Lyon tames Fortress Edgbaston leaving England in a spin.

WE HAVEN’T been here before, well not since 2005 anyway….

The 251-run mauling by a rampant Australia is the first time since that unforgettable summer that England have lost the First Ashes test of the summer.

We all know how that series ended but there can be little comfort for those seeking comparisons to the heady days of 2005.

This Australian attack is nowhere near as potent with bat or ball as their counterparts were 14 years ago. The problem is neither is the England batting line-up.

For Trescothick, Strauss, Vaughan, Pietersen and Flintoff read Burns, Roy, Root, Denly and Stokes.

In 2005 the line-up came into the series with just one change, Mr Reliable Graham Thorpe made way for Mr Saturday Night Kevin Pietersen.

Yet England came into this game still tinkering with the places and names of those being asked to do what the Three Lions have managed just once in 18 months at home, a score of more than 400.

No matter their attack, any Australian team is capable of the forensic dismantling of a team in the fourth innings and that’s what took place in four hours on the final day at Edgbaston.

Lyon bowled well, Smith resumed his net session against England with two further tons but England’s problems are all of their own making.

The batting order either contains the wrong people or is in the wrong order. Burns has earned a run at the top but Jason Roy played an awful shot which this pack of Aussie hyenas won’t hesitate to remind him of for the next six weeks.

Root simply doesn’t like batting at three, while he scored a 50 in the first innings can England really keep their skipper in a role he just doesn’t want?

Then we come to Joe Denly, an opener batting at four. I don’t see what other, more qualified, people do. It simply looks a matter of time before he is dismissed, he doesn’t have the presence at the crease which says ‘I belong’.

Buttler is too high at five, Stokes is in his ideal spot at six but I worry about YJB, young Jonny Bairstow.

The England keeper seems angry with the world, can’t buy a run with the bat and seems marooned down at seven. Yet at three and without the gloves in Sri Lanka he scored a brilliant test match hundred.

And then there’s Moeen, a player who has batted every position for his country bar 9,10 or 11 but if selected at Lords could well bat at nine behind Chris Woakes.

The time has come for England to decide what they want from one of the nicest guys you could wish to meet. Is he an all-rounder or the spin option? If he is in the team for his spin then he’s judged on that, any runs are a bonus.

It should be clear as day now though Moeen bowls best when he has a spin twin to play with, its up to England to stick or twist.

The problem is Moeen, like a few of this England side, simply can’t buy a run currently against an Australian attack which feasts on out of form batsman.

As for the bowling, I don’t believe Anderson was fit enough to play, no words from the captain will make me change my mind.

The attack is all the same, right arm over the wicket bowlers. A pace injection is needed.

So where do we go from here? To quote the great American football coach Bill Belichick ‘We’re on to Lords’.

My team for what it’s worth: Burns, Roy, Bairstow, Root, Ali, Stokes, Buttler (wk), Woakes, Archer, Broad, Leach.

Take the gloves off Bairstow not as punishment but because of what he is capable of at the top of the order, ease Moeen’s fretful performances with a mate to play with and unleash Jofra Archer.

Because if there is one glimmer of hope for England from the storming of Edgbaston, it’s the Aussie top order.

Bancroft, Smith and Khawaja contributed just 78 runs in six innings between them, Steven Smith scored 286 on his own….

Today will soon be the past, tomorrow will be the future and England return to the place where they became World Champions next Wednesday knowing a gold medal performance is needed to get their Ashes bid back on the right Root.

Why greed is the enemy for sports fans, not Sky

THE CRICKET World Cup is proving rather enjoyable, but it seems not a day can go by without the dreamers whinging that none of the games are on ‘free to air’ television.

Usually the ill-informed then blame Murdoch and Sky even though the apparent Australian anti-christ no longer owns the broadcaster.

I’ve not written anything until now, but I’ve snapped after Jim Maxwell’s comment on Saturday evening that it was ‘disgraceful’ none of the tournament was free to air.

No Jim, what is disgraceful is cricket, like all sports seeks to ‘maximise’ its broadcasting revenues – sell them to the highest bidder at prices beyond the market forces of our licence fee, advertising funding free to air channels.

I don’t know what Sky paid for the rights to the World Cup, but the new deal to show all of England’s matches from 2020 onwards is worth £1.1billion. Can you imagine the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 or 5 paying that sort of money?

Sky is a business and of course wants exclusivity but there is nothing to stop rights holders such as the ECB offering one/two packages for just free to air broadcasters. If that reduces Sky’s investment a little then so be it.

However, certain free to air broadcasters will hope that day will never come as quite simply many don’t want to show sports such as cricket.

A one-day came takes eight hours, can you see the BBC clearing their schedules for that long, only Wimbledon gets that privilege.

A test match takes five days, four usually in the modern era. When terrestrial was king, the BBC would leave the test match on Saturday afternoons to go horse racing.

The ultimate snub was Channel 4 who ensured test matches would start at 10.30am so they could clear off and show Hollyoaks and if rain meant a late finish, they’d often draw stumps on the coverage then too.

What do you get with Sky? Uninterrupted coverage which if you are a fan of the sport is all you crave.

Something has got to change, rights holders need to put people before profit and think creatively. Can they offer something to free to air broadcasters while recognising the investment Sky has put into their game.

But can broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV come to the table and offer sports the space they need to breathe? I remain doubtful.

In the last 18 months Sky have been forensically assessing the price they pay for everything, one hopes they don’t take umbrage at this negativity and take their bat and ball home.

Because then cricket, as with many other sports, would be stumped.

Goodbye to the Crying Lady

FAREWELL then to quite simply the worst Prime Minister in recent history. The crying lady’s body language wasn’t one of sadness but of bitterness she’d been evicted.

History will not judge Theresa May kindly, she was crowned as someone who ‘got the job done’, the vicars daughter who would reach out to those ‘just about managing’ and heal a country riven by austerity.

Instead she presided over the worst General Election campaign from a sitting Prime Minister, failed to marginalise the most ideologically-driven Labour leader since Michael Foot and deepened the divisions caused by Brexit.

And when confronted by her unpopularity, when the political winds demanded a change of course or an acknowledgement she could be wrong, she buried her head in the sand.

Politicians of all colours need a keen eye and ear to work inside and outside of the Westminster bubble, she possessed neither.

She called an unnecessary General Election in 2017. Jeremy Corbyn will never appeal to the centre ground of British politics enough to unseat a Conservative Government outright.

She began the campaign 20 points ahead in the opinion polls, yet ended with a loss of a majority which took the Tories more than 20 years to achieve.

During the campaign she was robotic, charmless and frankly boring. Corbyn meanwhile energised the youth, inspired his supporters and displayed his talents at rallies up and down the country.

When the Tory manifesto was scrutinised, instead of laying out the reasons for change, May backtracked insisting ‘nothing has changed’. A Prime Minister who offers the exotic tutti fruiti before racing back to plain vanilla is not someone who has leadership licked.

Confronted with the loss of her majority, May could and should have quit. Instead she sought a deal with the DUP, nothing wrong with that of course except it came with £1billion of cash for Northern Ireland.

The voters were rightly annoyed to see the Magic Money Tree sprout having been told ‘there’s no money left’ for seven years….

Faced with delivering Brexit, the biggest cultural shift our country has demanded in five decades, Mrs May displayed a tin ear of epic proportions.

The result was separated by just 1,269,501 votes. A majority yes but not anything like the 10 per cent difference showed by the Scottish people after their independence referendum.

Delivering the voters mandate therefore required political skill and courage, she lacked both.

Successful British Prime Ministers govern for all, not just those who elected them. Yet when she needed to carry her country with her, Mrs May marginalised everyone who voted remain.

In countless speeches she referred to delivering the wishes of the 17.4million who voted for Brexit. Had she delivered a Brexit for the 65million in this country, including all of Scotland which voted to remain, I dare say she wouldn’t be in this mess today.

We’re screaming out for leadership to carry us all forward as a country, to bring us back together. Because the British people didn’t do anything wrong, they were asked their opinion and gave it, no matter what side of the argument you are on that can never be a bad thing.

When her deal was published, it was rightly panned. It was a compromise she said, yet that wasn’t the binary choice on the ballot paper on June 23, 2016.

Faced with resignations, Mrs May acted tough, ‘My Deal or No Brexit’ she attempted to roar. Leaders can do that when they have the numbers to back the threat up with.

She never did, she presided over two of the biggest Parliamentary defeats in our history as her own party and her DUP partners baulked at backing the withdrawal agreement.

When she sought help from Corbyn, she expected Her Majesty’s official opposition to ride to the rescue in the ‘national interest’.

She didn’t for once think a) her party might be a tad annoyed at her legitimising a man they’ve deemed a threat to national security and b) Corbyn would go along with the talks but stop short of helping.

Labour doesn’t need to help her, Politics 101 tells you when the opponent is sinking never chuck a life raft.

She’s been doomed since a third of her MPs said they had no confidence in her in December, had they waited until the spring the number would have been much higher.

The simple truth is had the men in grey suits acted quicker, had the opposition been much stronger, her time as PM would already be over.

Britain deserves better than this. The question is can anyone out there rise to the challenge?

Why Cold Feet leaves you with a warm glow

I'VE been binge-watching Cold Feet recently, series six was done in two nights on DVD and series seven and eight were polished off on my Sky Q box in the same time-frame.

While I am sad I will now have to wait for a new series, I'm also trying to understand how something which was part of my teenage years can still attract me so much in my mid-30s.

Because the genius of creator Mike Bullen has seen the characters age as we fans have yet somehow the magic which pulled you in in the 90s still has appeal in the '10s.

David is bumbling, Pete still has a kind heart, Adam is still a lothario while Jen is gloriously unpredictable and Karen is somehow the glue attempting to hold not just the gang together but also her soaring career and her family.

Yes the youngsters in the 1990s are now the teenagers and Matthew, Olivia, Ellie, Adam and Chloe all have major roles alongside their parents.

Indeed, the teenage pregnancy and abortion storyline between Matthew and Olivia was so beautifully portrayed I'm amazed it didn't get more attention.

Two young people very much in love find out they will be parents and ultimately decide on an abortion. But instead of it just happening, you're taken into the clinic and see the very raw emotion such a decision is bound to provoke.

It shows such a decision isn't easy, no matter how 'right' it might be for the individuals and huge credit to the actors and writers for bringing it all out on screen.

The same can be said for Jen's breast cancer storyline. I won't spoil the details of episode six as it's beautifully written and performed but if Faye Ripley hasn't won the hearts and given women with breast cancer the ability to fight this awful illness then I don't know what will.

It would be easy to see Cold Feet as a drama but the sheer levels of comedy render that impossible. It's the perfect mix of fine writing, talented actors of all ages and the absolute connection to everyday life.

Watch it for yourself, nothing in the plot is implausible. Death, depression, financial trouble, teenage pregnancy, strain on marriage and illness. All delivered in a down to earth manner.

The famous five could easily be living in your neighbourhood, you could easily work with one of them.

It's that that makes it popular. I know the Adam/Karen relationship is dividing opinion but friends do get together. Let it develop and let's see what series nine brings.

Bravo Mr Bullen, best wishes to all the cast and crew.

December will see the end of May, the weak and wobbly Prime Minister

THE END of the year will bring an end to Theresa May's time as Prime Minister with an epitaph similar to her predecessor, nothing of note.

Why? Because leading the negotiations on Brexit has shown Mrs May up for the hapless leader the nation got a preview of last year but which has been on full cinematic release for most of 2018.

Never before has a Prime Minister been entrusted with something only to deliver an outcome which is going to anger everyone. To my cost I don't have many leave voters in my circle of friends but I would love to know what they think about the farce that is Brexit.

Because let's spell it out, Chequers will not work, the EU will never countenance something which keeps us in the Customs Union but ignores the other pillars such as Freedom of Movement.

There is nothing she can do on the Irish border problem, put one up and risk opening a box which none of us thought had been cemented shut or go without and find the EU giving you another reason to trash your 'deal'.

A 'hard Brexit' where we break free, renounce everything and 'take back control' will not get the support it needs in Parliament with Labour vowing to oppose it.

Leaving us with 'No Deal' - would a Conservative Prime Minister truly push the button on something which could shred our economy to ribbons and plunge us back into a very deep recession.

Everywhere she turns there is a problem not of her own making but equally she's not helped herself in recent weeks. Humiliated in Salzburg, Mrs May came out fighting and urged the EU to get something sorted.

Fine....except for in Brussels where EU chiefs looked around for the 25th different way of saying 'You want to leave, its not for us to make suggestions how you exit.'

And now she wants to extend the post Brexit transition......We're being laughed at and the EU's patience is wearing.

President Macron of France has already relabelled Brexit as a 'political problem' and Mrs May could have the rug pulled out from under her if Michel Barnier et al decide to plan for No Deal.

Politics has need a game changing moment for two years to end this frankly hideous battle of the losers in May vs Corbyn.

Maybe some in the Tories need to tap their leader on the shoulder and say Au Revoir.

Because Brexit means naff all at the moment, the ship is sinking and now is the time for a leader to step up and guide this country back to calmer waters.

Free to air vs Pay TV – A mismatch of the day

TIGER Woods roared back the years last night and almost pulled off a Major victory, remarkable for a golfer who has virtually been rebuilt in the last five years.

What do you mean you didn’t see it? Didn’t you watch it all on Facebook then on the streaming site Eleven Sports? No of course you didn’t because sports fans want TV broadcasts not to be huddled round their laptops.

The debate over free to air versus Pay TV has raged for more than decade in most sports and for almost three decades in football.

Sky Sports swiping of the new Premier League in 1992 did indeed herald ‘A Whole New Ball Game’ for football fans on the pitch and in front of their television sets.

Nothing much has changed, challengers have come and gone while BT Sport now appear to be on the pitch for good.

Not a single match since then has been free for all to enjoy, why should Sky give something away when the price they pay is so high?

Cricket has long fretted over the departure of the game almost completely to Sky in this country while golf bosses in the US were so determined this weekend’s PGA Championship wouldn’t get wall to wall coverage on Sky Sports dedicated golf channel they sold the rights to a fledgling streaming service.

But the rules of the game appear to be ‘boo Sky for pricing the beloved BBC/ITV out of the market’ when in truth it’s the attitude of our major terrestrial broadcasters to sport in the last 30 years which created the corporate giant Sky has become today.

Back in 1988, you got one English top flight match a week plus Match of the Day, very little Football League and barely anything below that. Now it’s at least four top flight games, multiple offerings from the Football League while the National League is covered in depth by BT Sport.

Sky’s investment made that possible, turned average players into millionaires and spawned the cash cow that is the Premier League. But equally it’s the Premier League who seek pound after extra pound when they sell the ‘Greatest League in the World’.

Surely one of the packages could be made available to a terrestrial broadcaster? After all CBS in the
US show games from the National Football League on Sunday afternoon while NBC take over in prime time.

The same goes for cricket, the ECB could make a package solely available for terrestrial viewers but choose to chase cash from Sky et al.

And then what about the terrestrial broadcasters themselves? While live sport starts at a specific time, its conclusion isn’t always fixed which gives the BBC its annual Wimbledon headache.

Remember the BBC and Channel 4 often went horse racing on Saturday afternoons during the test match, Channel 4 ended coverage of delayed test matches to show Hollyoaks and The Simpsons while last year’s BBC coverage of the US PGA Championship was done so cheaply it was a wonder we even saw the winning putt.

The only way this mismatch of the day can be resolved is if those at the top of these sports put people before vast profit and any new terrestrial kids on the block can commit to coverage as good as Pay TV provides now.

Not easy when budgets are squeezed and pressure to sell adverts is at its height.

So the next time someone with sport complains about the lack of free to air coverage ask yourself, what are they doing to achieve the right result?

How to solve a problem like Brexit - the speech Mrs May could make

IN 2016 British voters took an historic decision; a majority of voters asked us, their Government, to execute their wish to leave the European Union.

It was unprecedented, it was a shock but it was also something this Government had simply not prepared for. For that, as your Prime Minister, I am sorry.

We didn’t recognise the anger you felt, the frustration with not getting a GP’s appointment, the inability to get on the housing ladder or your opinions on immigration.

We let those who promised you the earth and delivered little dominate the discussion while we offered nothing but scare tactics.

We called for unity to deliver Brexit but didn’t recognise the anger felt by those who wish to remain.

We didn’t listen, but we will learn.

The past two years has been riven with arguments, fall outs and scenes which have done little to re-establish trust in Parliament and elected MPs.

We now stand on the cliff edge, it is clear we will struggle to achieve a deal which will achieve what those who voted for us to leave wanted - a clean break with the European Union.

As Prime Minister I believe anything short of this would betray all those who voted in the
referendum, it would not deliver what Leave voters wanted and would never be accepted by remain supporters.

Therefore, as we asked for the people’s opinion on our relationship with the European Union we should now ask whether we should leave with no deal or remain.

I will ask Parliament to legislate for a vote this autumn; should it be approved then the choice will be simple, to leave or remain.

If your wish is to leave, your Government will exit the European Union on March 29 next year with no deal for the reasons I have stated above.

We will achieve the aims of a majority of voters who asked us to leave the European Union but we risk a period of economic uncertainty as we attempt to forge a new path in the world.

We will use the remaining months of our membership to put steps in place to ensure on day one of Britain’s Brexit, our banks will open, our supermarkets will be stocked and our flights will take off.

However, should you vote to remain, I give you my assurance it will not lead to further integration such as Schengen and there will be no debate or referendum on joining the Euro.

We will seek to reform the EU from within, proposing legislation to retain freedom of movement both in and out of our country but ensuring each of the member states can control immigration to benefit their individual economies.

We will seek to deliver better outcomes for our farmers, our fishermen and all those who find their daily work burdened by EU red tape.

We will oppose further attempts at integration with the threat of a further referendum. One which will be unambiguous, legally binding and require a super majority of 55-45 per cent.

Should it be needed, this result will be definitive and mean any further Conservative Government will not make the mistakes of the past and will deliver the clean break requested.

Let me be clear, a vote to remain would not be a continuation of the status-quo but an invitation to reform a deeply flawed institution.

Brexit has divided this nation for two years, it has put further strain on an already fractious union and has all but paralysed your Government.

The time for talking is over, now it is time to make that leap one way or another.

Britain deserves better, let us deliver together.