Abject England performance points towards a reshuffle.

I must take this opportunity to thank the South African cricket team. By beating England in Barbados they put a stop to my blind belief that England would reach the Semi-Finals. England have done nothing to show that they would make the final stages but being an England supporter there is always a thought they they could produce something from nothing. Now they are out I can relax and enjoy the competiton, but what will be the fallout from another poor English World Cup?

Tom Moody is the man that the majority of pundits, ex-players and supporters are talking about as the man to replace Duncan Fletcher.

This however is a concern. It seems that over the last few years whenever those in the know have suggested changes of personnel within the England camp it has never materialised. So with that in mind Moody can rest easy in his role with Sri Lanka, safe in the knowledge that the ECB will probably not want to go with the crowd.

Debate over the makeup of the England One Day squad faded away as Vaughan (and Team) was booed unanimously by the large England contingent at the Kensington Oval. The reaction of the crowd says it all. Supporters who have sung their hearts out at the most embarrassing performances finally lost their belief. Indeed the Barmy Army got their name from a commentator who coined the phrase after seeing hundreds of fans singing their support during another England Ashes collapse. For England fans to boo this England side just shows how far the relationship between the team and the fans has nose-dived.

Surely whatever the outcome of this tournament there are a few issues that do need to be debated by those in control.

1. Have central contracts worked to progress the standard of English One Day cricket?

2. Is the current setup for finding and improving new England players correct?

3. Why is it so difficult for prominent Ex-English players to be involved in the management of English cricket?

David Beckham resigned as England Captain after a poor World Cup, but he did not retire from football entirely. He showed that, despite his wealth and popularity, he was realistic enough to know that a change was necessary. Michael Vaughan, having showed terrible batting form and inconsistent captaincy during this competition, has neither resigned nor retired from One Day cricket. This just epitomizes the attitude that has been allowed to mature in the team.

Kwik Cricket Reaches Iraq

The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Royal Military Police (RMP) have swapped bullets for bouncers to bring cricket to the schoolchildren of Basra Province over the past six months.

The Iraqi project is designed to make the British troops a more benign presence and encourage the locals to report any terrorist activity. Brigadier James Everard CBE, Commander of 20th Armoured Brigade, is amazed at how well it worked.

“I had never dreamt that cricket would form a bridge between our two cultures so successfully. And how wonderful that somebody has found the time to channel his passion so positively in an area where such delights are limited.”

That somebody is Major Andrew M. Banks (right), the Officer commanding 110 Provost Company RMP, who says he “wouldn’t dream of deploying without my cricket bat”.

Major Banks, who returned from a seven-month tour based in Basra at the end of last year, taught the notoriously bewildering rules of cricket in Arabic to a traumatized and suspicious populus embroiled in a sectarian struggle.

“They have no concept of bat and ball games, which I found quite surprising. The teachers were sceptical at first, until they saw the kids having fun. When we gave the teachers the ECB’s cricket sets for them to use they seemed pleased.”

The children played Kwik Cricket, developed by the ECB as a basic form of the game. Now sponsored by ASDA it is played in schools and clubs across England and Wales with over 110,000 children taking part in the National Competition last year.

Oliver Mott managed the project for the ECB from Lord’s. He said:

“It’s fantastic to see the positive aspects of cricket being used to such good effect in this difficult situation. Cricket, of all sports, is very good at teaching the benefits of teamwork and fair play while being excellent fun.”

ASDA, official sponsors of Kwik Cricket in England and Wales, donated the kits, which proved perfect for the testing conditions of Iraq, which according to Oliver worked well,

“Kwik Cricket was the natural choice for this project, it is cricket in its most basic form and so attractive to children, it’s very easy to use and the simple kits of plastic bats and balls can be packed up quickly in case of emergency!”

By Oliver Mott

Arise..Sir Viv Richards

Sir Viv Richards is a talisman of West Indian cricket. When cricket fans talk of the great players of the game he is always there, the one player that people wish they could play like. Rarely do you hear players likened to him because, well, one has not come along yet. He is a big name in sport and always in demand, but he is laid back and happy to talk about sport in general. He’s a massive football fan- having played international football for Antigua in the qualifiers for the 1974 World Cup – and he loves golf.

“I am Liverpool supporter; I feel they have lost some great opportunities this season [2006/7] to get those vital 3 points, against Everton for example. All it takes is for Manchester United to lose a couple of games and the Premiership is up for grabs again.” Viv will talk for hours about football, he loves the English premiership and I do wonder, if he had his chance again, would he choose a different path. Certainly he believes that cricket, especially in the West Indies, needs to be managed more like football. “The money and the rewards involved are vital because that is the way things are going these days” says Richards. “People want to know that they can make a good living out of whatever they are doing. There needs to be more coaches, nutritionist, trainers and things like that in place. You have to widen the scope in many ways to make cricketers, especially in the West Indies, grow in a much more professional environment.” Richards is passionate about this and maybe there is a slight regret there that he didn’t follow the path of football.

Sir Viv Richards is a personality that is in high demand in the sports world. A popular event recently during the Ashes 2006/7 was a beach cricket tournament held on Bondi Beach between Australia, England and the West Indies. “That was a lot of fun, all the guys coming together and having a lot of fun. It was just a bunch of guys getting together and entertaining the crowd. The interaction of the audience and their enthusiasm to get involved was great. That was very special.”

This raises an interesting issue about the personalities in modern day cricket. Cricket fans love the way that Richards, Darren Gough, Allan Border and many others approached the game. Are there similar characters coming through now? Richards is sure that there are; “I think they are in their own way. It is so easy to relive your past and talk about the individuals back then, it’s great to do that but there are so many guys coming through right now. Bret Lee, young Kevin Pieterson, there are lots of people out there doing it there own way.”

Along with his many commitments Sir Viv Richards heads the Sir Viv Richards Foundation (SVRF). The SVRF objectives are to promote growth, coaching and the emergence of future West Indies sporting stars. The foundation has made some successful strides since its conception and Sir Viv is excited by the opportunities that the World Cup in the Caribbean may bring. “We can try and raise the awareness of the foundation during the competition, we need to generate interest and the World Cup will be a great time to meet a lot of new people and show them what we are doing” says Viv enthusiastically. “Our goals are to push beyond what we are doing right now, expand and to go down more avenues where we can make a difference to individuals who are less fortunate.”

Incentives such as the SVRF and the Stanford 20/20 [an inter-island cricket competition launched by billionaire Allan Stanford] are changing the way that young West Indian children view cricket. The Stanford 20/20 has been met with a mixed response, what does Sir Viv think about it? “Certainly you ask some people and they say it’s not a good thing but I can say that I think it does attract a lot of interest. It takes a lot of hard work and determination to become a professional sportsman, I think the Stanford 20/20 is giving young people a goal with the incentives and packages available to them.”

While talking to Sir Viv Richards it becomes apparent how important the World Cup is to the Caribbean. It is about more than just the cricket, it is about the legacy it can bring to the communities throughout the region. The Caribbean desperately want the current players to take the limelight and the recognition that the legends of the past have held for so long.

Steve Harmison.. Ready or Not

I met Steve Harmison on a typical spring morning. The sun was out but it was bitterly cold. Steve is a friendly and unassuming man. He has released a new book off the back of the Ashes titled ‘Ashes Frontline’. The book is in a diary style and catalogues the daily entries of himself and Justin Langer throughout the series.

Marcus Trescothick was initially intended to take part in the book but his early return meant that Steve was asked to take over the reigns. “Obviously it was sad that Marcus had to go home, I didn’t even know he was doing the book until I was approached about it after he had gone” comments Harmison. “I was happy to do it but I made sure that my fee was given over to the Bubble Foundation.” The Bubble Foundation is a charity which supports children suffering from the rare immune disorder Ipex Syndrome, which one of Steve’s extended family suffers from. (http://www.bubblefoundation.org.uk/)

The book is maybe not the read that the publishers had anticipated after such a terrific Ashes series in 2005. For England fans it is a painful return to a tour that never really started for the team. For the general cricket fan it is an interesting insight into the mindset of two key players and how they saw the Ashes from the middle and the dressing room. “we spent half an hour to an hour with a journalist after each day and basically went through are thoughts and views on the days play.” Harmison is honest and straightforward with his views throughout the book; “I felt in great form leading up the first test. I was confident and happy with my build up. I was disappointed to be taken out of the attack so early on in the first day of the first test and certainly felt that I had much more in the tank” urges Harmison. “I felt I got better and better through the tour and by the end I was bowling very well.” Which begged the question regarding the preparation for the series; “In my opinion it was spot on, there was hardly any time for us to get in any more cricket than we did.”

It was Harmison who made the headlines in thee Ashes for his inability to hit the same heights that he had done in the past. With the Caribbean World Cup in full swing it was interesting to draw the comparisons between the Ashes and his form in the 2004 tour of the West Indies where he was without doubt the best fast bowler in the world at the time.
“the wickets in the Caribbean look very slow at the moment which surprised me, in 2004 I they were very quick. For the World Cup it’s all about the medium pacers, in my opinion, if they can stick to a good line then they will take wickets.”

Of course it wasn’t just ‘that ball’ which opened the Ashes series that put Harmison in the spot light again. His decision to retire from One Day cricket was also a surprise. “I had told Duncan (Fletcher) at the airport that I wasn’t going to play One Day cricket for England anymore” states Harmison. “I retired for the good of playing Test cricket for England because I felt my form was slipping.”

Harmison has close, and well documented, relationship with Andrew Flintoff. What were his thoughts on Freddie’s tumultuous last few months? “Freddie is a guy who will do anything for anyone. People ask him to do something and he will bend over backwards to do it for them. Sometimes that can be his downfall” says Harmison sincerely. “Look at all the coverage he has had while out in the Caribbean, it has been totally blown out of all proportion in my opinion. There is not a drinking culture in the England team and there never has been. Lots of people, lots of teams, go out for a drink.”

Coming off a poor series in Australia Steve has also handed the initiative over to the young bowlers such as Anderson, Mahmood and Plunkett. They will be the guys with games under their belts and Steve will have to show good early form to force his way back into the Test team for the first series. “That’s my goal, to be opening the bowling at Lords,” ensures Harmison. “I’m going to have to start well for Durham and get in the wickets, it is really important for my game that I walk onto that field happy, that’s what I will be concentrating on.”

Supporters have known for some time now that Steve Harmison has to be content in his personal life in order to bowl the way that we know he can. But he will now have to prove to cricket fans across the world that he is not a spent force but one that is stirring into action after a winter in hibernation.