Gary Newbon: Friendly fire of little interest before real thing starts for England sides

It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing, is a famous jazz song written by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills.

I feel the same about friendlies – a necessary evil, but sport is about competition.

For England’s footballers (currently in a week of friendly internationals) and the England cricketers, it is all about this month’s Euros and the Twenty20 World Cup respectively.

England’s football squad played Bosnia-Herzegovina at St James’ Park in Newcastle last night before meeting Iceland at Wembley on Friday (Channel 4).

Then it’s the real stuff with the Euro 2024 group stage: Serbia on Sunday week (8pm UK time on BBC), June 20 versus Denmark (5pm BBC) and Slovenia on June 25 (8pm ITV).

Then on, hopefully, to the quarter and semi-finals before the final on July 14.

Gareth Southgate and his talented players will be judged on those this month and hopefully into July. I think this is our best chance of winning a major tournament since the 1966 World Cup.

England always start with high hopes but this time it is justified.

England’s cricketers are defending their Twenty20 World Cup title –starting this afternoon at the Kensington Oval in Barbados against Scotland (3.30pm UK time, with all the matches shown on Sky).

Then it’s Australia at the same venue on Saturday (6pm) followed by Oman on June 13 at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium (8pm) and finally in the group stage Namibia two days later at the same venue in Antigua (6pm).

There are four groups – England and Scotland are in Group B with Ireland in Group A.

The format is this: The top two in each group progress to two groups in the Super 8. The top two in each Super 8 group will advance to the knock-out stage with the final in Barbados on Saturday June 29 at 3.30pm.

Sadly, I cannot see England retaining their title. The pitches will be difficult. England have experience and talent but even though they will have knowledge of the conditions, I cannot see it being enough. Hope I am wrong but logic tells me I will be right.

Will India’s legendary Virat Kohli be the star turn in the Caribbean? Bizarrely, the opening match was on Sunday in Texas when USA beat Canada by seven wickets with 14 balls left. Canada made 194-5 in their 20 overs, the USA 197-3.

The other countries in the USA group are India, Pakistan and Ireland so good luck there, you Yankees!

Will cricket ever catch on in the States? Not until they win the World Cup and that will not happen in my lifetime.

Still, cricket is trying! Eight matches will be played in New York including THE group match between India and Pakistan in front of 34,000. Another eight matches will be in Texas and Florida.

This is four years before cricket will be included in the Los Angeles Olympics.

I acknowledge that football (soccer over there!) is making great strides in the USA, but cricket is far different to understand and very slow. You also do not have draws in the USA sports and rain does not stop play! There are no lunch and tea breaks and the Hispanic influence would not be there for cricket.

But we live in hope!

Meanwhile, Birmingham Bears have made an excellent start in their Twenty20 Blast campaign.

They are joint-top of the North Group having won their opening two games – at Durham on Friday and against Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston on Saturday (after arriving home at 3.30am on Saturday morning!)

It is exciting stuff to watch. Now they go to Lancashire on Friday before returning to Edgbaston for the return against Durham on Saturday. Both games start at 6.30pm.

Eighteen teams compete and are divided into two groups of nine (North and South). They play 14 group games, seven at home and seven away. Then there is the knock-out-stage quarter-finals involving the top four from each group.

The winners go to the finals day at Edgbaston for the two semi-finals and final on Saturday, September 14. Always extra special when the Bears reach finals day and I am confident they will.

Meanwhile, arguably the best-ever Warwickshire team – the 1994 treble-winning side – and the greatest player and innings, West Indian Brian Lara (501 not out), are reuniting for a special dinner at the Edgbaston cricket stadium tomorrow night, organised with Warwickshire and Champions plc by former player (and a member of that wonderful team) pace bowler Tim Munton.

Arguably, the greatest achievement of any county cricket team winning the County Championship, and beating Worcestershire into second place to win the Sunday League, plus also beating them again by six wickets in the Benson & Hedges Cup final at Lord’s.

But Worcestershire stopped Warwickshire from achieving a clean sweep by beating them in the NatWest Trophy final at Lord’s with an eight-wicket win.

Lara, a member of that team, scored an unbeaten 501 against Durham in early June that year from 427 balls with 62 fours and ten sixes!

He took the Bears to their record total of 810 for four. Incredibly, the match was drawn.

By the way, Lara was dropped when he had scored just 18!