Man City and Centuries top Wish List

Man United are 'global not local'...apparently

I’m late to the party on this one but thought it best to digest what happened in the closing moments of the fourth Test between England and India before commenting, or wading in. It’s always good to let the steam subside before checking the temperature. And if wading in is still appropriate, then do so.

Was the behaviour of the England team at 5:24pm venial? Could their exhausted frustration after 143 overs in the field be forgiven when India refused to end the game as a draw at the first opportunity? Absolutely not. Their facetious sarcasm was yet another embarrassment to English cricket.

36-year-old Ravindra Jadeja and his successor as the all-round spin bowler, Washington Sundar, defied England’s wilting attack for the best part of five hours in an unbroken partnership of 203. It was a colossal effort. “How long do you want, Washy? Another hour…?” quipped Ben Duckett. Chirpy Harry Brook was the worst. It would appear he is an utter knob when things are going poorly. Chipper and dandy when they’re winning.

As much as players talk down personal milestones, they do so only because a century of previous generations have done so. Always disingenuously. They all know they are the currency by which they are measured and remembered, for good or bad. Jadeja was a dozen runs away from a fourth century, Sundar 20 from a first having been marooned on 96* in Australia. It wasn’t a splash of cream on a dessert, it was the entire meal. It wasn’t just a choice or their ‘fault’, it’s the way their profession works.

“If you wanted a hundred so much why didn’t you bat like that earlier?” asked Jofra Archer, attempting to wither but achieving more wince – on his side. Ben Stokes and Joe Root achieved historical landmarks during the match, the former becoming the first England captain to take a five-wicket haul and score a century and the latter passing Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting to sit in second place on the all-time Test run-scoring list.

Stokes joined Sir Garfield Sobers and Kallis in an exclusive club of three with 7000+ runs and 200+ wickets. Records, milestones and more records. But when the doughty, determined and skilful Jadeja and Sundar were approaching their own, Stokes assumed – presumed – that his handshake would suffice. Bugger off. India would have been completely entitled to keep their opponents in the field for all of the final 15 overs. Physical attrition is, and always has been, a big part of five-match series. Survival of the fittest. Kick your opponent as hard as possible, especially when they are down.

Anyway, my umpteenth visit to Manchester taught me something new. Having assumed for 30 years that Manchester United were the ‘popular’ team in the city and ‘City’ the poor cousin, I was ferociously corrected by at least a dozen Mancunians who informed me that ‘at least’ 75% of the city supported the Blues.

“United are a global brand, not a Manchester club,” explained Uber driver Syd. “Half their supporters are tourists, that’s why there’s two hotels at the other Old Trafford. You don’t think cricket can sustain two hotels and a 2000-seat hospitality box on six or seven days of international cricket per year, do you? They built them for the football…corporates from all over the world. Pay bloody thousands, they do.”

Was Syd a ManU fan? “F*** no. City boy, me, like my Pop and most of the rest of the city.” So I ran to the Etihad Campus along the canal to see for myself. It is one of the largest sports complexes in the world. The football stadium is just one of three stadia, albeit the largest. It is a colossus. My view of Manchester City has changed. Money may have bought their recent success, but there’s history there, too.