daveydave

As two weeks of hard-fought sporting greatness draws to a spectacular close, attention moves swiftly from Beijing to London. How quickly the Olympics pass. Years of preparation, not to mention the $42bn spend, over in an instant. But what games. China had something to prove to the world and it did that emphatically. These games were supremely well organised, visually stunning and magnificently entertaining. I hope now that the UK (or GB as it has been for the last 2 weeks) will work to make a real success of 2012. I know people are complaining about the cost, about the fact it's mostly benefiting London, that £26 million is a lot to spend on cycling, etc., etc. But let's be honest, there are always people who will complain - we are after all, a nation of self-deprecating - almost self-loathing - whingers. For me, sport is worthy of proper investment. You simply cannot can not put a price on how the success of Team GB has lifted people in this country, how much of an influence i...

I had a little chat about KP last week, so now that he's England captain I feel I should probably post a follow up. Last week I had called into question KP's place in the Test side because I wasn't convinced that he could control himself long enough to get the big scores required of him. Well, now that he's skipper and his place is guaranteed, giving him the authority and responsibility he so evidently craves, is it going to affect his game as it has others? I can't honestly see his average slipping, in fact it'll probably improve. But what of the flash shots? Well, we were reminded on Friday that he can resist the glory shot and play very well indeed. This could be just what he needs to go from a brilliant if sometimes rash batter, to a genuine great. Only time will tell. He's lucky that he has this dead game to captain (South Africa have already wrapped up the series win, so the 4th Test at the Oval is for pride and practice only) as it gives him much need...

Those of you who have read my inane drivel over the past couple of years will know I've been about a bit. No, no, not in that way. I've been lucky enough to visit quite a few countries around the world at the expense of my carbon footprint. You will also know that, despite moaning about it, I'm a big fan of public transport and trains in particular. So in an effort to be more green, and to actually see some of the country in which I reside, I intend to have a poke about the UK by train this summer, starting with a day trip to picturesque Whitby on Sunday. I'll be jotting my random thoughts down on this and future trips, and I'm sure you'll all be looking forward to reading them soon. Ahem!

KP, FigJam, call him what you will, Kevin Pietersen is an outstanding batting talent. When on song he is fantastic to watch and is capable of getting you many many runs. The problem is, although he has huge talent, he has a larger ego. He was doing everything so well. When woefully out-of-form Paul Collingwood arrived at the crease, KP coaxed and cajoled him through the early overs to score some much needed runs. The two of them put together a fine, well-crafted partnership which started to look like giving England cause to consider a win. However, as KP approached his century, the ego appeared and he started to play his more flamboyant shots. So, when he was on strike with 94 to his name, he decided to go for the glory shot over the long-on boundary and got himself caught. Having put so much effort in to rescuing the game, to then lose his wicket not due to a fantastic ball, or an excellent catch, but to throw it away tending to his ego is unforgivable. I know this may be controversia...