Welgedaan Alistair Cook. OK, dus het hy 'n eeu misgeloop, net, maar om te score 95 toe die skyfies regtig af was, het dit ongelooflike karakter gekry. Die enigste manier waarop hy die kritici wou stil maak, was met 'n paar lopies en hopelik is die telling van vandag 'n permanente terugkeer na die vorm. Die reaksie van die skare toe hy sy halwe eeu behaal het en die ovasie toe hy die veld verlaat het, spreek boekdele oor die steun vir hom onder die krieketkykende publiek. Hy is 'n goeie man en het nie verdien 'n paar van die diatribe afgedank sy pad.
Geoffrey Boycott het reeds 'n trekking voorspel - en die Rose Bowl-veld lyk asof dit nog 'n ongeïnspireerde wedstryd sal oplewer waar die kolf die opperste. Hoe belaglik. Ons het staanplekke nodig wat vir kolwers en boulers iets te koop het, een wat die beste eksponente van albei dissiplines beloon. So, wat as die spel is verby in vier dae in plaas van vyf? Finansiële denke op kort termyn waag dit om die hele speletjie te ondermyn - en waar kom die geld vandaan??
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. Ses toetse in, 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. Elke keer as 'n besluit soos dié gaan teen hulle 'n bietjie glimlag loop oor my gesig. After all they are the ones who rejected the Decision Review System (DRS) en so sal kry besluite gaan teen hulle. If they refuse to embrace the technology to reduce poor decisions, they cannot complain when one goes against them.
“Die pienk bal lyk grys / blou in die rooi / groen tekort, afhangende van die erns daarvan. Ek het 'n simulasie gedoen met kleurblindheid…”