Posted by This shouldn’t really need writing on an England cricket website, but there’s a lot of cynicism about so we thought we’d state our position.
We had what may or may not be considered a ‘Twitter rant’ earlier. We’d been reading various previews from various writers from various nations and had found ourself if not standing and humming the national anthem exactly then at least putting the kettle on for a nice cup of tea with milk in it. You know, something truly patriotic.
Our initial gripes were as follows:
- Everyone saying England are 20 years behind the times when it comes to one-day cricket
- The Aussies laying into us in ‘hilarious’ fashion
- English pessimism
But there was another one on top of that, which can best be summed up as ‘English non-cricket fan in pub who only notes major losses and says that England always lose’.
You know the guy. He says cricket’s boring. He’s a tool. Wouldn’t you want England to win the World Cup just to shut his stupid, everyman mouth?
Plus there’s the cricket
There’s also this assumption that what everyone else is doing is amazing and what England are doing is stupid.
People are still moaning about Alastair Cook not being dropped even now he’s gone and everyone seems to be focusing on Eoin Morgan’s poor form, even though he made a hundred against England’s first opponents all of four innings ago. In what world is a hundred against the World Cup favourites, in their home conditions, right before the World Cup, some sort of flimsy irrelevant feat? That’s the way it’s being presented at the minute. We’re having none of it.
As for the opposition, they’re not perfect. There’s much to admire about the Australian one-day side – they’re clearly favourites tomorrow and strong contenders overall – but they don’t have a spinner. Doesn’t that strike anyone as a weakness?
They’ve got the option of Xavier Doherty and they’ve got Glenn Maxwell who bowls some spin, but there isn’t really much going on in that department, is there? It probably won’t matter tomorrow and maybe it won’t matter at all, but it does seem like something that could potentially haunt them given the right circumstances. Worth mentioning at least.
Then there’s South Africa. They’re also hotly tipped and their top order’s immense, but it quite quickly becomes a little bit Farhaan Behardien lower down and then before you know it Morne Morkel’s in. It’s not a long batting line-up, is it? And what about India’s bowling, Sri Lanka’s middle order, West Indies squad selection and Pakistan’s innate Pakistannery?
All these teams have weaknesses, but yet England are the shit no-hopers.
We’re a bit sick of it and while we acknowledge they’re far from favourites, we really hope they do well – if only to shut up that generic non-cricket fan in the pub.
Why are you talking to a generic non-cricket fan?
Wanting England to win isn’t going to help. You’ll just be more disappointed when they don’t.
England are, as ever (even when they were inexplicably #1 ranked)… okay. Just like the rugby and football teams.
They’ll do… okay.
The format makes surprises unlikely and/or irrelevant and the teams with more going for them will make it to the SFs.
They should to go back to the groups of 4 format with lots of Associate teams, where one bad day at the office could get you knocked out – but that worked out badly for sponsors so it’ll never happen again.
The weird thing is that although I’ll follow the matches and maybe watch some of the games, because, duh, it’s cricket, I really don’t think I’d care much if they did win (which they won’t, because they’ll lose in the QFs, assuming they get that far).
The World Cup just doesn’t encite any excitement for me.
We’re not talking to him. He’s just… there. We’re probably just overhearing him, but that’s enough.
England’s rugby team is much much better than the cricket team
Ah.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/830171.html
“Users in the United States, often our second-biggest market, will be treated to match highlights and a video scorecard where the clips of dismissals, boundaries and other key events will be a click away. The live matches will, of course, be available to subscribers on ESPN Cricket 2015, our recently launched streaming service.”
Cricket highlights being the stupidest things ever, entirely missing the point of cricket, I guess I won’t be watching.
Totally agree, KC.
England have a much better chance at this World Cup than most pundits and especially that bloke in the pub suggest.
We are in far and away the strongest group, but frankly would need to perform terribly to miss out on a QF place.
Every team in the other group is prone to a choke and/or unsuited to the conditions. England are guaranteed “other group” for the QF.
I’ll be disappointed if England fail to make the semis. Beyond that, you only have to win two tough games and you’re the cup winner.
That’s how tournament play is. And strangely, this tournament looks set nicely for England. Not that strangely, though, when you consider that England were ranked one in the world (gawd knows how) when the seedings were sorted for this tournament.
Outside chance, for sure, but a decent chance.
Go England.
Is 3% decent?
15% to 20% IMHO, probably nearer to 15% than 20%.
We’re not talking booze here, are we?
Tripping out on tiredness perhaps.
Still, England’s cunning plan, to lull the favourites into a false sense of security, while England still qualify for the business end then steal the tournament in the closing stages…
…that plan is being executed with stunning skill sets…as a unit. I’m encouraged.
Not quite as a unit, Ged. That lad Taylor seems to have been defying management orders. That’s just the kind of thing he was kept out of the team for. Not the right sort at all.
I don’t want England to win. But then I am an Australian. So I have an excuse.
The best I can hope for is for Warner to make very few and we win anyway.(the current game is right on track for this to happen!)
A quiet reflective Warner is probably just a fantasy but a noble wish anyhow.
If England or NZ win it will give the 50 version of cricket a needed interest boost. We already know South Africa won’t win the WC as they are very skilful at finding ways to lose from winning positions.
Truth is that 50 over and 20/20 ”CRICKET” is just rubbish.
you’re right, almost. christ I hate non-cricket people talking about cricket like they know something about it.
I support England but can’t muster the passion I of years gone by.. I grew up obsessing about cricket in the 80s, watching every ball of the domestic one dayers and tests, up in the middle of the night to listen to TMS for the away games, radio 4 long wave etc etc. This was an era where one day games were played sedately, over 60, 55 or 40 overs. 160 in the john player wasn’t necessarily a bad total. We read the Cricketer and Wisden Cricket Monthly, we pored over Wisden. Sunday lunchtime when the squads for the tests were read out over the radio was a family event, my brothers and my dad and I would require my mum to stop talking. It was a gentler era.
The thing is the England team just isn’t that likeable at the moment.. Broad and Anderson are prima donnas, demanding to be treated as cricketing royalty, verbally abusing the fielders if things don’t go their way. Woakes and Finn just aren’t that good, one dimensional bowlers who wouldn’t get into a lot of international sides. Don’t get me started on the technocratic, micro-managing idiot of a coach. The obsession with fitness and strength grates – who needs bulging biceps. A few of them are ok – Buttler, Morgan, Bell, Root – fine, I can go along with them.
This isn’t pessimism, it isn’t an aussie engaging in some ritual pom-bashing, it isn’t a non-cricket fan being ignorant.. just meh, don’t care as much as I used to.
This World Cup, as an Indian, I have decided to support Afghanistan. Screw the rich boards and their rich, fat cricketers I say. Who’s with me?
Go for all the Associates.
I’d love to see an Associate make the quarters. Sounds like it’ll be their last chance for a bit.
The sound money’s on Ireland, if any; but then, Scotland have a King of Cricket as their coach.
Grant Bradburn – King of Cricket
I’m pumping for Afghanistan or Ireland. Or Scotland or UAE or any of the associates, really. I think the ICC treat them badly and I’d like to see them do well.