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Jeremy Coney was commenting on TMS today (May 15th) when Ross Taylor was batting for the Kiwis. Here is what he said:

"[Ross Taylor] is not a New Zealander"...and

"He's from a Pacific Island, but I don't know which one"

Coney's remarks were offensive and ignorant. Taylor was born in Little Hutt which a town just north of Wellington - as Coney should know as he comes from Wellington himself. Taylor is of mixed race - his father is a white New Zealander (Pakeha) and his mother an immigrant from Samoa. There had never been the slightest doubt that Taylor is as much a Kiwi as anyone else in the NZ squad (and, for that matter, as Coney).

Coney should not be commenting on TMS if he reveals such ignorance and prejudice on the air.

Old man shouts at the clouds over the shirts.

It looks good, the players aren't complaining, and you sound like the people who moaned about 20/20 and coloured clothing

I agree with JA about the sweaters. They are very nasty and in fact remind me of cheap football strips. Why, oh why was there a need for a change?

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another commentator gives anderson no credit, what a surprise

I am a cricket modernist and think 20-20 was long overdue, but certain traditions should be kept at Test match level. The new kit is tacky and I doubt the Aussies will be discarding their sweaters or baggy greens for next summer.
Ultimately it is about selling advertising space and replica shirt/sweaters.
But it's important to remember that the game draws strength from its traditions and is not weakened by them. I sometimes think the marketers feel the opposite.
As for the cricket, we need competition and close finishes, not hollow walk-overs to boost some innate patriotism. With that in mind, I hope McCullum gets his hundred in the second innings, in 35 balls.

Great to see Cricket back on the agenda at Test match level - summer's coming YES! One question if I may? Other than his terrible time with injury over the past couple of years, has Simon Jones done something unspeakable? He was the difference between us and Australia in the 2005 Ashes but never seems to be mentioned by anyone on TMS or elsewhere as a potential candidate for England anymore. He seems to be back in form but never gets a mention. What did he do wrong?

yea i agree with these people saying get into the 21st century with these kits!
have you seen the new one day kit, the red one inparticular is fantastic!!
As for the cricket
doesn't anyone think hoggard would have got a hat full today???
Simon Jones on the comback as well, i think things arn't looking too bad!!

Spot on Aggers as usual. These new sweaters are atrocious, yet another gimmicky attempt by the new kit manufacturers to 'revolutionise' the game.

Another cricketing tradition confined to the past.

This New Zealand batting order looks incredibly fragile these days, made more frustratiing by the likes of Hamish Marshall playing up the road in county cricket when he could be playing for his country.

Given that there was some controversy over the selection of Anderson over Hoggard, I think the least you could say, Aggers. is that the decision was fully justified with Anderson taking 3 wickets including the two openers, and getting into the NZ innings with his fifth ball of the day. This is what we expect from opening bowlers, especially when the team has opted to bowl first, and Anderson did his job excellently, giving England just the start they needed, especially when Sidebottom had a bit of an off day.

We all know that young Broad is the best thing since sliced bread but if you commentators could stop drooling over him for a moment and give a bit of credit to the bowler you normally love to criticise, then your report would look a bit less biased.

All the stuff about Sidebottom bowling at the wrong end - what has that got to do with how Anderson bowled, at what was clearly the right end for him?

I totally agree with Aggers about the new white kit. The shirt is one thing and you have to except at times that the style will change especially when it includes sponsors logo's. But the jumper and baggy caps are something special, I hope that we see them return for the Ashes. As for coloured kit I am all for the latest styles, I believe that promotes the game to youngsters who can build up to the traditions of Test Cricket. However don't change the style of the coloured for the sake of change, we don't want to be come like a football team that changes there kit every five minutes. As for the cricket, providing the weather holds off, I think we have an exciting summer ahead of us.

Hear, hear, Censura, Coney should know better. Taylor is from Lower, not Little, Hutt, but that's by the by. When Coney calls him a Pacific Islander, I think he means he is Polynesian. All of us down here, by definition, are Pacific Islanders, and we all learnt years ago not to listen to anything Coney has to say. It reminds me of Scyld Berry's column in The Sunday Telegraph, insinuating that cricket in New Zealand is racist because "non-european" players haven't been "given a fair go", and that our (unspecified) "former integration policies" are to blame. In a post-colonial nation like New Zealand, you need to look a little below the surface to determine someone's race and ethnicity. I imagine the Berry is blissfully unaware of Shane Bond's Maori heritage, because I'm sure that to him, Shane looks white. As for those "former integration policies", I have no idea what he's talking about. Possibly a mistaken reference to the White Australia policy? But then stupid comments from people like Coney seem to confirm his opinion of us...

Censura you'll find that that's Lower Hutt.
I live in wellington and i'm english and Kiwi's still call us poms which is inncorrect and i find offensive. Technically all poms would now be Australian as decendants of former convicts, poms was how they were indentified in australia back then.
Coney should know better, his foot and his mouth are very good freinds.
Anyway well done Brendan Mc for keeping the games alive.
Well done the england bowlers for doing there job.
Usual good peice from Aggers, totally agree regards the kit, not nice you need sun glasses to watch in on tv!!!
Next we'll have an away set of whites for when we're on tour and then a one day home and away kit , then a 20/20 home and away kit then a lions home and away kit then the bank will reposes my house and kits.
Just glad that test cricket being played.
Enjoy the game.

gotta say, until i actually saw the new kit on the tv last night i thought this was a case of old knackers having a moan. but really, it is horrible.


England really need to figure out a way of getting McCullum out. Monty bowling ilne and length is clearly NOT it.

There was a very good article in The Times on April 25th about the old baggy sweater.

Replica kit is a huge money spinner, but I suspect the average village 4th change bowler will look as silly in these new ones as the 3th XV prop looks in the new skin tight rugby shirts.

If these new "perfomance" kits mean we win everything then great.... if not then please ECB bring back the off white baggy jumper....

Aggers, where's yesterday's podcast? They're usually available late the same day.........the staff are letting you down!

Anderson played excellently yesterday and i think has paid back to the selectors loyalty. Hopefully he'll get a couple of early wickets in the morning and achieve his 3rd 5 wkt hawl at Lords. But i'm sure that won't stop his critics, who always love to criticise him.
All the best to Anderson and the England team. God bless.

Jonathan - I understand your comments about the white kit, but I don't agree with your point on two counts.

1) You say Cricket is a traditional sport. I am new to cricket and one of the reasons i love it is that it is more than happy to make changes - technology, new competitions, coloured kits, new forms of the game. Can you imagine if football launched a 6-a-side tournament where Liverpool changed their name to "The Mersey Livers" and the kit was green? There would be suicides. Cricket is by no means stuck in its ways.

2) I think they look OK. I might buy one.

Anyone who has attempted to feild in a bulky knitted sweater should surely welcome the change! They just look like long sleeved shirts the only difference is that they are whiter (not cream)

England were ok
Just hope they bat well. However i think Vaughan wont make it to ashes 09 as his form is diabolical. He is a massive let down at moment with bat. For yorkshire, its a miracle if he hits double figures!

the weather help us alot and we didn't take full advantage. hoggy would have really pressed it home (at lest 3 wickets)

Vaughan should be dropped, as it was clear from on decisions made in the field that he is not up to the job of captaincy. the phrase shutting the gate after the horse has already bolted springs to mind. also he looked a Muppet with that sun hat on.

Sidebottom bowled well with little reward and possibly from the wrong end but Anderson did take wickets. That being said I would still replace Anderson with hoggy.

Stuart broad had an immense day showing maturity and consistency and is a bright prospect for England. Combing broad, Flintoff, Hoggard and Sidebottom in 2009 we could see the ashes returning home.

Ambrose's day behind the wicket was one I think he would like to put behind him as he was sloppy that didn't cope with the conditions at Lord's at all well. a pitch traditionally hard for wicketkeeper's

PS come on England knock them over this morning.

regarding the whites and the issue with sponsorship on the trousers, quite frankly the england players should have absolutely no say what-so-ever in what clothes they wear. they are playing for england and will wear the england kit, whatever that may be.
it is not like snooker or tennis where it is an individual sport, these players are on a central contract and playing for their country.

can you imagine the uproar if wayne rooney decided to put his nike shorts on when playing for england instead of official england kit?!

it should be an honour and a privellage to play for england cricket team and wearing whatever damn thing they tell you to should be the least of the players worries. lets focus on winning test series comfortably first, then about what to wear!

What does Simon Jones have to do to get a mention?? he's a far better bowler than James Anderson. Also with hoggy bowling so well for Yorkshire at the moment, how many wickets would he have picked up yesterday??? Would it not be a far better attack for england Hoggy, broad, Jones and Panesar

Aggers you've got i spot on on those Jumpers , knitted jumpers look the part!

What Simon Jones has to do to get a mention, boycott_batting, is to string a few games together without breaking down, and starrt taking wickets regularly. He's made a good start this season, but he's been out of international cricket for three years. Do you know how many first class wickets he took last year? One. That's right, one wicket.

Why all the condemnation of Sidebottom, so he didn't get a wicket, but he's economy rate was under 3! England bowled superbly yesterday and while McCulum may well have scored 97 he could have been out several times as could have Oram.
They say you need a bit of luck, but McCullum has used up all of his, come on England finish them off this morning and stick a big total on the board!

I would like to agree with boycott_batting about Jones. I noticed he took a fine five for for the first time in 4 years for Worcs yesterday. We all talk aboutt Hoggy being back in form, but surely the return of Jones is equally if not better news?! He also took a five for in a OD recently.
Also what is going on with Harmison? Not only has he been dropped from the England team but he is now being overshadowed by Graham Onions for Durham?

Once again, another of the 'simple pleasures' of cricket has been eroded away. The jumpers and cream-coloured whites were as part of the game as boundary ropes - which have also disappeared from test matches - along with so many other traditions. About five years ago I remember the ECB's head of marketing talking very wisely about marketing test match cricket 'sympathetically' - ie respecting certain traditions. Since Morgan, and especially since the ruthless selling of tv rights to Sky, any respect to the traditions of game (and what made it special - remember the joys of the 2005 ashes?) has gone by the wayside.

The authorities should listen now: yes, some people are switching on to T20. But you are in danger of alienating and losing your core audience: namely, the people who really care about cricket.

I do agree that Simon Jones need to string a run of games together. But if he can do this and prove his fitness he would be an asset to this england attack.

Insightful and consice as ever Aggers!
I agree with everyone else that the new kit from addidas is hideous. The problem is that modern sports brands understand nothing about tradition in sport and refuse to embrace it. While this may be ok in football and noteably in rugby with the emargence of tight fitting collarless shirts, it just not acceptable in the most quirky and tradion based sport of them all. I hope the replica sales really suffer and addidas get the message. Cant see that happening though.
As for the cricket I cant wait to see Simon Jones and Flintoff back in the side. England have really missed their explosive pace and swing, never mind Harmison; he is probably spent unfortunately given that we have seen nothing much from him for Durham. Hoggard may struggle to get back into the side with a like for like replacement in Sidebottom who now looks permantly installed. An attack consisting of Flintoff, Jones, Sidebottom and Panesar with Anderson, Broad and Hoggard waiting in the wings is a mouth watering prospect and demontrates the wealth of talent that England have at their disposal should everyone stay fit.
This series against the Kiwis is a huge chance for Broad in particular to establish himself, both in the bowling and batting stakes. He is the one in my view that will keep Jones from the side later in the summer.

Simon Jones didn't play for nearly all of 2006 or 2007. Last season he took one first-class wicket. This season he bowled only 3 overs in the first County Championship match of the season before coming off injured again. He's just returned this past week and although he's taken a 5-for in a one-day game and now another one in the County Championship, surely it takes a bit more than that to get selected for England.
If he manages to bowl well without getting injured until say the South Africa series then surely he'd be in the reckoning.

Need to rename your company's name I think, johnny boy: Test Match Mediocre - and for so many reasons!