2 minute read The term ‘flat track bully’ isn’t so popular these days. It’s because it’s no longer indicative of a weakness. A batsman who makes the most of flat pitches, bullying bowlers into submission, is basically what you want in Test cricket where 19 pitches out of 20 are basically pretty lifeless
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Alastair Cook further extends the time between dismissals against Australia
< 1 minute read Alastair Cook is in a Vaughanian run of form down under. When he was batting with Jonathan Trott, it was a case of ‘the bowlers may change, but the batsmen remain the same’. Was it the Ashes or some sort of Cook-Trott conceptual art? Can you detect the passage of
Continue readingThe James Anderson plan
< 1 minute read England showed us Plan A today – James Anderson beheads the innings with the new ball and then returns to sweep away the ankles with the second new ball. But you’re aware how fragile it is. Today it worked, but even after taking three wickets in 2.1 overs, Australia still
Continue readingAlastair Cook creates a weird scorecard with help from Jonathan Trott
< 1 minute read When have you ever seen an England scorecard that read 517-1? Against Australia as well. We said that Alastair Cook would be okay and with 235 not out, you’d say we were probably right about that. We also predicted a whole host of series results though – none of which
Continue readingAn Australian bowling attack unsuited to Australian conditions
2 minute read You’ve got to break partnerships in Australia. You’ve got to somehow take wickets when the ball ain’t doin’ a right lot. This Australia bowling attack seems ill-suited to the task. Today one wicket fell – to Marcus North. No matter how flat the pitch, no Australian bowling attack should completely
Continue readingBatting partnerships in Australia and breaking them
< 1 minute read James Anderson started with a blinding spell to Mike Hussey, but as we said yesterday, the cricket after the new ball matters too. It’s easy to look on the first hour of the third day as being England’s chance to break the Hussey-Haddin partnership, but Test cricket in Australia is
Continue readingThe cricket after the new ball matters too
< 1 minute read Yesterday’s theme was of how bowling success can be about playing well frequently rather than extremely well occasionally. You remember great bowlers for the occasions when they took 7-20; when the ball was swinging or turning a mile. But often those performances aren’t what made those players’ reputations. It’s often
Continue readingA fact and a question from the Gabba
< 1 minute read What we learnt last night: Stew is not a stimulant And here’s a question for you: Shouldn’t Mitchell Johnson’s tattooed arm be ‘the doing arm’?
Continue readingListen to the tin!
< 1 minute read Unsure how to approach opening the bowling in the Ashes? Simply consult ‘the tin’. “Jimmy does what it says on the tin – he swings it both ways at pace with the new ball.” – Peter Moores The tin is clearly very wise.
Continue readingAshes contradictions and how we think the series might pan out
< 1 minute read We have written a piece for Cricinfo about how we are massively pessimistic about England’s chances no matter what the evidence in front of us. We have also said that England will win 3-2 over at World Cricket Watch. The truth is that we are pessimistic by default, but hate
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