When I die just roll me in...

Y'know, when I decided recently that I should start blogging I had a specific idea in mind that I wanted to try - I wanted to use as many song titles or lyrics from the songs of one of my favourite artists, an amusing group out of Kentucky, Tennessee called Nine Pound Hammer.




The line "Dig my grave by the La-Z-Boy/when I die just roll me in" is taken from 'Rub Your Daddy's Lucky Belly', the opening track on their Kentucky Breakdown album.

It has just occurred to me how appropriate this statement is for the English cricket team. Somebody oughtta roll them in right now.

Australia has just completed a historic 5-0 whitewash of the English. To me this has only highlighted the luck England had go their way during the 2005 Ashes series in England. As well as Australia great fast bowler Glenn McGrath trodding on a ball during warm-up and missing the 2nd Test,

umpiring decisions continuously went the Poms way, including one decision that is still stuck in my head - some 16 months after the fact! Simon Katich was the unlucky recipient of one of the poorest umpiring decisions one could ever see - given out LBW to a ball that clearly pitched a long way outside leg stump, and then hit him so high on the pads as his legs were at full extension, with the ball obviously going over the stumps by a considerable margin, yet Aleem Dar raised his finger and Katich was on his way. I could mention plenty of other bad decisions (I have them written down) but special mention should also go to Damien Martyn and the two shocking LBW's he received, after edging the ball onto his pads!!

The reason I bring this up is that there is probably some Poms out there saying "what about the shocking decisions Andrew Strauss received"?! Granted, Strauss did bear the unfortunate brunt of three very bad decisions in a row during the 2nd and 3rd Tests however, he was then plumb to Stuart Clark in the 4th Test at Melbourne and was incredulously given "not out" and then again had some good fortune from Billy Bowden during the 5th Test in Sydney - and to Glenn McGrath of all people - during his final Test match!!

So by my reckoning... yes, Strauss received three very bad decisions in a row. He then received two lives as a result of more poor umpiring decisions and so in the end it works out he received one poor decision - hardly something that should be declared as affecting the result of the series - especially considering the 5-nil scoreline!