Buzzin Cricket

KP dropped from England one day squad

Struggling England batsman Kevin Pietersen will make his debut for county side Surrey today (Wednesday) after being dropped from the England one day team.

The England and Wales Cricket Board stepped in to negotiate the deal on Pietersen’s behalf in an attempt to get the player back to his best form ahead of the all important Ashes tour which starts on November 25th in Brisbane.

With only four county games remaining for Surrey the team will have their work cut out in whipping Pietersen into shape and rekindling the confidence that has drained from his performances over the last few months.

Ironically Pietersen gets the chance to rebuild his international career with the Surrey side as he replaces Steve Davis who heads off to join the England limited overs side.

Pietersen could also find himself in serious trouble with the England management after broadcasting the news that he had been dropped from the team on social media network Twitter.

No Holding Back - The Autobiography by Michael Holding

No Holding Back – The Autobiography by Michael Holding with Edward Hawkins

For much of this book I imagined that the title was no more than a little pun on this cricketing legend’s name – perhaps a nod to his fearsome bowling. Then, two-thirds of the way through, with his early life, cricketing, broadcasting and business careers, and a chapter on his love of, and involvement with, horse racing done, he remarks his run up. Takes it back to the sightscreen, plucks a new ball from the umpire’s grasp and, if you’re at the crease with a bat in your hands you’d better know how to use it.

No Holding back indeed. In the final portion of this enjoyable book, Michael Holding lets fly. Bouncer after bouncer, aimed at the heart. Chuckers, cheating umpires, players’ attitudes, preparation and practice, the Pakistan forfeited test, the Allen Stanford fiasco, the West Indies perceived inability to play swing bowling, non-walking batsmen, sledging, the West Indies Cricket Board, the ICC (of which he was once a member until he felt compelled to resign) and, the IPL, Twenty20 and the future of Test cricket. Forthright, honest and outspoken, yet much of it makes perfect sense.

Although this is nothing but a book about a truly great cricketer (my superlative, not his) and the game of cricket, there is very little in the book about cricket itself, in terms of matches played. This is not a criticism, just a different approach to the usual blow-by-blow rehash of classic performances and semi-forgotten encounters. However, a little more insight into the characters and personalities of those he played with and against would have been welcome. Clive Lloyd, Sir Viv Richards, Andy Roberts and the late Malcolm Marshall are fleshed out, but a few more observations or anecdotes would not, in this instance, have gone amiss. Lack of a career stats appendix, however, is a fault.

For someone of such strong opinions, and moreover, being unafraid to voice them, he comes across as a really nice guy. A man of great modesty and integrity, it would appear. The words steadfast, loyal, hard-working also spring to mind. Part of this perception will come from years of listening to his broadcasting with the famously soothing, Kingstonian, molten chocolate voice. A lot of credit must go to the ghost writer, Edward Hawkins, who succeeds in not only making these words tell Michael Holding’s story, but they tell it with his voice.

No Holding Back – The Autobiography by Michael Holding is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

Inside the Box: My Life with Test Match Special

Inside the Box – My Life with Test Match Special – book review

Peter Baxter joined the BBC in 1965.  In 1973 he was appointed Radio Cricket Producer and took charge of the Test Match Special programme. Before retiring from the BBC in 2007, Peter Baxter had worked for more than 40 years on BBC Radio’s prestigious Test Match Special programme. Over the years he has shared the Test Match commentary box with the likes of John Arlott, Brian Johnston and Jonathan Agnew.

But of all those commentators Peter Baxter had become as synonymous with BBC radio cricket commentary as Test Match Special had become with British summertime.

Inside The Box – My Life with Test Match Special is the inside story of one of BBC radio’s sporting institutions, and is written in a witty and engaging way by the man who produced the show for 30 years.

The book reveals numerous untold stories of some of the biggest names and characters in cricket and gives a great personal insight to Peter Baxter’s association with the show as much as the game of cricket itself.

With a forward by Jonathan Agnew, Inside The Box is a wonderful, witty essential read for all cricket fans.

Inside the Box – My Life with Test Match Special by Peter Baxter is published by Aurum Press at £8.99

Are you a huge cricket fan that follows every test match, one day international and T20 game across the globe? If this is the case, then you may well have added to your interest in a cricket match by putting a few pounds on the result.

Betting on sporting events is something that more and more people are doing, but rather than the standard markets, an increasing number of sports fans are spread betting on a range of different outcomes.

Sports spread betting is something that can be done online from the comfort of your own home. You don’t even have to miss a minute of the action, as you can make your bets while still watching the cricket on the TV. Even better, if you’re actually at the ground, whether it’s Lords or The Oval, you can bet on your mobile and consequently cheer for one team louder than the other.

Spread betting offers punters an interesting alternative to the traditional betting markets. The bookmaker makes a prediction for a certain event to occur and then sets a range or spread. It is then up to you to decide whether you think the actual result will be higher or lower than the spread set by the bookmaker. If you feel the prediction has been pitched too low, you can bet high and win if you’re successful.

One example of a sports spread bet in the cricketing arena could be betting on how many runs you think a certain batsman will score in the series. The bookie may have predicted that England batsman Kevin Pietersen will score between 320 and 340 runs in the home test match series against Pakistan. It’s then up to you to decide whether the prediction is too high or too low and in turn whether to buy or sell.

If you bet correctly, the amount of money you win will depend on your stake and how right you are. If you bet £1 on Pietersen to score more than 340 runs and he did indeed score 400, then you would receive £60. Conversely, if the England batsman only scores 300, then you would lose £40 – the stake multiplied by how wrong you were.

From the above example you’ll probably have noticed that spread betting gives you the opportunity to get big winnings. On the other hand you can lose huge amounts as well, if your prediction is incorrect. This is something worth keeping in mind when you place your bet. In contrast to fixed-odds betting, the amount of money you will win or lose is not known when you make your spread bet, perhaps making this form of gambling even more exhilarating.

Cricket is just one of a number of sports you can place spread bets on, with football, golf and tennis three of more than a dozen others. Given the number of different cricket markets there are and the fact that you can bet in-play, you may feel that cricket spread betting meets all of your needs.

Spreading betting can result in losses that exceed your original deposit. Remember to bet responsibly.

Andrew Flintoff’s cricket comeback has been put off indefinitely, the player will certainly not feature for club or country during this current season and his rehabilitation will continue into the winter months.

Flintoff was pulled out of the Lancashire second XI team who are playing Yorkshire today, following a similar situation yesterday (Monday) when the player was pencilled in for his cricketing comeback in a one day match against the same county.

Following tests on Monday the one day match was deemed to be too much too soon for the all rounder, who was then expected to take part in the three day match which started today.

However medical staff at the Lancashire County Club considered that Flintoff was still not ready to play in the county game believing the game would prove ‘too vigorous’ for the 32 year old.

A statement from Lancashire CC says;

“Following consultation with Andrew Flintoff, Andy Williams (Flintoff’s surgeon) and our own medical team, Lancashire County Cricket Club have today confirmed Flintoff will not be returning to competitive cricket for the remainder of the 2010 season.”