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Nevter

Listed below are comments made by Nevter between Monday, 21st July 2008 and Sunday, 12th July 2009.

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Storm clouds gather over Camp England 09:34am on 12 Jul 2009 Same old story, lots of hype before the Ashes about how we were going to go toe to toe with the Aussies (the worst side to come from down under for years). They'd just been humiliated in the 20/20, we were playing our first test at Cardiff where our twin spin wizards would bamboozle the Aussies (who apparently don't do well against spinners?) I fell for it and actually thought we had a chance of winning albeit a close contest.

Then reality kicks in we get totally and utterly trounced in all areas and after 4 days are looking down the barrel, the coup de grace to be administerd today. But what we fail to remember amongst all the hype is that Australia are the No 1 side in the world England are No5, and that the Aussies had just beaten SA the No 2 side the world in their own backyard we had just about beaten a poor windies side at home. The probability was this was always going to be a one sided affair. Comments like the best test cricket contest there is are surely ringing hollow now, based on historic sentiment, yes it suits Sky and the media to hype it up as such, they have subscriptions and papers to sell but in truth Australia against SA is the true No1 Test battle in the modern game the days of the Ashes being so are now sadly part of history. Yes I know in 2005 England won the Ashes but that was a freak result when put into context of the last 20 years, the following series we were totally huniliated 5-0 down under (business as usual) and the previous 9 or so ahses series had a familiar story, pommie bashing by the aussies, to all parts of the park!!!

What we need is a reality check England are a below average test side, Australia are the best side in the world. It was always a long shot that England were going to be able to compete consistently let alone win the Ashes. To re-instate the Ashes as the supreme contest in Test cricket there needs to be a root and branch examination of why we do not produce players of quality who can compete consistently at test level and why we do not produce enough players of quality to compete for places in the Test side to put pressure on the first 11 to perform or get replaced. We can say KP should have scored more, Swann and Monty to bowl better Cook and Bopara to sort out their technique but who is coming in to replace them that's any better?

County cricket needs to take a long hard look at itself, they rely on a successful England side to finance their existence. They in turn should do their part by producing a sufficient number of quality players to play for England. County sides that fail to produce a minimum number of England players over a period should be fined or have their income from the ECB reduced. Too many county's make the default decision to recruit Kolpak players and oversees players in the county game does not help enough young English talent to emerge. Don't give me that old arguement about young England players improving their game by playing with quality oversees players. The actuality is that it benefits the aussies, & SA's more to acclimatise to our conditions before they batter us in Tests.

I suspest this will be another long and tortuous Ashes series for us England supporters, with another ashes defeat it's conclusion. I can only hope that a positive outcome from all this is a fundamental and wholesale review of how the game is run in this country which hopefully will lead to the restoration of England as a strong test cricket side with the ability to compete at the same level and maybe just maybe beat the Aussies.
Pietersen fails to complete rescue operation 8:22pm on 01 Aug 2008 I agree to get 94 in a situation where England are under real pressure was fantastic. Yes Colly scored more but he would never have been in that position if KP had not helped him early on in his innings, supporting and encouraging him.

I think Aggers is being a little harsh, yes it would have been nice to have KP still in and ready to go tomorrow, but without his runs we would not even have a sniff of a chance of getting something out of this match.

Let's face it if we lose, and we're still favourites for that by the way, it won't be because of KP's 94 or Collys 101+ no, but the failures of so called top order batsmen, the chief culprit being the captain.

If you're going to blame anyone for us losing this match it should be laid at their doors.

Aggers leave off KP, he's our best batsmen by miles we should support and praise him not knock him for scoring 94!!!
Frail batting costs England again 8:13pm on 30 Jul 2008 I think Vaughan, Colly and Ambrose are in the last chance saloon.

When we finally bowl SA out, by which time we could be looking down both barrells, these three need to score big second time around, to save their spots in the team and ultimately their test careers.

If we lose this test, which looks likely, and those three fail to deliver in the second innings, the series will have gone and the time for rebuilding towards the Ashes must start. That means for the Oval Test, Shah in for Vaughan, Bopara in for Colly (should be playing in this test anyway for the Durham flop) and Foster in for Ambrose. Strauss as captain.

As for the bowlers, drop Anderson (he's no opening bowler), bring in Jones and then it's between Sidebottom, Hoggard or Harmy. Panesar to stay, he can't run, field or bat, but he's the only decent spinner we've got.

Broad is one for the future and may well usurp Flintoff for the all rounder spot, during the winter tours.
Pressure mounting on the England captain 3:34pm on 30 Jul 2008 Collymore must be praying for a decent knock second innings or his test career is over aka Vaughan. Next Test - Bopara and Shah dust down your pads!!
Ambrose too needs some runs (although I'm not holding my breath) or Foster must come in at the Oval.
Hope these boys prove me wrong, don't care who scores the runs just score em. Panesar anyone?
Pressure mounting on the England captain 2:58pm on 30 Jul 2008 Well I hate to say it but I told you so, Vaughan's best days are behind him. His presence in the team is not so much a hinderance but gimme to the opposition. We struggle to beat teams with eleven men let alone ten. England can't afford to carry Vaughan any longer, the sooner he goes the better.

Make Strauss captain and bring in Bopara or Shah to replace the clearly out of form Vaughan.

Thanks for the memories but as Steve Waugh did as Australia captain it's better to walk on your own terms rather than be humiliatingly pushed. You've been a good captain and deserve better than that, resign with dignity.
England bowling lacks menace 4:24pm on 21 Jul 2008 I agree with the majority of the postings today. Vaughn is being carried by the rest of the team, apart from a century against a very ordinary NZ team, he has contributed nothing with the bat this summer.
Yes they say he's a great captain, but when has he out foxed one of the top teams in recent years. 2005 is history and it's time the selectors chose players on form not sentiment.
Vaughn has got to go back to the county circuit and learn the basics again in particular moving his feet.

As for the bowling what on earth were the selectors thinking about choosing a man to open the bowling with only 12 first class games behind him, against what is accepted to be the second best test side in the world at the moment.
Pattinson (he's an aussie by any other name by the way) should be left in the one test wonder club and we need to pick bowlers who are in form and can take wickets especially at the top of the order. I would bring back Simon Jones, he's proved his fitness and is regularly taking wickets. If Ryan sidebottom is fit Broad must make way for him for the next Test.

Selectors take note, if you pick Vaughn again for the next test and we are comprehensively stuffed again, as looks likely in this test, he must go. Hopefully he would have the good grace and decency to do the right thing and step down, although I won't hold my breath.

Nevter

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