Wello's Cricket World

Andrew Symonds is not universally popular outside of Australia but the news that he might be charged with serious misconduct for shoulder barging a streaker is one of the most nonsensical things ever heard in international cricket.

Symonds, battling manfully to rescue Australia from an awful start in the 2nd Commonwealth Bank One day Final versus India, had to pull out of his batting stance when play was halted by a pasty young male sprinting across the Gabba wearing nothing that he wasn't born with. As the streaker made a beeline for the stumps where the imposing Symonds was standing, the solidly built Australian all-rounder decided he wasn't having any of it and, as is his right, stood his ground before unceremoniously dumping the errant fan on his behind with all the alacrity of a Jonny Wilkinson tackle.

The idiotic supporter, immediately apprehended by Queensland's finest, was quickly whisked away to an evening in the cells and a £1400 fine. The game carried on and the reaction of most people must surely have been 'Well done Symonds.'

Now we are told he may face a life ban for physically assaulting a spectator under the ICC Player's Code of Conduct as if he had performed an Eric Cantona-like kung fu assault into a group of innocent bystanders. This is politically correct administration at its woeful worst. Maybe Symonds should have stood there and allowed the poorly endowed streaker to attack him or steal the stump microphone. Or perhaps a strategically placed autograph was all the sun-starved reprobate was after.

Common sense must prevail here. Andrew Symonds did what any 16 stone athlete would have done when confronted by a naked man displaying his undercarriage - respond with a tackle of your own and see who comes out on top.

The bare faced cheek of it...

Wello

Having watched the whole of the last session of day 1 of the 2nd test between New Zealand and England, I feel I can make the following statement: Tim Ambrose can play. My goodness he can play. His vibrant 97 not out, allied to Paul Collingwood's more obdurate 48 not out, rescued England from potential disaster as they lurched from 79 without loss to 136 for 5.

That he made such a score when his team needed it most says a lot for Ambrose's character but it was the way he made them that augurs so well for the future. Faced with the possibility of England's innings crumbling into insignificance, he showed courage - mental as well as physical - and launched a blistering counter-riposte upon the dominant Kiwi attack. Balls pitched up were driven down the ground with a full blade whilst short balls were scythed past point (Ambrose hit no fewer than 11 cut shots for four) or hooked imperiously for 6. His willingness to move down the wicket to disrupt Daniel Vettori's length worked beautifully and the frugal left arm spinner, nicknamed 'Harry Potter' by the Barmy Army, went at 4's in his 8 overs.

And herein lies the problem. England, for all the doom and gloom of the last week, have a crop of talented wicketkeepers all of whom tend to make a good impression with the bat. Matt Prior averaged a shade over 40 in tests and looked every inch a test batsman - if you fancy a wildcard bet don't rule out his re-emergence purely as a batsman only. The issue has been their keeping and Prior's fumbles (he dropped 8 edges off Ryan Sidebottom alone in his 10 tests) forced the England selectors to look elsewhere.

The modern wicketkeeper is now expected to be an allrounder and his runs at No.6 or 7 are crucial to sides building competitive totals. However, all the runs in the world can't hide mistakes behind the stumps, particularly if the batsman reprieved is a Ponting or a Sangakkara and they go on to make a double century having been dropped in single figures. It's tough on keepers but unlike other allrounders, they have to be consistently proficient in both disciplines.

So Tim Ambrose's wicketkeeping is what will determine his and England's future. If he snaffles nicks from Sidebottom whilst accepting stumping chances from Monty Panesar without more than the occasional lapse, he'll be a test player for a long time to come. As for his batting, it's a joy to watch.

Wello

The quality of Ryan Sidebottom's bowling was mentioned in this blog a couple of months ago but it's now abundantly obvious that he is not just a good test bowler. Ryan Sidebottom is an exceptional, world-class bowler with no peer amongst the fast bowling ranks in test cricket.

His 7 for 47 against New Zealand earlier today pulled England back from the abyss with the Kiwi batsmen scoring at will against the other England bowlers putting them into a seemingly impregnable position and condemning England to an ignominious series defeat. That this situation did not come to pass is entirely down to the Nottinghamshire left-armer and his complete commitment to bowling for his country allied to rare skill, determination and powers of endurance.

The acid test for Sidebottom will come against the Australians in 2009 and his success against the current New Zealand batsmen must be qualified by their dearth of real test quality players. But all the indications are that his amazing returns in this three test series are no fluke and that England have their best fast bowler for decades. Charging in over after over whilst attacking off-stump with a relentless zeal, Sidebottom asks the question of batsmen in every delivery in such a way that if when facing him you make a mistake, you're out - it's as simple as that. He now has 52 test wickets at an average of 25 and if he stays fit and England's fielders catch effectively (not guaranteed I admit), those figures will continue to improve.

The current LG test rankings have Dale Steyn and Brett Lee along with Makhaya Ntini and Stuart Clark at the top of the fast bowling stocks but I wouldn't swap the long haired Yorkshireman for any of them.

Wello