The Trent story

Good news for Irish cricket fans with the news that Trent Johnston will be continuing as skipper until at least 2009.

It has been a terrific year for the Aussie and in true spirit has launched a book of the Irish experience in the Caribbean. Raiders of the Caribbean is penned by Johnston and journalist Ger Siggins. The 58,000 words were also written in 58 days straight after the Irish team landed in Dublin.

CWC pains and memories

It looked at one point as if the International Rugby Board (IRB) was going down the same murky road as the ICC in how not to run a World Cup, after rugby's governing body wrangle with the media over use of match images on websites.

Nevertheless the Rugby World Cup was a sensational tournament and only serves as a reminder to the painstaking weeks it took to complete cricket's version.

Another reminder is still firmly simmering after the Nutley's continuing saga over claiming back its media deposit from CWC finance department. I'm sure the big organisations have received their $250 deposits back (could be a story in itself), but for a freelancer this is one of the scenarios of the job and another cog in reminding myself of the worst sporting event of all time.

That's it for now

The Nutley is resting its weary typing hands until next week and is going back to my wife. In the meantime, why not scroll down and relive some memories of the 2007 World Cup or peruse the Caribbean photo library (as above). Or you could even boost my future career as the podcast man for the Daily Mail by clicking and listening to the collection here.

I highly recommend St Lucia as a holiday destination but I would aslo combine it with Barbados. Hire a car, get lost and experience island life in one of the most relaxed environments in the world. And if you experience an old Bajan laugh, remember to tell me about it sometime.

End of the road

The only shining light facing Malcolm Speed at his press conference today was the glitter still remaining on the outfield from the closing ceremony last night.

It was always going to be a testing examination for Speed and the three-over debate from the World Cup Final farce only added to the questions fielded to the ICC's chief executive and Dave Richardson, the governing body's general manager.

And with the media set to dig into the ICC's handling of the tournament, Speed nearly faced the ultimate irony from his own logo. The ICC background banner lost its balance and only thanks to its media manager was Speed saved from being completely engulfed.

As to the Final, there really was no explanation as to why five experienced officials let the game descend into darkness when the required overs for a result had already been completed. Richardson looked understandably miffed.

To be fair to Speed he did answer all the questions on the Final and the tournament as a whole in a detailed manner. What is in doubt, however, is whether the ICC will fully understand the missing link between fan and money-obsessed governing body.

When questioned on the longevity, Speed cleverly pointed to the 2011 tournament in Asia (spread across four countries) and how there is a need to keep logistics in hand. He went on to say that the tournament could be cut to 38 days at a minimum which is still too long for a tournament in my view. And with Speed also knocking back suggestions of cutting the number of teams, the next World Cup already looks a sure-fire sponsored bore.

Colombo calling

Sri Lankan legends will be phoning Jamaica on Monday for a good luck conference call before their semi-final clash the following day.

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I had a quick think and couldn't come up with any other country other than Sri Lanka who could muster a bunch of legends in a room to phone up select members of a current squad.

Imagine Beefy, Athers, Nasser, Gooch, Gatt, Gower and Lamby in one room ready to phone Michael Vaughan's hotel room on the eve of a big game. It'd be mayhem as Beefy would no doubt take control to talk about changing the batting line-up. In Australia, it might be a little different as Border, Matthews, Alderman and Boon would be thinking if there would be any point as Ricky's men are going to win anyway.

Yup, I can just hear the sound of Aravinda and Arjuna giving some warm good-lucks down the phone from Colombo to Mahela Jayawardene and Co.

World Cup podcast

Another WC podcast will be up and running here at 12pm BST. On this week's show I speak to Nasser Hussain at the Kensington Oval as Michael Vaughan becomes the latest in line of failed England ODI skippers to flop at a World Cup. I also catch up with South African legend Barry Richards. And to top it off, I went to the Barbados Guinness Book of Records Festival to hear why Bajans just love to run backwards.

A new joker?

We all know about former Kiwi opener Mark Richardson who used to sprint-off against opponents wearing his lycra. Well it looks as if current opener Lou Vincent has taken over his mantle - but in a slightly different way.

During their St Lucia leg, Vincent is seen in the background sporting the famous Borat kit during a run-of-the-mill interview. Watch the hilarious YouTube clip here.

On another note, there are more photos up on flickr. Including the below one from the ground urinals. Spot the manufacturer's name? Thought not. The famed ICC tape has seen to that to thwart non-tournament sponsors from appearing anywhere in the vicinity.

Back to Business?

So it is now a virtual quarter-final between England and South Africa after the Proteas loss against New Zealand.

After a few weeks of prolonged Super 8s games, the English media and fans will finally know on Tuesday the team's fate in this tournament. Luckily I'm not just following the daily rigmorole/monotony of the English cricket team and focusing on more global cricketing matters. So it must be frustrating for English fans out here and back home that Duncan Fletcher's team are even still here after all this time.

I don't now what will be worse: England losing from a winning position against the talented chokers of South Africa or somehow managing a semi-final birth and losing comprehensively to New Zealand in St Lucia.

Anyway, Mike Atherton has been keeping betting tabs on the World Cup and predicts this week's outcome. As he says, it's time for the big-hitters to come to the party. Thoughts?

Garner does the beach

A Media Moguls select team took on a random assortment of Barbadian 'Legends' today courtesy of those fine people at the Barbados Tourist Authority. Everything was on hand: Mount Gay Rum; some fine microphone commentary and Big Joel Garner bowling the first over. Nutley's correspondent managed a big one before his dismissal - no guessing which legend he managed it off? Click here for more photos.

Holding out for a hero

How do you dress to meet a national hero? This thought briefly crossed my mind at the weekend when I had a morning interview with Sir Garfield Sobers.

Any other country you would no doubt where shirt and tie, as I have done when I've met him in England. My conscience was heightened when speaking to a Barbadian policeman and how the force always salute Sobers as a sign of respect when they come across him (and thanks to his playing days with the Police Cricket Club).

In the end I went for t-shirt and flip-flops and Sir G turned up wearing the same: that's how you dress in the Caribbean!

Bajan beach cricket

*Check out my latest podcast by clicking here. Mike Gatting and David Gower on the show's agenda. The best line comes from England's former left-hander who said that the World Cup games have been like a "series of glorified benefit matches".

Blood's Bajan banter

So after checking out the Kensington Oval yesterday, I came upon a music shop in Bridgetown. My spec out here is to get the World Cup colour so I went in looking for a history of Bajan music. The lads behind the counter were quick to offer help and doubly quick to back-off when I asked them for a potted history of all the Caribbean genres. But the store owner, their mum, could probably help. She came out and pondered this for a second. No, she couldn't help - but 'Blood' out the back would tell you everything.

Pulp Fiction came to mind when she said this. But Blood, aka Anderson Armstrong, is the main producer behind Square One, one of the most successful bands in Barbados; Rihanna being the island's only global star right now. Off we went to his small studio at the back of the shop. It was a long way from sheepskin carpets, bling and Cristal champagne I associated with most record producers.

You can listen to the interview at the Daily Mail podcast page, where I also spoke to Love Island's host David Gower. Square One's music is infectious and they're opening for those UB40 lads during World Cup Final week.

What happens now?

Oh how I wanted the West Indies to chase down 303 against Sri Lanka.

I really did hope they would manage it; for the World Cup's sake and to lift the depressive tendencies my hotel reception girls apply when the Windies lose games.

So the days are ticking down to the Barbados Super 8 games. The Kensington Oval looks a picture and there should at least be a series of well-attended games here.

But there will be a couple of things missing. Notably, India v Pakistan. I've yet to post anything on the demise (a sad one in Pakistan's case) of these two teams.

So what are your views? Does it really take an Indian TV show, Cricket Star, to find the next talent in this vast country? Is Ian Chappell right when he says Sachin Tendulkar should retire? Personally, I thought India would go well in the Caribbean. They had played a year schedule whereby they were unlikely to be fatigued by the time of the World Cup and looked a settled side. But playing away from home obviously plays havoc with their talent in India's case.

Post your thoughts below and keep posted over the coming week as the Nutley paints a picture on how Barbados is preparing for the games.

Gravy, Gibbs and gratitude

Real Caribbean style this one.

Tomorrow's clash between West Indies and Australia will not only mark the opening of the Super 8s but also Antigua's new ground. The island has declared the day a public holiday so we should finally see a full house for the first time in this World Cup. Will we also see the return of Gravy, one of Caribbean cricket's legendary personalities and the West Indies' biggest fan. He officially 'retired' from his shenanigans in 2000 during England's tour. Didn't he also wear a wedding outfit on his lap of honour?

In keeping with World Cup generosity on other islands, St Kitts&Nevis has awarded honorary citizenship to Matthew Hayden and Herschelle Gibbs following their group stage antics. Gibbs, however, got a slightly better gift thanks to his six sixes. He was given $6,666 plus a holiday for two while Hayden just got the holiday. I suppose he could have been given $100 or even $10,000, but then he would have outshone the South African big-hitter.

Black tape and bottle tops

I finished some work at an empty Beausejour Cricket Ground yesterday and discovered an initiative which must have riled a few people.

The previous day I was in the broadcast loos when I noticed a strip of black tape hiding the manufacturer of the urinal. It was black tape here, black tape there from then on. Strips of the stuff were hiding the name of the soap dispenser, the taps and then the hand-dryer. This wasn't the island's way of remembering the tragic loss of Bob Woolmer either. These were exceptional depths to keep the ICC's major sponsors as the only company names you should install in your brain on match days. (note: photos to come on this one). And yesterday I discovered that Rushmans, the accreditation events company, had to put hundreds of strips over fax machines, phones, pcs and flatscreens in the media centre, while the local organising committee had to do the same within the ground.

On another note, the Nutley and friends were highly bemused by the following tannoy announcement during the England-Kenya game. The crowd had obviously not learnt from previous games as he announced (with barely two hours to go in the last group game) that plastic bottles should not "in any way" have their caps on. "You are in breach of ticket conditions if you continue to do so," he continued. "Patrons are advised against this and will be removed from the ground..."

So perhaps it is ironic that the range of ICC World Cup sunhats include a camouflage one (as modelled by fan in the picture). What's the phrase again? Ambush marketing?

*Read Patrick Kidd's comment piece on the subject

Freddie fuels island PR machine

It is possible to be totally oblivious to the World Cup on St Lucia when there are no games shown at the Beausejour Cricket Ground. And just when other Caribbean media outlets are writing of the possible tourism scenarios in the aftermath of Bob Woolmer's death, than the St Lucia Star sticks the below header in. The article inside suggests that advertisers should get on the bandwagon and interview barstaff from Rumours nightclub and the security guard who asked Freddie Flintoff to get his pedalo back to shore.

The Beausejour Cricket Ground is expected to see its biggest crowd of the last two weeks when England and Kenya play out the last group stage game tomorrow.

Crowds have been sparse for the non-England games, with the New Zealand-Canada game witnessing a small army of Black Cap fans and free entry for the island's school children.

Vendors have also been enraged at the apparent 'ambush marketing' by the local organsing committee of the Cricket World Cup. They say they are being priced out of the grounds by the large resgistration fees, while locals who took out loans in an attempt to spruce up their homes in anticipation for the thousands they were told would be coming to St Lucia, have been left in short shrift.

Much has been written in the local press about politics having preference over cricket when it came to St Lucia hosting group games, and speaking to a few islanders, it seems that this is nothing new.

After all, as mentioned in an earlier post, St Lucians have had to make do listening to the radio during games at the Beausejour in a bid to attract fans to the stadium.

Just another 48 hours...

A quite unbelievable 48 hours in the cricket World Cup.

Firstly, the tragic news of Bob Woolmer's untimely death. No sooner had the News of the World shed light on Andrew Flintoff's drinking spree than the wires were reporting that Woolmer had been rushed to hospital. Following his death, it was ultimately ironic that Pakistan's defeat to Ireland was the Englishman's last. He was after all a huge advocate of the ICC's associated countries.

The previous day saw two of the World Cup's biggest upsets. India, one-day cricket's super power, were overcome by Bangladesh's all-round efforts, while delirious Irish support saw the minnows triumph over Pakistan. Sensational stuff. And catching the games on TV, and on the island hosting the tournament, kick-started the excitement of the World Cup in my opinion.

The previous night, Flintoff and Co ventured down to Gros Islet in St Lucia for their soon-to-be published night out. 36 hours before an important match against Canada, the players (and staff) were clearly sucked into the Caribbean vibe as they sampled the unique jump-up street parties.

It pales into significance, however, with Woolmer's death.

A matter of minutes

So it's nearly upon us: months of planning; loads of "we will be ready" talk and this week, a plethora of West Indies greats being serenaded; making up another two teams of the aleady 16 taking part.

If you haven't read Nutley's earlier post about how to catch different slants on the Caribbean action then you can do so here.

Even Google has got on the bandwagon.

Podcasts; supplements

So what are you making of the World Cup warm-ups?

New Zealand losing to Bangladesh then posting a decent total against Sri Lanka; England romping home against Bermuda before a thrashing against the Aussies; the West Indies performing calypso collapso... and the minnows performing, well, admirably.

With the tournament proper just days away, the Nutley is preparing for its imminent departure to the Caribbean. I will be doing some (actually a fair few) podcasts for the Daily Mail over the coming weeks do get in there and start subscribing to get a flavour of island life throughout the tournament.

And Patrick Kidd over at Line and Length has been busy this week putting together a World Cup guide for The Times, which is out on Tuesday.

Two shameless bits of advertising, but well worth it!