cricket with balls

Andrew Flintoff just gave an interview to BBC Radio, in which he admitted that he was planning for the possibility that he might not be able to come back from his current knee problem.

This is, quite possibly, the most interesting thing that Flintoff has ever said in an interview – certainly in an interview given whilst sober. Previously, he’s always been hugely bullish about his prospects of coming back from any operation. It seems that the op he had the day after the Oval Test failing and having to have a second, more major, one has knocked his confidence, even in himself.

It is also clear that either he doesn’t contemplate coming back as a batsman only, or that the knee is so bad that, if it can’t be fixed, it is pretty well going to prevent him doing anything.

The next interesting thing that he said was that whatever he does, it won’t be commentary. Which is good news for everyone as (a) his time as England captain revealed that he wasn’t one of the game’s greatest thinkers or tacticians and (b) we won’t have to listen to his dull northern monotone clogging up our airwaves.

32 is hellishly early to have to end your career, though – especially in this day and age. Strange to think, too, that both he and Brett Lee, the couple who provided one of crickets iconic moments of the last decade, could be going out of the game together, too.

If I was a fast bowler I’d like to think I’d be like Shaun Tait or Shoaib Ahktar, erratic, a little lazy, far from stable, and only good on certain days.

Brett Lee chose a different path. He chose to try really hard, be consistent and stay humble.

There are few other proper quick bowlers who could ever be called earnest in the way Brett can. The man was fast, neat, sweaty desperation.

I can’t say Lee was ever one of my favourite cricketers, I can’t say he was an all time great of the game, but I can say the boy put in.

He put in so much he ended up arguing with Ponting, bowling beamers and breaking his body.

Perhaps I wanted him to bowl different at times, perhaps I thought he had a great ride from the selectors, but I could never doubt his desperation.

You could see his body straining for extra effort, you could see it with his batting, you could see it occasionally with the scary neck veins he had.

It wouldn’t be fair to call him a great of the game, but he could certainly play.

Most of my favourite moments from his career are from the 05 Ashes. His bowling wasn’t quite good enough, but the guy would just keep trying. His batting was almost the difference at times. It was the fact his bowling wasn’t great that made him stand out more. England kept after him, and he wouldn’t sit down. When his bowling couldn’t give him happiness, he fought like a bastard dog with the bat.

Then there was that photo.

You have all seen it, him and Freddie.

To me that photo is Brett Lee. The man wanted to be the best for his country, but in the end had to settle with just being pretty good. Few photos could explain a sport better than that one does for cricket.

If Lee gave us nothing more than that photo, he gave us enough. And he did give us more.

Thanks for the sweat.

True story.

He was found drenched in blood underneath a pile of 2784 news articles about the end of his career/life.

Other than some paper cuts, and a sore elbow from trying to fight his way out, he is ok. He may even be fit enough to bowl again just after Christmas, if he doesn’t die again before then.

Life has been tough for Lee under all these news items. At times he even had Dizzy Gillespie and Mark Taylor sitting on the pile.

Lee is resilient, and even though his elbow is not working, he realises that it can come good, and that he might not be finished with yet.

He was also lucky that he hadn’t read any of the articles on him (they were all facing up), as that would have scarred him for life.

But he has a pulse, still bowled faster Walt Flanagan’s dog in India, and is not at the age he needs to be put down.

If he was 33 and was bowling at Stuart Clark’s pace I’d agree, fuck, I’d get the shovel, but he is 33, in an injury phase, but no need to bury him yet.

There is no guarantee he will ever get picked again, but that doesn’t mean he has to call the cooper to give his measurements just yet.

Ofcourse even if Lee was dead that wouldn’t stop him trying.

He is that sort of dude.

If he were dead he would probably try harder. And his ghost would be forever moving the bowler’s marker at the SCG.

You could say that NSWales won the latest Lalit soiree.

I say Brett Lee did.

That way I have to give NSWales no credit.

Well played, Brett.

OK, so today might just be the day that decides the Ashes. It’s a bit unlikely with two matches still to go, but an England win would make it very hard for Australia to retain the urn, an Australian win pretty hard for England to win it back.

The whole boring ‘team’ thing aside, though, there are some fascinating individuals for whom today could be a Very Big Day indeed.

Shane Watson - I’m bored of writing about him now, but an early dismissal this morning and he’s going to have to do some good work with the ball to avoid the experiment of opening with him coming to an end after one Test. He’s scored runs, but he’s looked like an ODI opener trying to play the same way in the longer game. And his pie-chucking yesterday doesn’t inspire confidence as a bowler, either. Needs both runs and wickets today.

Michael Hussey – Almost had the same brainstorm yesterday evening that he had in the first innings. Must know that he is one more lapse of concentration away from losing his place.

Mitchell Johnson – Brett’s fit again. Need I say more?

Nathan Hauritz – Assuming the Aussies have to bowl again, can he turn it like Swanny was yesterday, or will he again look like a nervously excited schoolboy who’s been inexplicably invited to play with the grownups?

Stuart Broad – One good bowling spell does not make a summer. His 50 yesterday could not have been more timely, but he needs wickets and lots of them today, because his bowling so far in this series has been as short of Test class as my writing is of Gideon Haigh’s.

Graeme Swann - On a pitch turning square, he should by rights run through Australia. Of the 8 remaining wickets, 3 are left handers, one a debutant and one Ben Hospitalpass. Time for him to show that he’s as good as he thinks he is.

And yes, I could’ve mentioned Bell, Cook, Bopara and even Collingwood, but when England bat it is going to be a run chase and some of the England side are actually quite good at that sort of thing. In a slogathon, I don’t think you can judge anyone’s suitability as a Test batsman.