TOP 100 SPORT SITES
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| UOP Stadium named top new venue of decade Sports Illustrated has named University of Phoenix Stadium as the best new sports venue of the decade. bizjournals.com |
Leach considering legal action to coach Texas Tech in bowl game The up-and-down relationship between Mike Leach and Texas Tech took a negative turn on Monday when the coach was suspended while the school investigates ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Sundt lands $7.8M contract for Avondale sports center Sundt Construction of Tempe was awarded a $7.8 million contract last week to built a recreational facility in Avondale. bizjournals.com |
Local boys Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen fail to make good | Vic Marks England's returning exiles were uncharacteristically ill at ease and surrendered their wickets cheaplyIn such taxing conditions wickets were bound to fall. We do not know yet what the par score is, but it is surely more than 180. In such circumstances batsmen have to ensure there are no easy pickings for bowlers; they have to make them work.It is easy to forget that there is pressure on the bowlers as well when the conditions are in their favour. Wickets are expected and if they do not come frustration creeps in, followed by tension in the body that might stop the ball swinging or reduce pace. Then the loose ball appears and the game can spin out of control. Just briefly in the hour before lunch this Âhappened to South Africa.But for most of England's innings the home side did not have to work hard enough and the main culprits in the batting line-up were Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen. Quite why it should be the pair of exiled South Africans who were so ill at ease at the Bullring is hard to tell. There is no presumption that they are suffering from homesickness.The dismissals of the other specialist batsmen were not so culpable. Andrew Strauss went to a freakish catch from the first ball; Alastair Cook to a fine delivery, assuming it was legal; Ian Bell to a gem of a ball, which was, in effect, the paceman's googly. Dale Steyn had propelled a succession of probing outswingers before delivering the perfect surprise inswinger. As for Paul Collingwood, well, he finally made a mistake.But Trott and Pietersen were off the pace. Their wickets were gift-wrapped on a day when the batsmen had to be as mean as Fagin. Trott remains a Test novice yet his unease was as surprising as Pietersen's. He revealed an ice-cool temperament in his first Test. This may be a tension-racked contest but no more so than an Ashes decider.Earlier in the series, even though he has not been prolific, Trott has given the impression of being relaxed at the crease. Out he comes, he shuffles around, takes his time as he establishes his guard, annoys a few South Africans, especially the bowler, who feels obliged to wait. He shuffles again, moves into line, waits for the ball to come to him and prods it away in a self-effacing, reassuring manner. It has all been rather impressive.There was none of that yesterday. Admittedly he could not have arrived at the crease any sooner. But thereafter Trott seemed to be in a rush. He has won admirers – among English supporters – for the way he has had the bravado to make the South Africans wait so that they play the game at his tempo.But at the Bullring he was unusually frenetic. In his brief stay the bowlers did not have to wait for him and once the ball was delivered there was Trott chasing it. It seemed as if he was looking for the ball rather than watching it.Trott drove at thin air away from his body and his dismissal was a reversion to one of his perceived weak spots. He tried to work a full-length delivery from Morkel through mid-wicket. Thus he was lbw without the need of a review. As befitted this frantic innings he did not even stop to consider one. As he departed the curious thought occurred: perhaps Mr Reliable, Ian Bell, would be better off at three with Trott at six. No, no, let's not go there.Pietersen will not be rushing to articulate how low his confidence is or that the pace of Steyn and Morne Morkel is troubling him. He will retain the brash exterior, point to a terrific Test record and aver that the big innings is just around the corner.For all the brashness Pietersen can have a crisis of confidence just like the other mortals. He can brood about his own game and analyse it. But at heart he is an instinctive cricketer. That is part of his magic. His instincts when cornered are to attack, to assert himself over the opposition and only then to rein himself in for the long haul. Once he has stolen that first single – to the relief of his partner – he wants boundaries to show who is in charge.But at the moment he may have to adopt a more humble approach, to be prepared just to hang in there for an hour or two. A model for him could be Matthew Hayden in 2005. The Australian set out to bully the English bowlers; he could not do it for four Tests so at The Oval he had to graft and graft for his hundred. Come the second innings England will require at least one hundred.Kevin PietersenEngland Cricket TeamSouth Africa cricket teamEngland in South Africa 2009-2010CricketVic Marksguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Second-half surge propels UConn to win over No. 1 Texas Jerome Dyson scored a career-high 32 points and No. 21 Connecticut overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to upset top-ranked Texas 88-74 on ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |