My Review of 2010 - A Personal Account

This is my review of my 2010. Enjoy!


January -

The mocks and college work came thick and fast. Law was getting more and more complicated, History had lost me completely and English was, well, English. The snow we had towards the end of the month will live with me forever, I have never seen anything like it! So much fun was had in it, but it did last a little too long! Oh, I failed my driving test again.

Portsmouth were doing "ok". We started our FA Cup campaign by beating Coventry in a replay in the 120th minute, talk about leaving it late!! We subsequently beat Sunderland 2-1 at Fratton in the next round.  Our embargo was lifted. Sort of. We could bring in loanee's and free's, but not "buy" players. We got Jamie O'Hara back on loan and brought Quincy back to the Premier League.

In Pendulum news, work on the new album was coming along nicely, with new tracks being previewed at a headline show at Matter, o2 London, with El Hornet being joined by Speed and Anscenic on the decks. This show enticed the world to new tracks such as Watercolour, as well as The Vulture, Crush and The Island amongst others.

February -

The intensity of work was taken up a notch, with the results of the mocks and re-takes out. I did no better in my English re-take, still on a B grade, but i was happy with my mocks, getting an A and two B's. I had heard back from all my university choices and had 5 offers out of 5, so i was pleased. However, i already knew which one I wanted to go to.

Portsmouth had a month which summed up 2010 for the club. Days before playing Southampton in the FA Cup, the club was issued with a winding-up petition, but thankfully was given a stay of execution in the High Court. The players didn't let this affect them and went and trounced their rivals 4-1 in their own back yard!

The odd sample or leak or scrap of news was coming out of the Pendulum camp, with the 3rd album being entitled "Immersion". In addition, a UK tour was announced which included a headline performance at Wembley Arena in May. Watercolour was confirmed as... Watercolour and not the previously thought "Take me out of here".

March -

More of the same at College, more failed driving tests, work work and more work, with a final push being made towards those all important exams.

Portsmouth were getting ever closer to relegation following a 9-point deduction, but now focus was on the FA Cup and a lunchtime clash at Fratton against Birmingham. 2 Piquionne goals, the second less fortuitous than the first, put Portsmouth into the semi-finals and a trip to Wembley against all the odds.

Pendulum were preparing and finishing Immersion, with a mid-May release closing in. Watercolour was to be the lead single and debuted as Zane Lowe's Hottest Track in the World on Radio 1, showing the world just what the band had in mind.

April-

Ah, April. Well, i passed my driving test at the 5th attempt! A big monkey off my back. I attended my cousins wedding in Cambridge. I worked hard. I accepted my place at Oxford Brookes. That's about all!

Portsmouth were relegated one day, then beat Spurs in the Semi-final the next! The mad world of Portsmouth FC. The shock to end all shocks was fantastic for me. How Spurs didn't score and win I will never know! We were battered, but survived and Dawson's slip let Piquionne score, whilst KP Boateng scored a penalty at the death to make it official: Portsmouth were in the FA Cup Final. Again!

The main Pendulum news of the month was that fans favourite track, Ransom, had been cut from Immersion as it "didn't fit" according to the band. This was met by disappointment but also news that it would emerge "at some stage".

May -

Brilliant Month. I had my exams (i had the flu whilst i did them!). It was a relief to get them completed after years of hard work. I just hoped i had done well enough....
Pendulum hit Brighton in May and I went down with 2 mates and a load of others that i didn't know, but soon got to know and have kept in touch with since. A great gig even though not too much from the new album was forthcoming. It was great to get front row and even get one of the band's water bottles, we then saw in my mate's 18th birthday, which made the night even better.

Portsmouth had the small matter of a FA Cup final against Chelsea. This time it was different. The fans went for a day out expecting nothing. We enjoyed it so much more, despite the result and Boateng's missed penalty. My hard work on twitter had paid off too, i found a Chelsea supporting friend right before the final and we have kept in touch ever since. (this paragraph is dedicated to @shivamlm, haha!)

Pendulum exploded. Immersion was a Number One album, Watercolour got to number Four, Pendulum's highest ever single. The vibe was huge, Pendulum got massive. The worldwide release of the album was met with critical acclaim, tracks such as Witchcraft, Crush and tune of the summer, The Island would prove to be huge.

June-

Literally nothing happened in June. Not even joking!

July-

More eventful! Went to Warriors Dance Festival and saw Pendulum, Chase and Status and The Prodigy smash up Milton Keynes and play to 65,000 people. An amazing day even if the logistics were difficult, (long story!). Met up with 2 sets of friends there, which completed the day!
I also went to Guilfest, where a dream of mine was achieved; to see the masters of electronic music, Orbital. I loved it, even if it wasn't that busy and they were great. Also saw Milton Jones there, just to top it off!

Portsmouth were enjoying a much-needed break, even if Avram Grant had left and half the team had gone.

Pendulum hit Milton Keynes, and in truth be told, it was their worst performance. Outdoors doesn't suit them, nor does a massive venue. However, they still smashed it to bits!

August-

Wow! I got my results - 3B's! I got what i needed for uni! I'm going to Oxford Brookes! August 19th was one of my proudest days, I was just so happy to have made it. Results night was excellent. Spoons in Guildford was ram-jammed, everyone was happy and the night was brilliant, having fun with old friends and new. Oh yeah, the next morning i was off to V Festival for the weekend with 2 old mates! (see a previous post for more details)

The next week I went to Coventry for the opening day of the season. Failure. Big failure. A team full of kids and one's who wanted to leave. An experience best left forgotten.

Then it was off to what was to be the best weekend of my life; Reading Festival 2010. Carnage, pure carnage. Pendulum headlining the NME Stage, a proud moment, a hell of a lot of new friends, a 42nd Birthday and a flag to match (Mark!) many laughs, many "new experiences" had, and a load of fun in general, despite the weather!

Amongst all this, I also saw the T20 Finals day at the Rose Bowl (see a previous post for details), another great day of the year for myself, a Hampshire fan.

September -

I was off to uni! Oh my god! It was dawning on me, and quickly! I met my flatmates at 3am, after a fire alarm. Messi, Raymond, Ed, Sophie, Miguel and later on, Natalie. They are great to live with, so much so, i'll be living with 3 of them next year too! I settled into uni really quickly and got to grips with Law easily too.

Portsmouth managed to not win in their first 7 games, which luckily came to a halt following a 6-1 demolition of Leicester at home late in the month. A true highlight so far!

Pendulum were back from their festival tour and announced two tours; a short one of Australia and a fully-blown Arena tour of the UK, again including Wembley! Naturally, i was going again!

Oh yeah, it was my birthday on the 23rd!

October -

More of the same at Uni, work, fun and more work!

Portsmouth had a fantastic October, including a home victory over the impressive Nottingham Forest. Suddenly, from relegation candidates, the club were very much play-off contenders.

The Island was released as a 3rd single by Pendulum, after the release of Witchcraft in July, with the promise that if The Island charted higher than it's predecessor, Ransom would be released. It didn't. It wasn't.

November-

Coursework began at uni and the workload increased. Everyone was getting along great in the flat and I was making more friends in lectures too. Happy times!

Portsmouth had a shaky November, including 2 defeats, but also a win away at Swansea, highly impressive.

Pendulum destroyed Austraila and were in deep preparation for their UK tour which started in early December. Rumours of new live tracks being played gathered momentum.

December -

More coursework, more exams, oh, I love it really! This is what uni is all about!
The snow certainly disrupted things; more on that later.

Portsmouth had a disjointed December, with matches against Burnley and Scunthorpe called off, yet the club prevailed against Norwich and gained a point at home to Millwall and away to Leeds, no easy task. However, as always, nothing was easy, with contractual disputes and lack of funds making Steve Cotterill's task harder.

Pendulum smashed their Arena tour, with every date sold out. Wembley was massive, despite the snow doing its best to stop me. New live tracks did emerge, namely Different (dubstep remix), Comprachicos and Encoder. The show was off the scale, yet again, no damned Tempest! I need to see that song live!

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So, that's my review. It's been an amazing year, with the highlights being getting into uni, passing my driving test, Pendulum in general, Reading festival and Portsmouth FC (sometimes!). Here's to you, 2010.

Roll on 2011!


Grant

Another Mental Note - Bands I have seen....

Here is the list:-

Pendulum (x6)
Genesis
Razorlight
Snow Patrol
Damien Rice
David Gray
Kasabian
Paulo Nutini (x3)
Black Eyed Peas
John Legend
Duran Duran
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Bloc Party
Corinne Bailey Rae
Keane
Metallica (x2)
Spinal Tap
James Blunt
Beastie Boys
Foo Fighters (x2)
Madonna (x2)
Radiohead
Panic at the Disco
Tenacious D
Feeder
Plain White T's
Alexisonfire
Lightspeed Champion
Last Shadow Puppets
The Killers
Lily Allen
James Morrison
Ocean Colour Scene
Athlete (x2)
The King Blues
Tinchy Stryder
Calvin Harris (x2)
Kid British
Sub Focus (x3)
Chase & Status (x2)
Zane Lowe
Eddy Temple Morris
Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Enter Shikari
Doorly
Feeder (x2)
Passion Pit
White Lies
David Guetta
Tinie Tempah
Jason Derulo
Ellie Goulding
Professor Green
Plan B
Doves
The Prodigy (x2)
Example
La Roux
Guns 'N' Roses
Biffy Clyro
Lostprophets
Mumford & Sons
Dizzee Rascal
Rolo Tomassi
Everything Everything
Band Of Skulls
3OH!3
Hadouken! (x3)
Kele
Klaxons (x2)
Magnetic Man
Toploader
The Charlatans
Rusko
The Beautiful South
Orbital
Crystal Castles

A New Post Cometh....

Hi all,

I am currently writing an update on Portsmouth FC's situation, I hope it will be up by the weekend.

Grant

More Of A Mental Note.... But Enjoy Anyway!!

As a regular tweeter, I have managed to get a reply from some famous people on there. This is a list so I don't forget all of them haha! Check twitter.com/grantusher

SPORT/JOURNALISM:-

Henry Winter

Gabrielle Marcotti

Andy Goldstein

Michael Brown (Cricket)

Jack Collison
Darren Gough
Georgie Thompson
Sam Matterface

Dimi Mascarenhas

Peter Trego

Jonathan Agnew

Mark Boucher

Chris Kamara

Izzy Iriekpen
Simon Thomas

Ian Collins

David Stockdale

Iain O'Brien

Kevin Prince-Boateng

Danny Webber

Jacques Rudolph

Jamie O' Hara
Stuart Holden

ENTERTAINMENT/MUSIC/OTHER:-

Theo Paphitis
Gareth (Pendulum)
Kelly Osbourne
Craig Berko
Perry (Pendulum)
Joan Rivers
John Prescott
Max Rushden
Russell Kane
Rufus Hound
John Bishop
Phil Jupitus
Tim Westwood
Ben Verse (Pendulum)
Paul El Hornet Harding (Pendulum)
Rob Swire (Pendulum)
Tulisa (N-Dubz)
Jason Manford

Review Of Hampshire's 2010 Domestic Cricket Season

First off, I must point out this is predominantly a Hampshire-based article, as I am a Hampshire fan and have witnessed far more of their matches than any other county. I will try to make it as accurate as possible. Enjoy!


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April seems like a long time ago now and much has changed within the cricketing world since then. A flurry of signings were made by several counties before the season with overseas players such as Shiv Chanderpaul and Adam Gilchrist all set to impress. Pre-season, the main headlines were made by Hampshire who recruited former England paceman Simon Jones to the ranks alongside his fellow ex-Worcestershire colleague, Kabir Ali. Rose Bowl members were salivating at a potential lineup of Jones, Ali, Mascarenhas, Razzaq and Pothas. Elsewhere on the county scene, Middlesex tried the "Galacticos" route and attempted to bring Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and Adam Gilchrist to the Home of Cricket, with only the latter being successful.

Hampshire started terribly, failing to win a match in ten attempts. The new look side, including Kolpak star Neil MacKenzie, was failing and looked devoid of confidence. Persistent rumours of overseas signings pulling out gained momentum, with confirmation coming in May that neither of the star names mentioned, Mendis or Afridi, would be playing any part for Hampshire. Injuries also hampered a somewhat depleted squad further, with seamer Ali ruled out till 2011 with hamstring and knee injuries, the World T20 winner Michael Lumb suffering from niggling injuries and club talisman Dimi Mascarenhas all but ruled out for the year after injuring an ankle out in the IPL. Through lack of choice (or so it seemed at the time) Hampshire turned to their own academy and promoted the Michael Vaughan-esque batsman, James Vince,19, into the side along with fellow youth product, the tricky spinner, Danny Briggs.

A more settled side, even if youthful, managed some fine results towards the back end of May and the beginning of June, turning over the likes of Warwickshire in the CB40 and earning credible results against eventual victors Nottinghamshire, as well as Yorkshire and Essex in the LV=2010 County Championship. Key members of the squad began producing what had been expected of them, with MacKenzie producing a great knock of 115* to defeat Notts.

As summer rolled on, so did the FPT20 competition, arguably the highlight of the cricketing year. Taken very much in a serious manner by all teams now, star names were brought from across the globe for the competition. Superstars such as Albie Morkel, Andrew Symonds, Abdul Razzaq and Kieron Pollard entered the fray and treated the crowd to spectacular performances and devastating bowling spells. Hampshire's own campaign was as good as it was bad, winning eight games and losing eight games, sneaking through on net run-rate by defeating near neighbours Sussex on the final day. An equally tense quarter-final saw the Royals defeat Warwickshire with just two balls remaining, a fantastic unbeaten half-century by Vince, who showed maturity way beyond his years in such a tense scenario.

Jimmy Adams had come into his own as a batsman. Two hundreds in the T20 was unheard of before 2010 as was scoring 600 runs in the competition. It certainly isn't without good reason why he is being mooted for a one-day slot at the top of the England order. Whilst Adams prominence had been spectacular, other players performances had gone under the radar somewhat. The Isle of Wight-born spinner Danny Briggs had accumulated the second highest number of wickets in the T20, with a very healthy economy to match. His tight, controlled bowling made him remarkably difficult to play with many established names falling victim to his clever, subtle spin. Furthermore, the experienced duo of Cork and MacKenzie had balanced the side and given an experienced edge to matters. Cork's wily seam bowling along with his handy knack with the bat certainly gave a much needed boost to the Royals after he had missed most of April and May due to commentating duties.

And so to Finals Day! I had been previously as a neutral in 2008 and had longed for my team to get the glamour of the day out. This time it had happened. On home turf. Never before had a team won T20 Finals Day on their own soil, Hampshire could make history on 14th August 2010. Before I begin, this part of the article will be from personal experience, as it was a very special day for me. I set off from home at 7.00 am and took the train down to Pompey. We got to the Rose Bowl at about 9.00 am to be greeted by grey skies and the threat of heavy rain. A disappointing day loomed, or so I thought. 11.00 came round and Hampshire, supported by a boisterous crowd, took to the field to play Essex in the first semi final. Essex, with England opener Cook in the side, made a strong start with plenty of boundaries off the bowling of youngster Chris Wood. However, once ex-captain Mark Pettini fell at 106-4, Essex soon lost momentum and produced a below-par score of 156-7, leaving Hampshire with more than half a chance to reach the final. The host's decision to promote overseas signing Abdul Razzaq up the order certainly paid off. A master blaster on the international scene, he certainly lived up to his reputation, with a rapid 44 off 31 balls, including six four's and a six. This pivotal innings laid the foundations for a Hampshire win, which was completed with four balls to spare amongst a particularly heavy rain shower.

The second, and quite frankly, less important semi-final was certainly more enjoyable knowing Hampshire were in the final. However, it also treated the spectators to a plethora of star names, including Marcus Trescothick, Keiron Pollard, Graeme Swann, Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad. This richly entertaining semi-final unfortunately was cut short due to the elements and ended with Somerset clinching the other final place after winning on the Duckworth-Lewis method by just two runs.  And on to the greatest cricket match I will ever witness. The 2010 FPT20 Final. On paper, Somerset were the clear favourite, with superstars up and down the order. However, every underdog has it's day.

The devastating duo of Trescothick and Keiswetter put on 41 before the former drove a simple catch to Dan Christian. However, the latter was only just getting started. The South-African born wicketkeeper made 71 of just 59 balls, including two towering sixes. Nonetheless, the guile of Captain Cork shone through in the latter stages, with wickets tumbling readily. However, a big obstacle was in the way of Hampshire and glory. Kieron Pollard. Arguably the most explosive batsman in world cricket, Pollard had smashed 22 off only 7 balls when a sickening bouncer went through the helmet's grill and felled the West Indian. Both crowd and players were shaken up by the horrifying incident, which left Pollard in hospital for the night, making the Sabres night no easier. Finishing on 173 made for a very stiff task for the home side.

Hampshire's response started strong enough, with no wicket falling before the 60-run mark. Razzaq was as explosive as he had been in the semi-final, blasting 33 off 19 balls, whilst man-of-the-moment Adams played a anchorman role whilst making a more measured 34. However, three quick wickets for the Sabres left the home side in a dodgy position at 84-3. Somerset looked to close in on the silverware, but the Kolpak duo of MacKenzie and Ervine had other ideas. Ervine, so used to pulling Hampshire out of trouble, most notably in the C&G Trophy Final in 2005 where he scored an marvellous century, played the role he does best. He supported his colleague and attacked when necessary. A 79-run partnership was the very foundation for the innings and looked to have won the game for the Royals, however, the veteran seamer, Ben Phillips had other ideas and forced MacKenzie into skying a pull-shot straight to the Somerset captain, Trescothick. Coupled with one-time England opener, Michael Carberry's dismissal two balls later and the game was far from secure with six runs needed from the final over. Although a run-a-ball may not seem too bad in the modern game, Hampshire made tough work of it to say the least. With six needed off four balls, Somerset felt the glory going their way, but when just two were required off the last ball, it was in the balance. The spectators (me included) believed Ervine and Dan Christian had to get two off the final delivery to complete the victory, however, due to less wickets lost, Hampshire only needed one run to win the game and the tournament. The action and drama was not finished there though. Aussie Christian had pulled a hamstring the previous delivery and required a runner, Adams, for this most epic of showdowns. What happened next was simply carnage. Somerset went up for a LBW appeal, only to be thwarted, whilst Ervine, Adams and Christian all ran. If Somerset had been astute, they would have realised Christian was out of his crease by a good 20 yards and run him out, winning the competition for themselves. As the one run was complete, there was a degree of silence and confusion around the pitch-black Rose Bowl. Captain Cork, along with the rest of the Royals were primed for celebration, but could not be sure of the result until confirmation came from the umpires and the PA announcement. Those words, "Hampshire win" will live long in the memory and I admit a tear did run down my face when I heard we had won the most dramatic T20 match of all time.

It was very much a case of "after the Lord Mayor's show" in the latter half or August and the beginning of September. Following the glory of 14th August, Hampshire were decidedly average in the CB40, overcoming Scotland and Kent, yet losing to bottom of the table side Leicestershire. Similarly, the relegation battle in the LV= 2010 County Championship was going to the wire. Having lost on the penultimate ball to Lancashire, after a fantastic resilient ten and a half hour effort by Jimmy Adams, Hampshire knew that if they could beat Kent at Canterbury, they would be safe. A superb team effort in the second innings made all the difference. With four players scoring half-centuries, Hampshire raced into the drivers seat, knowing it would be nigh on impossible for Kent to chase 377. Youngster Briggs and Captain Cork took four wickets each, yet came under stubborn resistance from England youth prospect Sam Northeast. His 71 of 186 balls was well measured and comes at the end of a good breakthrough season for the twenty-year old. Hampshire's dramatic fairytale continued in the match with Tomlinson's seam, with line and length his main skill, proving crucial. His tight control eventually forced an edge off the last man straight into the hands of that man again, Jimmy Adams in the penultimate over. Hampshire had done it. They had finished mid-table in the CB40, respectable after losing their first four games in the competition. The Royals had staved off the threat of relegation after fighting back mid-season despite relying far too heavily on the runs of Adams and Carberry. And finally, Hampshire had created history, winning the T20 final on home soil in the most dramatic of fashions. Nonetheless, Hampshire will have to consolidate next year. A youthful side, and a very potent one when all the team are fit, there remain some questions. The farcical overseas player situation of 2010 cannot be repeated. Also, question marks remain over Liam Dawson, Chris Benham and Hamza Riazuddin. None have progressed as planned, despite Dawson's late season form. Originally a spin bowler, his role in the team is now undefined. Does he bat, or does he bowl? Benham has hardly featured and must be odds-on to leave the club this winter. His fleeting one day displays have not been repeated and he has not forced himself into the side. Riazuddin has talent but with a plethora of bowling options, in particular with the youngsters, such as Chris Wood, it must be asked whether he can get into the team himself. Nonetheless,  these questions should not cast a shadow on the fantastic achievements of Hampshire this season, and what a season it has been.

Tunes of the Summer pt.1

Having been to V Festival (Chelmsford) two weeks ago and then Reading Festival last week, I thought I would share some of my highlights of what has been a remarkable summer. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to post your opinions on the following bands (or any others!)

Part 1 will be about V Festival which took place on 21-22 August 2010.


V Festival:

A whirlwind tour, where me and two mates went to see everyone we could, the lineup was that good. Here are some notable stand out moments!

Feeder- The perfect start to the weekend, big tunes, rocking anthems and EVERYONE knows "Buck Rogers"!

Tinie Tempah- Huge crowd in the Nissan Juke Arena. Not a massive fan of commercial pop, but it was a fun set which really kicked off for "Frisky" and "Pass Out". Great afternoon filler.

Chase and Status- Wow. Wow. Wow. I had seen the Drum and Bass duo before at Warriors Dance Festival, but this blew my mind. The tunes were epic, oh, and they also brought out Mr Plan B as a special guest. Epic!

David Guetta- I didn't know what to expect from the French DJ, but I was blown away. The hit singles, including "Memories" and "Sexy Chick" were present along with some DnB remixes and Dubstep beats, with Imogen Heap's song "Hide and Seek" well and truly getting the Guetta treatment. One of my favourite acts of the festival.

The Prodigy- The perfect finish to V. I clambered to the front row for this insane experience. The setlist was as per usual, starting with "World On Fire" and going through the killer hits such as "Firestarter", "Omen" and "Invaders Must Die". The crush that ensued was phenomenal, but it was all worth it when Keith Flint came to meet the crowd halfway through and I got to touch the great man. I true memory to last forever. The finale of the set, "Out Of Space" finished the weekend off nicely with the huge crowd singing back every word in unison. My 2nd V Festival, and certainly not my last.

Part 2 coming soon....

An update from the previous post... More Revelations

News is breaking of yet more revelations on the cricketing scandal. The News of the World is reporting that Captain Salman Butt was reminded five times about his conduct and responsibilities regarding outside involvement in cricketing affairs. This links back to the proactive approach I feel needs to be adopted by the PCB and ICC in general. It is all well and good reminding players of their conduct, yet if the PCB thought there was a problem involving Butt, or anyone else for that matter, why didn't they investigate it further or inform the ICC instead of heaping everything upon the one individual. It seems to me the only action taken if when a player/team is caught, and not at the root of the problem. Again, this is an extremely murky area the ICC must address.

Furthermore, occasional international player Yasir Hameed has sensationally claimed that match fixing is a regular occurance within the Pakistan team. If true, surely this becomes more worrying than originally thought. When did it start? How many players have been affected? How many teams have been cheated? Are other nations involved? If what Hameed is saying is correct, his statements could rock the very foundations of cricket.

This feels like just the tip of a very unwelcome iceberg to me....

Addressing The Obvious (+ a warm welcome to all)

Firstly, a massive welcome to all reading this, I hope you enjoy my blog!

I am going to be commenting on three key issues on a regular basis, namely sport, current affairs and music. I am doing this purely for fun and to keep my mind occupied!

Now, my title of this - "Addressing the obvious"- refers to the biggest sporting story at the moment, possibly even in the last decade, namely the Pakistani betting scandal as first reported last Sunday in the News of the World newspaper. This has shocked the whole world, not just the cricketing world. The three alleged to have been involved include one of the biggest talents to hit cricket within the last 15 years, Mohammad Aamer. A honest fast bowler who could be deadly in swinging conditions, he was the youngest bowler to get 50 test wickets, no mean feat. There has been an argument defending the youngster that due to his age he was more likely to be "led astray" by other forces away from the cricket pitch. I cannot buy this. As an 18-year old myself, I know what is right and wrong, and bowling no-balls to order, as has been alleged, is pure and simply wrong.

Of course, cricket, and sport in general has seen these sordid affairs in the past, most noticably, the Hansie Cronje affair, in which he was convicted of match fixing. This and countless other examples reveal a far bigger picture within the world of sport - that there is a spectre of corruption lurking around each and every corner. Yes, Aamer, Salman Butt and Asif are under investigation, but this is only part of a vicious circle that will keep repeating itself until truly drastic action is taken. It is only a matter of time, especially with the increasing popularity of betting, that this will happen again, be it in cricket or another sport. The most ideal solution to stamp out corruption would be to take a proactive approach. The authorities should not sit around waiting for a scandal to erupt, they should be seeking out the murky areas in which these activities are taking place and putting a stop to it. Take the current example for instance, the "middle man" involved had been pictured with Butt and Kamran Akmal, the Pakistani wicketkeeper, on a number of occasions in flash sports cars. Surely questions should be raised by the PCB before anything untoward could occur. Why were they with him? What were they doing? Would it not be too extreme to suggest having players under 24/7 supervision, especially when on tour in a foreign country? Of course, some may disagree with such drastic measures, but it must be a step in the right direction in reducing the risk of any cricketing scandal happening.

This is not to say all sport is inherently corrupt, simply that occurrences of such illegal activity keep happening. 99% of the time, sport is played in the best spirit with nothing controversial to speak of, however, if anyone mentions the name "Bruce Grobbelaar" or "Hansie Cronje" then corruption is the first thing people think of, even if found innocent as was the case with the ex-Liverpool keeper. Followers of any sport want to see a clean, fair, keenly contested match, not one riddled with doubt as to whether somebody has cheated, so for the benefit of all involved, it is essential corruption is stamped out once and for all, whether the authorities have the bottle and willpower to impose a strict regime to stop another "Bloodgate" debacle in Rugby Union, to stamp out spot-fixing, to destroy steroid abuse is a very different matter.