England Summer Test Cricket

[ChesterDave]

Half Century for Bell inthe first ODI (England 86/1 after 16.2)

[Chazza]

Decent scoring rate from him 92 off 82 balls

Shaggy will be pleased for him

[ChesterDave]

163/3 from 30.

Got to fancy the 300 from here. Can't see Windies chasing that

[ChesterDave]

Bell on 99 today and 3,333 career ODI runs

[RichC]

Bell gets his ton

[ChesterDave]

Norgan drags onto his own wicket

[ChesterDave]

Bell caught on 126. Needed 1 more run to set a new highest score in ODI

England are 216/5

[RichC]

sad to hear Tom Maynard has been killed, he was hit by a tube last night.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-18492564

[Shaggy]

Flintoff's a dick isn't he?

Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff was not mincing his words at the Sky TV party at The Oxo Tower on Tuesday night. Speaking to the Londoner, all his bonhomie turned to scowls when the subject of his erstwhile England colleague, former captain and now Sky TV and Times journalist Michael Atherton, came up.

“He’s a p***k,” said Flintoff. “He’s a f*****g p***k.” Why so? “He sits there making judgments about players that are much better than he ever was, believe me, he’s a p***k.

“How can he talk about a player like [current England opening batsman] Alastair Cook who is 10 times the player he ever was — he has a much bigger average and will go on and on. Atherton averaged in the 30s for England and yet he thinks he can judge others.”

Asked whether he minded saying this to a journalist, Flintoff, who was accompanied by his glamorous wife Rachel, said: “I don’t care. Say what you like. There’s no love lost there.”

Indeed there is not.

As a journalist, Atherton has dismissed Flintoff’s claim to greatness as a player and also pooh-poohed his captaincy of the side in 2006.

In 2006 Atherton wrote in the Telegraph: “The only positive benefit of the injury to Flintoff may be the end of his immediate captaincy ambitions. I don’t subscribe to the view that England’s underperformance against Sri Lanka was entirely down to Flintoff’s captaincy but equally I have never subscribed to the view that he is the man for the job.”

And it seems Flintoff has never subscribed much to Atherton’s talents as a player and journalist either. Atherton was unavailable for comment.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/londoners-diary/cricket-storm-as-flintoff-hits-out-at-atherton-7872680.html

[Alex]

Just a bit. If only he was going after Nick Knight. Then he would have an argument.

[Shaggy]

He loathes Knight and routinely slags him off on Twitter.

[captainfog]

haha Nick Knight is alright! think he gets unfair stick.

Fact is commentators are paid to give an opinion, it's got nothing to do with how good they were as players.

[Alex]

I just think Nick Knight is a bit of a smug prick. Nothing to do with his punditry. He just comes across as slimy.

[Shaggy]

I can't bear Nick Knight but the attack on Atherton is outrageous. Atherton is the best pundit around, in any sport. Hugely insightful, intelligent analysis.

He also played in a dreadful England team that no doubt affected his average.

[captainfog]

I can't bear Nick Knight but the attack on Atherton is outrageous. Atherton is the best pundit around, in any sport. Hugely insightful, intelligent analysis.

He also played in a dreadful England team that no doubt affected his average.

That England team was awful, absolutely awful and undoubtedly effected his average, also there were some fearsome bowling attacks around then, windies, SA, Australia, Pakistan........ it was a really tough period to be an opening bat.