Whinging Roebuck

I would like to up the stakes in this upcoming Ashes series. When Australia delivers the 5-o whitewash of the unwashed, I'm asking that the poms (as punishment) please take Pete Roebuck home where he belongs. For some unknown reason, this former pommie batsman, who turned his back on queen and country to move to our great land, gets my back up even when he gets with the program and starts pommie bashing.

The man just tries too hard. In a piece written for the Sydney Morning Herald about the current match between New South Wales and England, Roebuck wrote the following:

"Where have England gone wrong? It is not so long ago that these same players, coaches and advisers played their part to the utmost in one of the most thrilling series the game has known. Now they asked their hosts to play an artificial match that will not count in the records. Now they insisted upon compulsory declarations and allowed players to run on and off the field as they pleased. Now they turned a potentially intense and illuminating struggle into an exhibition match. Nothing had any meaning. It was not a first-class contest."

Since when has a three day match between a local side and touring outfit been an intense illuminating struggle? Aren't all these games always an exhibition match staged for the benefit of getting ring rusty players into form, while lining the pockets of the local side? Does anyone really give a flying fuck about the outcome? (unless it's the poms getting their asses cooked in the great Aussie outdoors)

Anyway, the poms achieved what they wanted today. They took a few wickets, scored some runs, most notable a partnership of 90 between Pietersen and Flintoff. Pietersen remains unbeaten on 80, with Flintoff not out on 48, closing day two on 4/256. That's in reply to the 9/355 New South Wales declared on earlier.

England First Innings Close
M E Trescothick b Lee 8
A J Strauss c & b Clark 50
A N Cook lbw b McGrath 59
I R Bell c Smith b Clark 0
K P Pietersen not out 80
A Flintoff not out 48
Extras lb3 w1 nb7 11
Total 4 wkts (59 overs) 256

I highlight both Trescothnick, whose in shocking form even by pathetic pommie standards, and Bell who is hopelessly out of his depth at test level. This batting lineup looks weak, weak, weak, and if this is the best the poms have to offer, you can forget making plans to see Day Four and Five of any test matches this summer.