< 1 minute readAs in ‘returned’. He hasn’t got anklosing spondylitis or anything. “He’s late to meetings, or he wears the wrong clothing to a function, or forgets his passport.” – Essex coach, Paul Grayson. Ravi Bopara – a man with qualities we can all get behind.
Continue readingCategory: England
Bowling fitness for a modern Test series
2 minute readBeing stupidly fit is one of the greatest attributes a fast bowler can have. Accuracy and the ability to seam or swing the ball are entry requirements. Beyond that, you elevate yourself above your rivals by making the most of those strengths for longer. So many backs Fitness is even
Continue readingThe Test rankings are pretty accurate, but…
2 minute readA lot of people quibble with the ICC’s Test rankings, but we think they’re pretty good. The rankings are more weighty than simply saying which is the best team at any given moment. They reward sustained excellence. You can say that they should recognise which is the best team right
Continue readingPlaying England is no fun for India
< 1 minute readIt is like being in a broken submarine at the bottom of the sea. England are the water. England don’t hammer to get in. They just apply constant force. Every now and again, one of the Indian crew wonders whether they’ve somehow floated to the surface and opens the door
Continue readingFour reasons why England scored so quickly in their second innings at Trent Bridge
1 minute readEven without Ian Bell returning to the crease after being run out, yesterday was an odd day’s cricket. In what had seemed a low-scoring match, England somehow scored over 400 in a day. There were four reasons for this. Ian Bell When the bowling was good, he was better. England’s
Continue readingWhen India allowed Ian Bell to carry on batting at Trent Bridge
< 1 minute readCricket action stops and starts and we didn’t feel very comfortable with someone being run-out when pretty much everyone on the field had stopped playing. We don’t care too much about the technical rights and wrongs and everyone on the field seemed to share those feelings once they’d had a
Continue readingDo you like to watch your team bat or bowl?
< 1 minute readLast year, we were going to watch a cricket match with a friend who hadn’t watched the sport in many years. “I only like it when we bat,” he said. We’re off work today and we’re a bit disappointed that England are batting. We prefer cricket when England are bowling.
Continue readingEngland beat the eight men of India
< 1 minute readHyperbole, but not entirely unwarranted. Sometimes a pint of dour dissatisfaction and a willingness to take the negatives doesn’t do you any harm. India had the misfortune of having three players handicapped by a perennially twangy hammy, a pock-marked elbow and the wild shits. This wasn’t their fault. They also
Continue readingEngland need to take their chance
< 1 minute readWe well remember the first Test of India’s last tour, which is weird, because we were in Canada for all but the final day. But it’s that final day that’s important here. Nine wickets down, MS Dhoni blocked the shit out of it and for England, that was the difference
Continue readingWas Kevin Pietersen out caught at leg slip for 49?
< 1 minute readIf you answered ‘yes’ to that question, you’re wrong. Kevin Pietersen was not out on 202 when England declared. The consensus seems to be that Pietersen probably should have been given out when he tucked the ball down to Rahul Dravid, but we care more about what happened after that.
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