WOMEN’S | FEATURE

GIRL POWER! Women’s cricket is thriving by building on the progress of its pioneers, writes Shamir Patel

The history of women’s cricket is littered has provided a turbo boost to the sport’s has her foot in the door at Test Match with pioneers and trailblazers from Charlotte popularity and reach. Increased global Special while former England quick Isa Guha Edwards, to the late greats Margaret Hughes competition has also played a big role. The is making huge strides in her own media and Rachael Heyhoe Flint, and the many pre-eminence of England and are career. Their talent, insight and difering others in between. being challenged on a constant basis by experiences to their male colleagues add On and of the field, these great women an exciting West Indies team and a New another layer to the rich tapestry of the were the embodiment of grace under Zealand side led by 2016’s WODI and WT20I global game. pressure, having to prove their worth by Player of the Year Suzie Bates. A word of caution, however, that for all the doing what their male counterparts could do Tournaments like the Women’s Big Bash progress made there are still battles to be only much better in a bid for equality. It is a League in Australia and the Women’s Cricket fought. Although 12 Big Bash matches were challenge they rose to time and time again. Super League in England have helped to televised on free-to-air in Australia, none It is testament to the groundwork they put draw sponsors and thrown a larger spotlight of the 2016 matches in England’s equivalent in, and the difculties these tenacious and on the game’s leading lights including the were, with coverage limited to Test Match skilful women endured, that women’s cricket likes of Hayley Matthews who starred in Special. Things are looking brighter this continues to rise in popularity. last year’s T20 World Cup final, allrounder summer, though, with Sky showing eight Kia It is perhaps too easy to forget in the age extraordinaire and the ever Super League games. of professional women’s cricket that women consistent Meg Lanning. This year the world’s best female cricketers were not admitted to the MCC until 1999, As young girls see role models they wish will also be showcasing their talents on the and it was not until 2008 that England’s to emulate in these women as well as the biggest stage as the World Cup returns to women first had a kit they could call their rewards the sport can now bring, the pool of England for the first time since 1993. Fittingly, own, and it was only in 2014 that the first talent in the game should only grow and with the final will again be at Lord’s. Back in central contracts were awarded. that more people will come to the sport. 1993, 4,500 turned up to see England beat But now the professional era has well and Nor is the rise of women in cricket limited New Zealand. Expect that number to be

GETTY IMAGES truly arrived and, alongside T20 cricket, strictly to on-field activities. Alison Mitchell dramatically eclipsed this time around.

thecricketer.com | 51 GREG JAMES: EARLY STARTS, AND WHAT HE EXPECTS FROM ENGLAND'S NEW SKIPPER SHAMIR PATEL SPEAKS TO THE NEW FACE OF BT SPORT'S CRICKET COVERAGE

The Cricketer

For those wondering whether Greg James could possibly be as energetic and in love with cricket as he seems, let me put your mind at rest – it’s not an act.

As the new face of BT Sport’s cricket coverage, James is evidently aware of how armchair pundits from up and down the country are deeply envious of him despite those early starts: “I have felt very lucky. There are those moments at 4am when you think to yourself: ‘I hate my life. Why am I in Stratford at 4am?’

“But then you suddenly remember that it is a great, great privilege to sit and discuss cricket with two of the greatest captains ( and ) who have ever played the game.”

So what does he think of Joe Root’s chances of emulating the captaincy success of those two towering figures?

Enthusiastic would be an understatement: “It’s the best move for England, he is the perfect man for the job and I couldn’t be more excited for the game. He’ll bring a completely fresh approach. He’ll be a bit more inventive and I think he’ll be the modern-day , drawing from all formats of the game.”

And in the Yorkshireman, James sees something of a kindred spirit: “The thing that really excites me about him is that he’s a young bloke who is passionate about the game. One of my big passions is getting young people into the sport and I think he does that. “You see what it’s like when he comes out to bat, people love him. He’s so likeable, a great character and funny as well. Not to mention one of the best batsmen in the world!”

James clearly thinks about the game in detail – a fast-developing ability he credits to constantly asking questions of the ex-pros who appear on BT Sport from Ponting and Vaughan to Marcus North and Graeme Swann. It means that he is aware Root won’t be able to turn around a stagnating team on his own stressing that although Root is a “proper nerd” of the game, being able to call on senior players such as , Jimmy Anderson, and will be invaluable especially in tricky game situations.

The reputations of England captains are usually defined, or at least strongly shaped, by their Ashes records. It is why , triumphant in Australia in 1986/87, is regarded as being a good captain despite winning only two of his 23 matches in charge.

But James is under no illusion about what a tough test this winter will be for Root and his men: “Australia will pose a really big threat especially in their own conditions. It will be very tight – their turnaround this winter was extraordinary to watch. And those Aussie quicks are incredible.

James is in his element talking about cricket but it hasn’t all been plain sailing for him at BT despite the praise he heaps on the team around him. For instance, he recalls, tongue firmly in cheek, that sitting in Stratford (where the BT Sport cricket studio is based) on Boxing Day night watching the rain incessantly fall in was “probably one of the most depressing moments of my life.”

BT’s Australia-heavy coverage also means a challenging blend of “late starts, early finishes, early starts, late finishes” which are “killer” and hard to get over. Through it all though there has always been the cricket and James admits he is lucky enough to have already witnessed some brilliant cricket and series. But with BT Sport covering T20 cricket in the form of the Big Bash and this month’s T20I series between Australia and alongside all of Australia’s home Tests, which way does he fall in the Test v T20 argument?

“I am a Test purist. I love it, always have done and always will do. But it’s really important to nurture T20 cricket. It doesn’t detract from the Test game at all. If the mindset is right from the bigwigs they’ll realise it attracts so many people to the game and, from there, people will move towards .”

Greg James is on a mission to bring cricket to as many people as possible and you get the impression he won’t be satisfied until everyone has the same love for the game as him.

BT Sport is your new home for Australia’s home international matches and Big Bash League, including the 2017/18 Ashes series. Watch Australia v Sri Lanka exclusively live on BT Sport 3. For more info please visit sport.bt.com/cricket (http://sport.bt.com/cricket-01364050608536)

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To advertise in The Cricketer please contact: Tom Gibbs Alastair Cook: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

By Shamir Patel - January 8, 2017

Photo by Philip Brown/Getty Images

Alastair Cook cut a forlorn figure for much of the Test series away in with his haunted demeanour reminiscent of many of his predecessors as England captain when they knew their time had come.

It is therefore no surprise that he has decided to stand down to allow Joe Root to bed in ahead of the Ashes this winter.

The captaincy has never sat easily with England’s record Test run­scorer and yet, despite its inglorious ending, he has overseen his fair share of triumphs.

Cook captained England a record 59 times while his 24 wins puts him joint­second for England alongside and behind only Michael Vaughan (26 wins). He won two home Ashes series as well as beating South Africa and India in their backyards.

Arguably his finest moment as England captain came in his first series as permanent skipper when he led England to a 2­1 win away in India in 2012. It ended England’s 28 year wait for a series win in India with Cook leading from the front with three hundreds and the Player of the Series award.

And yet, he has never fully convinced in the role.

There was always plenty of ammunition for the doubters, whether it was being whitewashed Down Under in 2013/14, losing at home to Sri Lanka, or looking completely bereft of ideas in India this winter.

And with 22 defeats from his 59 Tests in charge, Cook is England’s most defeated captain in Test history.

As pundit after pundit were at pains to make clear as England were overwhelmed by India, Alastair Cook the captain has always made mistakes but finds a way to get the job done more often than not.

He is not an instinctive or tactical captain nor is he a brash in your face presence. He is loath to gamble and will seek comfort in familiar patterns rather than roll the dice.

It is a measure of his other qualities and his presence at the top of the order that he has lasted so long. He is almost superhumanly stubborn and strong­willed. His determination has pulled England out of many a dark spot. However when he could no longer rely on his prowess the going got tougher still.

2016 started so promisingly for England’s Test side as they won in South Africa and had one eye on returning to top spot in the Test rankings. Yet it gave way to an error­strewn year in which England lost eight Tests, equalling their record number of losses in a calendar year.

This recent run and the severity of England’s losses in Asia has only served to magnify Cook’s shortcomings as a captain. Shortcomings which were always there.

It is unfair to blame Cook solely for England’s stumbling year as poor selection, missed chances and profligate batting are also to blame. However, the crop of exciting young players in and around the Test team look to the captain for leadership and direction. Someone to take their cue from. After a punishing four years in charge Cook felt that person could no longer be him.

At 32, Alastair Cook the batsman still has plenty to offer England. But it is right that he has stepped down as captain now to allow Joe Root to take charge and mould the team in his own image.

How will history judge Cook’s time in charge? It is hard to tell right now but what with the Pietersen saga, batting collapses galore and the emergence of some world­class talent, at least it was far from dull.

Shamir Patel

Lover of legspin, bizarre field placings and obscure cricket stats. Freelance cricket writer.

  Jackson Bird and the Death of Cricket Rabbits

By Shamir Patel - November 5, 2016

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA ­ OCTOBER 28: Batsman Jackson Bird and James Faulkner of Tasmania leave the field after losing the Shield match between and Tasmania at the on October 28, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

There was widespread amusement when Jackson Bird was left out the Australia Test squad to face South Africa due to his batting.

It was a widely­derided decision when you consider that Bird is a bowler and a very good one at that. He took seven in his last Test match, against New Zealand in February, and took six in his last first­class match.

Bird’s first­class return of 226 wickets at 24.53 attest to his remarkable skill and yet the selectors have decided to focus on another statistic: 437 runs at 9.10 with a highest score of 32.

That is not to say his replacement, Joe Mennie, was not deserving of a call­up, especially when you consider he was the leading ­ taker in the 2015/16 Sheffield Shield season. But what seems to have swayed chairman of selectors Rod Marsh was not his ability with bat in hand – he has five first­class 50s to Bird’s none.

It is only the latest example of the push for ever more multi­faceted cricketers and the death of the genuine rabbit. It is shame for the game which is slowly losing this most entertaining and glorious of phenomena.

Here we look at five Test greats who would have been lost to us if they were judged on their batting:

Chris Martin (123 runs at 2.36, HS 12*; 233 wickets at 33.81)

How could we start anywhere else but with the New Zealander Chris Martin.

That Martin’s batting average was as high as 2.36 will shock many who had the privilege of watching him at the crease. Though it was boosted by his remaining unbeaten in 52 out of 104 innings.

Martin reached double figures for the first, and only, time eight years into his Test career. His unbeaten 12 included two fours thereby also marking it as the only time in Tests he hit more than one boundary in an innings. He finished with 36 ducks, the second most ever after…

Courtney Walsh (936 runs at 7.54, HS 30*; 519 wickets at 24.44)

Courtney Walsh was an exceptional physical phenomenon and was, alongside Curtly Ambrose, half of one of the most terrifying partnerships in Test history.

With bat in the hand though he plumbed unprecedented depths as he racked up the most Test ducks ever with 43.

There were though some bright spots. At Melbourne in 1988 he batted for over 100 minutes to rack up an unbeaten 30 and help the West Indies recover from 199­8 to win the game and take a 3­0 lead in the five match series. Glenn McGrath (641 runs at 7.36, Highest Score 61; 563 wickets at 21.64)

That Glenn McGrath has the highest Test score on this list speaks more for his competitiveness than any real ability with the bat.

Indeed for a real indication of his ability, or lack thereof, you only have to see the shock­cum­amusement on Ricky Ponting‘s face when McGrath crossed 50 against New Zealand in 2004.

Having negotiated a clause in his batting contract for a bonus should he ever reach a Test fifty, the knock netted him around $10,000 from his batting sponsor Sommers as well as the same amount from New Loan for the McGrath Breast Cancer Foundation.

Bhagwath Chandrasekhar (167 runs at 4.07, HS 22; 242 wickets at 29.74)

It is perhaps a tad harsh to place Bhagwath Chandrasekhar on this list considering he had more reason than most to struggle with bat in hand.

Playing before the advent of helmets, Chandrasekhar also had a withered right arm following a bout of polio as a child.

While he turned this handicap into a weapon with his unpredictable leg­spin to become one of India’s greatest match­winners it was a completely different story with bat in hand.

Chandrasekhar held the record for the most Test pairs (4) before a certain Chris Martin came along and went three better. To commemorate his record, Chandrasekhar was given a special Gray­Nicholls bat during the 1977­78 Australian tour with a hole in it.

Phil Tufnell (153 runs at 5.10, HS 22*; 121 wickets at 37.68)

Phil Tufnell had a propensity for taking guard somewhere near square leg and admits now that he: “was a little bit lazy and often wasn’t motivated when I batted.”

With that attitude he was more likely to provide light relief than heavy runs as was the case here when trying to keep out .

One of the world’s best finger­spinners when the mood took him, it is a close call between his fielding and batting for which was the weakest of his other suits. His missed run­out, for instance, against Australia simply defies description.

Shamir Patel

Lover of legspin, bizarre field placings and obscure cricket stats. Freelance cricket writer.

  Reporting for Hertfordshire Mercury: http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/watford-1-0-hull-city-report-hornets-go-above-manchester- united-into-seventh-with-win/story-29851511-detail/story.html http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/mazzarri-delighted-with-hull-win-but-wants-his-watford- players-to-show-more-cutting-edge/story-29851572-detail/story.html http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/watford-fans-show-support-for-pozzo-family-after- allegations-with-banner-at-hull-clash/story-29851447-detail/story.html