Cricket

I'd only play if I was above Bell in the order though. I'd have to insist on that.

also brearley was some sort of great pulsing cricket brain and a jolly decent sort. he had an education, you know

so as long as you go to a proper university you're good enough to play for England?

Not sure that Monty's stupid either- he has a degree from Loughborough, and always seems quite thoughtful to me.

― Neil S,

A degree in computer science. His final mark is unsupplied. Let's face it, his cricketing ability probably had a say in his acceptance, especially at Loughborough. Let's just be glad he's an international cricketer rather than a video-store clerk, eh?

just got offed

Also, playing cricket doesn't mean you know how it works;

― Just got offed,

it's time to get English cricket back to where it shone brightest: as the pastime of the aristocracy

Lord Trueman. The Earl of Gooch. The Bishop of Boycott.

Forget recent triumphs? Who was it who spread the game across our glorious Commonwealth, our Empire? The nobs, that's who.

Bloody underarm poofters

Oh dear oh dear oh dear, but on the other hand, lolz:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/7815038.stm

http://weblogs.jupiterresearch.com/analysts/card/archives/nelson-muntz.gif

Morris did a Gallian on him.

RIP English Cricket, Ashes to be taken away, etc, etc.

Just like you Aussies have been pulling a rope-a-dope with your tactical decision to lose to SA, so Pietersen pursues a wily long-game move to make Andrew Strauss captain just in time to lose to West Indies, allowing his triumphant come-back as captain in time for the Ashes!

Not even Strauss could fuck up a series against the Super Stamford XI West Indies, surely?

We'll see, I actually think Strauss would make a good captain, but the dressing room will now be "in turmoil" as sports hacks like to say.

Odds on Pietersen taking Australian nationality?

Oh, no thanks. He's no Kepler Wessels.

Yeah I would think he'd have even less friends in the Australian dressing room than in the England one!

even fewer!

o

dear.

Strauss will now get the job he should have been awarded when Vaughan stepped down. Ah the joy of hindsight!

jeezo - not how I was expecting this to pan out

The Ashes will still be up for grabs when I pitch up with my day four Oval tickets though, right?

A lot might depend on whether KP is in the team or not.

crazy. If KP is dropped as player then RIP england

Yeah but he would be pretty much unmanageable, no?

he could captain the Allen Stanford SuperBrilliant Golden Ticket Megateam against The Universe, rocket to depart at GMT 13:00 on the 20th of May

Best place for him.

lolz

I'm pretty peeved by this. I'm actually a big KP fan and wanted to see him at least given a crack at the Aussies. I trust we'll return to the same cautious, unexciting cricket that was our 90's trademark.

I'm not a hater and it would be a shame if KP was lost to England, but if I were him would I be thinking continuing England dressing room politics, or a series of $1m paydays with the IPL, Stanford &c &c?

He wouldn't be able to leave England for the neverending moneybags circus now, not after all he's pledged. He'd have no friends remaining in the game.

More pertinently, he can do all that shit anyway and still be an England player

He may have bunt his bridges with England already though.

burnt!

kp resigned it says now. Press conference by the ECB at 6.

My feelings on this are roughly equivalent to Marcello Carlin's feelings on the treatment of Russell Brand

Anyway, now for some quality cover-our-asses BS from everyone's favourite cricket board!

KP says he will still play, but will he get picked?

Fuck "team unity", we want a LEADER

And KP was that leader.

well he resigned

He resigned because he had no choice!

The most important thing is, did Strauss go to the proper school/university that will allow him to be a successful captain that knows how cricket works?

No, he's a Radley/Durham boy. Ugh.

haha david gower just said Strauss is pretty posh but he cant criticise that! He also says being posh isnt compulsory in england cricket today.

Anyway, these are professional men representing their country, I cannot believe it's come to this. Ridiculously petty. Not saying that the ECB should have kow-towed to his every demand but I don't think they handled his strong will very well at all. Appointing Peter Moores was in hindsight an error, as was Pietersen's ultimatum, but as England's only world-class player I think he was more in the right than many others involved.

wonder who the rats in the team are that fell out with KP. Shah as he wasnt getting picked? Cant be Strauss/Harmy/Monty/Freddie as they're his closest allies.

Bell is his mate too i think

I like strauss fine, but i would rather KP had stayed captain. But if he lost some support in the dressing room as is rumoured then he did the right thing putting england before his captaincy. Makes him ok in my book.
Give it 2 years and he will be backjust like with beefy and gower.

I mean, the England team couldn't be at its full strength without Pietersen. But it could without Moores. This should have been the thinking.

If KP's guilty of anything it's of adhering to the clique, and this may well have brought about his downfall: the fact that he may have had strong allegiances to certain players. It's meant to be professional and fair. In this regard perhaps he needed a slap, but certainly not one of this magnitude.

Bell's lady and KP's popstar WAG were watching the final SA Test together right in front of where I was sitting. A good view from there.

He made an ultimatum and they didn't like that. Clearly he doesn't know how cricket works.

Now KP is gone harmy and vaughan might be finished.

Well if this means better and fairer team selection then maybe silver linings etc, but it really won't.

Monty and Bell might get sent back to county cricket too