< 1 minute read Much as we enjoy writing about administrative staff, what they think and what they may or may not have meant when they said something in an interview, we rather feel that the World Cup is a time for writing about actual cricket. Colin Graves has said some things, the ECB
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Parties, par, pace and predictability
2 minute read In a run-chase, pressure doesn’t just come from the bowling you face. It comes from the relationship between the bowling you face and the runs you need. We haven’t yet seen England’s defence of 310, but our initial feeling is that Eoin Morgan’s belief that the bowlers were at fault
Continue readingLower orders and the last 10 overs
3 minute read At the start of the tournament, we highlighted a weakness of South Africa’s – the fact that their batting order “quite quickly becomes a little bit Farhaan Behardien”. This weekend, it just as quickly became a little bit Wayne Parnell. That’s a long tail. South Africa’s best batsmen are so
Continue readingWhen Southee and McCullum skinned England
2 minute read Skinned them alive? Probably not. Skinned them undead maybe, for England increasingly seem like zombies. Asked to explain England’s latest defeat, all Eoin Morgan could muster was “braaaains” in a long, drawn-out moan. “Skiiiill” and “caaaaalmness” were also lacking. In contrast to England’s rotting flesh, New Zealand have a surfeit
Continue readingEngland hit the ground, not running, but with exceptional conservation of energy
< 1 minute read This World Cup’s a marathon not a sprint. The last thing you want to do is hit the ground running. You want to hit the ground with a wet splat; look up; slowly get your bearings; and then start crawling in about a fortnight’s time. You want to reach a
Continue readingWhy we want England to win the World Cup
2 minute read This shouldn’t really need writing on an England cricket website, but there’s a lot of cynicism about so we thought we’d state our position. We had what may or may not be considered a ‘Twitter rant’ earlier. We’d been reading various previews from various writers from various nations and had
Continue readingWhich cricketers are world class?
< 1 minute read When the England captain ain’t making runs, the drill goes like this: journalist asks one of his team-mates about his loss of form; team-mate describes him as ‘world class’ and says there’s nothing to worry about. It was Joe Root earlier in the week and now it’s Jimmy Anderson’s turn.
Continue readingEngland appear to be playing and beating Pakistan
< 1 minute read We’re struggling with the build-up to the World Cup. We fundamentally believe that a World Cup is a big deal, but at the same time we’re aware of the need to ration our enthusiasm. It might be another month before one of the major teams has to play a match
Continue readingKP: The Autobiography – book review
3 minute read A guest review of KP: The Autobiography by Dandy Dan. Having met KP and most of team, I feel I’m very qualified to review this book – especially as he came across to me as actually being all right. I didn’t buy it. I got it out from the library.
Continue readingThe lollop, the leap and physics-defying bounce
< 1 minute read Say what you like about Steve Harmison’s overall record, but he could lollop in and hit you on the elbow with the best of them. That uncanny ability to make the ball bounce considerably more than should have been physically possible brought him a bunch of wickets and England a
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