New Pod Ep: Psychotic Reaction
The red mist descends at Trent Bridge, hopes soar at Lord's
Pete and Gid soak up England’s midsummer madness as Ben Stokes bids international cricket farewell, and Ireland beat India (twice). Also: preview of the semi-finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup with former Australian star Lisa Sthalekar ahead of the final on 5 July.
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In the spirit of The Spencer Johnson Blues Explosion and Ashton Turner Overdrive Mark Butcher on comms often referred to New Zealand's excellent wicketkeeper as The Amazing Blundell. When asked by his bemused colleagues why he was referring to Tom in this way music buff Butch revealed it to be a reference to the early seventies folk/prog group Amazing Blondel.
The fiasco on day 4 was a fitting epitaph for the Stokes/McCullum era. Because they were doing so poorly at Test cricket, the ECB was seeking a cheat code to hack Test cricket and get to win easily, and they thought McCullum and Stokes could bend reality to make it their own fiefdom. The initial injection of adrenaline, combined with some good fortune and relatively mediocre opposition convinced them that their “New Age” approach was the silver bullet they sought. The truth is that, despite all the early success, the reality of Test cricket had its way with them, and the lack of attention to the fundamentals, combined with an unbelievably undisciplined approach to planning and management, brought the whole edifice crashing down. The “stuff you all” approach of day 4 was a clear indication of their acceptance that, as a team, they’re not very good at Test cricket, but would rather have the fun of village cricket on steroids without concern for the consequences. Although there are some fantastic talents emerging, like Brook and Bethel, I would argue that they would have emerged in any decent system and that, fundamentally, English Test cricket is in a worse position now than at the start of the whole crazy adventure. That’s not to say that there wasn’t a lot of fun along the way, but I think they have proved that there’s not a substitute for the hard work and discipline which other successful Test nations have pursued.