Fast food v three course meal...

The ongoing debate about the merits of Twenty20 versus that of Test cricket will keep rumbling on, but here's an excellent case for the supremacy of the longer form of the game, as argued by James Lawton of The Independent (with thanks to my tweeing friend, Rich Lloyd).


http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/james-lawton-cricket-should-not-be-fun-ndash-twenty20-has-stripped-it-of-intrigue-and-brutality-1700220.html

Twenty20 is burger and fries, Test cricket is a three course meal at a top restaurant? After his recent comments, it's clear that West Indies captain Chris Gayle is a fast food fan, but most players still view Test cricket as the ultimate form of the game... surely?

Morning everyone, Richie's back...

Some snippets, an over of bits and bobs, watch out for the wrong 'un...

Firstly, the Aussies are out of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup at the first hurdle... Pity. Of course, it means little in respect to the Ashes, but while England can build some confidence and pit themselves against top international teams (hopefully), Mr Ponting's men will have to, as he put it, "spend two weeks in Leicester" before their first warm-up game. Job's a good 'un.

Next up, harking back to the Ashes series of 2005, which I do as often as possible... video footage has been found that reveals what Freddie Flintoff actually said to Brett Lee at Edgbaston after England squeaked it to victory and the England all-rounder consoled the Aussie paceman http://timesonline.typepad.com/line_and_length/2009/06/andrew-flintoff-reveals-what-he-really-said-to-brett-lee.html

Third delivery... watch the next programme in the excellent Empire of Cricket series while it's still on iPlayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00l6c5w/Empire_of_Cricket_West_Indies/ which looks at the rise and fall of the West Indies as a force in world cricket. Calypso time.

With Essex going through a mini-slump at the moment, here's a nice reminder of a high point from last year, Napes' magnificent, record-breaking T20 innings against Sussex http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoWx8fobwaY I was there and the crowd would boo (in good humour) when Napier didn't hit a four or six. One of those sixes nearly ended up in the multi-storey.

Exceptionally good news for all us Benaud lovers... the great man is gonna be back on the box, covering the Ashes on the Five highlights programme. He won't be commentating but will be analysing each Test on Five's Saturday broadcast... I'm not ashamed to say I shed a tear when Richie did his final bit of commentary for Channel 4 at the Oval in 2005, so it'll be good to have him back. Marvellous. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jun/08/richie-benaud-ashes-channel-five

Finally, enter the Mongoose! This is the new, stubby bat designed especially for T20 which has a much shorter blade than a normal bat and a much bigger sweetspot. Former Essex batsmen Stuart Law loves it and reckons it could "take the world by storm." I love the way a game like cricket, that's often so fusty and set in its ways, can also be so open to innovation. I also like the fact that the inventor of the Mongoose is called Marcus Codrington Fernandez. It sounds like someone invented him. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/twenty20/5370046/Mongoose-cricket-bat-set-to-take-Twenty20-by-storm.html

A bag of mixed nuts

Well, a very mixed week for Essex and England cricket fans.

Good T20 wins for Essex over Surrey and Kent then thumpings from Sussex and Hampshire.

It seems like they are missing Bopara, Foster, Napier and ten Doeschate after all which, of course, is inevitable. What team wouldn't miss four of their best players.

I wasn't sure that was the case on Monday night watching Cook, Pettini and Flower in full flow, but if any of those misfires now, it seems like there's no-one able to step up with a big innings at the moment.

Ryan ten Doeschate saw Holland home against England in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup opener last night in what was a nail-biting game that England conspired to lose somehow.

They got off to a great start with Bopara and Wright but lost their way towards the end of their innings and then were sloppy in the field. That last over from Broad was agonising.

I had a good feeling about England's prospects in the tournament after some good showings against the Windies in one-dayers. Ho hum, that's cricket for you.

This was the cricketing highlight of the week though, a superb programme about cricket, history and culture; this one was on England, others to follow...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00l16vk/b00l16v5/Empire_of_Cricket_England/