top order. Above all else, last night’s experience was further encouragement for me to play my way in limited overs cricket, and further proof that, despite all the eye-catching trends and unorthodoxy of recent times, it is excellence in the performance of the basics of the game that brings success. Bowling straight and hitting the pitch hard proved successful for Shahzad, whilst playing the ball late and straight brought quick runs for our top order. As McGrath suggested in his post-match interview, there is a sense that Yorkshire’s current squad is moving closer to finding its most effective one-day method. Regardless, there will be a number of last night’s key performers watching the replayed highlights today.
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Posted: Wednesday, August 26, 2009
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What a great game this is. A matter of days ago, Ian Bell was scoring runs for his Country to set up a series-winning lead in the final Test at The Brit Oval. After exposing weaknesses at Headingley, the Australian attack came hard at Bell, bowling with aggression and a liking for the short ball. Today, England’s number three was confronted by what could be said to be a different challenge. With grey skies overhead, and a cold, gusty wind blowing in autumnal showers, Bell walked to the wicket in the second over of Warwickshire’s Championship match against Yorkshire. After winning the toss, the home side had no hesitation in choosing to bowl, keen to use the new ball on a pitch that had been under cover for some time. The pitch was slow and at times inconsistent, a far cry from the trueness of typical Test surfaces. The crowd, though reasonable in number, was no comparison to the full-house taken for granted in an Ashes series. No television cameras either. A different challenge on so many levels, but the same game nonetheless. In few other sports would a player be confronted with two such contrasting challenges consecutively within a short period. After the adrenalin and adulation of his week at The Oval, the game of cricket served Bell a test of mental strength, technical ability and hunger for consistency and success.
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Posted: Monday, August 17, 2009
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It has been an eventful fortnight. After fulfilling my duties as 12th man for the ill-fated first day of the Headingley Test, I travelled via Taunton to Basingstoke for Yorkshire's most recent Championship match of the summer. As mentioned by a number of Pongo Cricket blogs this week, the four-day match against Hampshire marked our first Championship victory in over twenty attempts. Encouragingly, many elements of the team's performance went to plan, and in some cases exceeded expectations. The opening partnership between Jacques and I and the all-round excellence of Adil Rashid were two of a number of boosting contributions that made victory so much more likely. As you might imagine, the mood in the dressing room after the game was one of great excitement and relief. On leaving the field at Basingstoke, I was greeted by the news that Michael Carberry, the Hampshire opening batsman, was ill and in doubt for the England Lions match against Australia, which started the following morning. As I had been selected on standby for the match, there was a chance I would be called up to open the batting. Whilst toasting our victory against Hampshire, I had one eye on an England Lions debut. Shortly after, however, the Hampshire team doctor gave Carberry the all-clear and I packed my bags for the journey home to Headingley. About two hours into our journey home, I received a tap on the shoulder from Martyn Moxon, our coach. He informed me that Jonathan Trott had been pulled out of the Lions team, and that I had been drawn into the eleven for the two-day match at Canterbury. A rush of excitement and nervous energy preceded confusion as to how I was going to get there! Four hours later, I was checking into the England Lions' hotel in Kent and preparing myself for wearing the England shirt in the final Tour match of the summer before the Oval Test. On occasions as a professional cricketer, you simply cannot predict what is ahead of you, and where the summer's schedule may take you. Obviously in this case, I was delighted for the late change of plan. Making my debut for the Lions alongside teammate Andrew Gale was a memorable experience, giving me a thirst for further such opportunities in the future. Signing out, Joe.
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Posted: Sunday, August 9, 2009
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A gloriously sunny day at Headingley for day one of the fourth Ashes Test. A capacity crowd expected England to go 2-0 up with one to play, regaining the urn. And I was twelfth man for the day. After winning the toss, England’s captain could, and perhaps should, have been adjudged lbw to the first delivery of the day. But the day’s drama began well before the first ball was bowled. First, Flintoff was announced unfit to take part, and Harmison named as his replacement. Shortly after, during our pre-match football warm-up, Matt Prior’s jog down the wing was halted by a sudden back spasm, leaving him prostate on the touchline, twenty minutes before the toss. A flurry of activity and a sense of uncertainty followed, with Collingwood making last-minute preparations to keep wicket, Trott mentally preparing for his Test match debut, and Strauss contemplating his decision at the toss. The outfield was covered by non-playing officials, suits and anyone loosely associated with events on the field of play. As Strauss and Cook left the player’s tunnel behind the baggy greens at 11 o’clock, I took my position on the balcony beside Paul Collingwood, expecting a nerve-settling opening stand from the English pair. Collingwood and I discussed the Aussie attack and the detail with which they had been analysed by the English support staff. The extent of this strategic analysis seems to be a significant difference between the respective preparations of County and International players. My company on the balcony changed frequently with a quick succession of wickets out in the middle. The Australian bowlers persisted with an attack of good length, swing and aggressive short balls, whilst the English top six chased width and pushed at the seaming ball. Take away the cameras, the crowds and the commercial distractions, I thought, and this is the same game I have come to know and practice, in which the application of consistent basics creates pressure and dictates the flow of each session. Admittedly, skill levels are notably higher on the Test stage, but those players who reduce the mayhem to the simple contest between bat and ball and allow their instinct to play, in its truest sense, seem to be consistently successful. In the last hour of the day, with the sun still shining and the bars closed with good reason, I was called onto the field as a temporary replacement for an injured Broad. Harmison bowled to Clarke, and as I stood at mid-off, the noise of the crowd drowned out any cries of encouragement from the cordon or ring of England fielders. Though my taste of on-the-field action was brief, it was a mouth-watering taste of cricket at its highest level, at my home ground, watched by the eyes of the cricket world. A memorable day that has whetted my appetite for being part of the England eleven in similar circumstances in the future.
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Posted: Tuesday, August 4, 2009
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Another week of the County season, and another routine day of training. Or so I thought on my way to Headingley this morning. Turning the corner onto St. Michael’s Lane, it became clear that Headingley Carnegie Stadium, as we now know it, is preparing itself for the arrival of the Australians and a much sought-after week of Test match cricket. The sheer extent and detail of Test match preparations never fails to surprise me. This is not simply a game of Test cricket. Rather, or so it seems, it is a complicated and time-pressured logistical exercise, for everyone from the lady selling last-minute tickets on a phone that never stops ringing, to the dressing room attendant delivering excesses of high-carb snacks for the players, and the men laying endless lengths of television cable from their convoy of trucks. As a Yorkshire lad and a Yorkshire cricketer, it is wonderful to see Test cricket back at Headingley. The cricket ground now has a name with commercial connotations, and the sight of concrete terraces and the half-built pavilion-to-be may not be as easy on the eye as other Test venues. But the place evokes romantic expectations of another victory for the home side, and another entry into the archive of classic Test matches on English soil. Those fortunate enough to hold tickets for Friday’s first day will have held thoughts of Botham’s rearguard action, Boycott’s on-drive to bring up that much-awaited hundred, and Willis running from the field with match-winning figures and a stump in hand. Perhaps England’s last-day victory against the South Africans will come to mind, or Caddick’s four wickets in an over in that Test that didn’t last long. Regardless of whether those queuing at the turnstiles on Friday recall witnessing such memorable moments, everyone will take to their seats united by the promise of just one more classic English victory, and this time against the old enemy.
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Posted: Tuesday, July 28, 2009
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It is some time now since we left the seaside, and everyone involved in last week’s Championship match against Nottinghamshire has had ample opportunity to reflect on another four-day stalemate. The ninth fixture of our championship season, much like a number of the eight preceding it, was a match in which we had opportunity to gain a winning position, but found ourselves with no option but to secure a relieving draw. It is unarguable that we have produced periods of match-winning form in the Championship season so far, but it is equally as clear that we have failed to produce this quality with the consistency and persistence of teams currently above us in the table. Last week’s match at North Marine Road proved to be a plain example of this trend with both bat and ball. Clearly, it is the taking of twenty wickets that is our biggest challenge in converting draws-that-promised-to-be-wins into boosting victories. And though the game has undergone development and revolution in a number of ways, the persistent performance of old-fashioned basics go a long way to finding success with the ball over four days. At Scarborough last week, the Nottinghamshire attack offered a lesson in relentless, boring repetition of simple skill with the ball. Quite simply, particularly in conditions seen last week, the bowler who most consistently hits the top of off-stump over a period of time will be most successful. Mix in variations of swing and seam, and you can generally expect control over the run-rate and the game as a whole. Find a pair of bowlers who can achieve this in partnership, and then you are talking. That strange mental construct called pressure is created, and wickets almost always follow. And it an understanding of this pressure, and how it is created and released, that successful teams tend to possess. Championship-winning teams use everything at their disposal to make their opposition feel pressured, fearful of consequences and tense about the position in which they find themselves. So here’s to miserly, unerring consistency of the game’s timeless skills.
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Posted: Monday, July 20, 2009
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Yesterday, our second encounter in as many weeks with the runaway leaders of the Championship produced an enthralling battle between key players from the opposing sides. A predictably sizeable and passionate crowd at North Marine Road were entertained by a game dominated by batsmen intent on clearing the ropes and slow bowlers finding substantial turn. Both sides took advantage of the lengthy 15-over powerplay in yesterday’s match – Yorkshire through the naturally positive nature of openers Gale and Rudolph, and Durham with the pre-planned intent to lift their middle-order stroke makers, Blackwell and Mustard, to the top of the order. Equally, both teams introduced their slow bowlers into their attack to extract turn and bounce from the Scarborough pitch. Early in the piece, the experience of Breese and Blackwell restricted our youthful middle-order after an imposing first-wicket partnership. Later, the risky introduction of Wainwright in the powerplay overs paid off, opening the door for Rashid to restrict the scoring rate and take key wickets in the run chase. From the commentary box, where I spent the afternoon offering my opinions on the airwaves, the match seemed to be as much a contest between spinners’ guile and batsmen’s power as it was between the two sides. First, spin trumped our powerful start, with Blackwell and Breese the main players. Then big-hitting from the blade of Rana trumped the guile of the Durham slow bowlers, rescuing our innings late in the day. The power of Durham’s opening pair of Mustard and Blackwell at first outclassed our bowlers providing pace onto the bat, but the flight and guile of Wainwright put pay to the aggression of both. Then spin strangled the efforts of Durham’s middle order, as Rashid joined his fellow spinner to limit the scoring. Above all, however, this was a day in which Rana Naved trumped all that Durham could muster. First, with a courageous and cavalier cameo with the bat, and then with the skill and deception we have come to expect when he has the ball in hand. A relieving and satisfying win for all involved and a timely lift ahead of this week’s four-day match by the seaside.
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Posted: Thursday, July 16, 2009
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The late night finish to our match at Worcester has left us with the disappointment of another loss and thoughts of what might have been. We now have the long journey home to reflect on a game we should undoubtedly have won, and three days to lift our spirits ahead of our next Pro40 fixture. Tonight’s contest was everything the television commentators hoped it would be, with both sides passing on the initiative and gladly receiving it back on numerous occasions. Our floodlit chase should have been far less dramatic than it proved, particularly after a flying start against the new ball. The more domestic one-day cricket I watch, the more strongly I believe that teams adept at scoring consistently against the turning ball with prove difficult to beat. Good quality spin bowling has become a significant part of the shorter forms of the game, and a key weapon in any bowling attack. I am hopeful that our youthful and promising batting line-up will benefit from the lessons of tonight’s match. Besides our opening 40-over encounter, today was also notable for the announcement of Andrew Flintoff’s retirement from the Test arena. Few will argue with his reasoning, citing the mental and physical cost of his countless injuries, but his timing may be seen as questionable. Time will tell whether news of the retirement of England’s talisman will distract the national side from its efforts to take the lead in this summer’s series. Furthermore, it remains to be seen how Strauss’ team will respond to the loss of its “go-to man”, and the presence of a whole-hearted leader-by-example. The jury is out as to whether Flintoff’s absence will leave a hole that few are able to fill, or empower others in the team to step forward and take the opportunity to lead.
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Posted: Tuesday, July 7, 2009
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As the long-awaited Ashes series approaches, English cricket has witnessed the retirement of its most successful post-war leader. Michael Vaughan’s decision to bring down the curtain on his playing career was seen by many as premature, and a big disappointment for those sharing his dream of an International return this summer. But for those closest to Vaughan, I suspect there was an air of inevitability in hearing the news of an end to his playing days. Whatever their respective destinies this summer, both Yorkshire and England will feel the loss of an inspirational leader and player of undoubted class. A fairy-tale Ashes return for England’s ex-captain may have been optimistic with hindsight, but few would have betted against a domestic season of big runs and dominant performances for a player of Vaughan’s ability. But as his changing-room neighbour, teammate and friend, it has become increasingly clear in recent weeks that, as alluded to in his press-conference, Vaughan had begun to lose his love for the game, the daily rituals of being a professional player, and his passion for ongoing improvement. Those who have watched Vaughan from afar know him as an inspirational figure, cool under pressure, and easy-on-the-eye with a bat in his hand. All of the above are certainly true, but as someone fortunate enough to know him as the guy next to me in the changing room and, on occasions, my opening partner, I can describe a man with greater depth than his public persona. The man known as Virge, in reference to his likeness to the Thunderbirds’ Virgil, has a natural flair for pulling the strings as a leader on and off the field. Without doubt, he is a man with a passion for enabling others to be at their best, and enjoying themselves along the way. As a team member, he has the priceless ability to draw opportunity from apparent obstacles, lighten the mood in tense times, and promote expression and enjoyment amongst his peers. And in the nets, he would be the first man I would watch if I was in need of demonstration. The fact that such majestic form in training could not be converted into match-winning runs this summer is indeed baffling, but above all a clear indication of cricket’s ability to test and reveal a player’s mental as well as physical state. No doubt Vaughan will find new and successful occupation in the early days of his retirement. Besides, if the cover drive of his son, Archie, is anything to go by, we may not have heard the last of on-the-field success for the Vaughan name.
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Posted: Friday, July 3, 2009
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After over two years since my last appearance, the last few days in my County season has been notable for my return to the Yorkshire Twenty20 team. With Captain Anthony McGrath out of the side through injury, I got my first opportunity to don the T20 kit at Grace Road, Leicester, in a must-win game if we were to keep alive our hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals of this year’s competition. As is becoming increasingly common in the shortest form of the game, another capacity crowd watched the Yorkshire side fall twelve runs short of a competitive total posted by the home side. Despite the loss, I reflect now on an evening’s cricket thoroughly enjoyed. Clearly, the frenetic pace of the game is beyond comparison with that of the Championship cricket I have become accustomed to in recent years. Furthermore, particularly as a player still holding onto his youth, I could not help but thrive on the atmosphere, pressure and the unavoidable razzmatazz of the event. After tasting T20 on the field for the first time this year, I can now better understand the appeal of the game, why T20 is the only subject of conversation on the lips of emerging players worldwide, and why those with a commercial mind view the game as a growing opportunity to gain exposure. And above all, I have moved on from the experience with the clear realisation that the shortest from of the modern game requires great levels of skill, different from those cultivated in the longer forms, and an ability to produce the goods under high pressure when it matters. Hopefully my most-recent taste of Twenty20 signals the first of many such opportunities in the future.
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Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2009
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I’m writing my latest blog from the Yorkshire team coach somewhere on the M1, heading home after the conclusion of our Championship match against Worcestershire. The match ended rather tamely in a high-scoring draw, despite our efforts to manufacture an entertaining fourth-day chase to gain maximum points. A chase to win would have been within our interests, considering our current placing in the Championship table and our recent loss to Somerset at Headingley. Our Championship summer so far has promised much but failed to deliver the match-winning consistency we desire. At times, team performances have put the most competitive of opposition under pressure, with exceptional individual performances making the headlines. To force victories from draws, however, we must string together consistent performances with both bat and ball from the first to the last day of a four-day fixture. Despite the disappointment of last week’s loss and today’s stalemate, the past fortnight has produced noteworthy performances from two promising debutants. After Azeem Rafiq displayed maturity beyond his years with the ball against Sussex, Jonny Bairstow rose to the challenge with vital middle-order runs and reliable glove work on his debut. A week of Twenty20 lies ahead of us, before a return to the Championship schedule, when we will be keen to convert early-season promise into match-winning performances when it matters most.
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Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2009
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Whatever happens in this weekend’s final match in the T20 World Cup, it is without question that the tournament has been a great success, both on and off the pitch. Ever since hosts England were outplayed in the opening encounter by a Dutch side not short of skill, belief or enthusiasm, this has been a tournament with an unpredictability and profile to keep us all on the edge of our seats. Players have demonstrated previously unseen skill levels and a willingness and ability to improvise with both bat and ball. The shortest form of the game has developed from a commercial experiment into a form highly valued by its performers. It seems that the tournament’s on-the-field success has been matched in its organisation and promotion beyond the boundary. Although we heard or read little about the tournament in the weeks preceding the curtain-raiser at Lord’s, matches at all venues appear to have been a logistical and commercial success story. Cricket and its high-profile names have made headline news for all the right reasons. All indications therefore suggest that cricket’s shortest and sexiest version is not only here to stay, but capable of taking the game to newfound levels on both sides of the boundary rope.
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Posted: Tuesday, June 9, 2009
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Few would disagree that recent events in the world have cricket have given further evidence to suggest that the game at its highest level is in a process of considerable change. Unusually sparse crowds watched England take to the field against a West Indian team led by a captain in no doubt as to his preferred format, whilst the Indian Premier League entertained as expected in its adopted Country. The Twenty20 revolution continues to generate debate and contrasting opinions worldwide, posing questions as to the future of the game as we know it. With the start of the domestic twenty-over competition and the Twenty20 World Cup a matter of days away, the game’s shortest form is an increasingly common source of debate, controversy and contrasting opinion. Introduction of the twenty-over format has been nothing short of revolutionary. Twenty20 matches fill stadia worldwide with relatively youthful crowds, keen to sample the razzmatazz of cricket’s most modern form. On the field, players have developed unconventional and radical techniques to stay ahead of the competition and up to speed with the high-octane format. Off the field, the same players are enjoying fame and fortune at levels unheard of in the game’s history, whilst Chief Executives and cricket’s organisers reap the rewards of a game in great demand. However, many of the game’s most renowned and well-respected names are voicing concerns for the future of the game as a whole. Purists are concerned that the success of cricket’s most profitable version signals danger for the Test game and its future. Followers of the modern game predict a time when just Test and twenty-over cricket will exist at the highest level, played by cricketers specialising in one of the two forms. Others express concern that an increased supply of the Twenty20 form to meet the demands of cricket’s expanding audience will saturate the market and give twenty-over cricket a limited lifetime. Despite such concerns, it is clear to me as a player that the Twenty20 revolution has brought numerous benefits and a newfound energy to the game at all levels. First-time spectators of all ages have been attracted to matches on long summer evenings, and domestic matches have received levels of coverage in the press and media previously unseen. Skill levels on the field continue to reach new heights, as more powerful and athletic cricketers raise the bar. As the majority of current and past players would agree, however, Test cricket must remain the game’s most respected form, the truest test of a player and his character, and must be protected from the dangers of the twenty-over revolution.
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