< 1 minute readPhil Hughes edged a Flintoff delivery to the slips. Andrew Strauss scooped it up, but did it graze the turf? The umpires didn’t refer it, but if they had have done, Hughes would certainly have been given not out. The heart bleeds. The Australian view is that Hughes would definitely
Continue readingMonth: July 2009
Watching Ricky Ponting flip out
< 1 minute readRicky Ponting always reminds us of the spoilt youngest daughter in a story about an upper class family set in the Fifties. She’s short, ridiculously spoilt and on the rare occasions she doesn’t get her way, she shrieks and shrieks and her facial expression becomes unavoidably punchable. One of the
Continue readingAustralia batting collapse and other good things
< 1 minute readThis morning, we said that England’s 425 wasn’t a good score against these Australian bowlers. We stand by that, but somewhat gleefully concede that it isn’t as bad a score as 156-8. With this and Steve Harmison taking 6-20 in the county championship, could things get any better? Rob Key’s
Continue readingAustralia’s bowlers aren’t flattered by comparisons with the past
< 1 minute readLargely because they’re a bit toss. 425 ain’t good enough and England haven’t knackered out Australia’s four bowlers as much as they should have done. Mitchell Johnson Mitchell Johnson or James Anderson? Easy. Johnson has promised a lot, but unless you love non-bouncing wides, he hasn’t really delivered. We love
Continue readingShane Warne’s head
< 1 minute readShane Warne’s head has long been round and red, but it seems to be getting ever more inflated and ever more vivid in colour. It looks like a spacehopper.
Continue readingAndrew Flintoff advert
< 1 minute readAs in, it’s the advert featuring Andrew Flintoff, not an advert for Andrew Flintoff. Fred pretty much markets himself. They’re selling off the pedalo for charity as well. We’ve always wanted to own a famous pedalo.
Continue readingAction replays with sound
< 1 minute readBack in the day, action replays didn’t have sound. This was the right way of doing things. You don’t need a big flashing R in the corner of the screen or anything like that, but you do need to know that it’s an action replay. Obviously, if you’re sitting there
Continue readingWhy has Andrew Flintoff retired from Test cricket?
< 1 minute readHave you seen the size of him and the way he bowls? It’s because of that. Andrew Flintoff’s body can get through 30-odd overs in a Test match as easily as it can get through the eye of a needle. We imagine that if you’re Andrew Flintoff, the impact on
Continue readingWhy players sometimes underperform in the Ashes
< 1 minute readThe Ashes isn’t like other series. It’s the same game, but batting averages and bowling averages mean so much less. Runs or wickets against other Test nations give an idea how good a player is, but when it comes to the Ashes, you also need other qualities. The press and
Continue readingPakistan batting collapse shows they’re still the ultimate
< 1 minute readPeople in the British media sometimes complain about England being inconsistent, but when it comes to inconsistency, there’s only one side worth talking about. There’s only ever been one team worth talking about. Having gone from dreadful and seemingly a bit apathetic to World Twenty20 champions in under a fortnight,
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