Turning down County Offers

[marc71178]

A good thread ! There have been reports suggesting that Harbhajan Singh wanted to get his fingers back to full motion before the Asia Cup and ICC Champions Trophy and expressed his desire to represent a county side in order to get match fitness !! I really wonder if any of the clubs were listening to his statement !

I think they were, but nobody wants him (he said it about a month ago, and nobody has approached him...)

 

[Lions81]

I think they were, but nobody wants him (he said it about a month ago, and nobody has approached him...)

They must've seen Bhaji on the Beach and got confused...

 

[SpaceMonkey]

I probably am being a bit too pessimistic about English county cricket sorry. But I still think Australian state cricket has a higher quality of play so international players would benefit more from playing with them.

True but then the talent poor in england is spread out 3 times more than in Australia. If there were only 6 County teams i dont think we'd be THAT far off the quality of an Australian state side to be honest.

 

[badgerhair]

True but then the talent poor in england is spread out 3 times more than in Australia. If there were only 6 County teams i dont think we'd be THAT far off the quality of an Australian state side to be honest.

It may or may not be relevant to reflect that about half the Australians who play both State and county cricket have better stats in England than they do at home, and the other half do worse in county cricket than they do back home. If half the Australians find it easier and half find it tougher, how rational is it to conclude that the quality of play in Australia is significantly better?

Reading autobiographical stuff by a number of overseas players, including some who have not played county cricket but have played with those who did, it seems that county cricket is seen to give the best all-round technical education a first-class cricketer can have in this imperfect world. What's wrong with it is that it's too easy for a good player to settle for a cynical and unambitious professional competence which is no foundation for playing international cricket.

The strength of the Australian system as a Test cricketer factory is the intense competition for places in the State sides with the knowledge that failure in even a single game can spell the end. That is what you get at Test level, so the Australian cricketer just finds the atmosphere a more intense version of what he's been used to.

A young professional county cricketer can fail more often. He gets more games anyway, and if an old pro takes him under his wing, he may learn how to make sure that his good performances get noticed and his bad ones explained away. And he can also learn that as long as you are good enough, you don't need to get any better. And quite a few of them do get good enough to remain substantial first-class cricketers for many years.

Australian State sides are full of youth and keenness. English county sides usually contain a number of hardened old pros who've forgotten more than the young Turks have yet learned about the game and can run rings round them even though their international days, if there were any, are long past.

The systems are different, and the Australian one far better at producing internayional cricketers, but that doesn't mean that the quality of actual play is that different. After all, in Australia, all you get is Australians, mostly excluding their Test players, and the odd Zimbabwean exile, whereas we get Warne, Martyn and Ponting as well as Kasprowicz, Lehmann, not to mention the entire Pakistan attack, a larger bunch of Zimbabwean exiles and various assorted South Africans and Australians on the firgnes of their national teams. A couple of those in every side.

I don't see that the Western Australia or South Australia side which takes the field while the national team is away, ie the one which plays most of its Puke Cup games, is stronger than a similarly restricted Surrey or Worcestershire side, and I can't see why the overall quality of the games should be that different. The worst players in the English side will probably be worse than their WA or SA counterparts, but the overseas Test players in the county sides are probably better than the leading domestic Australians, so it balances out in the end.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[Sehwag309]

They must've seen Bhaji on the Beach and got confused...

As for Bhajji, I remember it was that test match in delhi, Ind/Pak. Afridi was going berserk as usual and someone from the crowd shouted "oye chukde phutte", bhajji got so pumped up, he cleaned bowled afridi immediately

 

[Lions81]

As for Bhajji, I remember it was that test match in delhi, Ind/Pak. Afridi was going berserk as usual and someone from the crowd shouted "oye chukde phutte", bhajji got so pumped up, he cleaned bowled afridi immediately

What does that mean?

 

[badgerhair]

"oye chukde phutte",

What does that mean?

"Murali chucks".

Cheers,

Mike

 

[Sehwag309]

What does that mean?

It's Punjabi, I don't know the exact meaning, but they use it a lot in excitment

 

[Deja moo]

Quote:Quote:
Originally Posted by Lions81
Quote:
"oye chukde phutte",

What does that mean?

"Murali chucks".
Cheers,

Mike

Oh thats so funny badgerhair ! You crack me up....the murali fixation endears you to us all...wasnt that just hilarious everybody? bet everyone on the forum is rolling with laughter!

 

[badgerhair]

Oh thats so funny badgerhair ! You crack me up....the murali fixation endears you to us all...wasnt that just hilarious everybody? bet everyone on the forum is rolling with laughter!

I believe that is the first post I have made to this forum which includes the sequence of letters "Murali". Hardly evidence of it being a fixation of mine, although your evident enthusiasm for the subject suggests that it may well be one of yours.

Chucks,

Mike

 

[SpaceMonkey]

It may or may not be relevant to reflect that about half the Australians who play both State and county cricket have better stats in England than they do at home, and the other half do worse in county cricket than they do back home. If half the Australians find it easier and half find it tougher, how rational is it to conclude that the quality of play in Australia is significantly better?

Reading autobiographical stuff by a number of overseas players, including some who have not played county cricket but have played with those who did, it seems that county cricket is seen to give the best all-round technical education a first-class cricketer can have in this imperfect world. What's wrong with it is that it's too easy for a good player to settle for a cynical and unambitious professional competence which is no foundation for playing international cricket.

The strength of the Australian system as a Test cricketer factory is the intense competition for places in the State sides with the knowledge that failure in even a single game can spell the end. That is what you get at Test level, so the Australian cricketer just finds the atmosphere a more intense version of what he's been used to.

A young professional county cricketer can fail more often. He gets more games anyway, and if an old pro takes him under his wing, he may learn how to make sure that his good performances get noticed and his bad ones explained away. And he can also learn that as long as you are good enough, you don't need to get any better. And quite a few of them do get good enough to remain substantial first-class cricketers for many years.

Australian State sides are full of youth and keenness. English county sides usually contain a number of hardened old pros who've forgotten more than the young Turks have yet learned about the game and can run rings round them even though their international days, if there were any, are long past.

The systems are different, and the Australian one far better at producing internayional cricketers, but that doesn't mean that the quality of actual play is that different. After all, in Australia, all you get is Australians, mostly excluding their Test players, and the odd Zimbabwean exile, whereas we get Warne, Martyn and Ponting as well as Kasprowicz, Lehmann, not to mention the entire Pakistan attack, a larger bunch of Zimbabwean exiles and various assorted South Africans and Australians on the firgnes of their national teams. A couple of those in every side.

I don't see that the Western Australia or South Australia side which takes the field while the national team is away, ie the one which plays most of its Puke Cup games, is stronger than a similarly restricted Surrey or Worcestershire side, and I can't see why the overall quality of the games should be that different. The worst players in the English side will probably be worse than their WA or SA counterparts, but the overseas Test players in the county sides are probably better than the leading domestic Australians, so it balances out in the end.

Cheers,

Mike

Very good points. I think alot of professionals blame the number of games in the English season. Where as young Australians have time between games to work on fitness / technique their English Counterparts basically have a game a week for the entire season. This is why i think it was SO important that england got their national acadamy, so at least the young players can now work on their technique over the winter like they should really be doing through the summer.

 

[Linda]

True but then the talent poor in england is spread out 3 times more than in Australia. If there were only 6 County teams i dont think we'd be THAT far off the quality of an Australian state side to be honest.

Hold on, I think you must remember that Australia is a far far smaller country population wise than England. In theory, there SHOULD be more first-class teams in England than here, right?

 

[Neil Pickup]

Hold on, I think you must remember that Australia is a far far smaller country population wise than England. In theory, there SHOULD be more first-class teams in England than here, right?

If participation rates were identical, that would be the case.

However, football rules in England.

 

[Linda]

If participation rates were identical, that would be the case.

However, football rules in England.

I would say footy is much bigger over here than cricket too.

 

[kodos]

Actually cricket is played more in australia and maybe even watched more in a report ive seen by cricket australia. They say that cricket is the most watched sport, was favourite team sport (now it is soccer by just a bit) and most people attending for e.g one dayers are always sold out with Australia playing.

 

[age_master]

most people in Australia play soccer at some stage, however over the age of 12 or 14 soccer participation rates fall off dramatically, wheras alot larger % keep playing cricket.

netball is now the most played sport in Australia though

 

[KANYE WEST]

the truth

the truth is that the australians have more love than the english i think the day the media stops picking teams for coaches is the day england will achive something no need to go far look at sir clive he picked his own squad and they brought the webb ellis cup home so until fletcher and co stop reading the sun to find out who the sun,news of the world have put as england starting 11 thats the day we will be contenters if you think i am lying just read the sun before chelsea's game against monaco the team in there is the team that raneiri is gonna pick ,,,,stop the pressssssssss

If participation rates were identical, that would be the case.

However, football rules in England.

 

[Linda]

Actually cricket is played more in australia and maybe even watched more in a report ive seen by cricket australia. They say that cricket is the most watched sport, was favourite team sport (now it is soccer by just a bit) and most people attending for e.g one dayers are always sold out with Australia playing.

Huh?
Sorry, I was talking about AFL and NRL Football to clear things up.

 

[marc71178]

the truth is that the australians have more love than the english i think the day the media stops picking teams for coaches is the day england will achive something

Except if the media had their way, the likes of Harmison wouldn't have gone to the windies...

news of the world have put as england starting 11 thats the day we will be contenters if you think i am lying just read the sun before chelsea's game against monaco the team in there is the team that raneiri is gonna pick ,,,,stop the pressssssssss

Actually that's not entirely correct.

I have a contact who works on a national newspaper on the Sports section, and they actually get a lot of tips come through the wires.

In fact, I've been told that the night before the last England squad was announced, they knew the uncapped players who were going to be called up!