2 minute readOnce again, Mitchell Johnson rocked England. He took 2-66. (Wickets taken via bouncers count double, it seems.) After that, it was back to England dismissing clueless Australian batsmen, which was really rather delightful. This Test has brought back memories of the magical folding Australia side of a few years ago.
Continue readingCategory: Australia
James Anderson dismisses Australia’s motley crew
2 minute readWe’re playing squash tonight. One thing you notice with squash is that the ball’s momentum doesn’t always carry it in the same direction. Quite often it alters course quite markedly upon contact with what is known as ‘the wall’. The momentum in this Ashes series is similar, it would seem.
Continue readingThe mythology of Johnson
2 minute readThat sounds a little like a crude and edgy, deliberately controversial Off-Broadway show. But it isn’t. It’s a reference to the eldest Mitchell; the man who apparently compels English batsmen to dash their own brains out in fear. Mitchell Johnson is currently the man with the fifth-best bowling average and
Continue readingWhy David Warner doesn’t do ‘reading’
< 1 minute readThis week David Warner gave many people the impression that he thinks the activity known as ‘reading’ is some bizarre pastime reserved for 17th Century English gentlemen. Of the differences between himself and Chris Rogers, he said simply: “He reads a lot of books – I wouldn’t read a book.”
Continue readingResolve is a finite resource
2 minute readAbsolutely true. You don’t possess a bottomless pit of willpower. It’s why New Year’s resolutions fizzle out. It’s why you can only resist easily-accessible snack food for so long. Anything that takes mental effort drains your resources and without time to recuperate, eventually you’ll have nothing left. Winning is easy.
Continue readingWho’s your favourite Mitch? And who’s your least favourite?
< 1 minute readNot much is happening in the cricket at the minute, so we might as well busy ourselves tackling the difficult philosophical questions. If three Mitches play cricket for Australia, is it possible to have a favourite? For us, this is the order in which we’d place them – best at
Continue readingPitch flatter than Snowdonia, more uneven than billiard table
< 1 minute readYou may have noticed that we didn’t complain about the pitch after day one. That’s something we only allow ourself to do once both teams have batted. Sadly, this policy appears to have been vindicated. Sometimes it’s not a dead pitch. Sometimes it’s merely in a deep, deep sleep and
Continue readingChris Rogers in the 21st Century
< 1 minute readThere is a famous oak tree in the middle of a field near Bakewell in Derbyshire. It is weathered and gnarled and its enormous branches reach halfway to the road. Some say it is lucky. Some say it is cursed. The only thing that is known about it for certain
Continue readingEngland and Australia have too many very good batsmen
< 1 minute readMaybe this statement would seem more accurate to some of you if we said ‘too many fair batsmen’ – but that would fly in the face of the universally-accepted Premier Manager 2 scale where ‘fair’ actually means ‘really rather shit’. No, England and Australia have too many Very Good batsmen.
Continue readingWill Australia cobble together a new side?
2 minute readOne of Darren Lehmann’s strengths as a coach is his pragmatism. When he first took over, he assessed the various players available to him and concluded that he was going to have to make do with a few who were less than ideal. David Warner was a tool, but he
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