< 1 minute read We could have gone with “Monty Panesar’s back“, but we’ve actually done that joke about him twice before. You have to draw the line somewhere. We fully expect you all to now tell us that we’ve drawn that line incorrectly. But let’s not bicker about whether a joke should be
Continue readingCategory: England
What happens between Test matches?
2 minute read If good things come to those who wait then what do we get when we’re not allowed to wait? (Readers in the UK might recognise the music in that video from something else.) This England tour of India started well, with three warm-up matches, but now we’re back in the
Continue readingWill England improve in the second Test?
1 minute read These days, there’s a lot of rubbish spoken about ‘doing your best’ and ‘aiming high’. How does anyone hope to improve with a mentality like that? You should always set the bar as low as possible and put in only a token amount of effort. That way you’ve got plenty
Continue readingThe aggregation of marginal losses
< 1 minute read Following on, with plenty of time left in the game, it was a day for slow twitch muscle fibres. England needed batsmen to show endurance and so it was perhaps unsurprising that the cyclist (Matt Prior) and the player they say is England’s fittest (Alastair Cook) were the ones to
Continue readingBell and Pietersen bat for no-one
< 1 minute read Sometimes you bat for your team-mates. Let’s imagine there’s only one threatening bowler in the opposition attack. If you can put some mileage into his legs, you make it easier for the batsmen who follow you. To some extent, it doesn’t really matter how many runs you score. You are
Continue readingCheteshwar Pujara brings a future of runs
2 minute read The Wall is gone! Long live this broad, robust replacement structure made out of bricks and mortar! The retirement of great cricketers often leaves less of a hole than people imagine. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman recently left the game and many wondered how they could ever be replaced. The
Continue readingDon’t even think about complaining about flat pitches
3 minute read Because you can’t fully assess a five-day pitch on day one. Besides, Gautam Gambhir was dismissed by one that kept low. Virender Sehwag was bowled by one that spun. This looks like a result wicket. A win for India then? Well, yeah, probably. They’re favourites anyway and batting first hasn’t
Continue readingEngland are in a spin
2 minute read Terrible headline. Terrible, terrible headline. You’ll see it again at some point in the next few weeks and minus a billion points for the guilty publication. Don’t worry though. We’ve got an angle on ‘England are in a spin’ and so we’re going to salvage our pride in the final
Continue readingNick Compton is up and ambling
< 1 minute read After nought and then one, Nick Compton is finally up and running for England. Well, he’s up and ambling at any rate, having made 64 runs off 162 balls in their second warm-up match. We entirely approve of this complete lack of urgency. Hopefully the majority of his six fours
Continue readingJoe Root shouldn’t play England’s second warm-up match
< 1 minute read Not unless he’s down the order. Some have suggested resting Alastair Cook because he made a hundred in the first warm-up match and so presumably doesn’t need the practice. Being as Nick Compton made a duck, it is felt that England might now want to see how Joe Root fares
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