North’s star still not certain of shining at the Gabba
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
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After three centuries in seven Tests Marcus North’s place should be certain, but Chloe Saltau reports in the Age that he is still not prepared to declare his position safe.
Anyone who has followed North's seamless transition from first-class stalwart to reliable Test batsman will be aware of his reassuring presence in the previously unstable No. 6 position, and know that his occasionally nervous starts can be followed by lavish, sweetly timed strokes. Despite all of this, after a decade aspiring to a baggy green, North is not yet willing to ink his name into the starting XI for the first Test against the West Indies. ''I don't take anything for granted,” he said, “and I guess that is probably because it took so long to get there.”
Chris Gayle’s squad arrived in Australia on Friday and the Sydney Morning Herald’s Peter Roebuck outlines his plan for cricket in the Caribbean.
The West Indies ought to be disbanded as a cricketing force. Followers of the game with memories of mighty deeds and fine gentlemen might regret the break-up but the culture has been ruined and every attempt to improve it thwarted. All the more reason to stop the charade.
Instead, let Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and the Leeward and Windward islands fend for themselves. In that case, their cricket might be informed by the commitment to the cause for too long missing from West Indian cricket.
Peter English is former Australasia editor of ESPNcricinfo