< 1 minute readWe wrote a post about whether England needed Andrew Flintoff, but we’ve deleted it. The gist was: Bifidus digestivum: do we need it? Companies with ‘solutions’ in their name: do we need them? Andrew Flintoff: do we need him? After watching him clatter helmets, wedge in yorkers and shatter stumps
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The Andrew Strauss catch of Phil Hughes
< 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 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 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 readingEngland’s batting collapse in the first Test in Cardiff
< 1 minute readEngland’s second innings top order batting collapse was pretty piss-poor, but it was just as big a crime to get themselves into that position in the first place. Neither set of bowlers were exceptional in the first Test. The exceptional performance came from Australia’s batsmen, who were sublime. There was
Continue readingMomentum has raised its meaningless head
< 1 minute readIf cricketers’ use of the word ‘momentum’ were given physical form, we’d like to meet it. Even if it were an innocent-looking child holding a balloon, we’d still have no qualms about punching it square in the face with all our might. We’d watch the balloon floating skywards and think
Continue readingClose Ashes finishes (and why a draw after five days can be exciting)
< 1 minute readWe’ve reached a conclusion. We’re all dead. That’s right. Each and every one of us is dead. But we’ve not gone to heaven. Instead, we’re all stuck in purgatory working off our sins. It’s an Ashes purgatory of inevitable, unendurable tension where Tests are still in the balance right up
Continue readingLeaving the ball as an art form
< 1 minute readNon-cricket fans think the concept of ‘a good leave’ is hilarious, unaware that it’s a mark of the batsman’s decision-making, not his technical ability. Batsmen pride themselves on knowing where their off stumps are, but Kevin Pietersen can’t have felt much pride about knowing his was about eight inches from
Continue readingWhat’s wrong with Simon Jones?
< 1 minute readThose of you who don’t know can probably guess: he’s injured. He had his knee operated on in April and he’ s out for the season. He made it to August last season and that’s about as much cricket as he’s ever managed in one go. So Simon Jones sits
Continue readingGraeme Swann’s joyous bat throwing
< 1 minute readAfter his lower order skittering, Graeme Swann claimed that Mushtaq Ahmed was his batting mentor. Graeme Swann’s pleasingly unafraid to tell outright lies every now and again, but we think he was serious about this. Mushtaq Ahmed shouldn’t be anybody’s batting mentor. You can’t just find the nearest person who’s
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