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rgbhajee

Listed below are comments made by rgbhajee between Friday, 18th July 2008 and Tuesday, 12th August 2008.

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Graham Gooch's England ratings 10:11am on 12 Aug 2008 Strauss 5
Cook 6
Vaughan 3
Bell 6
Pietersen 8
Collingwood 5
Flintoff 6
Ambrose 4
Broad 6
Harmison 6
Anderson 7
Panesar 5
Sidebottom 5
Pattinson 5

Overall England 5 SA 7 - nothing really special from either side but SA know how to play test cricket over 5 days
Five batsmen not enough for England 8:25pm on 21 Jul 2008 Broad is now averaging 41 in tests. Not as dumb as it sounds - bat him at six and take the onus off him getting wickets!! Sid back in for Pattinson. Bear with Ambrose but bat him at 8.
Controversy reigns on opening day 9:40pm on 18 Jul 2008 Yes, I am an England (and Wales) supporter but I think that there is a huge difference between the two "not outs" today and it really does confirm that the "spirit of cricket" is well and truly dead.

Firstly, before I get accused of blind nationalism, let me state two horrendous recent decisions that I abhorred that went uncontested. The first being when Harmison chucked the ball at Inzamam whilst in his crease, Inzy jumping to avoid the ball and getting ran out! Shocking all all levels. Firstly, England appealing, and secondly it being given out.

The second case is the recent one dayer against NZ when Sid knocked over the batsman (forget which) and then appealing for the run out. The crime being that Colly had all the time in the World to call the guy back. Two examples of England displaying that the spirit of cricket is something long gone.

Right the Strauss dismissal. Firstly, how embarrassing for DeVilliers to pretend he caught it. But perhaps more significantly how wrong that his skipper who had seen it all to pretend that it was a catch. Spirit of cricket equals minus one hundred for all concerned.

The Amla one is far more murky in whether or not the catch was taken. On first view (as live) you couldn't tell. Then from one angle, the same as Amla's view it looked 100% out. The other view it looked 90% not out. Amla displaying true sportsmanship walks. Then his Captain, who earlier was tryng to cheat claiming a grounded catch, waves him back as there is a chance of the third umpire being consulted and the decision overturned. In the circumstances the third umpire can't give it out and rightly so.

But where is the spirit of cricket? Mikey Holding is my benchmark on fairplay and decency - wouldn't it be wonderful if cricketers could trust one another to be honest and say whether they made a catch or not?

Was Gilly the last honest bloke and the last of the walkers (Amla excepted).

Soon cricket will degenerate into the same pathetic situation that is currently in football. Winning, by whatever means, will become more and more important as more and more money pours into the game.

So goodbye "cricket" in the true sense and hello to a game I will soon become to look at with the same guarded view that I watch football.

Sorry for rambling...and I do expect a heap of abuse for posting this from the Saffers.

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