How did he manage to ask a question on Sammy during a cricket match between MCC and the Windies !! Mind you, I'm surprised it wasn't on Sir Chrissy Powell !
Hope you enjoyed yourself, even if the match wasn't the best.
It was because I was commentating about Darren Sammy, who was bowling from the City End. He wondered whether, when commentating, I wanted to chant "ooooooooooooOOOOOOOH! It's Sammy!" as he ran in...
:D
I had an absolute ball over the last three days - being back in the office is tough! The match was weird - Runako Morton's knock was (and I know this sounds odd) the worst double-ton I've ever seen. He played some absolutely ridiculous strokes, and only through "sheer dumb luck" (as Dame Maggie Smith would say) did he not perish during the first half of his innings. That said, he did hit some of the biggest sixes I have ever seen... 200+ yds. Mindboggling.
After a scratchy start, Denesh Ramdin played himself in really nicely - a very correct, wristy player who was patient and who put away the bad balls.
The match wasn't a bad one - other than a surreal ending to the game from the Windies; I thought they should have declared a bit earlier and gone in for the kill against the MCC side. Winning is a habit, after all.
As for the MCC side, lots of players to watch out for. Laurie Evans sported the brown cap of Surrey and looks a real prospect, a very fluent batsman. Paul Dixey (England U19 & Kent) also impressed - lovely glovework behind the timbers and once he'd played himself in, a confident player of the ball. Raul Brathwaite, a big Barbadian, got some nice movement through the air with the ball, and may work his way into contention for the Windies at some point.
As for the Windies, Dwayne Bravo is clearly a massive talent, Jerome Taylor was by miles the best bowler, but apart from that (and I am sorry to say this) they are a rabble, an absolute shambles. Weather permitting, and even allowing for Harmison's & Plunkett's wonky radars, there's really no reason why England shouldn't win this series 3-0. There are talented players there, for sure, but there is absolutely no discipline and little evidence of application or hunger.
They are crying out for a Clive Lloyd character to lead them; the likeable but softly spoken Shiv Chanderpaul is not that man. If Chris Gayle ever grew up, he could mould them into a side of winners, for sure. But right now, he is the ringleader of the naughty boys, it seems to me. He has the talent, personality and physical stature to make players follow him. Right now, they're following him down the path of lacksadaisical, devil-may-care showboating. If he discovered some hunger and some maturity, he could lead them down the path of application, of physical conditioning, of hard-work and of victory.
But right now, that looks like a massive "if" - it certainly won't happen this year. It really should be 3-0 to us in this series... as I said, the Windies are a shambles and until they have a sea-change in attitude, their 2-year winless Test streak will keep on lengthening.
Matt
