ALLAN Border’s contribution to Australian cricket is almost impossible to measure.

Such is his nature that Allan Border does not notice let alone complain that the true worth of his service to Australian cricket is often unrecognised, unwritten and undiscussed.

So to this end it is hardly surprising that the 25th anniversary of his first appearance as his country’s 38th captain went unnoticed this week.

This is not acceptable. Attention should always be drawn to December 7, 1984 when Border succeeded his mate Kim Hughes as skipper against the West Indies in Adelaide.

It is a date of the utmost significance for it marks the beginning of what is best termed “the age of stability” in Australian cricket.

It is much too easy following the heady successes of the past 20 years under Border, Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist to ignore, even forget, the confusion, controversy and tensions which so characterised Australian cricket in 1984.

Despite some initial misgivings and an anxious and sometimes grumpy first two years in office Border prospered to become a very fine captain and led Australia on a record 93 occasions over the next nine years and three months.

Aside from his enormous contributions as one of the greatest and most courageous batsmen of any era (11,174 runs at 50.56 with 27 hundreds and 63 fifties) his legacy was the provision of certainty, unity and a collective confidence at a time of great uncertainty — a bequest from which Australian cricket in general and Ponting and his men in particular continue to benefit.

Indeed, it is remarkable that Australia has had just four captains in 25 years and there is no doubt that the many successes of this period have been a direct consequence of the impressive stability achieved and maintained at just about every level of Australian cricket. There is no Read more…

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Until Jonathan Trott plays some more emphatic innings for England, Michael Vaughan’s caustic observations will continue to ring in his ears.

Having revealed that Trott celebrated with the South Africans when they won the Test series in England in 2008, and that “it hit home what English cricket has become like”, Vaughan was having a pop at England’s open-door policy towards overseas opportunists.

He was not the first to cast aspersions on Trott’s patriotism. During Trott’s Test debut at the Oval in August, Ricky Ponting strolled past him and said loudly enough to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin to ensure Trott overheard: “Does he speak like a Pom or a Yarpy?”

Undeterred, Trott contributed a confident 41 in his first Test innings, and that unflappable, Ashes-clinching hundred in his second. What he achieved on such an occasion is a testament to him and the men who chose him and should eclipse any doubts about an expatriate South African’s commitment to the England cause.

We have been here many times before. There was a vivid irony in the 1890s when KS Ranjitsinjhi, born and raised in India but making mountains of runs for Cambridge University and Sussex, was blocked from England selection by the president of the MCC, Lord Harris, because he said only “native-born” players could be chosen.

Harris, a former England captain, was born in Trinidad. Harris was overruled for the next Test, and Ranji exceeded even Trott’s debut, making 62 and 154 not out.

Ranji never got to play a Test against the country of his birth, and neither did Basil D’Oliveira, Tony Greig or Allan Lamb. But you would never have questioned their resolve against Read more…

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James Anderson is “gutted” not to be Andrew Strauss’s vice-captain for England’s tour to Australia this winter. The reason he was not given the responsibility, apparently, is because he is a bowler and from the North.

I suspect that Anderson was speaking with a wry smile, rather than a chip on his shoulder, but he has a point, although it is the bowler bit, rather than coming from the North, that really counts against him.

England have had only three captains in the past 60 years who were fast bowlers. Andrew Flintoff and Ian Botham found the extra responsibility too much. Only Bob Willis (seven wins and six draws in 18 Tests) had much joy. You then have to go back to Gubby Allen to find a fast bowler who captained England - and he lost the 1936 Ashes after leading 2-0. Fast bowlers simply do not make good England captains.

The world was, of course, a happier place when England’s captains were all batsmen and gentlemen amateurs from the Home Counties who could rock up on the morning of a Test after a quick hour’s work shuffling their share portfolios in the City, introduce themselves to the collection of miners who had been dragged away from the pitface to form the England bowling attack and order them into battle.

We may not have won that often, but that was hardly as important as having the right sort of chap to introduce the players to the King during the luncheon interval. You could hardly trust a bowler - especially a northern one - with that sort of responsibility.

The “anti-Northern” argument is less credible now. Sixty-two of England’s past 92 Tests were led by men from the North (Vaughan and Flintoff). Mike Atherton had 54 Tests in charge from 1993-2001. Chuck in Paul Collingwood and his 25 ODIs as captain and the North has Read more…

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The softness of the county cricket scene and Asian attitude takes its toll on burgeoning England talent

England have made four main omissions from their Test and one-day touring parties to South Africa. One is Steve Harmison who, at 30, has passed his physical prime as a fast bowler. The other three are Ravi Bopara, Monty Panesar and Owais Shah, who are – or should be – in their prime.

Is it a coincidence that all three have an Asian background? Most cricketers, in any country, fall by the wayside as they approach the top. But such is the talent of Bopara, and of Panesar, and of Shah although he has an idiosyncratic technique, that the question needs to be asked – not least because two more players of Asian origin, Adil Rashid and Sajid Mahmood, have been included in the touring parties.

The culture of English cricket has led to many talents being fulfilled only at county level. Bopara to date has been treated like Mark Ramprakash, Graeme Hick and Mike Gatting when young. Old sweats in the England side hang on to the plum berths of No 4 and 5. Young middle-order batsmen have to bat either too high or too low, so their induction is far more difficult than it should be.

A lack of continuity, and sometimes of wisdom, in England’s coaches and selectors is also to blame. Bopara, in England’s last World Cup match of 2007 and Duncan Fletcher’s last game as coach, was promoted to No 3 and, albeit on a belter of a Bridgetown pitch, looked the part.

Then Peter Moores took over, and dropped Bopara from the one-day side, then reinstated him at No 7. Andy Flower went to the other extreme and promoted Bopara to open Read more…

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Some of you have asked for an update on our Ashes Heroes run-down over the past year. Click on the links below to see who we have mentioned so far. Number 3 will be posted this afternoon, Number 2 will go up on Monday and then the final Hero in our list will be up there on the morning of the Ashes. Read more…

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The great Indian batsman Vijay Merchant once said: “Retire when people ask you ‘why?’ and not ‘why not?’.” As Michael Vaughan takes his bow, C365 reflects on those who didn’t know when to stop.

Ian Botham
While Imran Khan excelled in his twilight years as an international cricketer, Botham’s form declined horribly. After the last of his 14 Test centuries at Brisbane in 1986, Beefy’s remaining 16 games were spread over six years of injury and selectorial whimsy, bringing just 23 wickets and one fifty.

In his swansong at Lord’s in 1992, Botham was out of his depth against the pace of Waqar Younis, scoring 2 and 6. It was not the way a champion should have gone.

Ian Healy
The world’s must successful gloveman, Healy’s wish was to have a farewell Test at his home ground at the Gabba, giving him the chance to break through the 400 dismissals barrier. Read more…

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