Fifth Test

[Cassandra]

No Archer? Don't tell me he's injured, please?
On Derek Pringle, I'll never forget (well, I forget the game, but not the comment) dear old BJ somehow including Derek as one of England's fast bowlers.Fred nearly had an apoplectic fit.'FAST? Call 'IM FAST?' I do wish I could type with a Yorkshire accent!
Forgetting games but not comments, always reminds me of the saying attributed to Hilaire Beloc -'I forget the village, I forget the girl, but the wine was Chambertin!'
Mike

Good job no-one reads this as god knows what some of it has to do with cricket:

From quiet homes and humble beginning out to the undiscovered ends,There's nothing worth the wear of winning, but laughter and the love of Friends.

Hilaire Belloc and on my wife's grave.

[Michael Rolls]

How lovely.
Mike

[Michael Rolls]

It might have been against India in the first Test of 1986 v India. John (JK) Lever from Essex then played in his last test at Headingley the next fixture and got 6 wickets aged 37. I remember because I was there and heard Fred expressing his pleasure at seeing him via TMS. Plenty of the 'I told you so' professional Yorkshireman remarks of course - God bless him.

He was scathing about poor Derek Pringle though;
... "Can you imagine facing Roberts, Holding, Croft and Garner and threatening 'em with a Radford or a Pringle I really don't know, I give up, I do" ...

If Sam and Craig play, we'll have perhaps 2 left arm seam bowlers with right alternative via Weekes and Broad. Craig would be my 4th seamer with Curran and Broad opening, Weekes first change.

Don't think that it could have been that match, Cassandra, as all the English seamers were right arm
Mike

[Michael Rolls]

Oh, and I aways thought JKL had a lovely action to watch - Mitchell Starc, although quicker, rather reminds me of him (unless memory plays me false - not unknown). Could never understand why JKL didn't play for England more often.
Mike

[Cassandra]

Oh, and I aways thought JKL had a lovely action to watch - Mitchell Starc, although quicker, rather reminds me of him (unless memory plays me false - not unknown). Could never understand why JKL didn't play for England more often.
Mike

He was around with John Snow, Bob Willis, David Brown, Peter Lever, Ken Higgs, Geoff Arnold, Mike Hendrick, Graham Dilley, Neil Foster, Norman Cowans, Gladstone Small, Angus Fraser, Craig White. His career spanned 22 years as long as any pace bowler I can think of?

JK came from an unfashionable County (Essex) too. I remember him in the nets at the Ilford indoor school as a wiry gawky looking 16 year old youth with lots of acne. But when he bowled, something else. I can still see Bark (Gordon Barker) peering through the netting at me with that funny little smirky grin as I couldn't put a bat on him at first.

"Good your lordship in't e, he'll knock a few over before he's done" - how right. As he filled out his pace increased but he was only ever about the same speed as Joel Garner, not an express but it hurt when he hit you. Essentially a very clever bowler and he worked hard on his game. He improved with age and that lovely flowing action meant he didn't put too much strain on his body. Famed for either not breaking down, or bowling through an injury too. Remarkable as he found out in '82 in South Africa that he had a curved spine and had carried it all that time. Typically after treatment he continued without complaint. A really lovely chap too, with a good sense of fun. Essential if you shared a dressing room with the likes of East, Pont, Acfield, Hardie etc. Played only 21 tests with a ten year break between his first and last appearances. Was of course banned for 3 years after the rebel South African tour, but the pay was phenomenal and England only looked his way spasmodically anyway. Took 73 wickets at 26's with a best of 7/46 for England. Could bat too with an international 50 to his credit and a superb fielder. I'd have played him a lot more, fan as I am or not - he was worth it.

[Michael Rolls]

Ah, I had forgotten the rebel tour. The blazers would not have liked that
Mike

[Michael Rolls]

Oh, and to be fair, the Big Bird was quite useful. When he retired, I gave a big sigh of relief - and what comes along? Another bloody skyscraper - Curtly Ambrose!
Mike

[Cassandra]

Oh, and to be fair, the Big Bird was quite useful. When he retired, I gave a big sigh of relief - and what comes along? Another bloody skyscraper - Curtly Ambrose!
Mike

Wonderful werent they. I remember the last occasion Curtley and Courtney Walsh opened for the Windies at The Oval in 2000. I was there and you may remember the England players formed a Guard of Honour when they walked out to bat together for the very last time. Hardly a dry eye anywhere at SW9 that day.

I publish their figures for the two innings below, no need to comment - sheer unbridled perfection! 
CEL Ambrose    31     8    38    2       
CA Walsh         35.4 16    68    3   

CEL Ambrose    22    8     36    1       
CA Walsh         38    17    73    4       

[Michael Rolls]

Remember it well. Watched avidly on TV. The two of them, despite those fine, well deserved figures, were well down on pace, and the  screen captions kept describing them as fast, when they were both under 85, whilst Craig White was touching 90 but the caption only credited him as fast-medium
Mike

[zoony]

Re: Ambrose and Walsh..Is it possible, I wonder, that to those great cricketers who grew up in that era, in that place, that sports excellence was one of the few ways a poor young man could achieve fame, respect and wealth? Not only that but cricket was almost the  only game they knew. In the late 70s athletics became more mainstream giving the youngsters different goals as sprinters rather than fast bowlers, long-jumpers instead of batsmen and bob-sleighers rather than cricket teams. It's been that way pretty much ever since. The dedication needed has been adulterated by the vast amounts of money swilling around from sponsorships and TV deals etc which take priority with young athletes. Of course it's not doom and gloom for the game we love but we might just have to compete a little better in future to even get a decent slice of the pie.

[Michael Rolls]

Very true. The decline of West Indian cricket has saddened me greatly, and it is good to see that there is a bit of a resurgence
Mike

[Cassandra]

Remember it well. Watched avidly on TV. The two of them, despite those fine, well deserved figures, were well down on pace, and the  screen captions kept describing them as fast, when they were both under 85, whilst Craig White was touching 90 but the caption only credited him as fast-medium
Mike

Craig White changed his action slightly and could really shift some balls later on, a good cricketer. Ambrose and Walsh were masters at bowling to a field and were really the end of an epoch, though we never realised it at the time.

[Cassandra]

Re: Ambrose and Walsh..Is it possible, I wonder, that to those great cricketers who grew up in that era, in that place, that sports excellence was one of the few ways a poor young man could achieve fame, respect and wealth? Not only that but cricket was almost the  only game they knew. In the late 70s athletics became more mainstream giving the youngsters different goals as sprinters rather than fast bowlers, long-jumpers instead of batsmen and bob-sleighers rather than cricket teams. It's been that way pretty much ever since. The dedication needed has been adulterated by the vast amounts of money swilling around from sponsorships and TV deals etc which take priority with young athletes. Of course it's not doom and gloom for the game we love but we might just have to compete a little better in future to even get a decent slice of the pie.

At the risk of repetition I've helped develop a few cricketers from the West Indies, but from 40 years ago and none in the past 20 or so. You could visit Barbados and see a dozen aspiring young quicks, of whom at least two or three were instant county standard, from blistering pace alone. I was on the committee of a League club back then and we served as a conduit to the county game for a few. In those days Cricket was the big escape ticket and they all tried hard and were prepared to listen. It all changed in the mid nineties, suddenly baseball, basketball and athletics took over as American influence spread. I don't think they'll ever return to the pinnacle of world dominance in Test Cricket again. Simply the gene pool has dried up sadly. I love the Islands and their people very dearly and thank our wonderful game and the endowment from my father to have had it's values beside and within me over all the years I've lived.

[Michael Rolls]

It really was a ‘production line ‘ wasn’t it? So many fine quicks that players who would have walked into any other Test side could hardly get a look in.


Mike

[Cassandra]

It really was a ‘production line ‘ wasn’t it? So many fine quicks that players who would have walked into any other Test side could hardly get a look in.


Mike

Early start or late night Mike?