Welcome back once again good folks. Another full week in the shoes of Neil, but a tiring one. However I have committed to writing this blog, and I can't possibly let my reader down...
Beginning us this week is a look at the different bowling talent pools enjoyed by England and Australia, written by former Maghull CC strike bowler Paul Bower, now an authority on Strength and Conditioning. Very informative. Bowser can be found on Twitter @pbower10. Here it is.
The new generation of Aussie quicks and why they won't emulate Pidge and Dizzy.
Modern day fast bowling takes it toll on the body. Test matches, ODI's and of course, T20 cricket. About 10 times over, per format, per series, per year... You get the drift. So what makes a modern day text bowler successful? Pace? Accuracy? Aggression? Skill? A mixture of the aforementioned traits? For me one of the most important factors is longevity (or maintenance). Let me explain my opinion. James Anderson been near the top of the Test charts for the last 2 years. Cruicially he has some pace, accuracy, aggression and loads of skill. However, something which is often ignored - he plays in every game England play. The rotation policy brought in by the English cricket squad (quite brilliant from the ECB) allows players like JA to be rested in ODI's/T20's while younger players can be blooded, keeping him fresh for the main event: Test cricket. This vital cog in the English jugganaught counts for Broad, Bresnan and any other bowler that is named in the Test side. It is something other nations do not have at their disposal - the ability to rotate and look after the fast bowler: the match winner.
So that leads nicely into the main topic of this blog (my first ever article of any nature). Do the current Australian team have the bowlers at their disposal to cope with the rigours of modern day international cricket? My opinion is no, and that's why the talented and raw Patrick Cummins and James Pattinson will struggle to emulate their predecessors. GD McGrath, Dizzy Gillespie, Andy Bichel, Michael Kasprowicz, Brett Lee, Stuart Clark etc etc etc. These men tormented Michael Atherton and those that followed for year upon year, and this is without even mentioning the greatest bowler ever in Shane Keith Warne. The Aussies could rotate, rest and rejuvenate their ace cards in the shorter formats of the game should their workload have been great in the prevailing Test series. It was a recipe for success, and one which was noted by England, taken on board by the ECB, and is now flourishing. Pattinson and Cummins are playing catch up. They are Australia's "future". They "have to play". So they play. Again. Again. And again. Young men who do not know their bodies, who are not fully developed and may have slight asymmetries in their bodies and action. This leads to one thing, injury. As long as the Australian's have a small quota of fast bowlers to choose from, their injury problems will continue as the public pressurise the selections of these young guns without the knowledge that too much, too soon will disrupt or end their careers prematurely. Remember Shaun Tait? Looks like it's down to Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson then (oh dear)!
To summarise and exemplify my points, here is the current "squad" of fast bowlers at England's disposal (Test side, Lions and Development Squads) compared to Australia's.
England: James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Chris Tremlett, Steven Finn, Graham Onions, Stuart Meaker, Ajmal Shahzad, Chris Woakes, Jade Dernbach, Liam Plunkett, Boyd Rankin, Tymal Mills, Nathan Buck, Jack Brooks and Maurice Chambers.
Australia: Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Patrick Cummins, Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Trent Copeland, Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Starc and Nic Maddinson.
I may be completely wrong. However, as Pattinson and Cummins both recover from stress fractures I'd suggest not.
Marvellous stuff, I'm sure you'll agree.
SO WE LOST, EH?
Englands first series after gaining top spot in the ICC Rankings has ended in glorious defeat. Glorious. Some wonderfully inept batting took the shine of a series in which the five bowlers who played throughout the series for England excelled, ensuring that Pakistan only once posted a very impressive total (that said, 12 would have been a competitive total most times....). Ian Bell is now once again being lambasted and offered up as the goat for an angry fandom and media to feast upon. However, Belly is not alone. The only specialist batsman who can hold his head up with a degree of something like pride is THE BEST keeper batsman in the world, Matt Prior. How did he get there? He went after the bowler. He didn't allow the "spin" of Ajmal to tie him down. EVERYONE ELSE DID. (Incidentally, this will not be the last we hear of the Ajmal debate. He has really not helped himself with his "the ICC said I can throw it" outburst.) The batsmen were so reluctant to come forward, or use their bats. Pad play in the age of DRS is about as effective as the chat up line "you don't sweat much for a fat lass", its just not going to work...and you'll end up with a slapped face.
ELI = ELITE
The Giants did it, they beat the "favourites" to win their second Superbowl in five years. I have mocked the use of the word favourites because EVERYONE thought the Giants would win. Yes yes, the Dave Cunninghams
The game itself was one of the better Superbowls (a matchup that can often, like the FA Cup Final result in glorious anticlimax). Low scoring, field position battles make for the better spectacle for the fan with little on the line, and in this one Giants punter Steve Weatherford deserves a ton of credit for his consistent ability to pin the Patriots deep. Sure, Eli gets the Kudos and gets to go to Disneyland, but he needed help from the Weatherfords and Manninghams of this world to get it done.
Which brings me to Eli Manning. 2 for 2 in Superbowls, beating his brother Peytons 50% record at the big dance. Both victories against Peytons nemesis, Tom Brady. Well done Eli, you are now an elite quarterback. But I'm not inducting you into the Hall of Fame just yet.
FEEDBACK
Had some angry tweets from Mr Jordan Doyle this week after my Gangster movie choices last week. I love getting feedback, it hones my ability to try to have an answer for everything. You read something in here you don't like, hit me up on it. We'll go toe to toe via Twitter about it.
I followed up my appearance on the TMS live over by over commentary (for a tweet about Jimmy Anderson being the best fielding bowler ever) by actually having my name read out on the Dave Dameshek Football Programme podcast. Great moment, especially having Adam Rank (@adamrank) refer to me as "His Man". Great stuff.
Also this week I would like to thank Mr Michael Challinor (@mdcpne) for his contributions re the Urban Dictionary. My favourite this week was "InFlight Refueler", used to describe a man who takes his beer with him when he goes for a piss. "I'll mind your pint John." "No thanks Steve, I'm an Inflight Refueler". Thanks Chally.
Incidentally, a much better blog than this can be find called "AndySymes-the worldofsport.blogspot.com" Well worth a read, and a lot more considered than mine. But please stay and read my rantings too.
Cheers.
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