Gilo at the Test - day three
By Ashley Giles, Warwickshire and England spin bowler
In the morning Ryan Sidebottom bowled the best spell I've seen him bowl in Test cricket - but he got no reward.
All players have luckless days but you hope they even themselves out in the long run, and you do have days when you don't perform so well and get dropped as a batsman or pick up wickets off average deliveries.
We saw that with two of the decisions that went in England's favour in the afternoon, the dismissals of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.
Generally if I appeal it’s because I think it’s out and we’ve all had dubious decisions go for and against us.
It’s a difficult job for the umpires: we have the benefit of endless replays, hot spot and snickometer but umpires have one chance. Simon Taufel made two mistakes but he’s only human and a very good umpire. In the dressing room, we watch the replays just like everyone else and we talk about them because they are shown over and over again.
And you can bet a bowler will let everyone know his feelings and show that the world is against them but it's important to move on and say what's happened is history.
When things aren't going your way even when you're bowling well you have to try other things.
We saw that with the aggression James Anderson showed yesterday.
I don’t think personal sledging is acceptable but there’s nothing wrong in being aggressive with your body language or trying to get into the batsman’s head - and that is what Jimmy was doing.
Taking people’s attentions away from the game and on to other battles is all part of the mental side of the game and trying to get wickets in ways other than just bowling well.
Steve Waugh was the toughest opponent mentally I can remember, while Shane Warne is very good at the way he talks to batsmen and winds them up. Aussies are useful at that in general!
It’s just banter really and generally sledging isn’t as rife as some people who play club cricket would believe, an attitude I find disappointing.
If you watch a game on a village green, you notice that youngsters seem to think it's fun to swear at people and be in their faces but that’s not what it’s like at the highest level.
Sure there are confrontations occasionally but generally there’s a lot of respect between players.
if we had won the toss in this test match we would have won it
and we were robbed in the first test after easily outplaying India despite our missing 4 front line seamers
it is a shame the weather has effected the series so much
Complain about this postActually, Giles is very fair in admitting Sachin and Ganguly have been meted poor verdicts. Giles knows too well, how good Tendulkar is. After 17 years of cricket, Tendulkar still is the most exciting Indian cricketer. People flock to see him defend, pull, whip, flick and hook, and even get out, Even the wrong dismissals levae a sad imprint in the hearts of individuals, (not mind), CoZ Tendulkar is an immortal, even with age catching up nwiht him.
Many have adorned the white flannels, and trudged on fanous grounds, but there is only one Don Bradman, and only one who is Don's replica. History can be revisited in years from now, and the posterity can find that tendulkar remains a distant record to approach.
It is such a pleasure to live in the era that Tendulkar plays the game, for fewer cricketers have left a richer legacy than has Tendulkar.
Ravi Bala
Complain about this post@David Gull: Are you saying England is good enough to win Tests at home, only if they can win the toss, and when the weather suits them?
Doesn't speak well of a team that's ranked no. 2 in the Tests table.
Complain about this postOh come on. Don't turn this into yet another Tendulkar Praise fest. It gets pretty annoying when I see newspapers heaping praise on Tendulkar EVERY SINGLE TIME he gets a big score.
Regarding the match I hope India finish the job tomorrow. However something gives me the feeling that it's not going to be that easy. If the match ends up in a draw I wouldn't be too surprised. Hope I am wrong there.
Complain about this postWell, I think you missed the opportunity to make your technology point here. While players both batsmen and bowlers are in a contest and so you can appreciate their getting carried away both in terms of bowlers/fielders appealing sometimes even when they are not sure if the batsman was out and batsmen not walking off - what technology can really do is help the umpires make a decision correctly. Their job is that and just that, so while a batsman or bowler are too close to their action and the contest to make objective decisions, the umpires are not expected to make wrong decisions. To err is human but then what is the difference between a professional and a amateur if they err at such top levels of their profession.
Complain about this postOne way to get around this is to have a rating system for umpires with an impact on remuneration based on the # of decisions they get right. This game and to some extent football is the only one where the impact of technology has not resulted in more correct umpiring decisions relative to other games especially tennis.
To David Gull, England havent lost yet!
He makes two wrong descisions but what about the shockers which should have been out yesterday, Panesars 1st ball , plumb yet not given out. There has been some poor umpiring and each side has had their fare share of poor descisions
Complain about this postLOL- GILO IS A KING
Complain about this postThere is a difference between wrong decisions given by the umpires and sledfing of the players. The former is not deliberate while the latter is deliberate to unsettle the batsman. If umpires are allowed to use the modern technology most of those decisions will be correct, but then there won't be human touch to the game which at times literally changes the course of the game and there lies the beauty of the game.There is no point blaming the umpires unless their decisions are partial to a particular player/s or team/s.
Complain about this postfair analysis Gilo!.
Sidebottom really bowled his heart out without any luck whatsoever!!!.
the poor decisions have evened out, however it should be said that the general standard of umpiring has been really poor throughout the series, and both teams has been cot at the wrong end quite a few times already!.
all said and done, I feel that it will be very dificult for India to really force a win here!. already the openers are well in, and I have a gut feeling that England is going to bat India out of a winning chance!. the pitch has clearly eased out!, and everything depends on Anil Kumble!.
Complain about this postGood column Giles
I m loving it
Complain about this postNice one Mr. Giles.
Simon "Speaks" Taufel was bad for both teams this series. It is a difficult job all right, but the decisions he needed to make weren't all that difficult. In this test match and the last. All the decisions he made - given, out or not out, didn't demand much from technology or the umpire, other than he be in the game. And England isn't India or the sub-continent, where the heat and noise in the stadium might affect their decisions and concentrations.
I might have expected it of a lesser one, but not from an umpire of his stature - ICC's best and representative of his colleagues. Incidentally, he was scathing about his colleagues and so the Simon "Speaks" bit.
This tour has helped us discover some lesser known English bowlers of true quality.
Complain about this postI'd love to see Flintoff against Tendulkar, think it would be a quality match up
Complain about this postInteresting comments by Giles, but i do believe the cricketing world has its eyes on Woodeskets crucial match tonight.
Complain about this postIntersting point should Bart open the batting to get the team off to a good start?
Complain about this postMy form of late has been unbelievable, open with me
Complain about this postSince the deutscher's departure the teams fortunes have improved greatly, but lambing season is soon.
Complain about this post@David Gull: Are you saying England is good enough to win Tests at home, only if they can win the toss, and when the weather suits them
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Complain about this postnope thats not what i said at all
RJ Sidebottom , test career 2001-07 , 6 tests, 23 wickets . is he the one who receives such rich praise from Mr Giles ?
Complain about this postbest spell in test cricket in over 200 overs . wow indeed !!
when the commentators are so easily seduced , the bowlers can put their feet up and continue with mediocrity . no need to aspire to greatness and really leave a mark .
I believe the turn around in Woodeskets fortune is directly down to me, though losing deutch helped
Complain about this postIf Giles should happen to be near the Melton indoor cntre tonight we could do with his spin
Complain about this postCricket is a game meant for gentlemen. English cricketers should not resort to sledging and talking to opposing team members in order to distract them. Winning and losing are part of the game. However by sledging England is lo9sing respect among other cricket playing countries.
Complain about this postCricket is a game meant for gentlemen. English cricketers should not resort to sledging and talking to opposing team members in order to distract them. Winning and losing are part of the game. However by sledging England is lo9sing respect among other cricket playing countries.
Complain about this postI refuse to sledge,prefering a firm handshake instead
Complain about this postTotally agree with the point made about sledging. Swearing and overly-aggressive behaviour is totally unacceptable on the cricket field, it wouldn't be tolerated off the pitch why should a game be a liscense for players to behave as they wish. Nothing wrong witha bit of friendly banter, trying to distract he batsmens mind from play, break concentration but as Giles points out the respect between players is always there.
Complain about this postTendulkar is not in the class of Lara, Lara excites like no other batsman in recent history bar Viv Richards. Lara scored all his runs in a poor test team, both home and away, in all weather conditions and when at home on poor West Indian tracks. Can the same be said of Tendulkar?
Complain about this postremember Monty should have had both openers lbw but they weren't given
Complain about this postIt's great to have someone who is still in the game and who has played with success at the highest level writing for the BBC.
Ash, hope that you're injury free soon. Obviously Monty is doing brilliantly but it would have been nice at this point of the match to think you were coming in at number 8.
Complain about this postHanspetermuller, what's your problem with Sidebottom? I've seen Hadlee bowl as well and have as little luck and be praised to the skies. The man was trying his heart out, and I can think of many England players over the last few years who would have wilted in such circumstances. Personally, I think he's a breath of fresh (h)air, and has alot about him as a person, as well as a bowler. Both he and Tremlett had their mettle tested yesterday and came through with flying colours (just remember the quality of the batsmen they are up against). I hope they're both around to play for England for a long time.
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