< 1 minute readThe Test world is a baffling place right now. There’s more uncertainty than when the cat finds himself equidistant from some food and an open door. Australia are worse at home than they used to be, but India are worse away than they have been in recent times, so what
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Another Test, another Australian batting collapse
< 1 minute readIt was only just over a month ago when South Africa were given the most memorable of lessons by Australia. In being dismissed for 96, South Africa thought they’d set the standard when it came to batting collapses, only to see their opponents proudly stumble to a score of 47
Continue readingSachin Tendulkar falling short
2 minute readSuppose we should write about at least one of the Boxing Day Tests. Australia v India is the more interesting one from an impartial perspective and so far India have the upper hand thanks to Zaheer Khan and some old bastard fifties. One of those was from Sachin Tendulkar, who
Continue readingThe Boxing Day Test tradition
2 minute readWe couldn’t remember whether we did anything on the site for Christmas. Turns out we don’t. The closest we’ve come is wishing everyone a happy Boxing Day Test Eve. The Boxing Day Test is a great tradition. There are a great many things that make cricket better than other sports
Continue readingEd Cowan and other good Australian batsmen
2 minute readWe told you Australia had bottomed out. Logic has penetrated their camp and infected a handful of people. We’re worried it might spread. First of all, Ed Cowan comes into the side (or “Cricket With Balls’ own Eddie Cowan” as Jarrod would have us refer to him). He replaces Phillip
Continue readingPakistan: Reliable? Organised?
< 1 minute readA reliable and organised Pakistan cricket team is essentially just a theoretical construct. Nevertheless, Misbah-ul-Haq has got them about as close as they ever get. In recent months, they’ve reached a state of solidity they rarely experience. They’re scoring runs, they’re taking wickets and they’re winning pretty much all of
Continue readingThe deflation of Sri Lanka
< 1 minute readA lot of the life seems to have gone out of Sri Lanka since Murali’s retirement. On the face of it, the team’s much the same, but there’s a wrinkling and lack of solidity about them. They’re like yesterday’s balloon. They haven’t shown much heart according to Russell Arnold. Maybe
Continue readingIs everyone TOTALLY PSYCHED about the Big Bash?
< 1 minute readThere’s another Twenty20 league on the horizon. Kieron Pollard’s in it. Shahid Afridi’s in it. Alfonso Thomas is in it. Chris Gayle’s in it too. He’ll be playing in Sydney and he’s really looking forward to being there. “What do you call it: Bond Beach? Bondi? I will be there.
Continue readingPJ Hughes c Guptill b Martin
< 1 minute readMaybe if you’re very lucky this Christmas, you’ll get a gift that is so good, you simply don’t know what to do with it. That’s how we feel about Phil Hughes being caught by Martin Guptill off the bowling of Chris Martin for the fourth time in four innings. It’s
Continue readingHas the Australia cricket team bottomed out?
2 minute readOn balance, we still think that they already had. Others will argue that being bowled out by New Zealand for 136 represents a further low, but we think it’s an improvement on being bowled out for 47. That’s how bottoming out works. It’s not like bouncing back. When you bottom
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