< 1 minute readFirst there was the win, then there was the other win and then there was the cold, dead-eyed, relentless slaughter. England have murdered a top order before, but they rarely follow it by sweeping up the tail and leaving everywhere really nice and tidy. South Africa 85 all out and
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Mike Selvey leaves TMS
< 1 minute readOr rather, Mike Selvey is asked to leave TMS. We’ve had a few goes at writing this where we’ve tried to compare Selvey to his likely replacements, but that’s not the point. The point is simple. Mike Selvey has spent a lifetime thinking about cricket. He has interesting thoughts on
Continue readingWe made Kevin Pietersen answer a question with the word ‘pie’
< 1 minute readWe’ve never been so proud. The Wisden Cricketer requested questions from their readership and we asked: ‘Why haven’t you adopted a comedy English accent, like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins?’ After some thinking out loud, Pietersen concluded that he says ‘pie’ with a northern accent. Sometimes the stars align
Continue readingWho is England’s best one-day opener?
2 minute readThat’s a rhetorical question. We were experimenting with lots of ‘suck it and see’ type headings, but couldn’t find one that wouldn’t give rise to unsavoury comments. We touched on the ‘suck it and see’ selection policy the other day. Essentially, we think England’s selectors take a look at players
Continue readingKevin Pietersen on Mark Ramprakash
< 1 minute readNot literally. That would be hideous. (No, we’re never going to spurn an opportunity to make that joke.) In this month’s issue of The Wisden Cricketer, Kevin Pietersen is asked whether Mark Ramprakash deserves a place in the England side. “You have a look at his results since the media
Continue readingKevin Pietersen’s outrageous natural talent
2 minute readWe’re always suspicious of ‘natural talent’. Kevin Pietersen always seems to attract this commendation – usually from Mark Nicholas. Nicholas closes his eyes and purrs every time KP hoicks one to leg and it’s surely only a matter of time before he affixes himself to the captain’s leg like a
Continue readingAndrew Strauss and Tim Ambrose pick up a few caps
< 1 minute readWhen Andrew Strauss hit his career-saving hundred against New Zealand we were a bit worried. It’d be best if you read that article, but if you really can’t be bothered we’ll try and bluntly summarise. New Zealand aren’t one of the better Test sides and Andrew Strauss’s performances might have
Continue readingMore Neil Manthorp
< 1 minute readNeil has been earnestly telling Test Match Special listeners how sandwiches are 99p after 7pm in the shop near where he’s staying. TMS make a grave, grave error every time they don’t use this man for a match.
Continue readingSteve Harmison batting
< 1 minute readWe’ve said it before and we’ll say it again using exactly the same words, because we aren’t going to improve on this: For Steve Harmison, every innings is like a brief fairground ride with ghosts intermittently leaping out at you, only occasionally the ghosts give you sandwiches, but sometimes the
Continue readingCan Pietersen affix England’s balls to the magic wall long-term?
< 1 minute readBefore this match Graeme Smith said that Kevin Pietersen might be successful in the short-term via the ‘balls to the wall approach’, so that’s what must have happened today. But before half of you try and apply this colourful philosophy to your everyday lives, Graeme Smith also had a warning.
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