A Captain's Cuddle

Every captain has his own style but there is something about this image that makes me uneasy , although not as uneasy as poor old Ravi.

The slap on the bum is all very well but are we ready for the mid field cuddle, or worse?

Come Back Blainey

A loss hurts and it doesn't matter if you are a minnow (Afghanistan), a sardine (Scotland), a rather fat salmon (England) or a bloody great whale (India).

John Blain's expression conveys that hurt well, as it should when you lose to The Netherlands.

But cheer up Blainey, one of the tried and true methods to avoid embarrassment is to run away, and as luck would have it the mighty New Plymouth Old Boys Cricket Club would be more than happy to welcome you back to sunny Taradise and help you forget that pain. At present there is no opening for a number three bat/captain.

Oh, and yes, Australia would be a shark.

The Captain As A Younger Man

A touch of whimsy here as a young Vaughan gazes out from the Long Room in contemplation of his first test as captain. As fate would have it, it was against those South African ruffians who were to figure so largely in the last phase of his captaincy.

Name That Field

While the minnows battle for entry to the Twenty20 big dance it is worth remembering that cricket does happen in places other than The Brit Oval or the MCG. Who can tell me where this game was played and what two great teams were involved?

Can You Say "Over Reaction"

"Excuse me a moment, I have something in my eye. Ah yes there it is, it appears to be Graeme Smith's bat."

So you lose back to back tests for the first time in 5 years, you are struggling to hit it off the square and you are starting to turn into Mr Grumpy. These would be good qualifications to be captain of New Zealand but are they a good enough reason to resign from The England? It is not as if there is any one else in the team that is consistently good.

Still, I am sure it all makes sense on the "fields of Eton".

A Slight Obsession

It's my problem and I am trying to deal with it. I just can't stop playing with images of Andre Nel, he is just so damn photogenic. I promise the next image will be of someone much less interesting.

Stand Tall You Mighty Oak

200 test wickets is reason enough to stick your chest out and yell, besides if it is good enough for that Andre fella...

The rot may have been arrested but it could still be a little early to predict the "great redemption".

King Cricket has an outstanding written description of the build up to this event. "Summon the angel of bilious rage" is a great line.