England Cricketers Oversold

I don't want to get too negative about England cricket over just one dismal away series - the better team has won, and that doesn't mean England isn't talented or fun to watch. But I do have to say that England's cricketers have been overmarketed since the 2005 Ashes victory. The most egregious offenses in this regard were premature biographies by Pieterson and Strauss. And now I find that even Monty Panesar has a slick merchandising machine of a website.

In the meantime, the world of cricket moves forward. India is touring in South Africa. So far the test series is 1-1. Makhaya Ntini was the standout player in the last match. He's long been known as a great athlete (the program I bought from their Australia tour in 2001-2002 said that he was known to eschew the team bus in favor of running to and from practices), but lately he's become a very consistent bowler à la Glenn McGrath.

There's also a little thing on the way soon called the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Even without Warne the Aussies will be the favorites, but there are several teams which could step up and surprise (especially if the Aussies end up overcelebrating after a 5-0 Ashes whitewash). Of course the biggest surprise could well be the pitches, because many of the venues in the Caribbean are still under construction. I was disappointed that the bid to have a venue in Florida was rejected. It would have been a great step for spreading cricket in the U.S., and the construction would have been done on time. It's the West Indies' show, though, and there's still a chance that they will show the world that they're ready for the big time.