This is:
The Daily Telegraph's Scyld Berry wrote:
Pitiful line-up for World Cup
I know I'm banging on a well-beaten drum here, but what is it with the British media and its amazing capacity to savage its own children? At the lowest low point of Australian cricket, there was always at least guarded optimism from the press. Even when Greg Chappell scored his famous run of ducks and couldn't win a game if his soul and those of his children depended on it, there wasn't this kind of out-and-out negativity from the media. Perhaps it is the British climate after all, I really don't know.
But I know
this much - England
will win a game against New Zealand. The Kiwis today against Oz were pretty bad (apart from this new boy Taylor)... some talent, but no resolve at all. I can see why they were bowled out for 73
at home against Sri Lanka the other day. England
can beat them, even without the South African Pietersen - and probably pretty easily, but not if the team doesn't get some support from back home.
English peoples - do your team a favour and write bitter complaints to the media. Your players deserve better than that. They
are better than that. I think Flintoff, Strauss, Panesar, Hoggard and a few others have proven that much.
I'd better leave it at that before I get hauled before the Homeland Defence people for treason...
P.S. Latest post-match odds for the series are:
Australia 1/9
New Zealand 6/1
England 16/1
I wouldn't bet on England to win the series, but it suggests good odds might be had for a match win over NZ...
Jumpin' Januaries, Batman
