Sunshine and space, so the former England all-rounder Trevor Bailey has always maintained, are the best cricket coaches.

It is true, too. Except Sunday’s sunshine in Port Elizabeth – where England went 2-1 up in their one-day series against South Africa – was replaced by Monday morning drizzle.

But the space remained, even in the Port Elizabeth township where three of South Africa’s current cricketers grew up, including the one player on either side who has been consistent throughout this seesaw series. Alviro Petersen has passed 50 in all three matches, which is some achievement for a No 5 in 50-over internationals, let alone for a 29 year-old who seems to have come out of nowhere.

Space, however, is about all that pleases the eye at the Gelvandale ground in the ‘northern suburbs’ – the polite term for this ‘Cape Coloured’ township. It lies between a three-lane carriageway and an electricity power station. The surrounding wall is breeze-block. Cricket does not come less soft or lovely; all is functional, or scrub.

This is the club not only of Petersen – the Petersen of the moment – but also of Ashwell Prince, who was converted into an opening batsman for South Africa’s last Test and scored 150 against Australia; and Wayne Parnell, the 20 year-old who opens the bowling for South Africa’s one-day side.

Yet it has no pavilion. The players change in a small shack. A new clubhouse is being built for Gelvandale’s football teams – this ‘northern suburb’ has also produced several players in South Africa’s Bafana Bafana team – which the cricketers will be able to share.

Why so many sportsmen? The answer lies on the other side of the carriageway in the streets – wide streets – of Gelvandale, where the houses are single storey and if there is a car Read more…

Administrator CMDN.com Alviro Petersen, Blogs.CMDN.com, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, England, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Trevor Bailey

Paul Collingwood is a quiet-spoken, thoughtful man, not prone to making big claims or overembellishing a situation and he cut straight to the point when asked to reflect on the tour of South Africa so far.

“It’s been a little bit of a rollercoaster ride, in terms of results and performances. It’s been an up-and-down tour.”

That it certainly has. England won the first T20 international - the scorecard says by one run on D/L but if it hadn’t rained they probably would have won more comfortably with SA needing 76 in seven overs at the close - and then were walloped out of sight in the second, with South Africa making 241.

Just as the press pack started preparing stories about the tour going off the rails, England produced one of their most accomplished and clinical displays at Centurion to take a 1-0 lead in the ODI series, then followed it by being pummelled at Newlands on Friday, conceding more than 350 runs and losing with eight overs unbowled.

Cue doom and gloom again, but two days later the same England bowling attack have just dismissed South Africa for 119 at Port Elizabeth, two runs fewer as a team than AB De Villiers made on his own on Friday. As I type, Trott and Strauss have taken England a quarter of the way to winning this game and going 2-1 up.

As journalists we like to deal in black and white. It is a justified criticism of the British press that England are painted as either the worst side in the world in the history of the game ever - or they are triumphant and magnificent and let’s have them round to the palace for OBEs and Read more…

Administrator England, South Africa AB de Villiers, Andrew Strauss, Blogs.CMDN.com, Centurion, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, England, Newlands, ODI, Paul Collingwood, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, T20

The lamentations of those who have left the world of well-paid fun, otherwise known as professional cricket, are long and varied, but I have yet to hear any former cricketer complain of missing warm-ups just before a match. Deep down everyone knows that they are an utter waste of time. And, as Joe Denly found to his cost yesterday before practice, they can be dangerous and costly, too.

Denly is the latest in a line of England cricketers who have had their places put in jeopardy by colleagues dreaming of a life in the Premier League. My experience was of a ripped calf shortly before the Port Elizabeth Test match in 1999, courtesy of a high tackle (in studs) by Mark Butcher. Maybe he was after my place.

Football itself is not the issue - although plenty wonder why cricketers prepare for a day’s work playing with their feet and not their hands - nor is preparation or practice, two essential ingredients of success. What irritates players of a certain vintage is the ridiculous warm-up routines that they go through on the morning of a match that have gained universal currency and are nothing more than an exercise in job justification for the ever-growing backroom staff.

Next time you are at a first-class game, check out the playing area before the start of play. More cones than the M1. These have been assiduously placed by a jobsworth and, once Read more…

Administrator England Blogs.CMDN.com, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Joe Denly, Mark Butcher, Port Elizabeth