< 1 minute readHere’s a comparison. The Rugby World Cup finished last Saturday. England played in the final. Their next international fixture will be on the second of February. England’s final match in the Cricket World Cup was on the 21st of April, against the West Indies. Their next international fixture, a Test
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Will Indian Twenty20 wins help kill 50-over cricket?
< 1 minute readSurvival of the fittest. Cricket has mutated again. While an early mutation, 50-over cricket, lives happily side-by-side with Test cricket, there aren’t enough natural resources to support both as well as Twenty20. In a few years time, one of these forms might have gone the way of the dodo. If
Continue readingMurali Kartik has a good day
< 1 minute readIndia beat Australia in a dead match at the end of an overlong one-day series about as far away from a World Cup as it’s possible to be. Could we have some Test cricket now, please? Murali Kartik took 6-27, which are pretty astonishing one-day figures. He then hit 21
Continue readingMatthew Hayden attaches a mirror to the back of his bat
< 1 minute readIt’s to more closely monitor the ageing process. ‘Still a few wisps of hair at the front there. Not time to retire yet’.
Continue readingMitchell Johnson clouds the future
< 1 minute readWe’ve always had a desire to balance out the names of this world. Some people have two first names, like Brett Lee for example. It’s only right that there’s a yang to Lee’s yin and that’s where Mitchell Johnson comes in. Mitchell Johnson’s got two surnames, so he can swap
Continue readingMatthew Hayden leads the way – in the wrong direction
< 1 minute readGroups for whom Matthew Hayden is a standard-bearer: Modern opening batsmen who don’t have to face proper bowling Bears who eat faces Pious turds India beat Australia in the third one-day international at Chandigarh. However, they couldn’t stop Matthew Hayden from top-scoring with 92. Hayden’s one-day record since he returned
Continue readingBrad Haddin shows it won’t be that big a deal when Adam Gilchrist retires, when it really should be
2 minute readOn Saturday, Brad Haddin played his first international match since February after Australia’s batsmen suddenly decided they didn’t want to bat in India and feigned any number of injuries. Haddin hit 69 then, although India’s innings was washed-out. Today, Haddin hit 87 not out off 69 balls and Australia won
Continue readingYuvraj Singh: How much better could he be?
< 1 minute readThe answer, of course, is none. None better. India were doing precisely nothing when he came to the crease in the Twenty20 World Cup semi-final against Australia. They were 41-2 after eight overs. ‘It’s too hard’ they seemed to be saying. ‘We can’t lay bat on ball’. ‘What?’ said Yuvraj
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South Africa choke in 1999 World Cup semi final against Australia
< 1 minute readSouth Africa needed nine off the final over and Lance Klusener – by some way the best batsman in that tournament – belted the first two deliveries for four. South Africa now needed one to win. The third ball went straight to a fielder, but Allan Donald was already half
Continue readingMisbah-ul-Haq: a Twenty20 specialist
2 minute readThere’s a difference between being a Twenty20 specialist from county cricket and being an international-standard Twenty20 specialist. If you’re the former, you don’t really qualify for consideration in the latter category. There’s a kind of minimum skill level that’s essential. Ask England. We mention Misbah-ul-Haq and his handiness for the
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