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Sobosan

Listed below are comments made by Sobosan between Wednesday, 18th June 2008 and Monday, 17th August 2009.

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They think it's all Oval... 6:50pm on 17 Aug 2009 It was Stephen Fry's delightful recounting of his hand-wringing in the garden during the 2005 Ashes that finally intrigued me into following cricket. I can only hope bodes well for this go round. I suffered through the whitewash of '07, lets win them back in '09!

Thanks for your terrific coverage. Couldn't be better.

Chris Sobolowski
Vermont
US of A
England exploit SA failings 1:50pm on 30 Aug 2008 Hi all,

Being an American who started following cricket *after* the 2005 Ashes, I've never really enjoyed a prolonged success like this. I've seen flat play, confused selection, and overwhelming (and often unjustified) pressure from the media make it almost impossible for England to succeed. And as an American, I chalked a lot of it up to 'the English way'. Sticking by the Ashes heroes, no matter their declining fortunes on the pitch, was one of the most frustrating things I've witnessed in sport. This was brought to a head at the '07 Ashes, when the summer's star debutante, Monty Panesar, was left out the first couple Tests in favor of Harmy, Hoggy, et al. We all know what happened next.

The next two World Cups saw England outplayed not only on the pitch, but in attitude and style as well. For no matter the situation, England bogged itself down with Test-style play and never seemed to 'get' that ODI and T20 *was a different game entirely*.

The injection of KP into the captaincy is *at last* the injection of modern style and attitude into England's game. It won't be ALL roses and champagne, but just you watch - it will be miles ahead of the last three years...
Controversy reigns on opening day 8:55pm on 18 Jul 2008 Let's have a bit of Paul Nixon revers-slog sweeping and jellybeans...

Now THAT was a summer!
Controversy reigns on opening day 7:14pm on 18 Jul 2008 Why do I have the feeling that had Tremlett been chosen, it'd garnered nearly the same amount of media questioning and speculation? Or would the roving eye turned on Ambrose, who was only spared the pre-game troubles by the Pattinson Selection? Surely the media and fans are always grasping for scapegoats, but look at today's performance - batting discipline and clear thinking - THAT'S what was missing out there today. Nothing less.

Head in the game, England... Head in the game.

Cheers from the US.
Low-scoring games can be fascinating 2:53pm on 22 Jun 2008 I think that one thing England tends to do in games like this is, after bowling the Kiwis out so cheaply, is to say "The door is open!" and assuming they'll stroll right through. Unfortunately for their fans, this rarely happens. The last T20 game was a rare instance of England "taking care of business" and getting the job done with textbook execution.

Saying that, I think that the mental part of the game is England's biggest obstacle, not the physical. Now whether that's coaching, captaincy, or an endemic teamwide situation, SOMETHING needs to change to right the ship. Somehow I think that if NZ had managed 220-260 runs instead, England would've chased them down with much more success!
Don't worry, KP, 50-over matches are here for a while... 10:08am on 18 Jun 2008 Hi all,

As a cricket-starved American, I have plenty of room in my heart for all three forms of the game. There's a certain amount of symmetry in having "Large", Medium", and "Small" cricket, depending on your tastes and desires. The 40-over game is the redundancy, and that is the one we should see the backside of, and soon.

Twenty20 has it's purpose - the fast-paced game that's short on the fundamentals but is an all-around crowd pleaser.

The 50-over game allows the unique qualities of cricket to be on display - field placement, weather and light, crumbling pitches - but still gives a result in a day.

Test cricket is and always will be the hallmark of the game - the endurance required, the quality and style of play, and the sense of epic struggle will keep it where it is in the eyes of the world, right behind football in world popularity.

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