Tag Archives: england

England complete remarkable ICC World Cup comeback over South Africa

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England beat South Africa by six runs

Another one bites the dust...

It’s quite something that even though England have enjoyed a very successful few years at Test, one day and even Twenty20 level I still feel a sense of doom and gloom when they take to the field. More often than not it’s unfounded but then, like in the defeat to Ireland, my faith in my pessimism is restored.

When Strauss and Pietersen walked out to face South Africa in the small hours of Sunday morning I was watching and the doom and gloom was with me. Six balls later I sat unhappily smug as South Africa’s own Peterson removed both openers in the first over.

Despite a stand of 99 from Trott and the immaculate Bopara, England were bowled out without playing their 50 overs for just 171. My smug dissatisfaction grew and continued to do so when South Africa sat comfortably at 124-3.

Why, though, do I feel this way when England have demonstrated on so many occasions that really, they are never beaten (or victorious) until the final ball is bowled?

England duly took four wickets in five overs and, crucially, for just three runs. The wickets were shared out, Broad taking four, Anderson two and one apiece for Bresnan, Swann and Yardy but the pick was surely Broad, his four coming in just 6.4 overs and for 15 runs. England, in the end, won by six tight runs.

Winning the Ashes Down Under was a fantastic achievement but, typical of us English, we put it down to a much diminished Australian side rather than the brilliance and talent of our own men. There can be no such claims for this game, South Africa with the ball were outstanding, as too were England. It’s just that England were just plain better on the day.

It’s the fact that I doubt anyone expected them to be that is odd. Ok, England are very capable of shooting themselves in the foot still – I bring you back to the Ireland defeat as a perfect case in point – but overall it really is about time they were given the creedit and confidence they deserve, by me and many others.

The question now is whether or not they can win this World Cup. Good enough? Yes. Likely to throw it away with one bad performance? Possibly. Sensational to watch? No question.

The thrilling draw with India, the desperate but failed attempt to hold back Ireland and Kevin O’Brien in particular and now this incredible victory over South Africa. There is no better team to watch in this tournament, that’s for sure.

No World Cup? Cheer yourselves up with The Ashes

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Jimmy Anderson

Anderson takes 4 as England take charge against Australia in Adelaide

Yeah, ok, England didn’t win the right to host the World Cup in 2018 and it may be due to corruption, bribery, the English media, the BBC in particular or David Cameron. We’re all down about it as we’ll have to wait even longer to bring the game ‘home’. But cheer yourselves up!

In the Southern Hemisphere a little band of Englishman (and South Africans) is doing something that hasn’t been done for quite some time – competing and potentially winning against the Aussies at cricket.

In the first Ashes Test in Brisbane England salvaged a draw by putting in an innings of true brilliance, scoring 517-1 to post a target Australia had little hope of reaching in the time left. Captain Andrew Strauss led the way with 110 before falling, Jonathan Trott stepped in to score an unbeaten 135 not out but it was Alistair Cook who stole the show with an unprecedented 235 not out at the Gabba.

Confidence was high going into the second Test in Adelaide then and so it has proved after the first day. Just a few hours ago Australia were bowled out for just 245 on a wicket traditionally known for being batting-friendly. The England bowlers have followed on from where their batting counterparts left of in Brisbane, Jimmy Anderson showing that his game has improved immeasurably by finding wickets – 4-51 off 19 overs with four maidens – while Swann looked like he was returning to form with two wickets, Finn and Broad each grabbing one themselves.

If Strauss, Cook and Trott can retain their form from the first Test this wicket holds much for them and another 500+ innings beckons. At the moment, though it’s early days, things are looking decidedly good in Australia for England so put your World Cup blues behind you and instead get behind a successful English team. It’ll cheer you up, I promise!

Russia outbid England for 2018 World Cup

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After a long, drawn out, ultimately boring build up England’s hopes of hosting the 2018 World Cup were dashed when Sepp Blatter announced that Russia had won the race.

Russia

English hearts sank well before Blatter opened the envelope, however, as Twitter made the presentation a mockery by breaking the news some 10 minutes before – albeit in an ‘unconfirmed’ manner.

Prince William was reported as looking glum while Roman Abramovich smiled knowingly, Sky Sports News got a hammering for all their coverage by any journalist you care to name – despite the fact those same journalists were doing the same thing via a different medium, the English media blamed the English media for England’s failure and many, many off the cuff jokes were Tweeted.

This is the second time Twitter has effectively ruined a supposedly massive announcement in football. The last time was Capello’s squad for the World Cup in South Africa. The world is too fast for long winded presentations. As some wag put it on Twitter (of course), they might as well do what they do at school and post it up on the canteen noticeboard.

The 2022 World Cup went to Qatar, by the way, but nobody seemed to care about that. They will when they realise it is a punishable offence to drink alcohol or be drunk in public…

On a personal note, I’m gutted England lost, I do feel we had the best bid and are best equipped to host the event. We’re not great at politics, though, and no matter what anyone says, the Panorama investigation into Fifa won’t have helped. At least it went to Russia, though, as they should benefit from it more than Spain and Portugal or Holland and Belgium would have.

There’s the small matter of 2014 to come yet anyway. Roll on, Brazil.

I’ll leave you with this thought from @CanadianMike101:

“Brazil will host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. Russia will host the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2018 World Cup. Unfair?”

[VIDEO] World Cup 2018 Bidding Presentations

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Lord Triesman and David Beckham

Beckham delivers our World Cup bid - seems a long time ago now...

England, Spain-Portugal, Russia and Holland-Belgium have now all submitted their final presentations to Fifa’s executive committee and the wait is on to find out which way the voting will go in determining who will host the 2018 World Cup. It really is too close to call, but I think Holland-Belgium are out of it, Russia remain strong dark horses and it is between England and the joint Iberian bid.

Viewing the presentations, England’s was by far the strongest. It was passionate and emotional and in no way conceited. Russia’s struck me as honest and equally as passionate but their whole bid has lacked substance for me. The Iberian presentation chose to focus rather heavily on the English media and their recent witch hunt at Fifa, not least the Panorama investigation recently aired on the BBC. I found this distasteful – but I’m not sure Fifa will. The Belgium-Holland presentation was good – Gullit and Cruyff are perfect and obvious choices to front it and will have impressed Fifa, no doubt. But…not a strong enough bid, I don’t think.

It’s between England and Spain-Portugal and the result is far from certain.

Take a look at the individual presentations yourself and see who you think may have edged it.

England’s World Cup 2018 Final Presentation
Featuring Prince William, Prime Minister David Cameron and David Beckham

Belgium-Netherlands World Cup 2018 Final Presentation
Featuring Ruud Gullit and Johan Cruyff

Russia’s World Cup 2018 Final Presentation
Featuring Andrey Arshavin and Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov

Spain-Portugal World CUp 2018 Final Presentation
Featuring Portugal Prime Minister José Sócrates and Spanish President José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero

The final decision on who will get to host the 2018 World Cup will be made by Fifa at 15.00 (BST) / 16.00 (CET) approximately.

Is Andy Carroll a future England legend…or a one cap wonder?

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Andy CarrollNewcastle striker Andy Carroll will make his England debut in less than 30 minutes after a promising start to the season and in spite of a groin injury and his well documented off field discretions.

So is he a future England legend, as so many hacks, former pros and Newcastle fans have said, or will he be a one cap wonder as many cynics have suggested? In all probability he will be somewhere in between, as far better better players than he have proved to be. I give you Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney as examples. Ooh, controversial.

Most of the talk surrounding Carroll is not of his ability and potential but of his private life and how that is currently messing up his career. That’s fair enough, it’s true. Capello has offered him a lifeline and a warning, as I’m sure Chris Hughton would if he wasn’t more worried about his own future as Newcastle manager.

But what of his actual talent? He’s done well so far for Newcastle, of that there is no doubt. However, I saw Carroll play at Old Trafford and while he caused problems for Manchester United’s defence in a physical sense – and he wasn’t half sneakily dirty for one so young too – his footballing ability was left lacking.

For me, Carroll can finish. He is strong. He is tall. He is brave. That’s not bad for a striker is it. Except, apart from the finishing, he is a young Emile Heskey. And as we all know, Capello likes a Heskey.

That’s not enough at international level though. Look at Spain. No battering ram, just a supremely skilful squad. At club level Carroll, I’m sure, will do well. At international level he will prove to be a disappointment. Or he’ll prove me wrong and go on to play 100 times and score over 50 goals. But who believes that? Do you?

England’s Ashes Squad Assessed

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The Ashes Urn

Small, innit! But means a lot to England and Australia

With the Ashes Series just 12 days away it’s a good time to look at the squad England have taken to Australia to attempt to retain the urn so brilliantly won in 2009 at the Oval.

Winning at home is one thing, winning in the Aussies own back yard is quite another and the squad picked and preparations done in the run up to the first Test on Thursday 25th November at the Gabba are vital.

So far the warm up matches have gone well and England’s players look in good form. Confidence appears high at the moment but it could all change when that first ball is bowled. Can England captain Andrew Strauss instill the confidence required in his men?

Andrew Strauss (Captain)

Strauss is far and away the best leader England have had in quite a long time. His ability with the bat and tactical mind will be tested to the full but it’s his ability to lead that makes him stand out as a vital – if not the vital – man in the squad. When the going is tough, as it surely will be in Australia, he is the perfect man to gee up his troops, rally them and keep them going.

With the bat he is quality, capable of scoring big yet calm enough to take his time if required. Going into an Ashes series away from home, Strauss is the captain you’d want to follow.

Alistair Cook (Vice-Captain)

There’s no doubting his talent, but Cook has had a tough time over the last 12-18 months, and he needs to bring consistency to his game. That said, if he is in form he will be a player the Aussies will fear. A century in the last warm up game against South Australia indicates he is hitting form at just the right time but there will be harder tests ahead, a fact that Andrew Strauss admitted to himself after the drawn match. Cook needs to retain his confidence now.

James Anderson

Has grown into an awesome bowler and has the ability to take the wicket of any batsman in world cricket. He will find it tougher in Australia with the Kookaburra ball swinging less than our version, but if he can find his line and length and tease something from it then he’ll do well. Confidence is sometimes an issue with Anderson so when things aren’t going his way he’ll need to remain positive and Strauss will have to keep him going.

Ian Bell

Bell’s form is an up and down one for sure and injury has kept his appearances limited in recent months. He’ll be called upon from the off though and if he is on a peak and not in a trough then you’ll see runs from the guy. He seems to be a lot more confident in his own abilities these days too, so if he keeps that going he could prove one of England’s key men. Or he could lose it, flop and not score a run. That’s the way it is with Bell.

Tim Bresnan

A relative newcomer to the England Test scene, Bresnan is not likely to start the first Test unless there are injuries to England’s first choice attack. He has proved very capable with the ball, however, and is in the squad on merit. Bresnan needs to make sure he stays sharp if he finds himself sitting on the bench for the majority of the Tour because it’s rare that a team doesn’t suffer at least one injury.

Stuart Broad

Without doubt one of England’s key players and could be considered the deciding factor in the team winning the Ashes in 2009 with a five wicket haul at the Oval in the final Test. A brilliant bowler who will be used a lot against Australia’s batsmen. He will definitely need to be in form if England are to retain the urn this year. Really looking forward to seeing what he can do Down Under.

Paul Collingwood

We’ve already said that things will not be easy for England in Australia but if there is one man you want to rely on in such circumstances it’s Paul Collingwood. Strong with the bat, a brilliant fielder and can way in on the bowling front too, he’ll be a lynchpin. His form is actually poor at the moment but Collingwood relishes a challenge and plays so much better under pressure than not. Another one of Strauss’ key players.

Steven Davies (Wicketkeeper)

Davies will play understudy to Matt Prior behind the stumps and won’t be called upon unless Prior suffers injury. If he is required though, he’ll bring huge talent with the bat and decent skills with the gloves. He’s managed to oust Craig Kieswetter in the one day form of the game, so he might well be deserving of his place in the Ashes squad.

Steven Finn

Young but mature, Finn is a tall fast bowler that can do a lot with the ball. He’s played himself into the Test side and continues to play to stay there, despite a couple of other very good bowlers pushing him hard, not least Chris Tremlett. As a partner for any of the bowlers in the attack his role will be vital in trying to bowl the Aussies out and keep runs at a premium.

Eoin Morgan

Morgan is considered the seventh batsmen for a squad of six and this bugs me. He has proven on more than one occasion that he is capable of stepping up and playing well in a variety of circumstances. If, as is expected, he is left out of the team for the first Test I’ll be bitterly disappointed, especially as there are other, bigger name admittedly, batsmen who don’t deserve to start right now. I fully expect Morgan to force his way into the first time during the series though. He could prove the difference if things are tight.

Monty Panesar

A surprise inclusion for me, Monty has been absent from the Test scene for a while and is very unlikely to get a look in with Graeme Swann playing so brilliantly. His temperament must also be in question – he’s been in trouble before for excessive appealing, for example, and the pressure cooker environment of an Ashes series is not where I’d like to see Panesar playing.

Kevin Pietersen

Call me controversial if you like, but I don’t want to see Pietersen start at the Gabba. I don’t doubt his awesome ability, he is one of the world’s best batsmen, but consistency hasn’t been one of his attributes for a very long time and he frustrates me so much with the way he gets out from strong positions. He deserves to be in the squad – but Morgan should start ahead of him until proven otherwise.

Matt Prior (Wicketkeeper)

A hugely improved wicketkeeper and a fantastic batsmen at number seven, Prior is one of those you can rely on. He’ll keep wicket calmly, play unselfishly and can score runs fast late on if it’s required. He’ll be a mainstay of the team and one of Strauss’ unofficial vice captains I think. Should England lose him to injury it would be a massive blow – that’s how important he has become.

Graeme Swann

The second best bowler in the world as it stands, Swann’s ability to bowl consistent, often devastating spin will be one of England’s main weapons against the Aussies and they will, even if they don’t admit it, fear him the most. He has, on occasion, proven quite handy with the bat too, and is one of the main reasons that England are so strong batting right down the line. England’s most important player? There’s a case for it.

Chris Tremlett

England had something of an injury scare in the run up to the Ashes when Jimmy Anderson broke a rib. The man responsible? Tremlett. His power and pace is awesome and he’ll be pushing Finn and perhaps even the aforementioned Anderson for their places. It’s a level of competition that England need in the bowling attack and Tremlett is actually a vital part of the squad, even if he doesn’t play.

Jonathan Trott

Like Collingwood, Trott’s ability to play under pressure is what makes him stand out from the crowd. He is unflappable and very consistent in scoring runs, vital to winning any Test match, let alone an Ashes Test. He takes his time when playing too, which will frustrate the Aussies a lot and no doubt lead to some verbals on the pitch. Trott will enjoy that as much as he does hitting fours and sixes.

So that’s the squad and for me it is well balanced with enough competition for places to keep all the players on their toes. Is it strong enough to retain the Ashes Down Under? On that I’m not so sure, but I think it is the squad with the best chance of doing so. Much will depend on the Australia squad and their level of confidence going into the series, of course, but it does promise to be an epic one.

What do you reckon? Can England win in the Southern Hemisphere or is it a step too far for them?

Capello’s defensive decisions made easy

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Rio Ferdinand

To play him or not to play him? Rio Ferdinand starts anyway.

Seems to me every time an international break rolls round the media enjoy a “Who will be selected?” funfest, usually finding at least one position contentious.

Then all that speculation is proved unnecessary and pointless by withdrawals due to injuries and personal problems.

England manager Fabio Capello seems to ‘get lucky’ with this, avoiding the alleged decision through misfortune. Well, he’s done it again.

The issue, of course, surrounded the returning Rio Ferdinand and whether or not he should start ahead of the impressive Phil Jagielka. Or even alongside him in place of John Terry…

Now both players have pulled out, leaving Ferdinand an automatic starter and Capello headache free.

Still, there’s the question over the captaincy to resolve. General consensus is that Stephen Gerrard has performed the task well in the absence of the Manchester United defender and I have to agree.

However, not at any point has Ferdinand been stripped of the captaincy, therefore if he plays he wears the armband. I’m pretty sure Gerrard knows and understands this. Not that tricky a question after all, is it.

For what it’s worth, had there been no injuries to Jagielka and Terry then Ferdinand should have been left on the bench.

Not because of doubts over his fitness or form, simply because the other two have earned the right to keep their places and Rio should have to fight his way back in.

It’s as simple as that. So why can’t the media – and a succession of England managers – understand it?

Davies selection highlights lack of quality in depth

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Kevin DaviesThe selection of Bolton striker Kevin Davies by Fabio Capello for the upcoming European Championship qualifier against Montenegro tells me just one thing – England lack any real quality in depth.

I’m not saying Davies doesn’t deserve his call up before any Bolton Wanderers fans get on my case, but no-one can tell me he is really international class, let alone world class.

What it does show is that in the absence of only really above average strikers like Defoe, Agbonlahor and Zamora we can only turn to a 33 year old who has spent most of his career being used as a battering ram. England’s real problem is that for all the hype and media driven reputations of certain players you can count on one hand the number of truly world class players and still have fingers to spare.

Right now only Stephen Gerrard and Wayne Rooney deserve to be considered for that category and even they aren’t managing to live up to the name. Around them are good players – not great, just good – and players with potential. Most people’s first choice England XI contains two ‘world class’ players, six good players and three kids with huge potential. That is not, and never will be, a tournament winning team.

That said and with acceptance of the above, Davies is a good short term choice by Capello given the lack of other options. Only really Newcastle’s Andy Carroll has made a case to come in with the three others mentioned injured but, as @philmcnulty so brilliantly wrote in his latest blog, “Capello has made it clear he will not indulge flavours of the month in favour of the more pragmatic selection“.

Rooney, Darren Bent and Peter Crouch are not in the same mould as Davies, they can’t play the battering ram role he has performed so admirably for years now. Capello’s former favourite for the position, Emile Heskey, has refused to come out of retirement (thank God), so Davies is the only choice.

As McNulty also pointed out in his blog, to consider Davies only a target man is to do him a disservice. He would not have lasted so long in the top flight – and played no small part in keeping Bolton there at the same time – without more than a modicum of skill. That it has often been overlooked due to his more obvious talent of harassing and occasionally battering defenders into submission is hardly surprising, but it is nevertheless there.

His strike rate in front of goal is also better than Heskey’s…in fact, when you think about it, it’s a wonder Davies is only getting is first proper call up at 33, though he has been in provisional squads in the past.

Should Montenegro prove a tough nut to crack, Davies is the ideal player to turn to. No, he won’t start the game, the honour of partnering Rooney will go to the in-form Darren Bent, and rightly so, but you can bet he’ll be ready should he be needed.

In the meantime, Capello and us supporters must accept that England and the players available for selection are just above average – and no better. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, these things are cyclical, but it will be a lot harder to become contenders if we keep deceiving ourselves that we already are.

The likes of Kevin Davies are perfectly good enough to do a job at the level we’re at and I hope Capello and the supporters give him the chance to do so.

Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff: A Colourful Career

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Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff, England’s most charismatic all-rounder since Sir Ian Botham, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket this past week after it became clear that his damaged knee would never again hold up to the rigours of competitive cricket.

For fans of Flintoff and cricket in general it was a sad day. Despite the fact the timing of his announcement was met with cynical derision by certain people (Charlie Sale for one!), I choose to focus on the positives. First of all, we’ll not see Freddie struggle to make comeback after comeback only to break down and suffer bitter disappointment. For me, he’s made the right decision, for him and us as cricket fans.

We can now focus on the good he did in the game – and the bad he did off the wicket too, if we’re to be fair and balanced. So I’m going to pick five ‘highlights’ from his career that I remember fondly, starting with that last Ashes competition in 2009.

On the last day of the fifth Test at the Oval Australia captain Ricky Ponting was proving his usual stubborn self with the bat. Australia were still in with a shout of winning the match and the Ashes. Right up until Flintoff ran him out with a superb throw of the ball on 66. It was right that a moment of inspiration from Freddie contributed to vitory and ultimately, England winning the Ashes.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvh-rh3S7hM[/youtube]

Of course, it was the Ashes in 2005 that made Flintoff a real England hero, especially when he bowled a sensational over – often described as the greatest over ever – that took the wickets of Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting. There’s no way to describe it that does it justice, so just watch it.

Genius. But what makes Freddie as popular as he is is not just his cricket, it’s his personality. Fun-loving, entertaining and occasionally fallible, he appears to be one of us. Speaking of entertaining, check out this sledging during a Test against the West Indies and especially that of batsmen Tino Best – he basically talks him into giving up his wicket! “Mind the windows, Tino!”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1NFbVx0uN8[/youtube]

Back to the cricket though, and his first hat trick. Again, it’s the West Indies on the receiving end as they chase 49 from 29 balls in a one day international in 2009. Freddie gets hit for four and then goes on a rampage. Bowled, LBW, bowled. Lovely stuff.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftjRR6j6C98[/youtube]

You can’t talk about Flintoff without mentioning his drunken behaviour. He’d probably prefer I didn’t, but it was one of those things that made us like him, made us feel like he was one of us. Who wouldn’t go get smashed after winning the Ashes for example? Alright, we might not all go out and steal a pedalo in St Lucia, but hey, that’s Freddie! That picture of him celebrating in the dressing room in 2005 with a cigar sums him up.

Freddie Flintoff

Finally, an iconic image from the 2005 Ashes again that showed the softer side of Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff. Australia lose the Test at Edgbaston by just two runs and as the England team and fans celebrate deliriously Flintoff ambles over to console a distraught Brett Lee. Lee, who had just scored a gutsy 43, was down on his haunches. Flintoff sank down next to him and shook his hand. It was, frankly, a beautiful moment.

Flintoff and Lee

There are hundreds more moments from Flintoff’s career that could have made this article. It was pretty difficult picking my favourite five and looking around the net I see that several others have chosen much the same, mostly relating to the Ashes series of 2005 and 2009. And why not? Freddie was “Mr Ashes” as well as an England superstar.

When people look back through the record books Flintoff’s stats will not put him up there with the very best all-rounders to be honest – an average of 32 with the bat and 33 with the ball in Tests is not all that brilliant – but Flintoff is more than just a cricketer. He’s a character and I hope the rumours of him forging a television career are true.

Personally, I’d love to see him commentating alongside Botham or Boycott. Either would be a dream team for me. For now, though, I’ll just wish Freddie all the best for the future and thank him for the memories. Cheers, fella, here’s to you.

Nobby Stiles ‘sadly’ selling his World Cup medal

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Nobby StilesIt’s usually a sad day when an ex-footballer ends up auctioning off his medals, caps and shirts. It usually signals that the man in question has fallen on hard times and, though reluctant to do so, is forced to cash in on his precious, prized memories.

Not so in Nobby’s case. Though I may find it sad that he’s taken this decision, he’s made it for the good of his family:

“It was always my intention to leave the entire collection to my children. But I have three sons – how do you fairly divide up this sort of collection between them? They have each selected some pieces they would like to keep for themselves.

“I’m as patriotic as the next Englishman and will always cherish my memories and the friendships I made in my playing days, but at this stage of my life I would rather have some control over the distribution of my memorabilia and know that my family will benefit.”

You can’t argue with that. You’d be a heartless bastard if you did. What it does mean is that there are pieces of real footballing history, both English and Manchester United-related, that are up for grabs for those with deep pockets and, I hope, a real appreciation for such things.

It is to be hoped that the World Cup medal, for example, ends up in the hands of someone with a passion for the game and for England. If it ends up sat in a dark room, never to be looked at and admired, owned by someone who just wanted the prestige of owning it without knowing what it means…that would be a tragedy.

Nobby Stiles won’t care. He’s putting his family first. The rest of us should. The Machester United-related items should, as someone said on Twitter today, really be bought by Manchester United for the museum. Let the public see it, look after one of their own and ensure the items are looked after properly.

That won’t happen though. Sadly.

For me, the one item above all else that I’d love to have from the auction is his shirt from the 1968 European Cup final against Benfica. Not the medal, the shirt. That’s the shirt he sweated blood in to help win us that first European Cup. How good would that be?

So…can anyone lend me about £50,000? If not, and you have it, snap it up yourself. You won’t regret owning it. Just make sure you look after it.

Pakistan cricket cheats should get more than life ban

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ICC LogoPut aside the ineffectual attempts by the ICC to remove corruption from cricket, ignore Lord Condon’s warnings regarding Asian betting syndicates and their influence and even allow the disturbing accusations that players’ families were threatened to pass and you are left with only one thing really – that three Pakistan players cheated for personal gain (allegedly).

Innocent until proven guilty is right and proper and as such the remaining games of the tour should go ahead. Those three under suspicion should not play a part simply because it would cast doubt on any result but they shouldn’t be prematurely pilloried by the public or press. They may be innocent.

However, if they are found guilty they should receive far more than a lifetime international ban. They should not be allowed to play professional cricket of any kind ever again and they should be prosecuted and jailed. Harsh? Damn right. How else will the message that corruption and cheating will not be tolerated get through not only to players but those influencing them?

I wrote a piece about corruption in sport a while back in which I pointed out the rather obvious fact that the more money there is in sport the more corruption there will be. Cricket and Hanse Cronje in particular were touched upon.

The introduction of Twenty20 cricket and the Indian Premier League have only increased the opportunity for shady characters to influence results and incidents.

The fact that this latest scandal has hit Test cricket is odd but hardly surprising. The question now is what can and will be done about it?

The three players in question – Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir – have been charged and suspended, yes, but how they are going to be investigated is what concerns me. Clearly the ICC did little last time despite Condon’s warnings and their public announcements of non-tolerance are hollow.

I think they worry too much about the public image of cricket. To undergo a thorough and likely damning investigation right across the sport would tarnish it, of that there is no doubt. But surely it is better to do that now than to have every result in doubt forever?!

A clean sport would receive far more public support than one suffering from even a suspicion of corruption. Right now, the cricket watching public are disgusted. It can’t go on.

It has to start with the ICC taking a stand now, in conjunction with the police and other authorities in every cricketing nation. Arrests, prosecutions and jailing should take place and that HAS to include the players found guilty too. Often sportsmen get away with actual criminal charges simply because of who they are, but that can’t continue.

Yes, the dodgy bookies and dealers need to be taught that they can’t influence sports but the players also need to learn that, whatever the related circumstances, they simply cannot agree to assist them.

As a fan of many sports, not just cricket, it would put me right off if I thought there was any chance what I was watching was somehow tainted and I would rather see my sporting heroes banged up than have the whole sport ruined.

If, for example, Ryan Giggs was found guilty of match fixing I would gladly though sadly see him punished to the fullest extent of the law. Giggs is my ultimate sporting hero. That’s how strongly I feel about it and imagine most sports fans would feel too.

So come on…let’s put a stop to this in cricket and every other sport now before the whole thing is rendered pointless. Investigate, charge, prosecute and jail. Enough is enough, especially in cricket.

Is it cos I is black?

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It’s funny how a chat in a pub can reveal things. Like potential racism in the Football Association and in previous and present England managers…

Ali GYet that’s just what cropped up last night while my mate (@BS6651) and I were discussing England strikers while watching the game against Hungary. It might sound a little farfetched. The FA and England managers racist? Surely not? But look at the evidence…

Think of some of the decent strikers in the last 20 years and many of them are black. We thought of Ian Wright, Andy Cole, Dion Dublin, Stan Collymore and more recently Darren Bent, Gaby Agbonlahor, Carlton Cole, Bobby Zamora and Jermain Defoe. Christ, even Dalian Atkinson was mentioned, though not by me!

What do they all have in common? They score(d) goals, of course, in abundance in many cases. That – and the fact that none of them have really been given a fair chance at international level. But why?

Dalian Atkinson formed a decent partnership with Dean Saunders at Aston Villa, scoring 36 goals for the club and 86 in his career. Ok, not so brilliant but not bad, not bad at all. His international reward was one cap for the England B team.

Ian Wright is an Arsenal legend of course. 128 goals in 221 games is testament to that. His career stats read 305 goals in 596 games. That is a striker of the highest quality. Why then does he have only 33 England caps, of which only 17 were starts? Any other striker with that record would have been pushing 50+ caps and have scored more than nine international goals.

Andy Cole has suffered even more. Despite a career record of 270 goals in 621 games, including League, FA Cup and Champions League winners medals (not to mention Manchester United’s unprecedented Treble in 1999), Cole has just 15 England caps, few of them as starter, and only one goal. From 1997 to 2000 he scored more than 20 League goals three seasons running. So why, again, the lack of international reward?

Stan Collymore has a less impressive record and an even worse reputation as a man. But during his pomp he was a striker to be feared. In the League alone he scored 99 goals in 251 games throughout his career, his best period playing for Nottingham Forest and Liverpool, for whom he scored 82 goals across four seasons. Number of England caps? Just three. And no goals.

Dion Dublin is less prolific but his importance on the pitch, particularly for Aston Villa, should not be underestimated – plus he has a better record than Emile Heskey, one of Capello’s recent favourites. He still scored 183 League goals in 623 games in his career and yet has only four England caps and no goals.

In more recent times, the likes of the previously mentioned Bent, Zamora, Agbonlahor and Defoe have had impressive seasons, not least Darren Bent, but all have struggled to start for their country. Defoe has had the most success with 43 caps and 12 goals so it’s perhaps unfair to say he has suffered, though he still struggles to start games. The rest really have struggled to get picked or play.

So is it cos they is black? Are the FA and successive England managers ever so slightly racist and biased towards England’s white strikers?

No, probably not. It’s far more likely the players named have been unfortunate enough to play in the same eras as Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney. But still…it makes you think. Especially when you’ve had one too many watching the current side struggle to beat Hungary!