Buzzin Cricket

England recalls Tim “Bressie” Bresnan to the one-day squad ahead of the five NatWest One Day International Series matches against Sri Lanka which start tomorrow at The Oval. The 26 year-old Yorkshire seam bowler has missed the previous three summer tests this year through a calf injury.

Alastair Cook will lead the England team for the first time since taking on the full-time captaincy of the one-day side; and does so after a heavy defeat by Sri Lanka in the recent one-off Twenty20 match in Bristol.

Alastair Cook told BBC Radio 5 live: “We’ve always had the idea that if Bressie came through a few games he would come into the squad. He has been a stalwart in our bowling for the last couple of years.”

Bresnan last played for England in the World Cup after initially getting injured during a one-day international in Hobart in January.  But on his return to playing county cricket for Yorkshire and experiencing recurring pain from the injury he has been sidelined since mid-May.

At the weekend Bresnan returned for Yorkshire and played two Friends Life T20 matches. Against Worcestershire he took 1-47 in his four overs and made 25 not out from 17 balls.  He came through the weekend without any recurrence of pain or injury and this, along with his performances were enough to earn a recall to the England squad.

Alastair Cook didn’t play in the recent Twenty20 defeat but will be well aware of the 5-0 drubbing England received at the hands of Sri Lanka in a home one-day series five years ago.

England One-Day Squad
Alastair Cook (captain), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter (wk), Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Chris Woakes.

Sri Lanka One-Day Squad
Tillakaratne Dilshan (captain if fit), Thilina Kandamby, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Suraj Randiv, Dimuth Karunaratne, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Dhammika Prasad, Kumar Sangakkara.

This post has been sponsored  by live roulette reviews at Livecasino.org.

The Physics of Cricket by Mark Kidger

Cricket – it’s not rocket science, right?  Well, yes – from today, it is, thanks to a new book The Physics of Cricket from Mark Kidger.

The author, a real-life rocket scientist working with the European Space Agency, has joined forces with Nottingham University Press to produce a “must have” book for everyone who takes their game seriously, from armchair pundits to coaches seeking that vital edge.

Its 200 pages will improve games, ignite debates, explode myths, settle arguments and clinch pub quizzes from West Sussex to the West Indies; from the Oval, London, to its namesakes in Adelaide and Bridgetown.

The Physics of Cricket reveals how players already employ anatomy in ways they didn’t realise, and can harness optics, mechanics, fluid dynamics, materials science, statistics, infrared technology, and acoustics to their advantage – if only they knew how.

It pinpoints a range of factors including…

• The chances of winning the toss seven times in a row – it’s once in every one hundred and twenty eight series.  But winning the eighth toss too – higher odds, or 50-50?
• How a flying cricket ball can be as formidable as a low velocity bullet – so what stops it killing the batsman?
• The optimum angle for hitting a six – it’s 45 degrees in theory; what about in practice?
• Precisely what happens when the ball leaves the bowler – and why is the angle of nine degrees – or 12-15 degrees if facing a spinner – critical to the batsman?
• Why a bowled ball can apparently hit the same point three times, yet bounce differently each time – how can the bowler use this to unnerve his opponent?
• Understanding bats – for example, heavier can hit farther, but can carry a serious problem
• And, vitally – Controversy has been the cause of at least one High Court case over ball tampering.  If you understand the way that the ball behaves, the use of the information given by the author will give you that extra edge using perfectly fair means to master a vital skill.

Just for fun – and because cricket is now indeed rocket science – author Mark Kidger even answers the question: “if cricket were played on the moon, how far back would the spectators sit for safety?”

The book is illustrated by a wealth of diagrams, and explains the facts behind renowned events in cricketing history.

Mark Kidger said:

“For years, everyone from schoolboys to world class cricketers have perfected their skills, often based on intuition – but, actually, physics”. Now, for the first time, they can not only explore what’s going on as they enjoy playing and watch others, but improve their game through understanding the many factors they can influence.”

The Physics of Cricket by Mark Kidger is published by Nottingham University Press (ISBN: 978-1-904761-92-1) on 21st June 2011, priced £20.

Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2011 & Wisden on the Ashes

Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2011 Edited by Scyld Berry (Published by John Wisden)
Wisden on the Ashes Edited by Steven Lynch (Published by John Wisden)

By definition, any Wisden can only be as good as the previous cricketing year it describes in such painstaking detail. It’s why the 1982 and 2006 editions command higher prices than those of similar vintage. I’m speaking relatively, of course, for no Wisden, heralding a new season whilst celebrating, or at least chewing over the bones of, the old, can ever be a poor read.

The 148th Almanack, and last under Berry’s editorship, has the fortune to be banqueting, for 42 of its 1648 pages, on this past winter’s Ashes. The series also crops up in the Media section, with the deliciously ironic Melbourne Age headline of December 8th reproduced; “There are two teams out there. Only one is playing cricket… Unfortunately this time it’s England.” (And it was only 0-1 at that stage!)

2010 wasn’t just about the Ashes, but to be brutally frank it wasn’t a classic vintage; there were the Pakistan no balls, a thrilling (for Notts) and heartbreaking (for Somerset) climax to the County Championship and England’s World Twenty20 victory (does anyone remember that?).

The Wisden Review, including the Media section, Cricketana and Obituaries, has been shifted for some reason from its traditional home near the back of the book, to nearer the front, following on from the opening Comment and editorials.

Another change, or rather introduction, has been the launch of the Wisden-MCC Cricket Photo of the Year. The inaugural prize going to Scott Barbour.

The first section I always turn to is the Index of Unusual Occurrences, my two favourite this year being the two-ball hat-trick (think about it – it’s not only possible, it’s been done) and the cricket ground where not a moment’s play has been lost to rain since 1859. No, it’s not in Lancashire, but alas, in Peru.

By the way, who do you think was 14th in England’s one day batting averages for the calendar year? The answer is on p.269, but I’ll give you a clue – his initials are KP. (Not 14th in the World, but 14th for England – fourteenth!).

Wisden’s appeal and gravitas comes with that near-century-and-half’s experience of reporting every game of note and chiselling its runs and wickets into the tombstone of history. I wonder if future generations will grasp the intended meaning of Mark Nicholas’ ‘Strauss had been in wicked form’?

I love the fact that Wisden, like the true cricket lover it is, cherishes the game’s heritage and gives thanks, consciously or not, to those who have played the game and given enjoyment.

This is perfectly illustrated by three separate mentions in the 1911 book for a Kent and England bowler who lost his life at Passchendaele 94 years ago. I learnt from Patrick Collins’ nice little essay on Canterbury Week that Colin Blythe has a wreath laid in his memory on the opening day of every Canterbury Festival. Turn a couple of pages and Prashant Kidambi’s account of a 1911 Indian touring side is illustrated by a group of players from the Kent v All-India fixture. Third from left in the back row is a young man in Kent cap and blazer, looking like a clean-shaven Andrew Strauss (sans wedding ring on a bit of string round the neck). It’s Colin Blythe, a man who no-one now alive saw play, but who is remembered. Turn another 400 pages and check the Kent records; ‘Best bowling for, 10-30, C. Blythe v Northamptonshire, 1907’.

Wisden on the Ashes is pretty much the ultimate every-day-is-Christmas-Day book. At £45, it’s not a bargain, but we’re talking both quality and quantity here. Its bulk makes it impractical for both the suitcase and the beach, but it warrants a place on the bedside table of any cricket enthusiast.

Included within are eye-witness contemporary reports of every Ashes Test. From the first, which began on March 15th 1877 with an England team who had left these shores on September 21st the previous year, to the most recent, the five-match series seemingly over in the time it would have taken that first touring side to steam from Tilbury to Sheerness.

Everything and everyone are here; Grace, Trumper, Bodyline, Hutton, Bradman, Laker, Benaud, Underwood, Snow, Massie, Lillie, Thompson, Steele, ‘George Davis is Innocent’, Randall, Boycs’ 100th ton, the miracle of Headingley, Botham, Gower, Border, the Waughs, Merv, Shane, Freddie, Gilly, Punter and KP, right through to the wondrous feats of Alastair ‘766’ Cook, who graces the yellow jacket of this year’s Almanack.

It’s a historical document, never to go out of date; contemporary accounts, without the re-evaulation of hindsight. Sure, by 2013 there will be fresh chapters to add, but the past is always there. And without a past there can be no future. Wisden knows this; only the future will tell us if the game’s ruling bodies, committees and decision-makers know it too.

England will now have three cricket captains – Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad.

Andrew Strauss said it was a difficult decision to stand down from being the England one-day captain but believes following the recent Cricket World Cup, the time is right.

He will be replaced by his Test match opening partner Alastair Cook. Strauss said he decided to relinquish the one day captaincy knowing that it was not a process he could see through to the next World Cup.  He believes it was in the best interests of the England cricket team to stand down and appoint Alastair Cook at the same time as Stuart Broad was announced as the new Twenty20 Captain, taking over duties from Paul Collingwood.

Alastair Cook admitted he was inexperienced as a captain but said he was “really excited about the challenge.”

Stuart Broad was also excited at the prospect even though there is not a lot of Twenty20 games planned before the next World Cup and said all the more to “make use of every opportunity”.

Andy Flowers will remain as England Coach and work with all three captains.

Strauss will now concentrate on the England Test captaincy while working alongside Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad on an overall cricket strategy to progress England’s chances of success in all three competitions in the future.

2011 Cricket World Cup

Sadly I missed the live coverage of the dream tie between India and Australia, but managed to catch most of the highlights on TV.

The Australian’s looked to be in decent enough form throughout the majority of the game, but India always looked to be in control of the match, barring a few slapstick moments with the bat when two or three of them seemed intent on getting run out.

India’s win put an end to Australia’s incredible run in the World Cup competition which they have won on the last three occasions, they were also beaten finalists previous to that in 1996.

India now face one of  the nations who were originally going co-host the Cricket World Cup, Pakistan in what promises to be another thrilling game of one day cricket.

In today’s third quarter final tie South Africa collapsed dramatically from a comfortable 108 for 2 off 24 overs, to 172 all out.

Some inspired bowling from New Zealand oversaw the collapse with McCullum 24 for 3 and Oram 39 for 4, skittling the South African batsmen who could manage to add 64 runs between them during the final 20 overs.

New Zealand are the dark horses for me, they may not have the same ability in all levels as the remaining teams in the World Cup, but they have so far done everything they have set out to do in a business like manner.

They will now face the winners of the last quarter final to be played on Saturday between Sri Lanka and England.