The Reverse Sweep

Are the BCCI about to solve its biggest 'problem'?

 
Game 628 of IPL4 was in full swing, but the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the BCCI had more delicate matters to deal with as they met covertly with their Security Chief.

Chairman “So, you have an update on Target X. Go ahead”

Security Chief: “Yes, we now have a confirmed ID on Target X’s whereabouts. Incredibly he is living right under the nose of one of his biggest enemies”

Chairman “Which enemy? There are many…”

Security Chief: “Giles Clarke. Target X is in Londonistan”

Chairman: “Hardly a surprise. The British have a long track record of letting extremists in".

Deputy Chairman "Exactly. Look how they welcomed that Stanford chap? They let him land his helicopter at Lord’s for Sachin’s sake. How did you find him?”

Security Chief “From his Tweets. As you know he’s always been a prolific user of Twitter and recently his activity has doubled. That enabled us to establish his exact location”

Chairman: “Good, but that means he must be planning another spectacular. Any ideas?”

Security Chief “Well, it cannot be a coincidence that the Indian team arrives for their tour of England in July…”

Chairman: “True. And we still haven’t found out how Duncan Fletcher got appointed as coach? None of us actually voted for him. And there are strong rumours of Ashley Giles applying for Indian citizenship”

Security Chief: “We believe that Target X was behind that the Fletcher appointment and the Giles fiasco too. It must be linked to some grand plan for the whole Indian team.”

Chairman: “But what could this plan be? Do you think he is planning to sign the whole squad for some rogue T20 league in England? That could make the IPL worthless and deprive India of its national side? Imagine that? Irfan Pathan might have to be recalled”

Deputy Chairman: “By the blood of Sachin, not Pathan. Target X wouldn’t dare. Remember what happened to the ICL?”

Chairman” “Yes, but it was Target X that rendered the ICL impotent. Remember he doesn’t work for us anymore.”

Deputy Chairman: “So, what should we do?”

Security Chief: “I’ve been working on that too especially as Target X’s plans remain unclear for now. Have you heard of Seal Team 6? They’ve just solved a little problem for the US Government in Pakistan…”

Where next?

Duncan Fletcher's secret mission as India's coach

Historic India-Pakistan summit flounders due to cricket diplomacy

Revealed: New Pakistan Player Code of Conduct

Cricket XIs: Cricketing Criminals

10 reasons why Ian Botham may have worn sunglasses at the premiere of 'From the Ashes'

Follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

How England won the Ashes: Part 2 - Inspired selections

 
Let’s be honest, England have made a number of selection blunders in the make-up of their Ashes squads to tour Australia over the last 20 years.

Who can forget that Martin McCague - with catastrophic results - was preferred to Angus Fraser in 1994/95? Or that Andrew Caddick was left out for the 1998/99 trip, despite taking 105 wickets in the summer of 1998. And then in the ill-fated 2006-07 series, that a rusty Ashley Giles got the nod over Monty Panesar for the first two tests.

But there were no guffaws this time. On the contrary, the borderline selections of Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan proved to be positively inspired.

They also stuck with Alastair Cook despite before the series the likes of Mike Atherton calling for him to be dropped in place of Eoin Morgan. Of course, Cook then repaid the selectors’ faith by becoming a left-handed reincarnation of Herbert Sutcliffe. The selectors also resisted the temptation to move Jonathan Trott down the order and retained the six batsmen-four bowler policy.

All of these decisions paid off spectacularly. As did the one to keep Ian Bell at six when Paul Collingwood’s form faltered. Moving Bell up the order would just have undermined Collingwood and perhaps even given the Aussies a bit of a fillip – the sight of an in-form Bell coming in at four wickets down must have been soul-destroying for the Australians at times.

The two changes that England made during the series also paid off in spades. Tremlett was a revelation with 17 wickets after replacing the injured Stuart Broad. And what must have been a tough decision to replace Steven Finn with Bresnan for the last two tests also proved correct. Finn may have been the leading wicket-taker in the series at that point, but his economy rate of 4.3 runs per over threatened England’s plan of containment. So out he went, and in came Bresnan, who probably even surprised himself with how well he performed.

Whilst the England selectors deserve a tick in every box, Australia’s were hopeless and clueless despite what that ridiculous excuse for a Chairman Andrew Hilditch thinks. Forced into naming a confused and elongated initial 17 man squad 10 days before the 1st Test by Cricket Australia’s Marketing Department, they then compounded their error by jettisoning incumbent spinner Nathan Hauritz before a ball had even been bowled.

They then panicked after Brisbane by dropping Mitchell Johnson for the clearly unfit Doug Bollinger. Whilst for Perth they concluded that despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Steve Smith was a number six Test batsman and that the out-of-form and technically deficient Phil Hughes should replace the injured Simon Katich. Admittedly they did get it right by sticking with Mike Hussey and the selection (albeit belatedly) of Usman Khawaja, but the overall picture they portrayed was one of poorly thought out plans, risky and ill-advised punts and a general sense of making it up as they went along.

Not only did England end nearly a quarter of a century of hurt down under by winning the series (yes, we're still gloating), but their selectors transformed from a bunch of bumbling incompetents into Gandalfesque shrewd soothsayars whilst somehow transferring their discarded 'attributes' to their Australian counterparts. That makes it even more satisfying.

Where next?

How England won the Ashes: Part 1 - Preparation

The curious case of Nathan Hauritz

Doug Bollinger as you've never seen him before

Ashes 2010/11: Australia series marks out of 10

Ashes 2010/11: England series marks out of 10

Read all the latest from our Ashes 2010/11 coverage

Check out all our Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes 

Follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Adelaide Zero: Ashley Giles

 
Now normally we wouldn't accord zero status to the 'King of Spain'. On the contrary in fact. For his unheralded role in the 2005 Ashes -  including seeing a nervous England over the line at Trent Bridge and for helping tie up one end whilst Messrs Flintoff, Harmison, Hoggard and Jones wreaked havoc at the other - Gilo is closer to a hero than a zero.

But at Adelaide in 2006 - the scene of the lowest of a series full of lows for England - the King lost his crown with one simple act that if he had executed it properly would likely have led to glorious victory rather than the most ignominious of defeats. And we are picking an Adelaide zero...

Giles was a controversial pick in the series with Duncan Fletcher preferring him to Monty Panesar despite the Warwickshire man having had little or no cricket for 12 months and his erstwhile replacement having made a promising start to his test career. That wasn't Giles' fault, but what he did, or more precisely failed to do, was.

For those with short memories, the Adelaide Test of 2006 started very well for England. Paul Collingwood (206) and Kevin Pietersen (158) compiled a 4th wicket partnership of 310 as England posted 551/6 declared. Then England made inroads with the new ball to reduce Australia to 65/3 and with a scratchy Ricky Ponting looking like getting out at any moment, more joy looked imminent.

And then Gilo's big moment came as Ponting mistimed a hook off Hoggard towards Giles on the deep square leg boundary. But Giles, never the most co-ordinated of cricketers - Henry Blofeld often called him the "wheelie-bin", fluffed his lines hopelessly misjudging the trajectory and clumsily dropping the Australian captain - and some said the Ashes - into the process.

Ponting went on to make 142 as Australia limited England's first innings lead to just 38 and the rest is as they say history. England wouldn't have won that series in a million years, but without Gilo's spill they wouldn't have lost this Test and at least saved England's cricket fans from the most depressing of defeats.

It also proved a sad epitaph to the King of Spain's England career as first serious illness to his wife and then persistent injuries meant that the Adelaide Test was his last. But reluctantly, we have to make Gilo a Reverse Sweep Adelaide zero for his integral part in England's downfall in this Test match.

Where next?

Read all the latest from our Ashes 2010/11 coverage

An unreserved apology to James Anderson

Adelaide Hero: Wally Hammond

Check out all our other Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes

Follow the Reverse Sweep on Twitter

Ashes 100-1: 12 - The 25 Greatest Ashes Tests: Part 3 of 3

 
Today we conclude our mini-series of the 25 greatest Ashes tests of all time (see also Part 1 and Part 2 of the Greatest Ashes Tests ever) with the final nine starting in 1977 and ending in 2009.

Centenary Test, Melbourne, 12-17 March 1977 - Australia won by 45 runs: Not strictly an Ashes Test as the urn wasn't at stake, but this match staged to commemorate the first-ever Test exactly 100 years earlier was a classic. Australia were shot out for 138 before Lillee turned the table on England with six for 26 as England could only muster 95. Rod Marsh then struck 110 as Australia set England a mammoth 463 for victory. Amazingly they got close and at one point were 346 for four. But when Randall fell for a brilliant 174 the end was nigh and Australia scraped home by 45 runs - the same margin as in that first test 100 years before.

3rd Test, Headingley, 16-21 July 1981 - England won by 18 runs: For the first three days, England were completely outplayed and followed on. It seemed inevitable that Australia were about to go 2-0 up in the series. Then Botham with able support from Dilley and Old smashed 149 not out and Willis roared in with eight for 43 to enable England, who at one point had been 500/1 for the win, to score an amazing victory.

4th Test, Edgbaston, 30 July-2 August 1981 - England won by 29 runs: Lightning struck twice for Australia in the very next match when they looked like winning a low scoring encounter at Edgbaston. Set 151 to win, they eased to 87 for three before Botham produced his second miracle of the summer grabbing five for one in 28 balls to secure a 29-run victory.

4th Test, Melbourne, 26-30 December 1982 - England won by 3 runs: An extremely tight match saw all four innings total between 284 and 294. When Australia were 218 for nine chasing 292 all looked lost for the home side. But Border and Thomson took them to within sight of the finishing line before that man Botham struck inducing an edge from Thomson that Tavare parried into the hands of a grateful Miller.

4th Test, Melbourne, 26-30 December 1998 - England won by 12 runs: England were 2-0 down and the Ashes had already gone coming into the Boxing Day Test. But some unlikely seasonal cheer came their way when Australia collapsed chasing 175 - sliding from 130 for three to 162 all out. Dean Headley had his moment in the sun with six wickets whilst Steve Waugh scored 122 not out and 30 not out.

2nd Test, Edgbaston, 4-7 August 2005 - England won by 2 runs: The best test in history? McGrath and that cricket ball. Ponting wins the toss and inexplicably puts England in. England score over 400 on day one and lead by 99 on 1^stinnings. The Aussies fightback but a last wicket stand of 51 from Flintoff and Simon Jones enables England to set the Aussies 282 to win. A magical over by Flintoff accounts for Langer and Ponting. A magnificent slower ball from Harmison bamboozles Clarke. Lee with Warne and then Kasprowicz take Australia to the precipice of victory before Harmison and Geraint Jones combined to win the day for England. Flintoff consoles Lee. Breathtaking.

4th Test, Trent Bridge, 25-28 August 2005 - England won by 3 wickets: England dominated the match with a century from Flintoff and five wickets for Simon Jones. But in pursuit of only 129 for victory after Australia had followed on, panic set in against an inspired Warne and Lee. Giles and Hoggard were the unlikely heroes that steered England home.

2nd Test, Adelaide, 1-5 December 2006 - Australia won by six wickets: Disaster and ignominious defeat for England and glory for Australia. A double-hundred for Collingwood and 158 from Pietersen saw England declare on 551 for six. Hoggard took seven wickets as Australia conceded a 38 run lead - it should have been more but Giles dropped Ponting and the Australian captain cashed in with 142. With a draw the most likely result, England caved in on the last day to be all out for 129 with an inspirational Warne pulling the strings and Australia cantered to victory and ultimately a 5-0 series win.

5th Test, The Oval, 20-23 August - England won by 197 runs: With the series level at 1-1, the momentum was with Australia after a crushing win at Headingley in the 4th Test. But Strauss won a crucial toss and led from the front with 55 and Bell top-scored with 72 as England scored 332. Then with Australia cruising at 73 for o, Stuart Broad (five for 37) bowled an inspired spell as the tourists were reduced to 111 for seven and finally 160 all out. Jonathan Trott then struck a composed hundred on debut with Strauss hitting his second fifty of the match to help set Australia an unlikely 546 for victory. At 217 for two, England were nervous but Flintoff's run out of Ponting proved to be decisive and the Ashes had been regained.

Where next?

Read all the articles of our Ashes 100 day countdown

Botham's Ashes

10 reasons why Andrew Flintoff was a true Ashes great

Dean Headley's one day in the sun