Comments
All hail Monty, Jimmy and Collie!
2009-07-12 20:06:36
I thought I would get back from the triathlon (good fun but horrible wind), clamber onto the sofa and fall asleep in front of Australia's cruise towards victory in the first Test. Sleep? Not a chance.
One of the cliche complaints trotted out by people who don't get cricket is that a match can last as long as five days and sometimes you don't even get a result. How can one feel anything but pity for such people, unable to appreciate and enjoy the drama that has just unfolded in Cardiff?
One of the sporting highlights of last season (football) was Burnley's victorious penalty shoot-out at Chelsea. What we have just witnessed was like the longest penalty shoot out ever. Each and every ball survived by Jimmy Anderson (of Burnley btw) and Monty Panesar cheered with the same passion as greets a goal. And even though Paul Collingwood will have cursed the shot that got him out, what a performance to stay there for six hours just grinding out a draw for his country.
We could probably have done without the seeming sportsmanship of physio and messenger wandering onto the pitch as the clock ticked on. Oh what am I saying? ... that was so Aussie, so ruthless, it was impossible not to admire it just a little.
The Aussies will have woken up this morning, opened the curtains in their hotel, seen what a lovely day it was going to be, and felt the Test was in the bag. They will have felt it even more strongly as the wickets started to fall. But they did not bank on Collie, Monty and Jimmy. Brilliant.
A word for the TV coverage too. As we were watching, one of my sons asked if there was a media equivalent of 'Sports Personality of the Year.' He said Sky's cricket team were far and away the best commentary team of any sport going. Given the knowledge and expertise in the commentary box, maybe that is to be expected, but not all past great players of any sport make for great commentators. Botham, Gower, Hussain, Atherton, David Lloyd - these guys do, and they certainly helped make today even more special.
It is hardly possible to imagine that this Ashes series could be as exciting as the last one on home soil. But with one Test gone, and Lord's approaching, it is looking like it might be.
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Explaining the 50p top tax ratePublish date: 2009-04-28 09:22:53
George Best and Martin McGuinnessPublish date: 2009-04-27 09:02:35
Cameron confused over indepdendence and impartialityPublish date: 2009-04-26 12:20:56
Guide ro Marathon running part 2Publish date: 2009-04-25 11:01:34
Good signals on coal and the OlympicsPublish date: 2009-04-24 10:45:28
Tips for the London MarathonPublish date: 2009-04-23 17:29:27
Missed the Budget, saw why it matteredPublish date: 2009-04-22 23:09:31
Football good, politics bad. AllegedlyPublish date: 2009-04-22 00:00:24
The Great Wall gets greaterPublish date: 2009-04-21 09:55:22
Two sides to police storyPublish date: 2009-04-20 11:39:54
Budgets, Balls, billionaires and Susan BoylePublish date: 2009-04-19 12:31:45
Do muscles have memories?Publish date: 2009-04-18 09:44:44
Bring back standing at footballPublish date: 2009-04-17 14:50:22
When Facebook friends fall outPublish date: 2009-04-16 12:29:16
Guardian sightings and the email and bath plug agendaPublish date: 2009-04-15 11:32:16
The spin is all in the prismPublish date: 2009-04-14 09:22:41
A setback, not a crisisPublish date: 2009-04-13 12:55:19
The real lessons from Damian McBridePublish date: 2009-04-12 10:49:47
Will English always be the dominant language?Publish date: 2009-04-11 10:02:02
On the pipes and what makes a ScotPublish date: 2009-04-10 11:06:20
John Prescott lazy? NO WAYPublish date: 2009-04-09 09:11:31
David Frost is seventyPublish date: 2009-04-08 08:48:38
The Speaker, BBC2, tonight and tomorrow 8pmPublish date: 2009-04-07 14:25:31
Obama, colds and being woken by Korean missilesPublish date: 2009-04-06 11:59:24
When a call matters more than protocolPublish date: 2009-04-05 11:33:42
Green Cities Champions LeaguePublish date: 2009-04-04 10:19:53
Could Cameron have delivered the G20 deal?Publish date: 2009-04-03 10:11:59
Of Benn and BonoPublish date: 2009-04-02 08:21:16
Memo to Sarko - allez vite a LondresPublish date: 2009-04-01 08:46:17
Happy April Fool's DayPublish date: 2009-04-01 01:44:05
Eurostar, Le Monde and a thought for the G20 sherpasPublish date: 2009-03-31 09:17:22
Why Kevin Rudd made an impactPublish date: 2009-03-30 10:24:41
Pre-G20 hype matters less than post-G20 processPublish date: 2009-03-29 13:17:28
The Damned UnitedPublish date: 2009-03-28 10:37:04
A hobby horse, a plug and a bit of sportPublish date: 2009-03-27 10:22:23
Cloughie - he had a lot to be big-headed aboutPublish date: 2009-03-26 09:38:36
A sad sight of the old fearing the youngPublish date: 2009-03-25 17:03:07
Post-modern, post-structural, or bullshit?Publish date: 2009-03-25 08:18:02
Learning the right lessons from ObamaPublish date: 2009-03-24 08:53:15
Lazy Dave needs to keep an eye on lazy KenPublish date: 2009-03-23 11:16:14
Farewell favourite restaurant, hello hometownPublish date: 2009-03-22 08:18:09
Dave, Danny and have the Tories really changed?Publish date: 2009-03-21 08:55:13
Life beyond Dover ...Publish date: 2009-03-20 10:11:21
My friends in The New Statesman - Fergie, Fiona, Tony, Sarah, Kevin, 'Dacre,' and a great GB idea for the G20Publish date: 2009-03-18 10:38:22
Iraq, Iran, GB, Obama and diplomatic chessPublish date: 2009-03-17 10:07:13
The Age of StupidPublish date: 2009-03-16 08:27:13
Is all change good?Publish date: 2009-03-15 10:00:06
The pressure of being a post-modern sex godPublish date: 2009-03-14 10:00:55
Cameron still hasn't sealed the deal with businessPublish date: 2009-03-13 09:21:49
Stand up for social workersPublish date: 2009-03-12 08:31:17
Surely Malcolm Tucker could have told Armando Ianucci ... You can't spin a spinnerPublish date: 2009-03-11 10:58:25
Start of a new approach from Labour?Publish date: 2009-03-10 09:54:12
A peace process still strongPublish date: 2009-03-09 08:21:05
Day of destiny for the real footballer of the yearPublish date: 2009-03-08 09:21:06
Private advice to Peggy Mitchell - the leaked note in fullPublish date: 2009-03-07 08:17:21
Boris, the Tories and the tummy-tickling poodle pressPublish date: 2009-03-06 09:49:37
A day in the life of the self-obsessed TV reporterPublish date: 2009-03-05 07:55:47
GB - good speech, well deliveredPublish date: 2009-03-04 19:31:05
Notes on the environment, a role in EastEndersPublish date: 2009-03-04 10:58:56
She may be my 'wife' but it is time to rebut!Publish date: 2009-03-03 10:52:59
Some speeches matter more than othersPublish date: 2009-03-02 12:04:45
Mental health and the Carling Cup FinalPublish date: 2009-03-01 09:08:17
Inside the chocolate factoryPublish date: 2009-02-28 10:23:59
GB on the G20, JP on Jeremy KylePublish date: 2009-02-27 09:14:36
Charity and the credit crunch, please give generously!Publish date: 2009-02-26 08:55:12
Why oh why are the Tories not home and dry?Publish date: 2009-02-24 09:44:59
Me, Dermot and ten top songsPublish date: 2009-02-23 10:02:19
Names round-upPublish date: 2009-02-22 08:43:39
What's in a name?Publish date: 2009-02-21 09:58:14
Editing the New StatesmanPublish date: 2009-02-20 11:42:36
Salute Peter M’s proper use of the F wordPublish date: 2009-02-19 09:58:58
Labour's communications challenge for the NHSPublish date: 2009-02-18 10:34:39
In praise of KeighleyPublish date: 2009-02-17 14:33:57
A night at the EmiratesPublish date: 2009-02-17 00:06:51
When marriage is testedPublish date: 2009-02-16 13:36:35
Spare me the myths and the whiningPublish date: 2009-02-15 13:29:50
Dave Cameron - is that all there is?Publish date: 2009-02-14 11:11:55
Boris Johnson: F is for ...Publish date: 2009-02-13 07:55:10
The Cameron vacuumPublish date: 2009-02-12 14:48:33
Lincoln, Obama, Blair and the 24 hour media culturePublish date: 2009-02-11 10:28:47
Eighteen interviews later ...Publish date: 2009-02-10 19:24:45
Time to talk about Time to Change on NewsnightPublish date: 2009-02-09 22:47:49
So that’s what they mean by online community?Publish date: 2009-02-08 12:12:51
First blogPublish date: 2009-02-05 15:23:57
Em
2009-07-14 15:18:56Feel pity for me? Great, well, let's start with all those cricket people who won't tell you how cricket works. No one will explain it to me. Terry from FB is one of them, file him under exhibit 1276. I'm beginning to think everybody's winging it.
Wyrdtimes
2009-07-14 01:18:00Who are you supporting Mr Campbell?
Ken Coker
2009-07-13 11:29:01Well, it's all very well AC, but some of us don't have Sky and won't have it for politcal reasons - oh, forgot, Murdoch is our friend.
The point is: I play for two cricket clubs and both of them have trouble recruiting young players. For all the millions the ECB get fron Sky, the biggest recruiter for getting young people into the game is to put it back on terrestial TV.(I acknowledge the money the ECB has put back into the game). One of my clubs I've just started, and we get kids who have never even seen a game of cricket wanting to play; how can this be good for the game? And no, we don't get Channel 5 here either....
Anycase, Tideswell won, England drew..a great cricketing day.
Mike
2009-07-13 09:12:33My friend GM, a life long supporter of cricket will enjoy this. It proves his point, there is at least one other cricket supporter out there. You have made an old friend very happy.
gary Enefer
2009-07-13 08:27:37Cricket on Sky - I agree - the very best viewing one could wish for - well done Paul Collingwood and the tale.Let's hope the top order can step up.
Katharine T.
2009-07-13 01:30:13Erm... I watched a documentary a couple of weeks ago about how Cricket is gaining popularity in Canada because of all the immigrants we are getting. I sat through two hours of ranting and raving about how great cricket is, watched some of what they showed of the game and still haven't the vaguest clue of what the point it..apart from maybe points. I was totally lost; it just looked like a bunch of blokes in really nice looking sweaters playing what looked to be a really complicated game that appeared to be a cross between baseball and croquet.....
I'll stick to hockey, English Premiership and F1 racing thanks.... it's hard enough to date a guy in Canada who likes soccer and F1 never mind adding bloody cricket to the mix.
Alex Manchester
2009-07-13 01:03:12I woke up this morning in Sydney and was thrilled to see we'd managed a draw. When I left it last night, Flintoff was looking very ordinary and the outlook wasn't good.
Whether it will live up to 2005.... England really haven't displayed any series-winning qualities as yet, they were outplayed in every area. They need a big improvement for Lords, even just to offer the Aussies some decent competition, but it's undoubtedly a relief not to be heading there 1-0 down.
Wyrdtimes
2009-07-13 00:21:24Out of interest who are you rooting for Mr C? Are you the Englishman by birth supporting England? Or are you the faux Scot and supporting anyone but England?
Steve Cartman
2009-07-12 22:26:13"It is hardly possible to imagine that this Ashes series could be as exciting as the last one. But with one Test gone, and Lord's approaching, it is looking like it might be."
The last one wasn't very exciting, England lost five nil.
And here's to Lord's, where England haven't won an Ashes test since 1934, let's hope they can change that statistic!
Gareth
2009-07-12 22:18:51Monty! Monty! Monty! Amazing finish. Loved every ball.
It's turned what would have been a confidence boost for the Aussies into a massive confidence boost for us. Brilliant.
Nice to meet you at the triathlon today. Going to target one for next summer. Need to get the swimming sorted first.
Pam Nash
2009-07-12 20:29:12Absolutely breathtaking final hour - wonderful. Re the commentary team, yes, Sky fine, Bumble a legend - but Aggers, CMJ, Blowers, Boycott and Vic Marks ARE cricket to me, so Sky on TV with 5 Live Extra on radio. They're totally in sync, so perfect. Just wish Bumble would go back to TMS - life would be complete!
John Moss
2009-07-12 20:20:51Bloody Hell! I agree with AC on something.
Graham Hoyland
2009-07-12 20:18:38The cricket authorities get a lot of stick so they deserve credit for taking the test to Cardiff. I know they struck lucky with the weather and the quality of the match but sometimes you make your own luck, and they really deserve to be recognised for the role they played in this spectacle. I thought the atmosphere at the end was brilliant, more like football or rugby than cricket. Superb.
Ben
2009-07-12 20:17:35what a fantstic match, very tense at the finish
Luther V
2009-07-12 20:16:32Agree about the old lags in the commentary box. My God when you think of the combined experience of those guys. I still like Boycott though, and think he is a bit wasted on radio five. What I like best about him is that he so obviously gets under the skin of everyone else.
Harry Ward
2009-07-12 20:15:11Not too tired to watch cricket? Not too tired to blog on it? You can't have put enough into the tri. I agree about the wind. Horrible going out from the clubhouse, but better coming back. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasms
Martin D Dean
2009-07-12 20:15:02My tweet I have no doubt will confuse those who do not get cricket.
MartinDDean#ashes - its a draw!- its a draw!- its a draw!- its a draw!- its a draw!- its a draw!- its a draw!- its a draw!- Cricket. Boring -PAH
But come off it about $ky - the camera work is first rate - but they need to either sack Bumble or bring in a no commentary option. Thank god for Aggers and Blowers.
Of course even if we win it won't be 2005 - cos its not on C4
Ann
2009-07-12 20:14:59Just saw you'd tweeted this, and I'm not a great cricket fan, but I can see the sportsmanship and well done England for the draw, look forward to the next Test!
Ann
@annie52
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