WENZE KAHLE Alistair Cook. KULUNGILE, ngakho-ke waphuthelwa ukwenza ikhulu leminyaka, nje, kodwa lokushaya 95 lapho ama-chips asephansi ngempela athatha umlingiswa ongakholeki. Ukuphela kwendlela ayezobathulisa ngayo abagxeki yayikukubaleka okuthile futhi ngethemba lokuthi amamaki namuhla abuyela esimweni esifanele. Ukusabela kwesixuku lapho eshaya isigamu sakhe seminyaka kanye nokudlondlobala lapho eshiya insimu lapho ekhuluma kakhulu ngokuxhaswa kwakhe phakathi kwekhilikithi elibukele umphakathi. Muhle umuntu omuhle futhi akazange bafanelwe ezinye the Diatribe ixoshe endleleni yakhe.
UGeoffrey Boycott ubikezele ukudweba okuvele - kanti neRose Bowl pitch kubukeka sengathi izokhiqiza omunye umdlalo ongenamandla lapho i-bat ibusa phezulu. Kuhlekisa kanjani. Sidinga izimbotshana ezinokuthile okunikezwa yizo zombie amalulwane kanye namathumbu, eyodwa evuza abadingisi abaphezulu bezindlela zokuziphatha zombili. Ngakho kuthiwani uma umdlalo usuphelile ngezinsuku ezine esikhundleni ezinhlanu? Ukucabanga kwesikhathi esifushane kwezezimali kubeka engcupheni yonke ingubo yomdlalo - bese kuthi imali izovela kuphi?
Poor decision I thought today to retain both Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson. Both have had a relatively poor summer by their high standards and no one should be a guaranteed pick (other than the captain). Dropping one of them would have sent a clear message to the rest of the side that they cannot take their place for granted. Healthy competition helps to increase performance – a lack of competition breeds complacency. Broad and Anderson are class performers and will bounce back but a little nudge wouldn’t have hurt. Liam Plunkett can count himself unlucky to miss out but Ben Stokes less so. His bowling has been reasonable but he’s on a rotten trot with the bat. He is another that will bounce back stronger. Good to see Chris Jordan back in the side – he can be a class performer for many years to come. Chris Woakes on the other hand a pick that simply bemuses me. Hopefully I will be proven wrong but I really can’t see him as being of international class. He barely merits a one day pick, let alone a selection as front line bowler in an attack of four.
Someone who has embraced test match cricket with great aplomb is Gary Ballance. Another ton under his belt today means he is rapidly establishing himself in that most challenging of positions, the number three slot. izivivinyo Six e, three centuries scored. It’s looking good for the hard-fighting Yorkshireman (adopted). It would be nice to see him go on tomorrow and register a ‘daddy’ hundred. Ballance remains in the middle with Ian Bell who was fortunate to escape being out LBW. It was pretty plumb and should have been given by the umpire but it wasn’t, leaving the Indians perplexed. Gcwele khathi isinqumo enjengaleyo kuphambene kubo ukumamatheka kancane ligijime linqamule ubuso bami. After all they are the ones who rejected the Decision Review System (drs) futhi kanjalo kuyokwenza uthole izinqumo uya ngokumelene nabo. If they refuse to embrace the technology to reduce poor decisions, they cannot complain when one goes against them.
“Ibhola eliphinki libonakala limpunga/eliluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka ngokubomvu/okuhlaza ngokungaboni kahle, kuye ngokuqina kwayo. Ngenza ukulingisa ngobumpumputhe bemibala…”