frustration.

despite the game scheduled to finish tomorrow, i can write with some confidence that essex's LVCC championship match against northants will end in a draw. i spent two hours sitting in the cold and raafter in at the ford county ground before i saw sense and gave up. at the time this blog was written, there was only one session to speak of and one that the essex batsmen will be keen to erase from their memories. unsurprisingly ater winning the toss, the visitors put essex in to bat. the northants seamers reaped the benefits of the great bowling conditions, reducing essex to 54-6 after twenty seven overs. mark pettini the only eagles batsman to reach double figures ending day two on 16*. jack brooks, who was recently called into the england lions' side to face the west indies, bowled beautifully and took four wickets out of the six northants wickets. maybe the rain did essex a favour after all. there's been a lot of arguments this week surrounding the timing of the county championship - claiming it started too early (although most of the critics are ex-batsmen, hardly a coincidence you feel!) but at the end of the day, it's not the ecb's fault that british weather is as unpredictable as what it has been this year. many seem to forget the fantastic, sunny april we all experienced then. after all what do people want - shall we move domestic cricket over to australia or south africa?

yorkshire (a) 19th-22nd april, yorkshire vs essex, headingley.

as to be expected, the weather will play a huge role in many games played in april and at a wet and miserable headingley, it was definitely game, set and match to the rain. not one ball was bowled on day one, already signficantly damaging the chances of a positive result from the game. start of day two,yorkshire won the toss and chose to bat; a fantastic century from jaques putting yorkshire in a great position before a batting collapse of epic proportions - losing six wickets for just 21 runs. young left-armer mills picking up four wickets and the ever impressive masters with figures of 3-65. unsurprisingly for those who watch essex on a regular basis, it was same old, same old: great work by the bowlers quickly undone by the essex batsmen. ravi bopara, back from england's tour of sri lanka, kept the eagles in the game with a fantastic 117*. the second highest contribution was just 25 from captain james foster. the same problem never resolved despite an impressive batting line up (on paper at least). take nothing away from the yorkshire bowlers; sidebottom and patterson took eight wickets between them and bowled majestically. yorkshire started their second innings well and with the rain seemingly nowhere to be seen, fancied their chances of winning the game. root and sayers putting on 106 before root was caught behind off the bowling of all-rounder greg smith for 67. sayers and gale added crucial runs as yorkshire declared on 212-4, setting the visitors 262 to win. openers petersen and godleman both falling lbw to shazhad quickly, with the game slowly slipping away from essex. luckily the rain dance worked and no more play was possible on day four. the match was abandoned and essex somehow escaped with a draw.

gloucestershire (h)

5-7th april, essex vs gloucestershire, chelmsford.

essex win by an innings & 38 runs

what a way to start the season! promotion hopefuls essex were inevitably favourites for their opening competitive match of 2012 and pulled off an emphatic victory in just two and a half days. last season was particularly disappointing for essex fans but the opposition enjoyed a much better 2011, in the county champhionship at least, finishing above the eagles - many believed they had massively overachieved.

so much for the start of summer, the coats and blankets were out at a very cold and cloudy chelmsford on day one. gloucs won the toss and as expected elected to field in seemingly great bowling conditions. despite the early loss of petersen, a new addition to the essex squad, his opening partner billy godleman made a solid century - putting the eagles in a fantastic position. with valuable contributions from smith, wheater and foster; essex posted a great score of 364 all out.

essex, with arguably one of, if not the best bowling attack in division two, knew the task ahead. they needed to bowl gloucs out twice, with not much time to play with. the weather forecast did not look good - traditional english april weather!'

the bowlers did the business again for essex. in fact, they did it twice! gloucs were bowled out for 180 and 146 as the game drew to a rapid conclusion after just two and a half days. the visitors were bowled twice in four sessions as fast bowlers napier and masters shone - each taking a 5fer in each innings.

at last; second test, colombo

yes, this is a week late and i have no excuses.

a long, hard international winter meant england had to win in colombo to draw the series or drop down the rankings, losing their status as number one in the world. all winter the bowlers had performed fantastically, only to be let down by a poor showing from the batsmen, particularly against spin. going into the second test, england had only passed the 300 mark once all winter long; very disappointing for the best side in the world with a team full of world class batsmen.

but finally it happened - a good performance with the bat from england! after bowling sri lanka out for a modest 275, this match was surely just waiting for a traditional english batting collapse.
again like the first test, jayawardene was the shining star for the hosts and yet again, jimmy anderson dismissed sangakkara first ball. on a more positive note for sri lanka, the captain this time had teammates to build decent partnerships with, both samaraweera & mathews passed fifty. swann and anderson picking up seven wickets between them.

for the first time all winter, england's opening partnership of strauss and cook looked comfortable at the crease despite the early introduction of spin. the pair put on 122 before strauss fell to dilshan on 61. cook and trott both scored big runs, scoring 94 and 64 respectively. but there was only one name on everybody's lip at the end of england's first innings: a certain mr. kevin pietersen. his superb, yet controversial 151 off 165 balls (including sixteen fours and six sixes) put england in a fantastic position. the controversy occured with the infamous switch-hit, which did not impress former sri lankan dilshan who was obviously furious with pietersen. as long as no rule was broken, which it wasn't, the argumentative dilshan has very little to complain about. england were all out for 460 and finally, the batsmen backed up the great work by the bowlers.

graeme swann was the pick of the england's bowlers with six wickets as sri lanka failed to post a big score and force the draw in colombo. only one player (guess who?) passed fifty for the hosts and england's target was just 94: despite being bowled out for less in the UAE, england's improved batting in the first innings here meant england were confident of knocking off the runs, and doing so quickly. even after strauss departing last ball of the first over and trott following him back to the dressing room soon after, england's victory was never in doubt: cook and pietersen seeing england home. the winnings runs were scored with a six from pietersen off dilshan: typical eccentric, flamboyant pietersen.

now for england, a six week break before a crucial summer: west indies the visitors playing three test matches, three odis and a twenty20 match. next, five one day internationals with the old enemy, australia before the BIG one - a three test match series with south africa (followed by five odis and three twenty20 matches in preparation for the t20 world cup in sri lanka) which is likely to decide who will end the summer top of the world.

the tale of mario balotelli and why he needs to be shown the door.

why always you mario?






as tempting as it is to write about a fantastic victory for arsenal, i am slightly disappointed that our win has effectively handed manchester united a 20th premier league trophy: as born and bred united hater, i had to pray for the impossibility of qpr winning at old trafford so if arsenal were to beat city, it wouldn't affect the title race. but a comfortable 2-0 victory for manchester united meant city had to take all three points from their match at the emirates.

controversy has been a constant through manchester city's campaign and with the carlos tevez affair, city could have been excused for a bad run in october and november but first half of the season, they played some truly brilliant football and were the envy of the rest of the premier league, including their manchester rivals who they thumped 6-1 away from home. and at the start of the new year, it looked as if big spending manchester city would win the premier league comfortably and at this time, they deserved to. kompany was immense, david silva was in terrific form and aguero looked unplayable at times.
2012 was a complete different story. it's not so much the football that we've all been focusing on but instead the behaviour of a troublesome striker from italy. the young man that mancini has put all faith in could have lost his manager his job. balotelli has an enormous amount of talent but his petulance has cost his side too many points and eventually, fans will grow tired of 'super mario'. his performance against arsenal earlier on today may have singalled the end of his manchester city career. lucky to escape an automatic red for a dangerous challenge on alex song early on, the referee booked balotelli mid way through the first half for persistent fouls: the striker was lucky the referee didn't have better views of the previous challenges or he could have been off for an early shower, A LOT earlier.
his manager had already admitted this week that he cannot trust balotelli and today, this was proved yet again. another reckless tackle, this time on sagna, towards the end of the match meant balotelli had to go. whether it be selfishness or just pure naivety, balotelli couldn't put the needs of his team above himself and this is why he needs to be sold, preferably as soon as the transfer window opens. as entertaining as he's been at times, mario is a disruptive influence in the manchester city side.

it's such a shame that balotelli will probably never reach his potential because of his attitude and behaviour. anybody taking on the challenge of mario will know it's a huge gamble, one that hasn't paid off for city or mancini.

keep fighting, keep praying

a post dedicated to fabrice muamba & stilian petrov; all the love and support in the world in coming through the difficult times. you're fighters on the pitch and we know you are off it too.
♥

it's like we've been here before; first test, galle.

mainly due to persistent rain, south africa could not topple england as number one in the world rankings with a 1-0 series win in new zealand. next up for england was a two match series in sri lanka, hoping to right the wrongs of a dreadful test series in the UAE.

the setting for the first test was the beautiful galle international stadium, full of loud and proud english supporters enjoying the perfect weather. sri lanka won the toss and as expected, elected to bat. from a sri lankan perspective, there wasn't much to write home about based on the first innings, unless you go by the name of mahela jayawardene. england finally removed him early on day two after a magnificent innings of 180: saving his side from utter humiliation, an even more impressive score from the captain with very little help from his teammates, none of which stayed long enough to build a significent partnership. sri lanka clawed their way to 318 - anderson, the star of the show taking five wickets: the leader of england's bowling attack taking the prized scalp of sangakkara first ball.

after a long day in the field, many wouldn't begrudge the england bowlers a few hours rest on day two. although within two or three of hours, they were padded up and ready to bat. it was almost déjà vu for england fans: top quality batsmen undone by spin. this time however there was no excuse about facing the best spinner in the world, herath is nowhere close to ajmal. cook, pietersen and trott all getting out cheaply. the previously out of form bell was the only batsman to pass 50, as england were bowled out for just 193. to win this game england had a mountain to climb; it's obvious we can rely on the english bowlers to perform but we almost expect a collective failure from the batsmen away from home, particularly on the subcontinent.the only real entertainment from the england first innings was the last wicket partnership between anderson & panesar, putting on nearly forty runs.

at the end of day two, england were only still in the game thanks to four wickets from graeme swann. until this point swann had had an unusually quiet winter, outbowled by panesar against pakistan and effectively playing for his place in the side for the summer, ending the sri lankan second innings with figures of 6-82. p jayawardene top scoring with 61; broad thought he had jayawardene earlier on before the umpire correctly called a no ball. these extra runs could have proved crucial, which would have tipped an already frustrated broad over the edge you feel. sri lanka were all out for 214 and set england 340 to win; england were still in with a chance but they'd have to break several records in order to win in a game they'd been outplayed from almost start to finish.

with the early dimissals of cook and strauss, the latter in a particularly disappointing fashion, the game seemed to be slipping away from the tourists but at the end of day 3; a solid partnership between trott and pietersen meant england had a lifeline. losing pietersen and then bell before lunch on day four was a massive blow to england's chances. jonathan trott however was going nowhere, his conventional trott's trench was dug and the partnership with prior dramatically swung the game back in england's favour. for the first time this winter, the batsmen looked comfortable at the crease and weren't phased by the presence of spin from both ends. the innings was going almost perfectly before the dismissal of prior turned the game on its head - jonathan trott's fantastic 112 preceded a sadly predictable collapse at the hands of herath and randiv. the hosts took the last five wickets for only twelve runs and this time, the tail could not save england like it has been forced to many times before. sri lanka had deservedly won by seventy five runs and extended england's losing streak to four matches.

before the second test starts tuesday, some series issues have to be addressed regarding the batsmen's technique and mental attitude towards facing spin; in less than nine months, this side will be flying out to india where they'll be firmly out of their comfort zone. no matter how poor india have looked away from home conditions, in india they're a match for anyone.

my attempts at mystic meg for the new domestic season.

DIVISION ONE:
winners - durham ccc. again, it will be an exciting season which potentially could go down to the last round of fixtures again. i have predicted durham to triumph overall but expect the side from the north east to face fierce competition from the likes of lancashire, surrey, notts and somerset.
losers - fully expect worcs to struggle like they have done previously and despite a good second half of the season in 2011, i predict middlesex will join them, back in the second division in 2013.

DIVISION TWO:
winners - hampshire ccc. they may have struggled last year but i'm sure they will pick up plenty of points in 2012. i may have my rose tinted glasses on when i say this but my prediction for division two runners up are my beloved essex ccc. some great additions to an already balanced squad means essex will be one of the favourites to go up.

CB40 & TWENTY20:
a repeat of last year's final would be reasonably likely as surrey and somerset are probably the two best one day sides in the country but i would give surrey the edge here. as for the twenty20, look no further than somerset. surely the bookie's favourites and with an immense batting line up, 2012 will be a less frustrating year for somerset fans surely.



♥

mind the gap: why arsenal WILL finish third.

before arsenal and tottenham met in the north london derby two and a half weeks ago, the gap between the two sides was ten points: tottenham apparently competing for the title and arsenal in relatively poor form - in competition with chelsea, liverpool and newcastle for the prize of fourth place, the final champions league place. now, on the 14th march there is now only one point separating arsenal & spurs: a dramatic 92nd minute winner from thomas vermaelen against newcastle earned the gunners a well deserved three points against newcastle at the emirates, the centre back steaming into the penalty area from the half way line to score a close-range effort past the despairing tim krul. isn't life krul sometimes?

three reasons why arsenal will be in the champions league next season and ultimately beat tottenham in the race for third:


1. the importance of momentum and confidence

three consecutive league defeats for tottenham with arsenal winning their last four premier league games after going 1-0 down proves the gunner hsave a new found resilience: as tottenham's confidence is at an all time low, there's genuine belief amongst arsenal fans that champions league will be back at the emirates next season. it takes the extreme mental strength, often discussed by arsene wenger, to recover from such a disastrous start to the season, when a few months ago, it looked as if arsenal would struggle to get fourth place - let alone third! it would be considered one of arsene wenger's greatest achievements at arsenal if we were to finish third, after a real rollercoaster of a season (so far!)


2. focus

arsenal have a settled, happy, talented squad led by a manager who appears to be going nowhere - the same cannot said be tottenham however. harry redknapp is still the favourite for the england job and despite claims from the tottenham players, its hard to believe this speculation wouldn't affect the players.

3. robin van persie, he scores he wants

to say this man is in exceptional form is no exaggeration, no need for hyperbole: robin van persie is on fire. the equaliser against newcastle bought up his 33rd goal of the season, 26th in the premier league and as expected, this has meant van persie is hot property, now attracting interest from the likes of barcelona and moneybags manchester city, knowing rvp is still to sign a contract extension at the emirates. with champions league football looking likely and with the promise of more quality signings in the summer, why would van persie leave? this man is a great player, a great leader but an even better man - a settled, loyal family man who surely wouldn't want to leave london and specifically the emirates, a place where he is worshipped and adored. when cesc fabregas and samir moved in the summer, it was a massive loss to the arsenal side but if arsenal were to lose van persie, i believe the result would be catastrophe. arsenal have been a 'one man' team this year but it does not always have to be that way - we are just two or three class players away from a GREAT side: one which will compete for titles week in, week out.

less than a month to go...

i'm not sure the nation is collectively counting down the seconds until the return of county cricket but i for one, am incredibly excited. after all, what other ways would we rather spend our days in april than watching cricket in arctic conditions with four layers on. after a below par year in 2011, essex fans will be hoping 2012 will bring happier times: a promotion push and an appearance in either or both the CB40 final and in cardiff for twenty20 finals day. after all, what's wrong with hopeless optimism?

LV=county championship: division 2;

APRIL
Thu 05 - Sun 08: Gloucestershire - Chelmsford
Thu 19 - Sun 22: Yorkshire - Headingley Carnegie
Thu 26 - Sun 29: Northamptonshire - Chelmsford

MAY
Wed 02 - Sat 05: Glamorgan - SWALEC Stadium
Wed 09 - Sat 12: Kent - Chelmsford
Wed 16 - Sat 19: Leicestershire - Grace Road
Wed 23 - Sat 26: Derbyshire - Chelmsford

JULY
Wed 11 - Sat 14: Gloucestershire - Cheltenham
Thu 19 - Sun 22: Hampshire - Chelmsford

AUGUST
Wed 01 - Sat 04: Leicestershire - Chelmsford (part of chelmsford festival)
Wed 08 - Sat 11: Kent - Canterbury
Wed 15 - Sat 18: Glamorgan - Colchester
Tue 28 - Fri 31: Derbyshire - Derby

SEPTEMBER
Tue 04 - Fri 07: Hampshire - Rose Bowl
Tue 11 - Fri 14: Yorkshire - Chelmsford


CB40;



MAY

Mon 07: Leicestershire Foxes - Grace Road
Sun 13: Worcestershire Royals - Chelmsford
Sun 20: Lancashire Lightning - Old Trafford
Tue 29: Netherlands - Excelsior CC

JUNE
Mon 04: Gloucestershire Gladiators - Chelmsford

JULY
Sun 15: Gloucestershire Gladiators - Cheltenham
Wed 18: Middlesex Panthers - Chelmsford
Sun 29: Worcestershire Royals - New Road

AUGUST
Sun 05: Leicestershire Foxes - Chelmsford
Sun 19: Netherlands - Colchester
Thu 23: Lancashire Lightning - Chelmsford
Mon 27: Middlesex Panthers - Lord's


friends life twenty20;


JUNE

Wed 13: Surrey Lions - Kia Oval
Wed 20: Kent Spitfires - Chelmsford
Thu 21: Middlesex Panthers - Lord's
Fri 22: Surrey Lions - Chelmsford
Sun 24: Sussex Sharks- Hove
Thu 28: Sussex Sharks - Chelmsford
Fri 29: Hampshire Royals - Chelmsford

JULY

Thu 5: Middlesex Panthers - Chelmsford
Fri 6: Kent Spitfires - Canterbury
Sun 8: Hampshire Royals - Rose Bowl

ooh to be a gooner - a rambling about all things arsenal football club.

north london is red.

i will never be one to moan about 'hard' it is supporting arsenal, like some people choose to, as most of the time its not: we do not have horrendous money troubles, we don't flirt with relegation season after season and compared to most, we have a great squad many of which are internationals led by a fantastic manager in arsene. as an arsenal fan, i am sometimes faced with disappointment like everybody else but frustration is the real issue - coming so close to winning a trophy but bitterly dealing with the fact we faded away in a premier league title race or conceding late goals in a cup tie after going ahead.
after the departures of fabregas and nasri in the summer, it was predicted that arsenal would struggle and to a certain extend we have: everybody around us improving their teams whilst we become an apparent 'selling club' to the likes of manchester city or barcelona. conceding eight goals at old trafford in late august confirmed what most arsenal fans already knew; we would not be serious challengers for the league this year and should be looking to achieve other goals, a good cup run and in contention for fourth place.

after a woeful start to the season, we eventually started to look like an arsenal team of a few seasons ago: winning the games that were potential banana skins but of course still making the fans sweat, never learning to do things the easy way (the 5-3 victory at stamford bridge a highlight in our good run). a mixed december meant a good start to 2012 was crucial to arsenal's hopes of finishing in a champions league spot but an almost disastrous january saw arsenal's only victories in the fa cup - one nil against leeds with the return of a certain thierry henry which dominated all the headlines and a remarkable comeback against aston villa winning 3-2 after going in two nil down at half time. there were no league wins at all to report on: losing against fulham, swansea and manchester united, with a 0-0 away to bolton to finish a tough month for the gunners.

the beginning of february offered happier times for us as we recorded back to back league wins, a magnificent seven scored against blackburn and a late thierry henry winner at the stadium of light, secured all three points for arsenal.
the next match was a trip to the san siro in the champions league: ac milan not the side they were but would always a pose threat to any side, particularly in the home leg.
arsenal were torn apart that night, quite distressing viewing as a supporter: everytime milan went forward, you almost expected the arsenal net to bulge. wave after wave of milan attacks saw the gunners defence lucky enough to secure front row seats to the masterclass from the italians. as soon as the second goal went in, our heads dropped and i'm sure many of the players were mentally already on the coach back to the hotel. the game ended four nil to the home side and with arsenal now effectively out of the champions league, the fa cup was our only realistic chance of silverware. within three days, we had been dumped out of that too after our second tricky trip to sunderland that week.
a side clearly mentally (and perhaps physically too) scarred from their midweek european adventure never looked as if we were going to win this tie. sunderland deserved their win and arsenal were forced to kiss goodbye to another competition.

so out of the fa cup, massively inconsistent in the league and realistically out of europe too, could there have been a better time for 'high-flying' tottenham hotspur to visit the emirates? their fans delirious at the thought of doing the double over us and finishing above arsenal in the league, something they haven't done for sixteen long years. earlier on in the week, jermaine defoe boasted in the press that this NLD meant more to arsenal as all the pressure was on arsenal and tottenham didn't need to win it - a foolish comment to make in my opinion. try telling tottenham fans its perfectly acceptable to lose against their arch rivals when a potential thirteen points difference between the sides would almost make it impossible for arsenal to finish above spurs.
mind the gap

for years and years, north london derbies weren't games that made me sick with nerves, they were matches you were just simply excited for. i used to strongly object to tottenham being referred to as our 'nearest rivals', claming they were neighbours. rivals inferred they were close to us in league position and history, which of course they weren't. it wasn't like playing manchester united or chelsea, games where we regularly lost as many as we won. the derbies are our chance to taunt - '61 never again', 'forever in our shadow'. but nowadays, arsenal fans go into north london derbies a little less confident.
over the last few seasons, particularly since redknapp took the spurs job, some have argued recent results indicate a power shift in north london: tottenham now apparently the bigger club and better team (very much depending on who you spoke to!)
by half three on sunday afternoon however, north london was still very much red and white: tottenham humbled and arsenal fans overjoyed. what better way to kick start your season again than putting five past your rivals?!

being two nil down at home after twenty minutes meant i could probably be forgiven for putting my hands over my eyes and muttering 'oh no, here we go again!' under my breath. shambolic defending with a deflected shot gifted tottenham an early goal and an outrageous dive from gareth bale resulted in a penalty to the visitors which adebayor converted from the spot as he so often does. a dive that olympic hopeful tom daley would be proud of, proved to be bale's last significant contribution of the day - 'cheaters never prosper' quite an appt saying here. arsenal weren't playing badly at all but had an enormous mountain to climb. a header from bacary sagna and the sweetest of strikes from captain van persie saw arsenal go into half time level and looking the side most likely to score next.
the second half began and again it was arsenal who looked the brightest: playing with a great tempo and players flooding forwardwith robin van persie at the centre of everything. on 51 minutes arsenal took the lead, a good goal from rosicky who had a great game - not often have i said in recent times, in fact i have been reasonably critical of him but then again, he doesn't put in a performance like this every week either! two goals in four minutes from theo walcott sent the emirates into ecstacy and made sure all three points would be against arsenal's name on the premier league table. two superb finishes from a player who had been virtually anonymous throughout the first forty five minutes, showing this young man still has an awful lot to contribute for club and country - write him off at your peril.

the highlight of the season thus far and a great day to be an arsenal fan, we won't be forgetting the 26th february 2012 anytime soon. ooh to be a gooner!

revenge (well kind of)

no you did not dream what you have witnessed over the last week or so: england did just win a one day series away from home, convincingly too! after a 3-0 whitewash in the three match test series, nobody gave england a chance. it is well known that pakistan are a great all round ODI side: their strong bowling attack seemingly making up for their batting weaknesses and england have struggled in the fifty over format game of late.

first one day international, abu dhabi, 13th feb

england win by 130 runs:


and essex win the game for england...
okay, so maybe this wasn't a real quotation, just my essex eagles pride shining through. match-winning partnership which saw cook score an impressive century (137 from 142 balls) and a valueable contribution of 50 from ravi bopara.




career best figures for middlesex fast bowler steven finn: 4-34




second one day international, abu dhabi, 15th feb
england win by 20 runs:



another day, another century...
captain cook steers england to victory and an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.


third one day international, dubai, 18th feb
england win by 9 wickets:


an impressive bowling display from the tourists: pakistan bowled out for a modest 222. broad and finn taking three wickets each.


but the real star of this match was a certain mr kevin pietersen: allegedly drinking in the 'last chance saloon' after a poor tour of the UAE and regularly under performing in ODIs for england. a partnership of 170 put england in a fantastic position before cook fell to ajmal on 80. there was no stopping a red hot kevin pietersen who put in a fantastic knock of 111 from 98 deliveries.
england had won the series without really breaking sweat and saw they had a realistic chance of securing a 4-0 whitewash, revenging the humiliation they were subjected only a few weeks earlier.


fourth one day international, dubai, 21st feb.
england win by 4 wickets




jade dernbach takes 4-45 and hampshire left arm spinner, danny briggs takes two wickets on debut. not for the first time in the series, the pakistani batsmen fail to post a threatening score - all out for 237.


turns out one day centuries really are like buses for pietersen. you wait years for one, to defy his critics, those who question his place in the side and two come along in four days. a relatively early loss of three wickets put england under the most amount of pressure they had been all series but super kev came to the rescue.

england have now moved above pakistan into fifth in the ODI rankings. now for three twenty20 matches before england;s mixed tour of the UAE ends. the players then have a short break before flying out to sri lanka for a two match test series: england need to put in much better performances, especially with the bat. and also hope and pray that none of the sri lankan spinners have mastered the saeed ajmal doosra yet!

everything's changed.

its been an eventful couple of weeks for england fans - it's dominated the front and back pages of the national newspapers and if you turn on the television, you can't escape the events of the last week or so. first, on the 3rd february, it was announced by the football association that john terry had been stripped of the england captaincy for the second time, a statement read:

"Further to Wednesday's confirmation that the trial will not take place until after the tournament, the board has collectively decided it is in the interests of all parties that John has the responsibilities of captaincy removed at this time.
"This decision has been taken due to the higher profile nature of the England captaincy, on and off the pitch, and the additional demands and requirements expected of the captain leading into and during a tournament.
"The FA Board can confirm that he has not been excluded from the squad and that Fabio Capello is free to select him for the Holland fixture on February 29 and the European Championship."

whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? john terry has always denied racially abusing anton ferdinand and has vowed to clear his name. the fa chose to make this decision without consulting england manager fabio capello - even though in a press conference (dated 09/02/12), fa chairman, david bernstein, stated that a manager is the most important part of a football club or organisation. terry has been publically backed by all at chelsea but in a phone conversation with david bernstein, he was told that before the conculsion of his trial, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to captain his country.

capello came out in the italian press a few days later, saying that he 'absolutely' disagreed with the fa's decision. unsurprisingly, it wasn't long before capello had been summoned to a meeting with the fa board at wembley. it was announced later on that day that fabio capello had resigned and the fa had accepted this decision. in my opinion, capello had no choice. he had been driven out by a board who obviously enjoyed making the crucial decisions by themselves and saw their chance to dispose of the italian,a man that had quite clearly grown bored of. many people were obviously glad to see the back of capello after the disaster that was the 2010 world cup but fans who faithfully watch england in every match (not just jumping on the bandwagon for a tournament), know of capello's good work in qualifying for the world cup in south africa and the forthcoming european championships in poland & ukraine. after all, he's hardly not the only england manager to fail at a major tournament. all the england players spoke well of capello and seemed disappointed to see him go.

so four months away from the euros and england don't have a permanent captain or manager, and fans' optimism seems to be at an all time low: who can save us from another miserable summer? the bookies' favourite is harry redknapp, who seems a popular choice with most fans and would obviously relish the opportunity to manage his country. everybody is crying out for an english manager but personally i don't think this is deathly important - steve mclaren was appointed simply on the basis of him being english and his reign in charge ended in bitter disappointment. jose mourinho would be perfect for the job - he has respect from all the players, promotes a great style of football and is a proven winner in club football, maybe its time to test himself in the international game. he is on the verge of winning la liga with real madrid (and potentially, even the champions league too?), would he want to leave for the 'nightmare' job: a job where you're constantly under pressure, when part time england fans are calling for your head after just one poor result?

whoever the fa appoint, their first job will be to choose an england captain and i believe, they should no look no further than scott parker. the ultimate role model for team mates and fans alike: calm, collected, inspirational, passionate and likely to be in the side every game. steven gerrard would be next in line as vice captain (i'm not going to include ferdinand in the list of canditates for captaincy: he has shown no interest in becoming england captain again and his attitude towards playing for his country leaves a bitter taste in one's mouth) but due to injury and input from his club: rarely seems to wear the three lions anymore. joe hart would be a reliable choice too, a regular fixture in the team and one of england's best players. however he himself, has shrugged off speculation regarding him being given the captain's armband. ashley cole is the most capped player in the side but i'm sure cole would acknowledge himself that he isn't captain material. wayne rooney , argubably england's important player, has expressed an interest in becoming a possible england captain but his temper and past events will always count against him.
ultimately, there is only one selected captain but to be a major force in international football, you need leaders in all positions.

from the outside looking in, the fa and the english national team could be mistaken for being part of a soap opera: there's always arguing and disagreements, people getting involved in a number of scandals and inevitably, never a dull moment.

a nightmare in the UAE: england in a spin.

after an exhilarating and eventful summer which saw england climb to number one in the icc test rankings, they were back in action against a much changed pakistan from the side they faced in 2010 (no mention of spot fixing here please). with the exception of series in bangladesh, england's recent record in asia is woeful and this series did not come close to changing those alarming statistics. the players, staff and fans were obviously aware of the challenge posed by pakistan but it is unlikely anyone could have predicted what would happen over the next three weeks. DRS was expected to play a huge role and that it did - with a record 34 lbw decisions in a three match series. for the majority, the umpiring was fantastic and this was proved in the lack of decisions overturned when a review was requested. technology is to help the umpires, not to undermine them in any way.

1st test - dubai - pakistan win by ten wickets:
england were left humiliated after a comprehensive pakistan victory within three days at the dubai international cricket stadium. england won the toss and elected to bat first. the team news announced at the toss had been eagerly anticipated as many expected england to opt for a second spinner after monty panesar's great performances in the warm up matches. in the end, chris tremlett was selected over the second spin option and steven finn. saeed ajmal tore through the england batting line up taking career best figures of 7-55. england lost their first seven wickets for just 94 and matthew prior's seventy not out, the only highlight on the batting scorecard, that saved england from total embarrassment. all out for 192 was a huge disappointment to the english fans who had witnessed great batting performances over the summer and in australia last winter but the conditions suited the pakistan bowlers, especially the spinners - not just ajmal but part time bowler hafeez and left arm spin option (a must inclusion due to kevin pietersen's presence for england), rehman also impressing. the pakistani batsmen took control of the game after a great opening partnership of 114 before stuart broad bowled taufeeq umar, not long after azhar ali became his next victim. captain misbah-ul-haq and adnan akmal provided more runs before pakistan's long tail were wrapped up by broad and swann.
the england batsmen needed a better collective batting performance to keep alive their chances of winning the first test. however england's second innings started disastrously when they lost captain, andrew strauss early on. by the drink's break mid way through the afternoon session, england were 35-4 and in danger of losing their first test match as number one in the world. trott and morgan looked as if they could steer england to safety but they were removed by rehman and gul. after losing matt prior to the ever threatening ajmal for four, it appeared as if england would lose by innings but after useful runs from broad, swann and surprisingly, number eleven james anderson - england ensured pakistan would have to bat again but only set them fifteen to win. as expected pakistan's openers had no trouble reaching this target and achieved it within four overs.

2nd test - abu dhabi - pakistan win by 72 runs:
this was a must win game for england to save the series and needed a much better performance after the disappointment in dubai. due to a recurring back injury, chris tremlett was sent home to recover and monty panesar was selected as his replacement after the success of the pakistan spinners in the first game. pakistan won the toss and as expected, chose to bat first. yet again, broad was the pick of the england bowlers as they restricted pakistan to 257. misbah-ul-haq top scored with 84 from 173balls, which included four sixes. again england lost andrew strauss cheaply in their first innings but a crucial partnership between jonathan trott and alastair cook (top scoring with 94, falling just short of yet another century). a mini collapse occured - pietersen, bell, morgan and prior all falling without making valuable contributions. a lively fifty eight from stuart broad added to his great start to the series and helped england achieve a first innings lead of 70.
monty panesar fully justified his place in the team as he recorded great figures of 6-62 as only one pakistan batsman (azhar ali: 62) reached fifty. pakistan were all out for 214 and england were set 145 to win: a hard target for a side who had looked short of convincing in spin friendly conditions but again, the best side in the world is expected to overcome such challenges. england had the evening session and a further day to reach their target yet didn't take the game into a day five - the scorecard did not make pleasant viewing for anyone connected with the english cricket team. supporters could only watch behind their hands as england were crushed by a combination of abdul rehman and saeed ajmal: all out for seventy two with only two batsmen making it to double figures (strauss and prior scoring 32 and 18). the middle order drastically collapsed, kevin pietersen falling to left arm spin - which despite pietersen fiercly denying, it is apparent he does have an issue with left arm spin and won't be resolved unless he admits it to himself. argubably england's best players of spin, bell and morgan had again disappointed as people began to question whether they should be in the team for the next match. a lot of their problems against saeed ajmal are purely physiological - once it gets into your head that a bowler is unplayable, to score significant runs off them is almost mission impossible. england had lost the series and just after the dramatic end to the match, it was confirmed if pakistan were to beat england 3-0 and if south africa beat new zealand by the same scoreline on their next scheduled score: england would lose their number one status.

3rd test - dubai - pakistan win by 71 runs
and pakistan secure series whitewash...
with only pride at stake (and the small matter of ensuring our number one status), england were back in dubai with an unchanged team, despite coach flower promising to replace out of form players - an over ambitious statment somewhat as the whole batting line up was clearly out of nick and lacking confidence. pakistan won the toss and of course, elected to bat. a combination of devestating bowling from england, in particular anderson and broad, and poor batting from pakistan saw them all out for 99 - the perfect start for england in a match they were even more desperate to win. however, all the bowler's superb work and fantastic performances were yet again cancelled out by another disappointing batting performances from the tourists. all out 141, a promising partnership between strauss and pietersen gave england hope before the latter succumbed to the left arm spin of rehman, again. rehman took 5-40 as england only secured a lead of 42, which was hardly what england fans would have expected after bowling the opposition out for a modest 99. before the start of the series, younis khan was said to be pakistan's main batting threat and up until the second day of the third test, had had a very quiet series. after losing the two openers cheaply, pakistan supporters could have been forgiven for being concerned that they wouldn't captalise on another poor england performance.
by early afternoon in dubai, six wickets had already fallen (with sixteen falling on the first day) but strangely, not another fell for the rest of day two and half the morning session of day three: azhar ali (157) and younis khan (127) batted superbly and were the first two scorers of a century in the series - surprising seeing as we were all told tales of long, high scoring, dramatic games in the UAE. monty panesar and graeme swann took care of pakistan's tail but most felt as if the damage had already been done: pakistan set england 324 to win, incredibly difficult for a side who hadnt reached 300 throughout the series. a solid opening partnership of 48 from cook and strauss, was important to england who had regularly lost early wickets in every innings so far. however strauss was trapped lbw to rehman on 26 and cook provided some resistence with a crucial 49, before becoming another one of saeed ajmal's victims. cook had already been dropped twice in the innings with pakistan's fielding looking scruffy for argubably the first time in the series. despite useful runs from morgan and prior: england were well and truly beaten, all out for 252.

pakistan had dominated this series and deserved nothing less than a 3-0 victory: they had out-batted and out-bowled england throughout, saeed ajmal deservedly picking up man of the series. now onto the one day series, another tricky prospect for the three lions.