2 minute readIf 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
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Will England improve in the second Test?
1 minute readThese 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 readFollowing 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 readSometimes 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 readThe 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 readBecause 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 readTerrible 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 readingWhat’s happening in England’s warm-up?
< 1 minute readThe fast bowler’s injured, the new opening batsman made a duck and the returning genius reminded us precisely what we were missing by being dismissed by a left-arm spinner. But actually, things are okay. When they play well, England’s biggest strength is that you can happily avoid watching their first
Continue readingVidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur for the fourth Test between India and England
< 1 minute readNagpur is a pretty new Test venue. It has hosted three Tests, the first in 2008. India have won two and South Africa won the other by an innings. South Africa’s win was built on an unbeaten double hundred from Hashim Amla and 7-51 from Dale Steyn. Not sure what
Continue readingWhere do you stand on Gautam Gambhir?
2 minute readCricinfo have published a story with the slightly mischievous headline: “‘We still average 53 as an opening pair’ – Gambhir”. It’s not much of a statement, but by making it a headline Cricinfo have made it seem like a rather desperate plea. Gautam Gambhir is under pressure and he’s resorting
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