Got up this morning and had it confirmed in the paper what I had suspected all along - English cricket really is in a hopeless state and we might as well hand over The Ashes now.
Why? Well, how about the fact that those nice people at Kent County Cricket Club have signed Australian fast-bowler Stuart Clark on a short-term contract to get him nice and fit for The Ashes. That's nice of them isn't it?
For those unaware of the situation, Clark has barely played this last Aussie cricket season because of an elbow injury and the Aussie selectors have said they won't consider him for The Ashes unless he proves his fitness in First Class Cricket.
Problem is that the Aussie season is virtually over so he can't get any match practice here......so his agent phones up the nice people at Kent CCC and they agree to get him nice and fit for the start of The Ashes so he can bowl against us. Good, isn't it?
The Aussies are laughing their bollocks off at this one, they can scarcely believe that we are getting their best bowler (in English conditions) nice and match fit so he can play AGAINST us.
The chances of Cricket Australia or any of the state teams here agreeing to Flintoff, Harmison or whoever playing Sheffield Shield cricket here to get fit to play against the Aussies are zero.
In fact, the ECB did make a request to CA in 2002 to let Darren Gough play a four-day state game for Queensland to help him get fit for the Ashes series and were told no way, the Aussies let him play in a single Grade level weekend game and that was it.
What a complete farce, until the self-interest from the counties stops then England will never be a serious player in international cricket.
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Middx have signed the Aussies new opening bat Philip Hughes for the first six weeks of the season as well, giving him time to acclimatise to English conditions prior to the Ashes as he hasn't played here before. Why should Kent put themselves at a disadvantage?
Since Yassir left at the end of last season for Sussex, we've had real trouble finding an available overseas player. The IPL, which runs until late May, has made it particularly difficult. We still don't know who ouroverseas player will be from June-Sept. I think we're one of only two counties in that boat.
Anyway, I'll be at the Kent AGM in Canterbury on Monday night and the topic will no doubt get an airing there. I shall report back!
Given the uncertainty re Pakistan's Test fixtures there maybe scope for Kent to look elsewhere.
My understanding is that Clark is a suggestion only at this juncture.
But I'm told it's true and that we were hoping to announce it at the AGM tomorrow.
But Clark seems to have pre-empted that by opening his mouth and telling the Australian media that he has signed, so I think you can take it as a done deal.
Personally, I think it is a mistake - but not for the reasons Ormiston gives.
I'd rather we had gone for a batsman who could fill the number three slot. With Amjad Khan, Robbie Joseph, Ryan McLaren, Azhar Mahmoud, Martin Saggers and Simon Cook I think we already have enough fast bowlers, frankly...
LEN: It's not a suggestion, its a done deal.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/cricket/clarks-kent-ashes-warmup/2009/03/15/1237054651910.html
NIGEL: I was not aware that Middlesex had signed Hughes, that makes me just as angry especially as Angus Fraser is in charge at Middlesex and he knows that allowing these deals provides the Aussies with a big advantage for the series.
My broader point is that a successful national side is crucial for the future of English cricket and a successful Ashes series would give the sport a massive boost, just like it did in 2005. If we lose heavily to the Aussies, which I think we will at this stage, then the damage to the game in England will be significant.
All parties involved in the game should be pulling in the same direction to win The Ashes, not helping the opposition by giving match practice to their most important players, they would NEVER help us out like that so why the hell do we do it for them?
The reason is because the likes of Kent, Middlesex and whoever else conducts these deals (and you KNOW someone will also sign Brett Lee on a short-term deal) consider their own success in the Championship/One-Day competitions as more important than the success of the England national team and that's crazy in my view because a successful national side benefits everybody in the long run.
It's an absolute outrage that the counties are able to do this, the ECB should have the power of veto over players. Clark would basically be unavailable for selection for The Ashes (as would Brett Lee) if the counties refused to give him a contract but, no, both Clark and Lee will be given valuable match practice and will arrive at The Ashes fully fit.
Pathetic barely covers it.
April 6th & 7th, v.Slurrey at Beckenham, 2 day "pre-season".
Anyone else going to the AGM in Canterbury tonight?
When middlesex signed Hughes he was a unknown over her and wasn't in the Australia squad, where as clark was always going to be in the ashes squad as long as he was fit and scummy kent are helping him out.
Auckland very kindly signed him to play in a couple of matches when he was returning from injury and struggling for match fitness. Anderson played for Auckland and missed the first Test, but returned for the second, took a load of wickets and helped England to victory. Would England have picked him had he not proven his fitness for Auckland? I doubt it.
Given that the Ashes series is coming up this is a similarly foolish move by Kent, I can't believe that Stuart Clark is the only decent fast bowler out there looking for a contract next summer and Kent have selfishly put their needs ahead of England's.
New Baseball season starts 5th April
Very true, but should an English county side be in the business of helping develop an Aussie youngster anyway? I don't think so at all, the Aussies would never give an English youngster - or any nationality for that matter - a leg up in State cricket here so why should they get to send their players overseas, especially to England?
Believe me, this season South Australia signed the Pakistani captain Younis Khan for the first half of the season and many of the locals did not like it one little bit, they were furious that he was "taking a place off one of our blokes" because they take a real pride in developing their own players.
That's one of the reasons that overseas players so rarely play in Shield cricket here, the Aussies see it as their training school for Test cricket and don't want foreigners to benefit from it.
We, on the other hand, give so many opportunities to foreign players that it is a complete bloody joke, from 20 year-old kids to 37 year-olds like Justin Langer they all turn up in England every April for whatever time frame suits them and laugh all the way to the bank.
When will we ever, ever learn?
...........
Similarly in football...
I don't mind good quality players coming to play in English cricket, if you can't learn as a batsman by playing with the likes of Justin Langer then you aren't going to get far in the game. Bowlers will also progress faster by bowling at good quality batsmen like Langer and if nothing else the ability of our players to sledge should improve. The problem, as in football is that too many average players are signed play a few games and then leave. I'd rather see a local promoted and given a chance.
There are new rules in place for Kolpack players coming into force, hopefully that'll result in more English qualified players getting a chance.
Very true, and the real issue in cricket is that the overseas players are always signed to play in the crucial positions in the side.
The reason we have so many good wicket-keeping prospects is that that is the one position in the side that counties have not bothered bringing foreign players over here for because, in their eyes, its not a match-winning position.
The counties ALL want fast-bowlers, quality spinners and top-order batters so these are the blokes who really get exposed to the white-hot heat of the contest whilst the English lads get the scraps to feed on, its a recipe for disaster.
The Kolpaks are a huge problem, that's for sure, but what we really need is a blanket agreement from the counties that you can only use two non-England qualified players in an XI, that would at least be a start in the right direction.
The solution is that the County sides must come to a common agreement on the number of Kolpak players they can have in their squads. Unfortuntaely given EU law enforcing a limit would be illegal.
Years ago you signed an overseas player for a hole season and now counties sign them for a few weeks (surrey have signed Grant Elliott for the start of the season and will play only 2 county 4 day games) and i think that is something that also needs to be looked into. I think this went one step to far last season when counties were signing "specialist" overseas twenty20 players.
Guess its similar to us and our loan signings in a way
Agreed, Surrey signing a half-fit Shoaib Akhtar for ONE GAME (albeit a crucial end of season match) was just an abomination, should not be allowed for a host of reasons.
The club officially announced that Clark has been signed for the first six weeks of the season - pending his passing a fitness test.
The reasons given:
1 Ryan Mclaren has signed for the IPL and so won't arrive at until end of May
2 The county fully expects 'Team England' to insist on Amjad being wrapped in cotton wool and for him to be refused permission to appear for Kent early season.
That puts us two quick bowlers down, hence the need for Clark.
And if(2) is true, then it's England's fault that Kent have been forced to turn to someone like Clark.
What Amjad needs is not wrapping in cotton wool, but time bowling in the middle to sort out the atrocious no-balls and wides problem.
I have to say that I'd be surprised if Amjad Khan played in The Ashes without some seriously good early season form for Kent, how on earth could England pick him on his form in the Windies? As you say, he was badly out of rhythym and delivered a lot of dross amongst some very useful stuff as well.
I am still very unhappy about Clark though!!! BTW, the word here in Oz is that Brett Lee's management are now trying to find him a similar deal to that gained by Clark because they are fearful he might not even make the Ashes squad unless he proves his fitness in 1st class cricket.
When middlesex signed Hughes he was a unknown over her and wasn't in the Australia squad, where as clark was always going to be in the ashes squad as long as he was fit and scummy kent are helping him out.[/quote]
"Scummy Kent".
SUPERKENT !! my friend.
Hiya mate, long time no "speak".
Hows tricks at the Oval ?
I have stayed off the site for a while to be honest as all stuff charlton was starting to get to me and i needed to take a step back and remember why I enjoyed going to charlton.
Things at the Oval seem to be forming nicely, very happy with the appointments of Thorpe and Stewart as coaches and think that Adams has the right ideas about moving forward. I think that they seem to be looking at things through Arsene Wenger tinited glasses tho saying that they want to blood the kids and use the acadamy. I am all for that but i still thik that we need some decent pros that might give us some strength because otherwise we might get stuffed in every game.
Last season i thought we were a bowler short and am hoping that Chris Jordan is over his injuries and come back and take over from where he left off otherwise we may struggle to take 20 wickets in games until Harbijhan comes for the second half of the season.
I am interested in the comments form the AGM about Khan, i thought he looked very rough in the test match and needs games to work at game, for the ashes i would much prefer to see either joseph or hoggard back
Nothing, a great bowler when he cut his pace down a fraction, but he undoubtedly lost a bit of zip and t'powers that be decided that Jimmy Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom offer swing but with more pace.
Cant get on 'restricted' sites at work.
Agreed.
I don't think that Sidey is out and out Test class and like Hoggard is perhaps a half-a-yard too slow, but he has a great action and he took his second chance at Test cricket really well and for a year was deservedly our best bowler. A shame that he's been injury prone recently, though that's something I put down to his trying to bowl a bit too fast in Test cricket for his action and body.
He has not done himself any favors by playing on while clearly unfit. I mean, good on him for battling on, but he has looked a shadow of his former self in recent appearances and TBH when you watch him in the field you can see that he is really struggling to run.
At his best he IS Test class, the spell he bowled to Tendulkar at Trent Bridge in 2007 was top-class, swinging it both ways and seaming it but he needs to be fit and he is not at the moment.
By contrast, Anderson, who I have always had major doubts about, is finally looking the goods and bowled very well in the Windies on dead pitches with no luck at all. He is due a big haul and I hope it comes against the Convicts XI.