Forget the twin furores of pink cricket balls and the FA's lenient stance against drugs, the real scandal in town involves Warwickshire's challenge for the County Championship.
They stand accused of a crime far more serious and underhand - the shadow of performance enhancing runs now hangs over their title tilt.
The evidence became irrefutably clear yesterday when Shivnarine Chanderpaul eased to his third Championship ton in just four matches. If that wasn't performance enhancing enough then look at the effect of the dastardly West Indian veteran on the rest of his new batting colleagues.
Messrs Westwood, Troughton, Chopra and Clarke could hardly ever be called prolific run scorers, but Shiv has obviously supplied them all with the same thing that he has been taking. There is no clearer proof than the fact that Troughton hit his first Championship ton for 25 months against Notts last week. Even Clarke came to the party with his first century of the season in the same match.
And then yesterday in their final match against Hampshire where victory and maximum bonus points will give them the title, Chopra scored his third hundred of the season, but (and this is the crucial point) his first since scoring back to back double hundreds in the first two matches of the season.
Chanderpaul has got previous too - he was on the field when Durham won their consecutive titles in 2008 and 2009, so it seems incredible that the ECB didn't notice. Whilst they have been too busy tossing their pink cricket balls in the air, Warwickshire and the evil Shiv have been stealing away the County Championship from 77 year title famine victims Lancashire.
It also looks like ensuring that our County Championship casserole will come to the boil far too early.
The rotters.
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Shiv has once again proven to be an excellent signing, for Warwickshire this time. Over the last few rounds of the County Championship, he's been the difference, and looks increasingly certain to be reason why Lancashire have to wait longer for that first CC title since 1934. As a Lancashire fan, I wish we could have afforded to sign someone like him.
Posted by: wilo | Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 10:13
It may not all be over yet Wilo. Lancashire are fairly motoring on as I type...
Posted by: The Reverse Sweep | Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 14:44