England hoping to sparkle
In Kimberley
I've been in South Africa for a few days now and am getting into the swing of the England tour. One warm-up match has already been won convincingly and the second is taking place in , as it was central to the country's diamond rush in the late 19th century.
Having driven the two hours west from Bloemfontein, across wide red-earthed plains, and past a myriad of termite mounds as well as the odd ostrich, the attention of producer Louise Sutton and I was soon focused on Stuart Broad, after he got off the team bus with his right arm in a sling.
It transpired that he'd injured his bowling shoulder diving in the field during the warm up game against the Eagles, .
England will be hoping his shoulder responds to treatment by the end of the week, so he can play in the Twenty20 international on Friday. However, the fact that the have said he'll miss the next two matches "at least" suggests they will err on the side of caution, with the one-day series taking priority over T20s.
England need a fully fit Stuart Broad for the games against South Africa
The bowing department is certainly a lot lighter without Broad, who has genuine wicket-taking ability with the new ball, together in partnership with James Anderson.
Broad took a wicket in each of his first two overs against the Eagles in his first competitive bowl on this tour and Tim Bresnan, the natural replacement, doesn't possess quite the same qualities in terms of wicket-taking - and Broad offers that extra height and bounce as well.
Another concern for England at the moment is Graham Onions, who is still struggling with a stiff back and only bowled off a few paces in training on Saturday. He continued to do stretches on his own instead of training fully with the rest of the squad, but the coaching staff say he's improving and they're encouraged by what they've seen.
On the batting front, . Once returns, one batsman has to make way and Trott has made it very difficult for that man to be him. Joe Denly needs a big innings to apply some pressure.
Another encouraging sign from the first warm-up game was England's productive use of the powerplay - 57-1 in the 5 overs - with Eoin Morgan producing some clean hitting.
The squad haven't had long in Kimberley but after training on Saturday, a number of players took the opportunity to visit the town's premier attraction, . The huge, water-filled crater is the largest hand dug excavation in the world, created over a period of 43 years when prospectors seeking their fortune flooded to the town to dig for diamonds armed with nothing but picks and shovels.
They started coming in 1871. Some made their fortune, others died trying to. In all, some 2,722 kgs of diamonds were extracted up to point when mining ended in 1914. You can view the crater and then explore the reconstructed mining town adjacent to the site, complete with verandas and swinging saloon doors.
It felt like an eerie ghost town. There wasn't a soul in sight, but it was the cause of great excitement to discover that a colonial style pub called the was not only real, but also open, and serving exquisite evening meals!
The pub housed three aged pianos, all of which were dreadfully out of tune (either that, or it was just my awful attempt at bashing out ) but it all added to the authenticity of the experience.
You can see more photos from Kimberley on the and via
Hello, I'm Alison Mitchell, reporter and commentator for Five Live and Five Live Sports Extra. Cricket is my speciality, so that's why I'm blogging here. You'll get bits and bobs about both England's men and women, including from the men's winter tours.
Comment number 1.
At 8th Nov 2009, bearded_shrimper wrote:Is it just me, or does Broad look like Flintoff in that picture?
Sounds fantastic seeing all those places round the world, how do I apply?
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Comment number 2.
At 8th Nov 2009, splendidsparrow wrote:The Big Hole, the watering hole, the hole...oh well! a whole lot a holing!
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Comment number 3.
At 9th Nov 2009, anthony1979 wrote:Yeah he does look like a leaner version of Flintoff!!
I must say, I'm looking forward to the start of the test series!!! Come on England.....
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Comment number 4.
At 10th Nov 2009, splendidsparrow wrote:Boy, where has everyone gone? The comments board is like an empty cupboard, bare!
Maybe they are all visiting the Big Hole, then to the watering hole then on fishing for a rental hole? hmmnnn.
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Comment number 5.
At 11th Nov 2009, Graeme wrote:Glad to see that Alison's priority when finding the Australian Arms was to do with the food, rather than the alcohol! Some concerns about the fragility of the England attack this tour, hope these are unfounded!
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Comment number 6.
At 13th Nov 2009, captainlazytim wrote:The England and Wales Cricket Board will fight tooth and nail to stop future home Ashes Test series being reserved for free-to-air television.
Learning from the FA, does this money-grabbing sicken anyone else?
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Comment number 7.
At 13th Nov 2009, captainlazytim wrote:All posts are reactively moderated. What does this mean?
Where's my comment?All new members are pre-moderated initially, which means that there will be a short delay between when you post your comment and when it appears while one of our moderators checks it.
Neither a new member, not a reactively moderated one. C´óÏó´«Ã½ Chat
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Comment number 8.
At 14th Nov 2009, Duncan wrote:I'm very much hoping there will be a blog on this subject soon, but in response to message 6:
The ECB's response to the Davies review is quite frankly shameful. They have effectively ruled out, in their eyes, any return of live cricket to terrestrial cricket, always seeking out the very highest bidder regardless of other issues. This is contrary to what they have said in the run up to previous contract negotiations.
Where is the evidence for the figures they quote? The amount of money they claim to lose over this sounds like pie in the sky, a desperate attempt to scare the Secretary of State out of implementing the report.
And if the ECB are so dependent on Sky's money, is the real question not, why are they? ALL governing bodies strike a balance (even the FA) between broadcasting investment, exposure on terrestrial television, sponsorship revenue etc, EXCEPT the ECB which is (apparently) entirely relying on Sky's money for its very survival. If that really is the case, should the ECB not be looking at themselves and wondering where the business plan went wrong?
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Comment number 9.
At 17th Nov 2009, cricketscot wrote:Forgive me for being a scot who enjoys cricket north of the border, but can anyone explain to me what Kevin Peiterson brings to the England team. He made only 4 runs today! When did he last do anything worth noting for the team. Just look at Trott, Morgan etc these guys actually play for the team and not like KP who has brought nothing to english cricket for last 2 years or so. Think he still lives in the memories of Ashes 2005.
Don't think KP will help the team beat the South Africans, I'd leave him out of team as he has not been tea player recently, but suppose what would I know about cricket being a scot who has only followed the game for last 35 years or so.
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Comment number 10.
At 20th Nov 2009, mark wrote:"Where are the English cricket team staying whilst in SA?"
A: with their parents.
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Comment number 11.
At 20th Apr 2010, Rozalina Kos wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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