Lou: Cricket and potatoes

A while ago I was talking to my spud supplier and I told him how I’d done my back lifting a sack of the mongrels. I then told him how it  affected other parts of my body when I walked differently to minimize the pain.

The minute our Captain did his hammy the first time and talked about that crap of long flights in business class comfort I rang my spud bloke and said you wait and see, he’s stuffed.

So I checked with my physio who I still see and she confirmed my suspicions. We also reckon that at his age and having had a chronic back for so long that if he thinks surgery will fix it…..’’he must be dreamin’ ‘’

Now, what about the second game in Perth! Have we proved that we bat just as badly when the ball’s quick and bouncing as we do when it’s slow and low? Is Morkel their answer to Johnson and what do we tell our grounds men to prepare now? Maybe we just produce a Hume Highway for five days and see who can bat the longest!

My hero from the seventies, IM Chappell made some great comments about captaincy on the weekend. A captain should rule the roost on and off the field without any interference from the myriad support staff who know very little about the game. In his day he had a manager who controlled practice and he did the rest just like it was always done……and it had worked very successfully for a century. Some say the Argus Report was a crock, but I reckon that’s being generous, and it has made a game in decline even worse. It is now a game ruled by HR, Lawyers, Sports Science and Marketing people with very, very little cricket knowledge.

Let’s hope that they realize their mistakes soon. Let’s hope they have the guts to put Smith in charge and give him some free rein. Maybe we are due for some short-term pain for some long-term gain. Let’s hope that they don’t play safe and put the half-fit aging keeper in charge.

Lou