2 minute readSome read yesterday’s post as being criticism of Ian Bell, which wasn’t really how it was intended. We just feel that of all the England players, his performances are the ones that most closely correlate with how the team fares. On day five of the third Test against New Zealand,
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The barometer says England never looked like winning
< 1 minute readTalk of an England win has been unjustifiably common during this Test. You never know what’s likely to happen in a match, but you can tailor conversation according to likelihood and at no point has an England victory seemed probable. Even talking about how they could possibly engineer a winning
Continue readingTwo-metre Peter from New Zealand
< 1 minute readHe has one of our favourite nicknames in international cricket, so we’re secretly slightly pleased that Peter Fulton scored a hundred against England because it means he should get a few more matches. Set against that is the fact that he was averaging 23 before the first day’s play, so
Continue readingSo Kevin Pietersen’s injured
< 1 minute readThe tone of that title is meant to convey that this news is significant but that we don’t really have anything to say about it. We hope it has delivered in that regard. Kevin Pietersen’s absence seems like the kind of thing people might be talking about, but sometimes conversation
Continue readingWhy are we goading Tlaloc?
< 1 minute readYou see what happens? You see what happens? This is what happens. This is what happens when you goad Tlaloc, the Aztec rain god who loves Test cricket. Tlaloc has really been looking forward to the series between New Zealand and England, but then he found out about the schedule
Continue readingShikhar Dhawan and his moustache
< 1 minute readOur facial hair says ‘couldn’t be bothered shaving’. Shikhar Dhawan’s says ‘I take enormous pride in my moustache’. Hair can build up like limescale or mould or it can be something you cultivate and tend to like a flower. Dhawan’s moustache reminds us of a possibly apocryphal story we heard
Continue readingWhat to expect from Stuart Broad
< 1 minute readExpectations are a funny thing. A great film trailer guarantees a disappointing film. Far better to keep expectations low. That’s our philosophy. Promise nothing and then deliver half of something to semi-grateful murmurs of: “Oh, it’s not as bad as I expected.” After several years of promise and a number
Continue readingNew Zealand opt to bowl and then bowl
< 1 minute readSome believe that Brendon McCullum’s decision to bowl in Wellington was partly as a result of his decision to bat and then bowl on the first morning of a Test against South Africa at the start of the year. If so, he’s an idiot. The other alternatives are (1) that
Continue readingNick Compton, fridges and freezers
2 minute readOne of the weirdest send-offs of all time was when Steve Kirby, then playing for Yorkshire, sent Mike Atherton on his way with the immortal line: “I’ve seen better batters in my fridge.” This article is nothing to do with that, even though it is about keeping batsmen in the
Continue readingGossip from day one of New Zealand v England
< 1 minute readAre you a cricket writer working for a national newspaper? Are you struggling to find something to write after day one of the first Test between New Zealand and England was washed out? Have no fear, after spending almost a full minute looking at photos on Cricinfo, we can exclusively
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