< 1 minute readJo Fitz writes: South Africa – pah – let’s concentrate on the real midwinter battle – Chris Hollins v Ricky Whittle. When The Cat got knocked out in week 9, the inevitability that a cricketer always wins Strictly Come Dancing seemed to have been proved wrong. But the best kept
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.
Monty Panesar playing for Lions in South Africa
< 1 minute readWhat, like as a prize or something? No. Highveld Lions are a South African domestic side. So he’s not being paid in big cats then? No. Are you keeping an eye on his performances? Yes. So how’s he been doing? Why haven’t you reported anything? Er, well… he’s been okay.
Continue readingFriedel de Wet and his hop/jump at the start of his run-up
< 1 minute readEvery cricketer’s got a ‘thing’. It is immediately apparent that Friedel de Wet’s ‘thing’ is his entirely superfluous bunny hop at the start of his run-up. De Wet cut through England’s lower order like urine through snow and we can only think that it was because most of them were
Continue readingPaul Collingwood goes one better than at Cardiff
< 1 minute readThe Cardiff Ashes Test was a great example of how a draw can be exciting. Today, after playing in the snow, eating a roast dinner and having a couple of pints, we would have been happy with a soporific blockathon, but you get what you’re given. Paul Collingwood made a
Continue readingIan Bell doesn’t help himself
< 1 minute readIan Bell gets some unwarranted abuse, but if Paul Harris bowls a ball that will hit the stumps if it goes straight on, you bloody well get your bat in the way. We distinctly remember Ian Bell leaving a straight one from Shane Warne before now and that was bad
Continue readingGraeme Swann is probably underrated
< 1 minute readGraeme Swann saved England with five wickets and in an earlier pre-referral era, he might have had seven. Not bad for an off-spinner in the first innings of a match. Not bad for an off-spinner in any innings, many say. Maybe Warne and Murali are to blame, but everyone thinks
Continue readingChris Gayle likes Test cricket a little bit
< 1 minute readHow would you describe Chris Gayle’s normal on field expression? Like someone’s wiped shit on his sleeve but he’s too tired to do anything about it. How did Chris Gayle look when he got his hundred? He dropped to his knees and started beaming. It seems he does like Test
Continue readingKemar Roach to Ricky Ponting
< 1 minute readKemar Roach didn’t break Ricky Ponting’s elbow, but Ponting must have been mainlining milk for the past six years for that not to happen. He’s David Dunn to Nasser Hussain’s Mr Glass. Kemar Roach bowls at 90-95mph and when he learns that he should bowl with the wind instead of
Continue readingIs Jacques Kallis a boring batsman?
< 1 minute readWell, maybe a bit, but Jacques Kallis’s reputation seems to be etched in stone now and nothing he ever does will change it. “He just accumulates,” said Nasser Hussain shortly after Kallis passed 100. ‘Didn’t he drop to one knee and thock the ball over the boundary at one point?’
Continue readingAshwell Prince is “organised”
< 1 minute readWe’ve heard it a few times this morning: Ashwell Prince is “organised”. This means that he is patient and a bit boring. It’s a great cricket euphemism. You could just as easily describe him as “compact” which means much the same. But for the referrals system, Prince would also have
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