Wello's Cricket World

Being a lover of cricket means having strong opinions on the merits of certain players. Many a discussion has taken place over who is the greatest spin bowler ever - Shane Warne or Muttiah Muralitharan? The greatest batsman of recent years.......? It must be Sachin Tendulkar. Or maybe Brian Lara. Actually it's probably Ricky Ponting. What about Kevin Pietersen? Could he eclipse these three greats with his astonishing strokeplay and absolute self-belief in his own ability.

Well, after a few innings I've witnessed recently, a new name is prominent in my mind when it comes to the title of the most talented batsman in the world - Yuvraj Singh. Before he launched poor Stuart Broad all over Durban during that astonishing over, I had always marvelled at his amazing backswing and purity of stroke. Hitting one of the outstanding young fast bowling talents in the world for 36 in an over is one thing, but the innings he played against the Australians in the 20/20 World Championship semi-final was something entirely different. In making 70 off just 30 balls with 5 fours and 5 huge sixes, Yuvraj treated the Australian attack with complete disdain and rendered them completely helpless to prevent him hitting the ball exactly where he wanted to.

What marks Yuvraj as a cut above the rest is his ability to hit the ball with astonishing power off both feet and on both sides of the wicket. Bowlers pitching up to him are launched back over their heads or to his favourite midwicket region, regardless of the pace they bowl. This affront to their talent usually sees a switch to the short pitched stuff to see what Yuvraj is made of and when these deliveries meet the same fate as their fuller brethren, the bowler has nowhere else to go - apart from into the stands at deep square leg.

In a cricketing world where power and size are becoming increasingly prominent, the beauty of Yuvraj's strokeplay is a joy to behold. He doesn't 'whoosh' at the ball or try to generate artificially fast bat speed. Instead, he stands still, watches the ball like a hawk then with a carefree, easy swing of his magnificent bat, hits through the line of the ball in the same manner Ernie Else might caress a 3 iron.

At the age of 25, Yuvraj must surely take on the mantle from Brian Lara as the most attractive batsman to watch in world cricket. Good luck to him.

Wello

It's 15.45pm on Saturday October 6th.....................the happiest moment of the year for an English sportsman. The England rugby union side have pulled off the most amazing result in years in beating the odds-on favourites Australia. How sweet that sounds. Written off by all and sundry, not least the southern hemisphere know-alls (why do we in the UK always listen to them so reverently as if they have all the knowledge when it comes to sport?), the England team played with passion and absolute commitment to snatch a most unlikely win.

Whatever they do in the rest of the tournament and whoever they play in the semi-final, the whole nation can be rightly proud of a team who showed true Dunkirk spirit against the old enemy in a match no one thought they could win, perhaps with the exception of the players themselves. I bet Australian Rugby Chief Executive John O'Neill really hates us now....

You beauty,

Wello

The absence of Andrew Strauss from England's test squad to tour Sri Lanka in December is the major talking point of what looks like a well balanced and talented group of players. Strauss made such an immediate impact when he made his entrance to test cricket against New Zealand at Lord's in 2004 that within 5 months, he became England's most reliable batsman and was a major factor in the 2-1 series defeat of South Africa that winter.

Strauss's great strength is a simple gameplan allied to an unflappable temperament and resolute mental toughness. These qualities have temporarily deserted him over the past year and can be attributed to a combination of excessive workload, poor umpiring decisions and some bad luck. His break from all forms of cricket is a sensible and obvious choice for a man who never gives less than 100% whether opening the batting against the best bowlers in the world or providing encouragement and leadership in the field. His time will come again.

The omission of Strauss provides an excellent opportunity for two talented young England players - Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara. Both have shown a cool head under pressure and no little skill in their England careers thus far, and with Graeme Swann relishing his return to international cricket providing a compelling option as England's second spinner whilst offering crucial runs in the lower middle order, the competition for places in the starting XI will be fierce.

Shah's deft touches against spin should see him make the side though whether he or Ian Bell will bat at No.6 will be an interesting decision. England's seam bowling looks particularly strong at the moment with Matthew Hoggard, Jimmy Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad vying for three places at most. Sidebottom in particular has the look of a real thoroughbred about him, bowling the ball exactly where he wants to at a good pace with enough movement to worry the best players. What a find he has been begging the question of how many more players there are in county cricket like him who are waiting for their chance whilst quietly producing the goods at county level?

Sri Lanka are a very tough side to beat at home but England have a squad which offers much in many different areas. The start of the series is some way off yet but on a surface offering spin, England's team should look something like this:

Vaughan
Cook
Bell
Pietersen
Collingwood
Shah
Prior
Swann
Sidebottom
Hoggard
Panesar

On a quicker wicket, Anderson or Broad may scrap it out for the 3rd seamer's slot.

As for Andrew Strauss, expect bigger and better things from him in 2008 - form is temporary but class is permanent.

Wello