A bit of a "no ball"

Imagine, if you can, being an English Cricketer right now today and knowing that in around 20 minutes, you're strolling out on the pitch to play Pakistan ................................... after the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman just said that England deliberatly lost their last game .............. more match fixing, cheating, etc. etc.

Its all looking a bit mucky right now really.  Allegations, News of the World entrapment, throwing games, dropping balls, cheating, players being sent home, talk of "life bans".  The English captain Andrew Strauss was, and i quote "outraged" by the allegations made against his team.  Everyone has been wading in this morning, sports commentators and presenters, ex-players, existing players - non stop outrage and shock.

Give me a break!  Did everyone forget about Hansie Cronje already?

Ian Botham calls for Pakistan to be banned from the game - permanently I wonder? While a fabulous cricketer, in fact one of the best, he's hardly one of the "good guys" of sport and has quite a history of pushing the boundries.  He's right about the ICC getting their finger out and getting their hands dirty here tho!

Someone commented this morning that just because the players are English, they shouldn't automatically be presumed innocent!  That's quite rough - does that mean they should automatically be presumed guilty? How does that work - doesn't sound sporting or legal from where i'm sitting ............. but at the same time, the indignant outrage and ranting and raving and "how dare they's" is a little premature - please, the English are incapable of cheating or being paid large sums for fixing odds? Right - that's more than a little funny guys, really!!

I for one will have the game on in the background today ............ if only to watch the crowd rip into the players, the bowlers rip into the batsmen and the desperate diving all over the place "not to drop any balls" and prove the rumours true ...................... from either side.  I think it'll be a VERY good day at Lords today ............ or at least a very interesting one.

Testosterone fest perhaps !!

Over & Out

PS - Just under the radar - Ryan Sidebottom just retired from International Cricket today and Jimmy Anderson posed nude for a Gay Magazine - both brave moves really !!