Ian Botham - such a talented cricketer but he really is a "thick bloke in the pub"

[Hillary]

when it comes to talking about the sport.

The other guys spend most of their time trying to humour him - it's most bizarre.

[Ashberto]

An even more obnoxious and unpleasant individual than Boycott imo.

[Pat Vegas]

[Hillary]

[Hillary]

[Luis Anaconda]

2-0 to the Ingerland. 2-0 to the Ingerland

[Berni]

but a really appalling person. A classic example of how playing a game well doesn't necessarily mean you know anything about it.

[Berni]

[Berni]

I doubt anyone would be allowed to make fun of Botham in a similar way without him having a hissy fit.

[Ashberto]

[Pat Vegas]

[Berni]

and have their arrogant expectation of victory taken away from them for it to be truly satisfying.

Humiliating them is fun for a short while, but unless they really think they can win, there's no real joy in beating them.

[Berni]

[71 Guns - channeling the spirit of Mr Hat]

heaped upon him and when he fell short of these (which happened often enough istr) the whole team seemed to suffer. He still gave me some of my best cricketing memories both for England & Zummerzet.

[Luis Anaconda]

I may be wrong here but I am going to enjoy it

[Hillary]

His bitching about England not declaring sometime Saturday afternoon was comical.

Michael Holding kept explaining patiently that although 344 was the highest 4th innings score to win at Lord's, this was achieved for 1 wicket down - it's highly likely the WI would have chased down 450 that day. Same goes for the 2nd and 3rd highest run-chases. Hence using 344 as an unassailable total on that basis was flawed.

Then yesterday, Nassar kept having to point out that Cook is paid to win the match, not to win it in the quickest time possible.

Not that it shut the f**ker up.

A horrible, horrible oaf. The problem for him is that now England are winning, his constant complaints about tactics and captaincy are ringing more and more hollow.

[Berni]

Imran, Sobers and Kallis were/are all better. He had some great performances and was a potentially great player early in his career, but loss of fitness, injury and ill-discipline meant he was a pretty constant disappointment for much of the last decade of his career.

[Hillary]

and then they'll be in serious trouble.

[Hillary]

[71 Guns - channeling the spirit of Mr Hat]

Would you count Kapil Dev as an all-rounder? Pretty good test batting average and a few centuries :rubchin:

[Luis Anaconda]

and plays up the Yorkshire thing quite wonderfully at the moment.

"Who should come in for KP"

Boycs goes through all the alternatives dismissing them in much the casual manner that we are dismissing then suggested - surprise, surprise - Gary Ballance of Yorkshire

[Berni]

not in the absolute upper echelon of batsmen and has said so on many occasions. His record, however, says he was probably England's best post-war batsman (with the possible and unfairly-overlooked example of Ken Barrington) until the modern era (where covered wickets and very batsman-friendly conditions start to skew things). England certainly relied on him for much of his career.

Whatever complaints you may make about Boycott (and there are many valid ones) his technical understanding of the game is excellent and far too good, in fact, for him to have an unrealistic view of his own ability.

[Luis Anaconda]

Would probably do a better job of England's batting coach than Gooch. Though I imagine you would probably want to deal with him in short doses

[Berni]

Hadlee was a genuinely great bowler who could bat a bit imo. For me, an all-rounder has to average over 30 with the bat.

[Mack]

And I don't even follow the bloody sport. :-)

[Berni]

Joe Root get his double ton to boost his confidence and replied: "He dun't need his confidence boosting. He were born in Yorkshire!" :hehe:

[Hillary]

Rarely gets ahead of himself - far too many get carried away with the momentum at any given moment in a match.

[pjlincs]

[Bergkamp's Brain]

and that seems to override the fact that he is a really poor commentator.

[Ashberto]