Brian Close on England
Brian Close made his debut for England a couple of years after I was born, so he’s seen a lot of cricket. He doesn’t rate the current England team as the greatest, but then he wouldn’t would he? They don’t contain enough Yorkshiremen for his liking I suspect.
I’ll give him this though. He played the bravest innngs I ever saw. Wikipedia describes the innings at Lords in 1963 to try to beat the West Indies like this.
Close was recalled to the England Test squad in 1963, and played his first full series of five matches, against the West Indies. His innings in the second Test at Lord’s remains his best known. When England were pressing for a last-day victory, Close took the battle to the fastest West Indian fast bowlers, Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith, daring to advance down the wicket to them. This was before body protection and helmets were in use, and time and again the ball struck Close firmly on his body. But he persevered. With no other England player but Ken Barrington scoring above 20, Close’s innings of 70 saved the game for England, and came near to winning it. Set 234 to win, England ended on 228 for 9, with Colin Cowdrey famously coming in to bat (for two balls at the non-striker’s end) with his broken arm in plaster.
Close had been dismissed going for runs to win the game, and his courage earned him many plaudits. His shirtless torso, black and blue with bruises where he had been hit, made the front pages of the newspapers the next day.
There has never been another innings like it. I don’t think that there has been any other batsmen, who would have attempted to do what he did.
The Indian Sense of Humour
I’ve worked with quite a few people of Indian origin over the years and have always found that they have quite a sophisticated sense of humour. Take this tweet on Cricinfo.
“Sehwag’s contribution to the 3rd test remains India’s contribution to the arithmetic world – ZERO,” says Saurabh.
It isn’t the sort of thing, we’d say about out cricketers, when they are losing.
My Indian doctor’s comment this morning was that someone has to lose.
Cricket Wins
England may have won the First Test at Lord’s yesterday, but I think the bigger winner was Test Cricket, when 28,000 spectators turned up to see the last day. Congratulations too, to the authorities, who let under-16s in free!
Oops! It was Murder, but it Smelled Phenomenal!
That was a quote from this story from Australia, where a container of expensive wine was dropped.
It all goes to show that their fork-lift truck drivers are like their cricketers!
They drop everything!
A Good Day For Wales
Yesterday, Swansea got into the Premier League at Wembley and the English cricketers turned a certain draw into an unlikely win at Cardiff.
I wish Swansea well at their new status. Their ground, the Liberty Stadium is certainly up to it, as I found last season. Perhaps, all it needs is a station of its own or better transport from the town centre.
Street 20 Cricket
They’re just talking about Street-20 cricket on the radio. Basically, it’s a shortened form of the game for kids and the Lords Taverners are taking it all over the country to places like run-down crime-ridden housing estates to give the kids focus. One guy who runs it, has just been named young coach of the year. They aim to find the next generation of England cricketers too.
Australia On the Brink
There are just three overs left and three wickets to fall.
So it looks like Australia will have a few hours of rest before the almost inevitable happens. I bet they wish this Test had been played in Rockhampton.
Even in the unlikely event that this match is drawn, England will still win the series, so well done to the England cricket team.
England in the Pink
England finished the day on 488 for 7, which is a good score that could get even better with some quick runs and then a couple of quick wickets tomorrow.
The most amazing thing was that yesterday was Jane McGrath Day, in memory of the cricketer, Glenn McGrath’s wife, Jane, who died of breast cancer. Obviously, all the money raised will be wisely used. My late wife, C, had breast cancer a few years before she died and fully recovered, so I’m all for days like this and we should see more of them.
Provided of course, they raise either funds or awareness!
England Need a Touch of the Trevor Bailey’s
One of Essex’s greatest players was Trevor Bailey, who is probably enjoying his county counterpart, Alistair Cook, bat on in Sydney.
Bailey was renowned for his all-round abilities and supreme determination. There can’t be many people, who have played over 60 times for England at cricket and have played in an amateur football team, that drew at Manchester United in the FA Cup.
Bailey was nicknamed Barnacle and this spirit is what England needs to see out the day in Sydney. Even if they score perhaps a little bit faster than Bailey’s reputation, summed up in these words from the great Neville Cardus.
Before he gathered together 20 runs, a newly-married couple could have left Heathrow and arrived in Lisbon, there to enjoy a honeymoon. By the time Bailey had congealed 50, this happily wedded pair could easily have settled down in a semi-detached house in Surbiton; and by the time his innings had gone to its close they conceivably might have been divorced.
But perhaps Bailey is having the greatest last laugh on his detractors in that at 83, he is still watching a lot of cricket and he only needs another 17 for a famous and well-deserved ton.
England Survive Triple Nelson
111, 222 and 333 are dodgy totals as far as England cricketers are concerned.
They’ve just survived the so-called Triple Nelson. Let’s move on now for a bit.
The Anonymous Widower 