Oh, Jimmy (Mack), when are you coming back...
At least Team England (Bazzer’s Mob) has three less to pick from after the Lord’s Pavilion fiasco.
The three members, whose names represented a breakaway faction of the Old Etonians debating club, have been justifiably relieved of their MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) privileges, presumably until calmer waters are reached. Then all will be forgiven; it was merely a momentary aberration until next time.
Without going on too much, I enjoyed reading Marina Hyde's column in the Guardian—at last, a comedic perspective.
It took just one sentence to associate the ‘Wagner Group’ with the group of MCC blazers that "took it upon themselves to enforce ‘the spirit of the game’ by abusing the Australian team as they returned to their dressing room through the members’ pavilion shortly after their stumping of Jonny Bairstow on the last day of the Ashes Test at Lord’s."
And then Hyde went on to lament Rishi Sunak’s (PM) insipid interference:
"As someone who has to also lead in a different way, it was just an interesting case study of how you take the same group of people and get so much more out of them."
Likening the PM's predicament to early ‘Bazball’.
"Yes, yes—we get it. Hold your nerve."
Hyde went on, "I think the point was supposed to be that Sunak isn’t merely failing spectacularly on all his own five pledges, and managing the UK further down the road of decline. He’s actually playing some political version of Bazball, and you should, officially, be extremely into it."
I urge you to read the column. Marina Hyde doesn’t miss anyone, including the BBC's Jonathan Agnew, of whom she says, "He’s another heavily oxidised individual."
Brendon McCullum stated at the outset that he will always look to give players ‘one more game’ than they might expect. I believe it is a conciliatory position to take on the undervalued importance of team selection. McCullum’s coaching style is ‘matesy’. He wants to be inclusive; his preference is a happy dressing room. If he has succeeded here—which you would assume he has—then it’s a very different situation from what he started with.
The ‘one more game’ ticket has been afforded to most, but not everyone.
Zak Crawley has benefited from McCullum’s generosity. Alex Lees, not so.