Langer's pre-ashes dossier in the Telegraph

[oitoitoi]

I'd be interested to hear your views about the Aussie jellybean infamy, Burgey.

what about jelly beans on the wicket...

[zaremba]

what about jelly beans on the wicket...

Hardly obtaining an advantage, unfair or otherwise. The Indian over-reaction to it was pretty bizarre imho. Although having said which Zaheer Khan used it to motivate himself to a match-winning bowling performance, so that's a plus point for bizarre over-reactions I suppose

[four_or_six]

Poor JL pretty upset. I hope the reaction doesn't go OTT.

[zaremba]

"I'm shattered and really upset. That was an email meant only for Tim Nielsen. It was private correspondence and has now found its way into the public domain. It's a joke. Everyone who knows me knows it's not my go to bag anyone. But behind closed doors everyone is going to have an opinion and this was a message that was meant for behind closed doors. It's disappointing."

Surprising, to say the least, that someone like Justin Langer can have been so staggeringly naive.

And I'm sorry JL but you cannot have it both ways. In public: "It's not my go to bag anyone" and in private: "Anderson - a bit of a pussy". Give me a ****ing break.

[Pigeon]

Hardly obtaining an advantage, unfair or otherwise. The Indian over-reaction to it was pretty bizarre imho. Although having said which Zaheer Khan used it to motivate himself to a match-winning bowling performance, so that's a plus point for bizarre over-reactions I suppose

I cannot agree with your statement there. Jelly bean episode was very childish prank but which was not even remotedly funny. What next? Planting balloons on the wickets? Wear "I am Sly Stallon fan" T shirts to the middle? Cricket is a gentleman's game and is played with mutual respect and maximum competition. To try and inject such stupid stuff which is detrimental to the game's status, atleast in the test format, required abject criticism which Zaheer did.

[zaremba]

I cannot agree with your statement there. Jelly bean episode was very childish prank but which was not even remotedly funny. What next? Planting balloons on the wickets? Wear "I am Sly Stallon fan" T shirts to the middle? Cricket is a gentleman's game and is played with mutual respect and maximum competition. To try and inject such stupid stuff which is detrimental to the game's status, atleast in the test format, required abject criticism which Zaheer did.

I never said that it was funny. It wasn't, it was childish. But imho India overreacted to it. The idea of it being some mortal insult to their dignity (which is how Zaheer in particular appeared to regard it) was, as I say, a whacking great over-reaction.

Also, for what it's worth, I think that the idea of cricket being a gentleman's game can be overstated.

Anyhow let's not fall out about this, it's not worth it.

The real point here is that Burgey has an oft-articulated fixation with England's murray mints in 2005 and yet seems unable or unwilling to face up to his own team's use of jellybeans in the current series (the reason that teams use jellybeans being precisely the same reason why they suck murray mints, of course).

Burgey - care to explain yourself?

[Pigeon]

I never said that it was funny. It wasn't, it was childish. But imho India overreacted to it. The idea of it being some mortal insult to their dignity (which is how Zaheer in particular appeared to regard it) was, as I say, a whacking great over-reaction.

Also, for what it's worth, I think that the idea of cricket being a gentleman's game can be overstated.

Anyhow let's not fall out about this, it's not worth it.

The real point here is that Burgey has an oft-articulated fixation with England's murray mints in 2005 and yet seems unable or unwilling to face up to his own team's use of jellybeans in the current series (the reason that teams use jellybeans being precisely the same reason why they suck murray mints, of course).

Burgey - care to explain yourself?

Oh yes. Zaheer's bat pointing reaction was indeed a bit over the top. Anyways that never worked out for England's advantage. Zaheer channelised that aggression into his bowling very well.

[pasag]

Feel for JL, but he'll get over it.

Dick move by whoever leaked it without his permission or without removing his name from it.

[Burgey]

I never said that it was funny. It wasn't, it was childish. But imho India overreacted to it. The idea of it being some mortal insult to their dignity (which is how Zaheer in particular appeared to regard it) was, as I say, a whacking great over-reaction.

Also, for what it's worth, I think that the idea of cricket being a gentleman's game can be overstated.

Anyhow let's not fall out about this, it's not worth it.

The real point here is that Burgey has an oft-articulated fixation with England's murray mints in 2005 and yet seems unable or unwilling to face up to his own team's use of jellybeans in the current series (the reason that teams use jellybeans being precisely the same reason why they suck murray mints, of course).

Burgey - care to explain yourself?

My Murray Mints fixation comes about because it's the only reason I can find (logical or otherwise) that a team which had been so bad for so long suddenly got the ball to talk and managed to beat the then best team in the world.

It saves me having to acknowledge England were good in that series, is what I'm saying .

[zaremba]

Dick move by whoever leaked it without his permission or without removing his name from it.

True; but a dick move also by JL for kidding himself that there was no risk of it being leaked. Eg by Shane Watson phoning a friend for an explanation of the word "feral".

Really sorry that this has happened, (a) because the contents of the memo make for uncomfortable reading for any England fan (even though what he said was overstated, it certainly has elements of hurtful truth), and (b) because JL has been undertaking a successful charm offensive in England in the last couple of years, which might now be regarded as a shade 2-faced. I suspect that in reality he was attempting to give the Aussie players a bit of a confidence boost more than anything else, but it reads awfully in the cold light of day.

I wonder whether he'll pick up the phone to Anderson to explain himself, and if so, what he'll say?

[howardj]

Always amuses me how JL portrays himself as the flint-hard, mentally tough pro. I remember reading how, on the 2001 Ashes tour, he was in the bar openly blubbering in front of his coach that his international career was over - and generally carrying on like a big boob.

[zaremba]

My Murray Mints fixation comes about because it's the only reason I can find (logical or otherwise) that a team which had been so bad for so long suddenly got the ball to talk and managed to beat the then best team in the world.

It saves me having to acknowledge England were good in that series, is what I'm saying .

The only reason I'm responding to this post is so that you can't edit it away, sunshine. It's called preserving the evidence.



Well played to your boys at Headingley. You pissed all over us.

[zaremba]

Always amuses me how JL portrays himself as the flint-hard, mentally tough pro. I remember reading how, on the 2001 Ashes tour, he was in the bar openly blubbering in front of his coach that his international career was over - and generally carrying on like a big boob.

Well that's partly how I feel about his reaction to the leak of his email. If he wants to say those things about the England players, fine. But don't engage in public snivelling when you get found out.

[sledger]

"Ravi Bopara is a good player"

I lol'd at this.

[Burgey]

The only reason I'm responding to this post is so that you can't edit it away, sunshine. It's called preserving the evidence.



Well played to your boys at Headingley. You pissed all over us.

Fair play