Surrey have given up defiling the Oval.
This Friday you can see Kent Vs Essex there.
I was told to promote this by Surrey directly.
Surrey have never told me to promote one of their games.
Think about that.
Exactly.
So if you want to see Kent Vs Essex in the big smoke come to the Oval at about 1730 for the start of the game.
Surrey fans should come too.
You can’t get disappointed if your team isn’t playing.
Stuart Clark is going to get eased back into competitive cricket with a stint down at Canterbury.
It was nice of Kent, the club who hates helping South Africa, has decided to help out Australia for its Ashes warm ups.
With no first class cricket in Australia, there would have been no way for Clark to get his groove on.
But a nice little trundle with a division 2 team is just the ticket.
Thanks Kent.
My lack of love for South Africa is well documented.
And I feel sorry for Kent.
They got the raw deal from the BCCi and CA over the champions league.
They fell apart in the 2020 final.
They got relegated from Division one in bizarre circumstances.
And I like Joe Denly.
But perhaps they deserve everything they get.
They signed Ryan McLaren, a young South African who can play, on a Kolpak deal for 3 years.
He does a lot of bowling and he does a bit of batting, and in county cricket he does them pretty well.
So South Africa in need of one players who are actually exciting, gave Ryan a call.
And he says sure, I’ll play for my country, just let me tear up that contract I signed that said I won’t play for my country.
But Kent said no.
The new division 2 team took advantage of a loop hole in county cricket, and instead of going the gentlemanly thing, and helping out a young cricketer, they are putting the squeeze on him.
Now Ryan is not blameless here, what sort of an Idiot signs a contract that says he can’t play for his country for 3 years.
It’s not like this is IPL money, sure he would be comfortable with Kent, but he will make a lot more money as an International cricketer, which he has the talent to become.
Kent signed a 25 year old, this isn’t some crusty old man, and they must have known that with his performances for them he was a chance to play for his country.
So why be assholes about it.
According to Kent they have built the team around him.
Not whiz kid Joe Denly, proper quick Robbie Joseph, captain pie eater Rob Key, or the MVP of county cricket Van Jaarsveld.
If I was Ryan I would feign a back injury or insist on bowling left arm orthodox to piss them off, although, I probably wouldn’t sign anything that said I couldn’t play for my country for 3 years.
Legally I am sure Kent is in the right to keep him, but morally, this is fucked up, people dream of playing for their country, not honouring 3 year deals for Kent.
Maybe the kid made a mistake, but Kent need to get over it, and let him play for his country.
