Boy Least Likely To

Right, cobblers to all this Stanford nonsense....

I knew it was so within the ranks but it wasn't until I read this months Wisden Cricketer (not that other rag that people read, the one that gives away bat stickers and shrink wrapper retired pakistani seamers each month) that Tony Frost had the highest batting average of THE ENTIRE BLOODY COUNTRY last year in t'championship. Now i'm pretty darned ignorant of history, but surely this is pretty much something. Old Man Udal might have his cute little story about ditching his new carrer whupping up and down the M1 with a boot full of Union Flag design cricket boxes to go and captain for a probably nominal share of £256,918.43 (as of 17:24 27/10/08) [oops, wasn't talking about that...] . But the boy Frost had already happily packed away his kit long ago before being brought back into the fold as Tiny Tim went off to make his fortune. And came back again pretty quickly.

Tony did superbly. Slightly drab in places, a little conservative at times, but to have ended up with a season average of 78.squiggle including a career best and putting-the-rest-of-the-players-to-shame total of 242 in the last match of the season against Essex.

Obviously he was officially back to being a keeper, and he's been pretty tidy there, but even when Timmy did come back all that happened was that Frost was pushed up the order to kick ass properly.

Seems he's back next year, and based on his form with bat alone he's now filling in for absolutely nobody.

And all that from a dude with those glasses. and that hair. and that joke about the nuns on the motorbike. and that party trick with the monkeynuts.

But then he's said this...

“We’ve had a preliminary chat about me playing on as a batsman next season but the talks are at an early stage. There are a lot of things to weigh up, most importantly what impact playing on might have on my career as a groundsman.”

Talk about aiming to the skies. When my little boy grows up I hope he wants to be a deputy assistant groundsman's understudy. That or a Saggarmakers bottom knocker.

KP and Harmy sitting in a tree

During the nice little knock around in that old mans back garden last night I mentioned to Mrs Spigot how odd it seems that Harmison is now a shoe-in for the T20 squad when his runny tummy clears up, despite him previous running from the white ball and generally being a miserable git for the last 18 months. She reasoned it must have come from KP's dynamic new captaincy. I think the exact words were "Harmison probably said 'I'll play long as I can do you in the changing rooms first'".

Out of the mouths of... somethings.

She mightn't know a beamer from a full toss, but she's certainly latched on to something in her head, all coming from KP saying Miserable Steve is "my man".