final Test of the summer is upon us on Thursday and, glory be, it is still possible to skip down St John’s Wood Road
Derrick Shelby Youth Jersey with a sense of eager anticipation. That happy scenario was beyond most people’s expectation when they first studied the fixture list. The assumption was that all the significant Test cricket would be done by now and the focus would be on the scrap for tour places for Australia. The second tourists of the summer, ranked ninth in the International Cricket Council’s table, would not be able to cope. But, as Brian Lara pointed out in his Cowdrey Lecture at Lord’s earlier this week, “a West Indian side, described as the worst Test team of the last 50 years, stood up and was counted at Headingley”. Jimmy Anderson puts focus on England series win rather than 500th wicket Read more The series stands at 1-1. England may still be the favourites but anything can happen. After their triumph in the second Test, West Indies have more than a puncher’s chance. Everyone underestimated them at Headingley: the pundits, the punters who cagily declined to buy tickets beyond the third day – though they were quick to enjoy two excellent days at the end by walking up and paying on the door – and by Joe Root and an England team who had humiliated callow opponents at Edgbaston. ?? inRead invented by Teads Root’s declaration at Leeds allowed the possibility of renaissance; it did not require West Indies to hurry towards their target; no carrot was dangled. It was just assumed Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope would not be able to repeat their heroics of the first innings and West Indies would be bowled out on a fifth-day pitch. Hence the declaration escaped criticism. In commentary boxes around the world the exclamation “he’s declared too early” is as rare as “I’ve nothing more useful to say so I’ll shut up”. Trevor Bayliss expressed the hope the Headingley experience would not affect how Root would view similar situations. That is a forlorn hope. Root will be scarred by the ease with which West Indies reached their target. Apart from himself only Norman Yardley, David Gower and Kevin Pietersen among England captains have experienced declaring in the third innings of a Test match and losing. No one has done it twice. Advertisement At Leeds there was the easy presumption England’s lacklustre performance on the first two days had been an aberration that would be quickly corrected on the final day. It displayed more faith than realism in the ammunition at
http://www.officialsfalconsauthenticshop.com/Desmond_Trufant_Jersey_CheapRoot’s disposal. There were reminders Jimmy Anderson (497 Test wickets) and Stuart Broad (386) are mortal. After four long days Root became too dependent on them on the fifth and they ran out of steam; Chris Woakes, while batting with sparkle and good sense until the declaration came, was not match fit as a bowler and curiously Ben Stokes, so often regarded as a totemic figure when the game is in the balance, was ignored for most of the final day. There was also the assumption Moeen Ali would bowl West Indies out. Moeen has had a brilliant summer with bat and ball (358 runs and 30 wickets) and he is an integral part of the team now but he seldom takes wickets when it is assumed he will be the match-winner. Until he played Test cricket he had never contemplated such a role at Worcester and for all his recent successes he is still learning and acclimatising to the peculiar responsibilities of being the solitary spinner. Moreover Moeen is a much better bowler to left-handed batsmen; West Indies have only one at the top of the order – and in this series Kieran Powell cannot be guaranteed to last beyond the new ball – plus Devendra Bishoo down below. At Headingley Shai Hope and Brathwaite played England’s off-spinner superbly and with intent. They were never becalmed and Moeen could not settle. On that surface Root must have been pining for a reliable left-arm spinner, who, at the very least, should have made it more difficult for West Indies to score. Aren’t we all? Root and Bayliss had the option of picking the young Hampshire leg-spinner Mason Crane but declined, probably on grounds the England management’s original plans foresaw a Crane debut at Lord’s as an experiment they could afford with the series already wrapped up. They clearly concluded Woakes is still ring-rusty and reverted to Toby Roland-Jones. Haseeb Hameed shows resilient best but Jamie Porter’s haul puts Essex in charge Haseeb
Graham Gano Authentic Jersey Hameed dug in for a fine 85 against Essex at Old Trafford, while Somerset are on top against Warwickshire Read more The spotlight remains on Mark Stoneman, Dawid Malan and Tom Westley and that spotlight may be harsher and more intense than in the past. This trio are not experiencing a massive leap in the standard of cricket when playing Test matches against West Indies but they are enduring a level of scrutiny and criticism that is foreign to them. That is often the most telling difference when stepping up to international cricket. It was suggested by one of my younger colleagues (another one) that it is tougher now for new Test cricketers. In the past, on being elevated to the highest level, they would have been more conscious of what was written about them in the papers and increasingly they might witness their techniques being unpicked by sage former players with microphones. In this decade it goes beyond that; there is the sudden barrage of attention, not all of it sympathetic, on social media. Does that make the transition to Test cricket trickier still? For West Indies there is this challenge: to demonstrate Headingley was not a flash in the pan. They arrive at Lord’s in good heart; Shai Hope, in particular, must feel like a different cricketer, however matter-of-fact he tried to remain after those brilliant centuries in the last Test. Meanwhile Brathwaite impressed so much in Yorkshire the county have signed him up for their last two championship games. “It’s a bit of a surprise”, he said but that seems to be the pattern of this West Indies tour. Which is why we are all skipping to Lord’s this week “I love the
http://www.broncosfootballprosshop.com/Jared_Crick_Jersey_Cheapplace, I’m from there and it’s what I’ve always known. In the future, I’m certainly open to it. It’s something I’m working towards now. I’m helping the young kids and, even if I’m not an official part of it, I will always be there to try to help the younger kids coming through. Newcastle is a club that will always be a part of my lifeAmeobi achieved cult status during his years at Newcastle, mainly because of his penchant for Mackem-slaying. In 16 appearances against Sunderland, he scored seven goals; only Jackie Milburn has scored more for Newcastle in the derby. Ameobi broke through at the club under Sir Bobby Robson as an 18-year-old and he scored in the Champions League against Barcelona at the Camp Nou at 21. He remembers that as a “pivotal moment” but his goals against Sunderland are even more special, his favourite being the half-volley in the 5-1 home win from 2010. Kevin Nolan makes instant headway but Notts County must rise from the foot Read more “For every Newcastle fan, it is the pinnacle to beat the Mackems,” Ameobi says. “And for me to score that many goals against them – it endeared me to the Newcastle fans and I am forever grateful for that. I didn’t do anything different for those games. It was just destiny. The volley in the 5-1 stands out. It was just the occasion, the atmosphere and the technique was very hard. To be able to produce that in such a setting was very fulfilling.” It is fun to listen to Ameobi’s old stories while he tugs at the heart strings when he talks about Robson, whom he describes as a “father figure” and a man-management “genius”. What shines through, however, is his maturity and sense of perspective. “Being from Newcastle, I was always keen not to get myself immersed in it all because it’s very easy to lose your head,” Ameobi says. “I was always able to detach myself from everything and look at the bigger picture. That’s why I had the longevity I had at Newcastle. “As a young player, it’s very easy to get wrapped up in the whole business of: ‘This is you.’ I find my identity not in what I can do but who I am
