2 minute read Bangladesh were bowled out in 18.4 overs yesterday. That’s pretty bad, but apparently it wasn’t actually the shortest first innings in Test history. Imagine how bad at cricket you’d have to be to be bowled out inside 18.4 overs. Imagine how embarrassing that must have been. Hopefully, whoever it was,
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A(nother) call for more downtime
< 1 minute read For players mostly, but also for fans. Our latest Wisden piece delves into how Jonathan Trott went from his normal run-gathering self in early 2013 to down and out by the end of the year. It also takes a quick look at how his Warwickshire team-mate ended up worn down
Continue reading“Our bowling is an area of concern”
< 1 minute read So said South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk after her team had conceded a world record 216-1 in a T20 against New Zealand and then a few hours later conceded 250-3 against England. “An area of concern” is a great way of putting it. “An absolute liability” is just that
Continue readingAre England the ultimate flat pitch one-day side?
3 minute read On June 19, 2018, England took the Australia bowling attack apart as if it were a giant Lego penis and grandma was coming over. The dismantling was rapid, efficient and utterly comprehensive. They made 481-6, the highest total in the history of one-day internationals. We strongly disagree with the idea
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It didn’t always seem so obvious that Liam Plunkett wasn’t Sajid Mahmood
4 minute read There was a time when Liam Plunkett was spoken about in much the same way as Sajid Mahmood. Then there was another time when Liam Plunkett was spoken about in much the same way as Sajid Mahmood. It seems safe to assume that it won’t happen a third time –
Continue readingWhy aren’t the big teams embarrassed about losing to smaller teams?
2 minute read Scotland’s obvious delight at beating England at the weekend was in no way matched by the anger of the England fans or the embarrassment of the players. It’s not an exact mathematical thing, but normally in sport you’d expect similar sorts of weight on both sides. Why was that not
Continue readingWill Jos Buttler prove that the best Test teams contain the best T20 players?
2 minute read That’s a terrible headline. It labels Jos Buttler a T20 player when a key aspect of the point we’re about to make is that players shouldn’t be categorised. Over at Wisden, we’ve picked up almost exactly where we left off earlier in the week, arguing that England’s Test team would
Continue readingHow Jos Buttler has brought a bit of culture to England’s Test team
3 minute read We’ve always said that Jos Buttler seems much, much safer at the crease – and a far more reassuring presence for England fans – when he’s just standing there spanking sixes, all bionic eyes and adamantium wrists. We wrote about this in 2015 and Buttler himself seems to have been
Continue readingSam Curran is almost the right choice
< 1 minute read If Sam Curran could bat a bit better or bowl a bit better, he would definitely be a good addition to the England team. If that sounds dismissive, it’s only because it made for a better opening sentence. Scurran is close. He’s just not quite there. Strengths Left-armer Swings it
Continue readingEngland’s batsmen are insecure and complacent
3 minute read England’s batting is bad. England are bad at batting. Bad batting is a thing that England’s batsmen generally do. Before we get into the ins and outs of the badness, let’s contextualise it with the players’ career Test averages because that way we can really get a sense of the
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