How easy and childish Simon.
Now (and this is a tough one) why not try allocating blame where it lies.Did Fletcher want Flintoff as captain?.Was the side for the first two Tests Flintoff's or Fletcher's?.Who is most likely to bring out the innate talent in this England side?.Whatever the touring side to Australia would we have won?.

raymond, London, England

Ha ha ha is all I can say! Since when has the commonwealth bank series trophy been "one of the most ancient and prestigious competitions in world sport". Test cricket is where it all started. I am sure that any of the past cricketing legends who only ever played the more gruelling and demanding form of the game would not know whether to laugh or scoff in disgust at Simon. Since when has a 5-0 defeat in an ashes series been compensated for by a win in <1-month long 1-day international series win over a team that has been training harder than the Englan team could have imagined for the World Cup. See you in the windies poms :)

Beloved Australian Supporter, Adelaide, SA

Yes, Simnon Barnes comments were on the childish side, however I think we all feel cheated. The best team in the world on paper were playing at 50% and were beaten by a bunch of gerryatrics playing at 120%. However we should not get rid of fletcher. Hopefully he has learnt from his mistakes and we will wright the wrong, win 5-0 and send the Aussies home battered and bruised with their tails between their legs!

john, winchester,

Highly appreciated this article! Possibly the result came about due to three poor performances by Australia? Brilliant writing, Simon, keep up the good work.

Judy Renjay, Adelaide, South Australia

A fantastically sarcastic reply by Simon. Graveny's time is up, he needs a break from the game,he needs to leave it to Sky-expert panel to pick the best coach and the team.
Well said Simon!!

anura, bath, UK

I'm not sure what to make of all this. I think Mr Barnes will look back in a few weeks and regret the tone of this letter. Putting pen to paper in moments of high passion and emotion has bitten me and many others on the backside before and I fear this will be no different.

Sarcasm is, in my opinion, a high form of wit. But it is a low form of retribution.

Joe Johnson, London,

It is funny just how much English cricket fans are dining out on the Commonwealth Bank Cup win. I have to admit that it was a very gutsy turnaround by England to win and they showed that by putting Australia under concerted pressure can draw results. As an Australian I was looking forward to a series and ODI whitewash, a series whitewash will have to do an is worth many times more than any ODI victory.

The thing that really gets to me is that the ODI win will probably secure Fletcher a further tenure as England coach. I think that this series has shown that Fletcher is a seriously flawed cricket tactition. After all, was the end result brought about by coaching decisions, or by an attitude lift by the players? Did Fletcher really influence this change? It is hard to see how as most of his selections seemed to be forced on him through injuries than strategy.

Fletcher will stay on due to the CB ODI win, the Ashes will be forgotten, and World Cup results meaningless.

George, London,

I could be wrong you know but I have a feeling that the author of this article is being a little sarcastic and satirical.


Ha ha!

DiscoBob, London,

Simon Barnes sounds like a petulant child wailing at his mother for telling him to go to bed early.

How the media react when they are criticised always makes me laugh! So quick to dish out their views yet so sensitive when their precious views are countered.

Alexis James, Washington,

A real apology would have been decent. A spirited defence of your original comments may well have been justified. But sarcasm is just unpleasant, and reinforces David Graveney's opinion of sports' writers.

Stephen Darlington, Rome, Italy

I will not take a single bit from Englands eventual CB series win but I will observe that Australia were wobbling as much against New Zealand as they were against England and the final series was only one decent knock from J. Oram away from being a completely different story.
I only say this because Australia are eyeing their weaknesses and addressing them as we speak - aiming to get their ducks in a row for the big series - while the last time England were this giddy from a victory we (and I say this as an Australian) were all robbed of a fitting sequel to the Ashes of 2005. Only this time instead of being giddy from a spectacular win in one of the greatest Ashes series of all time, they are blissing out on 5 wins at the tail end of a tortuous tour against an equally matched NZ and an unraveling Australia.
I really want to see a great World Cup and while I want Australia to win, I want all the serious contenders to show up with the intent and the ability to make it worth winning.

Michael, ACT, Australia

give barnes and the other hacks some time. they'll drop their usual studied pretence about one-day cricket being no great deal and go to town over england's 'mastery' of the game - especially if england does well at the world cup. the ashes disaster is still too recent to do that now.
remember sharjah and adam hollioke when a nation of hacks began to cheerlead the english team for winning a z-grade tournament?

whatajoker, brisbane, australia

Well, SImon Barnes seems to have as much self-regard for his own opinions as one G Boycott. And a similar unattractive desire to indulge in vindictiveness. Fletcher and Graveney certainly made mistakes, but these deserve to be put into context, something which their critics are unwilling to do.

Expectations at the outset were ridiculously optimistic, and little attempt was made by the media to temper them. Without three key players (Vaughan, S Jones, Trescothick) from the outset, and with two other key performers, Flintoff and Harmison, recovering from injury, England were big odds against. Would an extra practice game (not allowed according to David Morgan) or the early selection of Panesar (out of form at the time) have made all the difference? Very unlikely, I suggest. Against an Australia team that played with such ferocious skill and intensity throughout, we needed all our experienced players available and in top form to have a realistic chance. There were no easy solutions.

Roger Goodacre, London SW15,

Repackaging defeats as victories is the stuff of British sports writing. Don't change now.
I recall 20 or more years ago reading - probably in this journal - of a mile event in which the 'gallant Brendan Foster' showed pluck, grit and just about everthing else to achieve second last, but in a PB.
You only found out in the last sentence that a couple of jokers in black singlets named Walker and Dixon finished first and second.

Rob Harris, Wellington, New Zealand

Five-nil in the Ashes! Five-nil in the Ashes!
It's a pity that some have used the pyjama series to obscure that.

Paul, Edinburgh,

A good read that reflects simalar (even if articulated slightly differently) thoughts from a lot of people. David G is in denial if he believes his own mouthings. As an Australian, this was the most disapointing crickets series for a long time. And the most dissapointing point is thst we all know the English team are capable of much better than they showed

Ron Frowd, Bangkok, Thailand

To those humourless armchair literary critics - SB is employing a little sarcasm to make a serious point. Graveny's suggestion that people owe Fletcher an apology is ludicrous, and SB's response is pitch perfect. Not sure anyone is suggesting Fletcher owes us anything, by the way. Apart from 2 moments of madness (Giles, Jones), he has been a godsend. What the ODI series seems to suggest is that England need about 2 months preparation to compete with the current Aussie side in Aus.

weekender, Nice, France

Absolutely spot on!!!

Saranya, Chesterfield,

Right on Simon. Both Graveney and Fletcher should admit
that they got the initial selection of the test team wrong.
Trying to some how excuse their poor handling of the test
team by saying hey we won the Commomwealth Bank Series is pathetic. I have watched cricket for years but its hard to remember a team so poorly prepared to meet a team of the calibre of the Australians.

Colin Edgar, Bicester, England

A very disappointing article from a writer capable of much better.

Paul Dineen, London,

Your article reflects the feelings of many cricket supporters. I agree that Duncan Fletcher must shoulder much of the blame, but why does the Chairman of the Selectors seem to be getting off so lightly. He and the other selectors are as much at fault for sending a badly prepared team to Australia. Perhaps they sholud consider their positions.

Dickie, Downpatrick, Northern Ireland

What a pathetic, snide, egotistical, unfunny article from the most pretentious sports writer on the planet.

Jon, Shoreham by Sea,

Brillant, couldn't have said it better myself!

Natalie, Sydney,

Sorry Duncan, sorry David (blows raspberry). 5 bloody nil and don't forget it. We may make the semis in the world cup... maybe. Better make sure we pick the right team and stick with it. From game one that is, not when it's too late.

Mark, Kidderminster, UK

I am really surprised by this piece.I would expect to read this in "The Sun" or "Daily Mail" but not from Simon Barnes.I tend to tell fellow Australians to read his articles for excellent sports writing. This article is something that I would expect from a petulant 12 year old. I wish I could have read the Simon Barnes of old who would have used his insight to look at what made England play so badly in the Ashes and what made them play so much better in the one day series. There were so many articles that could have been written
How disappointing. I expected better. Have to tell people to start reading The Beano for serious sports journalism.

james , sydney,

Mal Loye is a one trick pony. And even that trick backfires on him sometimes.

Chris, Albany, Western Australia

With the good comes the bad, Mr Graveney. You can't on one hand hail Duncan Fletcher as a genius for the 2005 victory and not expect him to be lambasted when he cocks up as royally as he did this series. If you view the selection of Jones (G), Giles and Harmison as the correct ones, then the blame must fall with the coaching staff for failing to properly motivate and prepare them.

The team that (deservedly) won the one day series is not that different to the one that was walloped most of the way through the qualifying round. To my mind this can be explained one of three ways.
1) Australia (and New Zealand) suddenly forgot how to play one day cricket. (unlikely)
2) The players needed a 3-month warm up (frightening if true)
3) The mental attitude of the players improved and they gained some self belief (Squarely the domain of the coaching staff)

Ranx, PERTH, Aust

While I agree that the winning of the Commonwealth Bank Series entitles Duncan Fletcher to no apology from anyone, I have to say that I find your response to David Graveny rather petty and frankly childish.

To say that Duncan Fletcher owes us anything is completely and utterly ridiculous. This is a man that took over as England coach when they were ranked bootm of the test rankings and has transformed them into a team that is still the second best test team in the world. He, together with Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan, turned England into a team that has beaten all but one of the other test playing nations, including Australia. For England to have arrived in Australia with any hope of winning is a minor miracle.

I, as much as anyone (having watched almost every day), was devastated to see England capitulate as miserably as they did in the Ashes. But the strength of character of all concerned to bounce back as they have done deserves at least some praise. I've run out of space.

Cheggers, Brghton, UK

great article, Simon Barnes! Yes, I too, was impressed by the huge, brand new CB trophy, a true symbol of England's cricket prowess. Why would anyone want that grubby old urn, anyway? The ECB should immediately send it back to Australia, now that you have something better in its place.

Caro, Sydney, Australia

this article maybe a touch petulant(!) but i must say that i agree with it. furthermore i think that david graveney is spineless.

Kieran, Paris, France

Not up to your usual excellent standards, Mr Barnes.

paul foster, lausanne, switzerland

What an idiotic article. The point is it is Fletcher's job is to make the best of the players at his disposal - a job he does fantastically well.

You can question the odd selection but that misses the big picture. For example, up to the Ashes 2005 it was received wisdom that Ashley Giles was useless.Then he played a key part in the win and he was everyone's favourite. Now he's Aunt Sally again because of a collective failure.

A half fit, depleated England team was beaten by a brilliant, motivated, fit Aussie team. Which part of this surprises you?

Stephen, Luxembourg,

Simon,

What a perfect example of the lazy, almost childish journalism that pervades the sporting media today. Graveney undoubtedly made an error of judgement asking for an apology but does that justify this simplistic attack? All your smug points about the errors made in the Test series may be true but they are only true in hindsight. On balance during Fletcher's reign the selection gambles are hugely in positive balance: Trescothick, Vaughan, Simon Jones, Geraint Jones, Kevin Pietersen to name but a few were all selected on Fletcher's recommendation.

Fletcher may have made errors in this series but he has done enormous good for the English game. He has made the England cricket team a respected force again, delivered the most successful period in English cricket for 35 years and the first Ashes victory for 18 years. When he does leave the post he deserves our thanks, not this teenage, sarcastic drivel.

Mr A Moore, London, UK

Mr Singh...

Mal Loye, the most exciting one-day player the world has seen? The World Cup will make up for 5-0? They have shown they can match Australia?

Sorry, in the vernaular of the Australians, you're dreaming.

Good article, Simon, spot on. A few RELATIVELY meaningless ODI victories don't make up for 5-0 and do not make England a genuine contender in the Carribean, no matter what the self-deluders would like to imagine.

David Loxton, London,

England lost the Ashes because Australia are the better team, with better players, that is the bottom line, anyone who remembers where England were when Fletcher took over as coach (8th in the test rankings and about to be embarasingly defeated at home by New Zealand) will be forced to admit that English cricket has alot to be thankful to Big Dunc for. Of course there were substantial mistakes made in the run up to and also during the course of the ashes but lets not let one poor series precipitate a witch hunt which Mr Barnes seems intent on continuing even in the light of some good performances.
Instead lets hope that this is merely one small backward step following a series of large steps forward. As long as lessons are learned then English cricket is still in a healthy position and Fletcher is still the right man for the job

Jimmy, Lincoln,

lets stop trying to deceive ourselves..one day cricket is nowhere near the history and prestige of ashes....Mal Loye...most exceiting ODI player...oh please...there are miles to go before he can even be near that sort of title...not with the Pontings, Sachins ,Laras or even Collingwoods of this world still around....while there is no denying that england won a great victory....that does not mean that it shrouds all the mistakes they made earlier on the tour...these victories were built around 3 solid performances by one player and there is miles to go before they can redeem their disgusting ashes performance

Piyush Surana, Ahmedabad, India

Nice one Simon. Good fun.
Graveney ,of course, is the real ape for making such a ludicrous suggestion and Fletcher would not have thanked him for it !

Richard, Dubai,

I fail to appreciate the sentiments of those who point to the mistakes made before and during the Ashes series, yet hold to the view that not making the mistakes would not have won us the Ashes anyway, so there is no point in going on about the mistakes.
From that I presume we repeat such mistakes until it can be thought our stupidity has cost us a series and then we can discuss matters and take action accordingly.
That may well be a quaint olde English way of dealing with a thrashing (just move on and don't go on about it) but its about as much use as pretending we won!

David, Torbay,

I'm still waiting for Ricky Ponting's apology to Australia for losing the one day series to the No.# 7 side. This will go down in his report card along with 438 from South Africa. He redeemed himself in the test arena by reclaiming the Ashes now the only way he can erase these black marks from his ODI record is to win the World Cup.

Fred Brown, Upwey, Victoria

Anyone who says selection didn't play a role in Australia defeating England is foolish. See what a difference Monty is having in the shortened version of the game. He has been England's most consistent bowler throughout the Ashes and this one day series. See what a good wicketkeeper with semi-decent batting skills has done in the shorter version of the game. And blame me, England for all their worries won this trophy without Harmison.

I am not for one moment saying Australia would have lost the series with these selections in place. But you wouldn't have been swept away like a fly in four of the five tests played. In only 1 test were England competitive.

See how Plunket and Mahmood are bowling now. They were fit and they were ready with a summer's cricket behind them. Harmison wasn't.

Well as for an apology to Fletcher, I am sorry, you made enough blunders in selection to warrant one. Its just that you made some good selections and kept faith in the CB series. Shows its never late to do good things.

Andrew Sam, Coimbatore, India

I'm not usually a fan of Simon Barnes - whose style and hubris I find intrudes into his argument - but on this particular occasion I find myself... not being a fan of Simon Barnes. A hackneyed, narcissistic way of pointing out some obvious and serious shortcomings on the part of the England coach.

As for big Dunc.. let me offer him my sincerest apologies for doubting him. And I, a mere follower of the honourable institution of English cricket. How could I have been so audacious as to have doubted your infinite courage, resolve, good looks, etc, etc, ad infinitum/boredom.

Organ Morgan, London, UK

It is ironical that England, which thumbed their noses at one day cricket and made a joke of their participation in the Champions trophy, should now be trumpeting their CB series win. Leave us not underplay the achievement. But let us not gloss over the horrific Ashes performance...a performance which could have been so much better if only the right side had been picked.
John Wright did a lot for Indian cricket but was eased out...at the right time, in my opinion...because he seemed to have nothing new to offer. Has Fletcher reached his sell by date yet?

Ajay R. Kamath, Mangalore, India

Everyone misses the point. Whether Panesar and Read had played from the start, or Strauss was captain, Australia were just far, far better in every department. Skill, matchwinners, desire, teamplay etc. Sometimes you just have to hold your hands up. England didn't play well because Australia didn't let them. It was a superlative performance from a team that are nigh on impossible to beat at home. I mean, Gilchrist, Ponting, Warne and McGrath are some of the greatest cricketers of all time, and the supporting crew weren't bad either. Let's give it a rest and commend England for their late fightback.

rob frische, www.cricketwukup.com, barbados

There's little doubt that mistakes were made in strategy, selection and preparation for the Ashes series. So expecting an apology is a bit rich of David Graveney, even if Duncan Fletcher has redeemed himself somewhat since.

But if the inference here is that had England run a flawless campaign on these three fronts then we would have held on to the Ashes, as it appears to be, then I'm afraid Mr. Barnes watched a different series to me. A fully cooked Harmison was little better than the medium rare version, Panesar bowled well but not nearly well enough to win a test and the selection of Read made no impact whatever.

Perhaps the second test could have been won with Panesar in the side (in tandem with Giles - not instead of), but the gap between the sides in the other tests transcended the mistakes made.

It is right that the England coach is criticised, but saying he owes us an Urn is a bit like saying Tim Henman owes us a Wimbledon. Except Fletcher has one urn.

flattrackbully, thegrandstand.net, England

Mr Barnes, I have seldom enjoyed an article more. I will be ready in line with my apology when Fletcher is ready with his. And after we've got the apology for the Ashes debacle, maybe he could find the (cricket) balls to apologise for his appaling handling of Chris Read, who I am sure particularly enjoyed the professional way he was handled all throughout the summer and the choice 'no confidence' comments from him prior to the series beginning. Does he think this was good man management ? I don't recall him ever being asked about it directly actually, which IS a slight failure of journalism, but very different from the one Graveny would have us believe was committed.

Alan McINTYRE, LONDON, UK

Where's my apology? Simon Barnes just wasted 10 minutes of my life with that drivel.

Billy, London,

It's only a game Tom Wright? That's hardly the point.

Josh, Durham,

Great article. It is a shame that England are trying to mask their appauling showing in the Ashes by glorifying their victory in a comparitively meaningless one day competition. I think it is a disgrace that David Graveney is asking for an apology to be made to Duncan Fletcher after such an embarrassing performance in the Ashes.

Phil, Brighton, UK

The Commonwealth Bank Series is the continuation of the legendary World Series Cup and is almost a 30 year old one day competition. So to laugh it off as completely insignificant shows a lack of your understanding of cricket history Simon. It is perhaps the most difficult one day tournament for a touring party to win, and this is the first time England have won it for 20 years, since that memorable 18 run over by Allan Lamb in 86/87.

If England do indeed go on to win the World Cup, they will be deserved winners, they have shown they can match it with the Australians. And yes, that will be worth the 5-0 defeat; a first world cup is more important. 5-0 or 4-0 it is still a loss. Duncan has drafted in Mal Loye, possibly the most exciting ODI cricketer the world has ever seen. If Mal Loye is selected then it will be a sincere "hats off" to Duncan. That will be the quality of a true mastermind. On small Carribean grounds, Big Mal will bring the world cup to England.

Mr J Singh, Reading, Berkshire, UK

Siomon Barnes has proved himself to be a sarcastic fool and unable to even accept criticism of himself of earleir comments in a mature manner.

Duncan, Farnham,

The critical point when mistakes have been made - and there have been many, whether publicly admitted to or not - is to LEARN from them. Clive Woodward was not sacked after dropping three potential Grand Slams in a row. John Buchanan was not discarded after the 2005 Ashes series. They were both winners. If Duncan Flecther has learned the lessons, and crucially, if he remains the best available coach for the job, then he should not automatically be jettisoned. However if, like Sven Goran Erikson, he is incapable of learning, then yes, sack him and move on. In football, each manager gets two attempts in four years to win a trophy, against a huge number of other nations. At the wages we pay, and the talent at our disposal, no more than four years should be considered. In cricket though, you just need to beat Australia. Fletcher did it once - let's not necessarily throw the baby out with the bath water and have another 18 years of misery.

Martin, Chester,

What a poorly written article. It seems a pity when someone like Simon Barnes has to resort to playground sarcasm to make his point rather than offering a meaningful analysis of England's recovery of form.

Ollie Morse, London,

I would add only that the absurdity of Graveney's request is the clincher (if one were needed) in the argument that it is the whole management, not just Duncan Fletcher, that must be swept away. They have not a jot of common sense between them. No amount of cricketing experience can make up for this. As for the apology - it is they who still owe their supporters (and their team) an apology for so determinedly paving the way to ruin.

And by the way, to judge by the pace and intensity of his bowling, Flintoff was not fully fit until at least half way through the prestigeous Commonwealth Bank Series. But we outsiders knew that at the time.....

Jeremy Stone, London, UK

I really sincerely feel that the apology now due is from that oaf Graveney for demanding an apology from everybody else. Who does he think he is?
He is merely trying to deflect heat away from the core of the problem i.e him.
His credentials to take the job in the first place were tenuous at best. He made a great point after the last disastrous Ashes campaign in Australia of saying that they as selectors would never make the mistake of selecting under-prepared, injured players again and what happens?? we get Anderson, Giles and Jones in the 1st Test team this time around.
Is Graveney somehow above accountability?

That said, a marvellous effort from the boys to drag things around in the One Day series. We salute you for that but let's not allow Graveney to cloud the bigger picture. The management of the Ashes campaign was pitiful.

Mr C Underwood, Northampton, UK

I think that just about sums it up SB. Is Fletcher going to apologise for the shambles he procided over in the first few months of the tour? I doubt it. He hasn't even held his hands up for the most obvious of the mistakes he made.

J Lawless, Sunderland,

As always Simon hits the nail on the head

Ann, Nottingham, UK

Graveney was wrong on several points. The Ausies started regaining the ashes the day after the Oval. We hoped it would be alright on the night and Freddie would inspire the lads to greatness. It was never going to happen. The whole Australian sporting establishment worked towards it. They made it as hard as possible for England to work as a team. England from the top down helped them. It is our own cricket administration team who owe us an apology. Straus should have been captain with advice from Vaughn trying to maintain the team ethic and getting the best out of Freddie and co. We needed the hard headed pragmatism of a Wellington not the gung ho up and at em of a Custer. Instead we gave the Ausies all their own way from the start. No fight and no guile. Simon you are spot on.

Mark Anderson, Grangemouth, UK

What a truly slimy letter!! Its only a game, Simon. We went out with a suspect 'original' team on the wave of our much trumpeted Ashes victory thinking we were invincible. Under great pressure, shouting and cajouling the team was gradually beefed up to eventually take the OD trophy. No need for hidden reverse outswingers, Simon. I agree if what you are saying is that we do need a coach with an analytical mind and good judgement and regretfully it is not Mr Fletcher.

Tom Wright, Guernsey, Channel Islands

Truer words have not be spoken.

John Wann, Farmborough Heights, Australia

Brilliant.

Sayo Ogundele, london,

If Duncan deserves an apology after a successful conclusion to the tour then that means we are to forget the 5-0 drubbing in the Tests, a feat difficult to better.
No, no apology required - Duncan should resign now.
Winning the wooden spoon ain't winning the main event, and only a fool would believe it so.

clive,, surrey,

England has transferred a bit of their embarrassment to Australia by winning the one-day competition. To quote Alan Clark from 'Diaries', you lost the Ashes because 'there is no follow-through.' Too many MBE's for not enough wins. I feel obliged to point out however that the odds are stacked against teams touring Australia. A big reason is that tourists get too few warm-up games. As an Aussie I feel we should have the one-day nonsense first to allow tourists to acclimatise. Then it would be a fair Test of strength.

Paul Francis, Brisbane, Australia

Simon Barnes - brilliant! What a silly request by Mr Graveney.

Graham Rose, Appleton, Oxfordshire

As an ex-Pom in Australia, I found it immeasurably upsetting to witness the catastrophe that was the Ashes 06/07 and the reasons for the whitewash were manifold and have been discussed ad nauseum. But let us not forget that since the beginning of that series Australia has been slowly shedding its number of ageing players, and it is no doubt the results of that and the up and coming younger less experienced players that have led to an (almost) overwhelming defeat of the current Aussie side. However, confidence can be a marvellous thing, and if it helps boost the English side for the World Cup, then it can only be a good thing. The results of the NZ/Australian trip later this month will be far more indicative of where the Australians are at.
Simon - your sarcasm cut to the quick in this article, and has diminished your stature. Shame really.....

Ali Pockley, Indigo Valley, Australia

Here here. Although the squad should be immensely pleased with their victory and enjoy the long-overdue confidence boost, let's not get carried away and see it as anything more than the consolation prize that it is.

Matthew Flint, Kochi,

The cynical tone of this is nauseating. The issue could have been addressed is a constructive manner - or not done at all. It does Simon Barnes no credit. The most important issue is to identify what did happen to bring cohesion and strength of purpose back into what was a beaten and obviously unhappy team. It is still not a great team - but it is capable of playing competitive cricket.

Nahor Meenan, Lusaka, Zambia

AS you riightly note Mr Barnes, of what importance was the AShes, a Pyjama trophy is far more significant. Particularly when you beat a side that must must be bored to the teeth with seeing such poor opposition.

All is now right with the world of the TCCB and Freddie Flintoff is as good a captain as Mike Brearly, and somebody called Mal Lyoe is as good as Graham Gooch and like you I deserve a slapped wrist for suggesting otherwise.

Stephen THomas, Moscow,

Legendary!

Michael, Bellbrook, via Kempsey NSW, Australia