From Across the Pond

The Cricket World Cup

The Cricket World Cup starts today, an event about which I am slightly conflicted. It is a worthy enough competition, but for me, as an England supporter, it is not something that can really excite my passion like that most hallowed of all Cricket's trophies - the Ashes. So while I will watch, and I would dearly love to see England do well, and perhaps win (though the natural pessimism of any England supporter means I do not think this likely) it is not a contest I will obsess over. In any event, this Saturday is the final round of the Six Nations, and then the Guiness Premiership and Heinecken Cup are coming to their climatic moments (all Rugby Union), and that will provide quite enough sporting distraction. Not to mention a certain thing called Opening Day happending across the pond in a little over two weeks.

But back to cricket - currently the opening match between Pakistan and the WIndies is very nicely poised. Could go any way. Not, perhaps, the most exciting game (though the first over of the Pakistani innings had some fireworks!) but a tense contest developing. The current pool stages though will mostly be a formality, as the Test sides qualify for the next round and the non-Test sides are shunted aside. Not dis-similar to what happens in all world competitions, though unlike in football, the talent difference in cricket is huge. It is more like rugby, or baseball, in that regard.

In a couple of weeks' time, the exciting times will start.

UPDATE: As I was writing this Pakistan lost two absolutely vital wickets. This match is now the WIndies for the taking.

Can it get any better?

It is the fourth day of the final, deciding Ashes test. England have just boweld out Australia, taking eight wickets today. Australia, who looked to be dominating, have been hauled back. In this series whenever one team has started to get ahead the other has risen to the challenge. It is truly amazing that, after over 700 runs scored, twenty wickets, three centuries, and thirteen sessions played that we are back essentially to square one.

About the only thing better that this would be England actually winning this match.

Ashes 2-1 England

On Sunday evening England won the Fourth Ashes Test and Trentbridge, and went 2-1 up in the series. All attention will now focus on the Fifth and final Test and the Oval next week. There is still everything to play because, if Australia manage to win there and tie the series they will retain the Ashes. So, England need to either force a draw, or even better secure a win.

Cricket is currently the big thing over here. Soccer - the dominant sport - is having to temporarily stand aside. It will not last, it never does. Soccer will continue to reign supreme. However, what this series has shown to many people is how a game that can last five days can be nail-biting all the way. A little more interest could go a very long way.

A final thought. The Australian captain has had a bit of a temper tantrum about being run out by a substitude when one of the England bowlers was being tended for a problem with his ankle. It is and remains a petty and idiotic thing to do. The reason England have won thus far is that the Australian team is not firing on all cyclinders. Take England's second innings of this test. Two cylinders were notably firing - Shane Warne and Brett Lee. Indeed, Brett Lee who is so far my Australian Man of the Series was Australia's highest scorer in the first innings and one reason why Australia had anything like the sniff they had. However, Shane Warne and Brett Lee cannot win a match all by themselves. And the responsibility for that has to lie with Ricky Ponting. You get the feeling that most of what the Australian team has done this series has been in spite of, and not because of, Mr Ricky Ponting. He does himself no credit with this idiotic talk.

Ashes 1-1

Yesterday's cricket was truly heart-stopping. Norm Geras has it aright again, this series is hotting up. It deserves to go down as one of the classics. Amazing that, rain allowed four, five days after the start it all came down again to the outcome of just one ball. This time Australia won the bowl, though instead of a win they saved a draw.

How sweet to see the Aussies fighting for the draw however. Onto Trentbridge, with everything to play for. I only hope that these last two matches can equal and exceed the heights already scaled by the first three.