I was playing over fifty years ago and bowler send offs are nothing new.
Regarding meeting your idol, mine was Gary Sobers. I never met him but two or three people I knew have and they all said he was a brilliant guy.
An honest opinion piece about DW
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The stats by location are interesting.
If memory serves, DW’s entrance in to Test cricket was borne from his performances in ODIs and other limited overs competitions, and he had little in the way of longer form cricket behind him. It’s a tribute to him, that unlike Jason Roy and various others in England, he adapted what was a ‘hard charging’ approach and achieved so much success in the Test arena. The stats tend to suggest he struggled against the moving red ball, and Broad’s after-dinner routine has been duly padded (
) – but, as I’ve said before, England would have traded DW for many of the various openers we’ve tried over the years.
Let’s remember, England had the likes of Gower many years ago who could delight and infuriate within the same game
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He’s known and played along side Usman Khawaja since they were 6. Think it was a wonderful way to end his career, Usman’s mother was almost like a mother to him and was seen hugging him after the game.
He first came to the attention during the early days of BBL and worked his way into the test side because of his performance.
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OK it isn’t played during prime time in the UK but Test matches here sell out, and we have a large and passionate South Asian community you would imagine a decent audience. Obviously not. I guess showing Test matches when it isn’t Australia, or out of season doesn’t make money for advertisers. TMS have lost the radio rights to Talksport too.
Bruce
I find the Talksport commentary quite irritating.
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Likewise, I quite often resort to following the text commentary on cricinfo.
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Apparently Australia has the oldest test team, the youngest is 28. There’s obviously going to be lots of changes for the #1 ranked test side coming in the next year or so. DW retirement has made way for a new opening partnership.
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Perhaps some would like to see Headingly turned in to a retail park, as the trust (Graves family?) which lent the funds to YCCC has a legal charge over the ground. When is all this high horsery going to stop and reality set in? …and have I missed something in that there’s a hyperlink to a piece in the Guardian here?!
It’s the usual misdirection from the BBC, as ever nowadays, as I’m sure YCCC aren’t overly concerned about a local sponsor, when there’s a much bigger problem afoot.
Think bringing someone back especially someone with baggage is a mistake. Clubs should move forward not backwards.
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They can’t Pete – they’ve tried and those interested (e.g. an IPL franchise) have pulled back, as cricket clubs over here are a struggle, and YCCC is highly reliant on Test match income, as are several others. If you’d have read and watched some of the stuff which has arisen from the whole saga around YCCC, the continued & viable operation of the club didn’t appear to feature in any of the thought processes.
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Do you guys have far too many test venues, we only have one in each of the major states. These grounds have a multi purpose as all of them are used for Aussie Rules which brings in much more revenue than a test match per year. Our domestic competition (cricket) is now generally played on regional or small grounds.
Yes – too many, with Lord’s, Oval, Rose Bowl, Trent Bridge, Edgbaston, Headingly, Old Trafford, plus Durham and Cardiff – although Durham got itself in financial trouble a while back which, if memory serves, involved their Test status being compromised/withdrawn even?
And 2 Tests against the primary nations are always played at Lord’s and the Oval, which leads to the others scrapping for the rest, something which is constantly questioned. If YCCC hadn’t had the receipts from their Ashes game last year, they may have gone bust if the reports are to be believed.
The ECB have also told some clubs e.g. Old Trafford (Lancs) that they needed to improve the ground to continue their Test venue status, which has meant taking on debt (as I understand things), which is never a good thing in the sporting arena.
Apart from pop concerts, conferences at the grounds and alike, the alternative income streams are often unreliable and challenging to establish. Unlike some Aussie venues, the squares aren’t treated and played on for AFL – plus, we’ve not embraced drop-ins (perish the thought 
).
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The drop ins were an issue but they’ve worked them out now. It probably has taken 10 or so years though. You guys could learn a little from us we may not have the tradition but we certainly do practical well.
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Yep - all spurred on by Packer, back in the day. Of course, what’s not helped the game as a whole financially, is the number of heavily abbreviated Tests of recent years, where D4/5 ticket sales can no longer be relied upon.
Although I was v lucky with day 4/5 at the oval ashes test last year. Proved to be a once in a lifetime experience with Broad’s heroics. Pete might not care to remember 
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Who’s Broad.
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Ask Warner. 
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Anyone have a guess at what the pitches will be like??