So It’s Come To This: Things We Found On YouTube Part 1

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Nichael Bluth in Opinion

 

Keeping up with what’s cool is difficult at the best of times. When you reach your mid 30s and are trying to keep a job, a family and a house together at once, it becomes even harder. Before you know it you’re years out of date. Until recently we thought that the Kings Of Leon were still cool, when in fact they’re apparently the worst band to have ever existed. Along similar lines, we thought that The Simpsons was supposed to be good, but having watched a new episode recently, we were appalled to discover that it appears to be utter, utter shit. Like the Test career of Gautam Gambhir, it desperately needs to have a bullet put through it, for everyone’s benefit.

Of course, despite the Simpsons being rubbish, we will continue to steal all our best ideas from it such as this one, the unsubtle 51allout equivalent of ‘So It’s Come To This: A Simpsons Clip Show’. But instead of showcasing supposedly funny bits from our past (Editor Steve has made it extremely clear that we really can’t get away with the ‘blank article’ joke more than twice) we just thought we’d find some cricket clips on YouTube and chuck those up, along with a few hastily cobbled together words.

The other reason for this approach is that we received a very nice email from the guy who does the Lord’s Cricket Ground YouTube channel, asking us if we’d use some of their videos. Although he neglected to mention just how much Kingfisher we’d be getting in return, so we’ll just assume that it was the standard six bottles per video.

Pietersen or Richards: Who’s The Greatest?

This video made us laugh because comparing Viv Richards to Kevin Pietersen is a bit like comparing prime rib to – I don’t know – weird brother of prime rib. Also, the way it brings up their Test bowling records appears to be deadly serious, despite one player having 18 international wickets at 72 and the other 150 at about 41. Plus Pietersen’s OBE is pretty damn lame compared to Richards’ super-hip Antiguan knighthood.

Basically, Viv Richards might be the coolest man that ever lived. Everything about him is awesome – from the way he chewed gum while batting, to the fact that he played international football for Antigua and has a stadium there named after him. Kevin Pietersen, on the other hand, is a complete and utter doos. Anyway, it’s not for us to lead the witness – so who do you think is the greatest?

 

Steven Smith’s magnificent stunning effort to save the six

Before he was officially so awesome that he could break the rules and basically run around wherever he liked, Devereux was ripping up the MCC’s coaching manual (fielding edition) in the IPL. Here he is soaring through the air like Superman, or perhaps like Batman if he tripped over the carpet while running to get into the Batmobile. Either way, this is some pretty damn amazing fielding from our all-action hero. Incidentally, debate currently rages throughout the 51allout office about whether calling your first born son Devereux is (a) ‘cool’ or (b) ‘unacceptable’.

 

Shane Warne on bowling the ‘Ball of the Century’

This video has it all: Jefford, Warne the raconteur, Paul Collingwood and what looks like a vastly over-inflated Mike Gatting blowup doll, but is actually the man himself. The actual story telling bit is pretty decent – for all his many, many faults Warne knows how to work a crowd and tell a story – but the best bit is around the 3:20 mark when Jefford gets ridiculously close to Gatting, doing his best Günter Parche, albeit with a microphone instead of a big knife. Perhaps it’s the sheer terror of the moment that causes the now president of the MCC to start mumbling about going to the pub and then laugh at his own joke. Stephen Fry he is not.

 

Ponting: Royal Stag

Some videos don’t really need much accompaniment. This all-time classic is one of those. What the hell is going on with his voice? Plus mega cricket is the best name for anything ever (apart from Devereux, obviously).