< 1 minute readWe’ve watched Chris Read bat several times and we wouldn’t say he wowed us with the pristine aesthetics of his strokes. Nevertheless, he must tire of the way people talk about him like he should come into bat after Devon Malcolm, even if Devon had food poisoning and couldn’t find
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.
Luke Wright is first victim of the machines
< 1 minute readWe all knew it was going to happen. The machines have become self aware and they’re revolting against humanity. The odds were on some sort of Skynet style military computer being the first to turn against us, but fortunately it was actually something far less threatening. So instead of facing
Continue readingBrett Lee’s reverse swing yorkers
< 1 minute readIt doesn’t matter that it’s only a one-day international at the arse end of the season. It doesn’t matter that it’s an Australian against England. The simple fact is, proper fast bowling is a fantastic sight. Brett Lee bowled reverse swing yorkers at 95mph. It was just like Waqar Younis
Continue readingRavi Bopara is keen but not too keen
< 1 minute readHe’s confident without being arrogant; humble without being meek; aggressive without being irresponsible; watchful without being bogged down. That’s what he’d say anyway. England’s cricketers know they have to say the right things and it’s painful to hear at times. They have to remain positive otherwise the media call them
Continue readingAn Ashes win equals big money
< 1 minute readYou’re an England player. You’ve won the Ashes. You get in touch with your agent: “Commercial opportunities. What have you got for me?” Your agent’s silent a minute and you can hear him shuffling some papers on his desk. “Hello. Are you there? Commercial opportunities. What have you got?” Your
Continue readingDay night Test cricket
< 1 minute readOur knee jerk-reaction to suggestions that day-night Test cricket be played was that it was a shocker of an idea. We’ve always thought of knee-jerk reactions as being worth clinging to in the face of subsequent strong evidence against your point of view, but on this occasion we’re softening our
Continue readingTim Paine, Australia’s wicketkeeper
< 1 minute readName of a professional wrestler. Face of a junior tennis player from the Home Counties.
Continue readingAre you sick of 50 over cricket?
< 1 minute readThe conventional one-day game is probably the least popular format in England right now. Seven 50 over matches have been tacked onto the end of a summer that’s already seen a Test and one-day series against the West Indies, the Twenty20 World Cup, the Ashes and what would have been
Continue readingEngland’s one-day cricket and life
< 1 minute readWe’re warming to the idea that England’s one-day cricket is like life – all crushing disappointments and anticlimax. You want to be a winner. You want to succeed. You try so very hard to become competent at something, but everything you learn seems to be immediately rendered irrelevant by some
Continue readingIt’s a time of pessimism and things dying
< 1 minute readAutumn. The cricket season ends. The plants die. Every sunny day is tainted with the thought that it might be the last. On the field there’s the Pro40 and one-day internationals and all there is to look forward to is the Champions’ Trophy. If a cricket tournament could be a
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