2 minute readIt was like they were running late, had got onto the motorway heading in the wrong direction and had to race to the next exit so that they could turn round and race back again. Batsman One made 107, Batsman Two made 66 and then the next highest score was
Continue readingAuthor: King Cricket
Otherwise known as Alex Bowden, a lapsed cricket journalist who has written for ESPNCricinfo, wisden.com, Cricket 365, The Cricketer and plenty of other places.
Links to some non-cricket writing and a bit more background here.
Shaun Marsh holds up South Africa
< 1 minute readNo, he did. One of the three deliveries he faced in this Test match didn’t see the fall of his wicket. He really hung around. When Shaun Marsh was brought back into the Test side, we wrote: “Whether you think he’s good or not largely depends on whether you consider
Continue readingHow Steve Smith makes the most of what he’s got
< 1 minute readWe’ve not actually seen it yet, but we’re hearing great things about Quinton de Kock’s dismissal; that maybe it was the stupidest in a winter which has seen its fair share of stupid dismissals. It’s surely no coincidence that Steve Smith was the bowler. Much is made of the fact
Continue readingDean Elgar will probably be out by the time we’ve finished typing this
< 1 minute readCricinfo are making reference to ‘toss drama’ but don’t be misled. The second Test between South Africa and Australia demands your attention in a relentless, whinging, shirt-tugging way. We briefly wondered why we hadn’t really latched onto the Under-19 World Cup or why we didn’t feel moved to write anything
Continue readingRyan McLaren out due to brain rattle
2 minute readOrdinarily we don’t report on injuries – and not just because we don’t report on anything in any meaningful sense. However, Ryan McLaren’s rattled brain is more significant in that it will shine a light on the impact Mitchell Johnson has had on the South Africans. We’re not talking about
Continue readingBrendon McCullum and BJ Watling hang around for a bit
< 1 minute readBrendon McCullum is a positive person; the kind of irritating, upbeat character who can’t understand everyone else’s entirely logical can’t-do attitude to things. When he was joined at the crease by BJ Watling in the second Test against India on day three, he’ll have thought: ‘Okay, if we can just
Continue readingMS Dhoni to be investigated for toss fixing
< 1 minute readThat’s a reference to his name cropping up in talk of IPL match fixing and the fact that he’s won 12 international tosses in a row, including all of them on this tour of New Zealand (without yet winning a match). Top tossing, Mahendra. Top tossing. Even if the perfect
Continue readingHow to react to a Johnsonning
< 1 minute readIt’s not just England then. South Africa have been forcefully Johnsonned and are probably already considering reverting to a more conservative team for the second Test. Five bowlers is great when you’re top of the world and full of confidence, but let’s just see what happens now that they’re rattled.
Continue readingAustralia add boring partnerships to their repertoire
< 1 minute readIf there’s one thing Australia have been lacking, it’s dull, steady, three-an-over partnerships in the middle order. Today they got one and they look like a proper team again. Even while gaily twerking atop England’s comatose body, there was a fragility about the Aussie Test team. How odd that they
Continue readingOff the pace – an alternative South Africa v Australia preview
2 minute read“We’ve got the best fast bowlers.” “No, we’ve got the best fast bowlers.” “Not being funny, but actually, I think you’ll find we’ve got the best fast bowlers.” “Yeah, right, whatever. Have you even seen our fast bowlers?” The build-up to what promises to be a fascinating Test series between
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