After the Jack Russell comes the Badger
Paul Nixon’s nickname is Badger and it’s easy to work out why when you see him in action behind the stumps.
Apart from the fidgeting and clapping, there is the constant chatter from the 36-year-old, who was a surprise call-up to England’s one-day squad in January.
This was picked up on the stump microphone with New Zealand’s Scott Styris at the crease on Friday: "Come on boys, this is it. Styro's in - he can't afford to get out now. Oh no. Now he's in, he can't afford it.
“One bad shot, that's all it takes. He can't afford that, not now. Come on boys."
Mad as a badger, and the first real character behind the stumps for England since .
At Wednesday’s , his explanation for his part in the Big Night Out that followed that loss to New Zealand was illuminating.
“I’ve got loads of energy. I’m not a huge sleeper anyway and after any game of cricket I play for England I’m probably not asleep until 2am as I go through it all in my mind,” he said.
“I shouldn’t have been in the public domain and I’ve learned a lesson from that so I’ll be in the team hotel or I’ll be in my bedroom and that’s the way it should be.”
Hotels worldwide will start worrying about the damage that could be done to their walls by Nixon bouncing off them. Russell used to cultivate his idiosyncratic image, though, blindfolding visitors to his house, having a strange obsession with tea and a strict ritual over the preparation of his floppy sun hat. Nixon barely acknowledges he is any different from the rest of the side.
“I don’t read much. The press have got their jobs to do and I’ve got mine to do on the cricket pitch.”
The image of a mad wicket-keeper could be quite marketable, it was suggested to him.
“I’ll speak to my agent.”
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About time we had a player with some passion in the england set up. The rest are just over paid and should really start to show us that they are proud to wear the shirt.. Look at the Irish.
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Those who know me know that Jack Russell is my fave cricketer, and its pleasing to see that finally there is a player worthy of his floppy hat.
A great character, quick keeper and handy with the bat when it counts, and so far for me the biggest positive in Englands tournament so far.
All hail the Badger.
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Congratulations to England for finally picking such a great guy. I was a passionate supporter of Leicestershire between 1996 and 2000, when they won their two championships, and a big part of that was Nixon behind the stumps. To anyone at Grace Road, every other 'keeper was dull, compared to his stretches and chirpy behaviour. His batting was excellent as well, especially under pressure; he finished a cup match against Warwickshire with a six, if I remember. It was during those years that I wondered why England hadn't noticed his great talents, but now I am so pleased for him. So far, nothing he has done has surprised me in the least; he always was full of energy, and probably will remain so for years to come.
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It is more of a query. I am wondering who are the commentators on the live commentary from ±«Óătv Five Live Sports Extra (Bangladesh v Srilanka). It is 7:35 pm right now.
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the world cup has become a tournament to watch...with the sound off! as for that blue mouthguard, blargh!
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What planet are the organisers of the cricket world cup inhabiting? Obviously a different one to the rest of us. I am astonished and apalled to find that a team representing pariah nation Zimbabwe is competing in the event.
What message must this be giving Robert Mugabe? That his murderous regime can continue its brutal oppression with impunity evidently.
I am surprised that we have seen no signs of protest. Perhaps because any such protest has been subject to a news blackout for some reason or another, possibly something to do with keeping murky politics out of sport.
Well, for me the Zimbabwe team has already sullied the competition by its very presence.
It is not cricket! Zimbabwe should be banned from all international sporting events, just as apartheid South Africa was.
It is sickening that the cricketing authorities can turn a blind eye to the crimes of the Mugabe regime and thus legitimise this apallingly brutal and illegitimate dictatorship.
David Callaghan
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Not sure how that was relevant to Paul Nixon, David Callaghan, but the trouble with banning Zimbabwe from international cricket is that the only thing you'd actually be harming is Zimbabwe cricket. Condemning their cricketers to a hard life when they might actually have a chance to escape, giving other young Zimbabweans the hope of escape also.
The situation is different to how it was in South Africa.
Stopping them playing cricket overseas (I agree teams shouldn't tour there) doesn't actually do anyone any good
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The art of sledging is something all teams will treasure, because it distarcts the batsmen so much. Did anyone at the Ashes notice that Harmison took his wickets when the army where singing ' Everywhere we go, people want to know...'.
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THe's like Russell./ So you've got to wonder, copnsidering Russell was the best in the world at standing up to the stumps in his day, he didn't get picked more, with Stewart as an out and out batsman.:( Goiod old Nixon though, Nixon to start Day 1 Test 1 this summer?
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Banning any Zimbabwean team from international sport will not help anything but actually make life even more unbearable for the ordinary Zimbabweans. Unfortunately Zimbabwe failed to win a single match here but I think had they done so, it would have provided a lot of cheer for the people back in Zimbabwe.
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Paul Nixon is 36 not 38. Yes, I and a couple of million others heard his banter/sledging with Styris...live on Sky TV. Yes, he's a lively character, his nickname is badger...interesting. The point of your article is? Sloppy info and a pointless article.
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Leo
Of course, you are right about Nicco's age. I have corrected the copy. On your other point, I suspect others - who may or may not include the majority of those viewing this website who do NOT subscribe to Sky - appreciate articles like this.
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Leo,
A bit of a harsh comment. I was watching the match from the first to the last ball and actually it isnt that easy to hear what he is saying. Sky is expensive and not many can afford it, so its always good to keep people up to date
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I agree with Oliver Brett. I am an avid cricket follower who can only follow the game through the written word, as I live in Spain and work in Norway. I may not agree with the sentiment of this particular blog, in that I would probably find Nixon's banter tiring after a while, blogs in general are a way for me to tap into the atmosphere of the World Cup. I am sure there are lots more like me.
Jack Russell's idiosyncratic behaviour wasn't supplemented by constant chirping though, or am I wrong?
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Well, at least Nixon's started scoring some useful runs, finally.
Taken a bit of pressure of and silenced the pro-Read nutters at the right time.
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It's good to see a character behind the stumps. Although a Kent fan, Jones was a bit boring, not as good a keeper and clearly short of runs. As long as Nixon scores runs, we should keep him behind the stumps. It was great to hear the Aussies moaning about an Englishman sledging! It just proves they can't take it as well as they can dish it out.
I also hope that the powers that be will not do with him what they have done with another keeper. David James has been the best English goalkeeper along with Ben Foster this year, but has been kept out because of his age. Nixon should be kept in the team at 36 and for as long as he can score runs and catch the ball.
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Every time I turn on the TV, Paul Nixon is on. You would think he's been playing international cricket for 10 years. Maybe he want's to concentrate on improving his game and cementing his place in the team instead of sticking his head in front of the camera every time it is around.
As for the late night drinking if I had the opportunity to play for my country in a world cup i'm sure I would be able to go without alcohol for 6 weeks. Good on the fans that reported them, if I had paid thousands of pounds to watch England in this world cup and saw them out drinking after a defeat I would do the same. As for players refusing to pose for photos anymore...who the heck wants a photo with Paul Nixon??
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In my day the skipper said everything that needed to be said. Now there seems to be a chorus led by wicket-keepers. I feel embarassed for Michael Vaughan at some of the comments that I hear from behind the stumps. Chris Read is the England 'keeper and he should be in the Windies with his mind open and his mouth closed. Phil Thirkell.
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Love to see a wicket keeper with a big mouth!
But you need to back it up with your performances and his wicket keeping has been very good, very few mistakes. His batting has brings something different at the end of the innings, unorthodox and very good running between the wickets.
Great finisher of an innings!
Well deserves his place
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Great timing for Nixon, with his benefit coming up. However, like others I tend to have a little sympathy for Ponting's famous retort to Badger's sledge. Along the lines of "you can chirp when you've achieved something".
He's contributed a couple of useful knocks but his keeping has been mixed so far - e.g. in the last game excellent when stood up to Bopara, bizarre to Panesar (hey, that rhymes...), sprinting off to backward square leg whenever the sweep came out and letting byes through.
He's in danger of appearing all icing and no cake.
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Now the stump mics are there its naturally become the keepers who take centre stage - they're playing up to the audience as much as anything else.
Still, Nixon has grown on me after I spat nails about dropping Chris Read. I now hope we keep him in the one day team for a couple more years... at least he has fighting spirit and annoyed the aussies a lot.
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mad keepers are good, I watched Jack Russell win a Gloucester final against Somerset by standing up and annoying the living hell out of the batsman, Nixon is obviously mad as a brush even when you see him interviewed it's an uncomfortable experience, I can't imagine trying to bat anywhere near him.
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I like the little badger. It takes fairly large and hairy balls to say what he said to our guys in the ODI tri-series. Certainly when you're a 36 year old debutant, and when you have Roy a couple of feet away with a large bat in his hands!
Some of the stuff was heard over stump mikes and some was passed on by the players. It was all good. We may sledge a bit, but we also have slightly higher tolerance level for counter-sledging, and appreciate the effort.
The poms should go home after one more match - they don't deserve to stay for the cricket, but I would be sad to see the badger go.
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The only things madder than Paul Nixon are the people who continue to doubt his place in the side. i suspect that most of these people have watched little county cricket, do not play high-level club cricket and have little understanding of what counts in ultra-competitive games, spending too much time listening to (and regurgitating) the comments of wicket-keeping purists who maintain that Chris Read is the best gloveman so he must have the job. Nixon was born to play in this environment. He's more like an Aussie than most Aussies and is exactly the streetwise character the England ODI side has lacked in recent years.
As for the night-out, Nico is probably the fittest 36-year-old in cricket - he does the bleep test with a bucket on hand as he pushes himself until he throws up, and he has trained fully with the Leicester Tigers - and by all accounts he was drinking water most of the night. As he said, it's difficult to sleep after any big game, so it wasn't anything controversial on his part, he has been dragged into it because Freddie was legless.
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ALL CRAP
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.... and didn't Styris do well, just as Mike Hussey before him in Australia.
For a man who has been picked solely for the way he brings energy to the side, England's poor fielding performance against NZ must be of some concern to the Badger; he's failing in his main job.
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How come the english commentators are going on about the couple of auzzies playing for scotland, how many english players play for england........joyce, pieterson, jones, strauss, simon jones. i love the english media!!!!!!!!
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"Banning any Zimbabwean team from international sport will not help anything but actually make life even more unbearable for the ordinary Zimbabweans. Unfortunately Zimbabwe failed to win a single match here but I think had they done so, it would have provided a lot of cheer for the people back in Zimbabwe."
What a load of guff. Why if I was being oppressed by a brutal dictatorship, nothing would cheer me up more than watching my nations glorious cricket team triumph.
If there was a good chance you or one of your family would be beaten half to death for the opinions they hold, would you give a flying wotsit about the cricket world cup? No you wouldnt.
Especially when the best players cant compete but they dared to criticise their glorious President.
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Great article.
And yes, Nixon is a looney. It is a shame he is a real shame he is 37.
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Nixon strikes me as a bit of a pain in the proverbial, but at least he's a character. Jones should never have played for England, and Read's batting has let him down every time. So let's stick with Nixon, and can't we stop being so holier than thou about our cricketers? - six weeks without booze, give me a break! What they need is more guts - and at least Nixon and Flintoff have that. Who would you rather have had in your side - Beefy or the sanctimonious Boyks? And let's pension off Willis as a pundit - he's always looks as if he's just come from a funeral.
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Let's hope he's as big a magician as his namesake David - i thought his keeping the other day was quite sharp never mind the runs. At least what you see is what you'll get and i imagine his experience is helpful for the bowlers we have. Maybe Collingwood should be at three and Bell at five. Sorry for Read but it's all moved on.
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I really have to laugh at you English getting behind (literally) a 36 year old git. If all it takes to get you excited is someone mouthing off behind the stumps then good luck to you, you'll need it. It really makes me wonder what he's waiting for in that photo......
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I have nothing against Zim cricketers as such.
My comment is..Their country has 1700% inflation / 80% unemployment and is the nearest thing you can find to being a police state...Question ? Who pays the cost ( kit/hotels/travel of them being there )
Is it the usual that the goverment prints more money and helps push up inlfation.
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