To select or not to select Ramps, that is the question!

Ah, the thought of seeing Ramps gracing the stage for one final shot at redemption just fills my heart up with joy!

Yes, I have to make a confession here. I am a true romantic, one of those many people like The Times’ John Woodcock, Wisden Editor Scyld Berry and many more.

Though I was a huge supporter of England during their home series against India in 2007, I kept egging on Anil Kumble to get his maiden Test century in the last test. I didn’t have cable at that time, so the only way that I could really follow the match live was through the BBC Test Match Special commentary. I literally jumped off my chair and was punching the air when the commentator said that Kumble got his century.

I did see Ramprakash dancing in Strictly Come Dancing, where he won, and it was quite amazing. One of the judges, a 50-something woman called Arlene Phillips, was unbashedly praising him to the point of making him blush! :O

That just increased my desire to see Ramps for one last time on the international stage.

However, there is a realist lurking within me who keeps saying “That guy is mentally frail, can’t really rise to the ocassion”. Though the romantic in me tries to diss him, he does realise that it’s true, and there are a number of reasons.

The first is the fact that, for most of his career, he has been playing in the second Division of the County Championship where, as many will know, the standard of bowling is not the very best in the country. A good example is Philip Hughes. He had entered the Ashes with a reputation as big as the Beatles and has now been kicked into a corner by the selectors.

He did make quite a lot of runs (averaging more than 100 in 5 or so matches, if I’m not mistaken) in the County Championship, as well as in the FP trophy matches but was found wanting against international-level bowlers.

Another point that the realist makes is that Ramps did go about 4 – 6 matches without a century when he was on 99 first-class centuries as the spotlight was firmly on him (due to the fact that he could possibly be the last member of this ‘club’). However, after he finally got the 100th hundred, he continued his run-spree, showing that pressure still does get to his head.

As I write this, first BBC and then Cricinfo say that Jonathan Trott is more likely to replace Bopara, while Bell (who’s going to make his Test Debut for the 49th time) will be pushed up to No.3, a position in which he has been an utter failure.

So there goes mine and many other people’s hopes (including that of Alec Stewart and Chris Adams) of Ramps getting a final sojourn, but it was all fun while it lasted!

Advertisement

Hughes falls down to earth with a ‘Harmison’!

Was watching the start of the Aussie 2nd innings yesterday and was quite surprised by how Harmison was really giving it to Phil Hughes with the short stuff.

I hadn’t watched him play before but, from what I’d read, he was supposed to be the next Sir Don with his crazy run scoring against SA as well as for Middlesex. I did notice the fact that he was scoring centuries for fun across 2 formats, so I was quite impressed.

However, what I say yesterday was surprising. I mean, here’s Harmison, stuffing it to him with the short balls. Why didn’t anyone else in the county circuit or SA think about this?

He clearly doesn’t have a leg-side game and it’s quite shocking! It’s like how I can’t play table-tennis with my forehand! There’s only so far that you can go by being able to play on only one side. I did come a cropper when coming to SL, the table tennis players at the school here being much better than what I’d encountered in ‘the foreign land’.

The worst part is that the Ashes is definitely no place to start testing out things. It’s like asking a private to try out different styles of shooting the enemy while he’s on the battlefield.

However, England should not get over-obsessed with Hughes because Katich seems to be silently accumulating runs. Add to that North, Hussey, Clarke and Johnson, and you have a formidable line-up..

Coming to SL cricket, the Summer of Cricket starts with the first day of the first test against Pakistan at Galle. The next 80 days promises to be really cool with 5 tests, 12 ODIs and 3 T20Is in store, so, BRING IT ON!

Cricinfo can really be stupid at times…

..by putting a news like ‘Hughes seeks advice from Waugh’ as the main news…

Jeez…

What the fuck is so great about that?

Okay, he gets advice from ‘The Ice Man’, but does it really impact anyone (other than the Poms)?

It should have been at the bottom of the page rather on the very top…

However, I should say that Cricket365 really takes a humorous view of issues and is very informal, thereby making you feel more at home…

However, nothing can beat Som’s Doosra, who really takes the mickey out of any issue that crops up in cricket…really does a lot to relieve the tension in cricket..:)

England have a…

….rat’s chance in hell of winning the Ashes!

Honestly, looking back to the SA tour to Australia, I thought that we might see a repeat of that series, but it now looks all bleak. Aussies are soaring sky high and don’t seem to have a limit (Mitch Johnson becomes an all-rounder, Hughes is super reliable, Sizzle gets better, the list is endless…), while England are going down, down and down! With KP deciding that he wants to have his wife for long tours, it just shows how unsatisfied he is with the whole dumping thing of him, and it really isn’t going to help as it’s a well-known fact that he is England’s ace card!

Amazing….truly amazing!

Regular readers of my blog would’ve noticed that I tended to have a hardline stance against Australia. All that was for a reason.

Now, I can do nothing but sit back and admire the Aussies!

I mean, this is the same team that we thought was disintegrating, and would have an extensive rebuilding period.

But, the rebuilding seems to be over!

Siddle sizzled, Johnson rocked, and McD and Hilfy supported the two extremely well.

Kato comes in with his lollipops and snares the lower order completely.

Truly amazing, I have to say. Kudos to Punter for a good job done. Looks like he’s enjoying having some youngsters out with him rather than a dad’s army, which he had for most of his captaincy career.

Let’s not forget Hughes, who first became the youngest Aussie test centurion in 43 years and then the youngest man to make twin hundreds in a match. The lad looks good, and he might be a long – term fixture. Perhaps it would be a good idea to slot him in the limited overs side with Haddin.

Meanwhile, the Saffers have rung in some changes with McKenzie and Morkel being given the boot. This could possibly be the end of McKenzie’s career @ 33, but not so for Morne, who’s just about 23. I feel it’s a bit too harsh on him considering that he had just 2 bad test. Anyhowz, that’s life.

In his place, the explosive centurion in the tour game, Imraan Khan, comes in, while Prince makes a return as captain in place of Smith. Wayne Parnell has also been brought in, so it will be a tussle between Albie Morkel and Parnell for Morne’s spot.

Quite funny for Prince, isn’t it? Couldn’t get a spot in the side, and now he’s the skipper!