3 minute readAt this time of year, we normally bestow the greatest honour in cricket by naming Lord Megachief of Gold. It’s a title that is earned through freakish cricket performance across the previous calendar year, but after much rumination we have concluded that 2020 wasn’t actually a proper year. There were
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Ajinkya Rahane and India’s net gains
2 minute readIndia got past Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood bowling with the new ball and lo, they won the Test match. That’s reductive – but then so’s concluding a team can’t bat when it gets bowled out for 36. Ajinkya Rahane made the most obviously telling contribution, run out for 112
Continue readingWhy India’s 36 all out was a one-dimensional effort in the field of collapses
3 minute readIf you’ve ever seen The Perfect Storm, you’ll know that quite a lot of things go wrong in it. The Perfect Storm is a film about fishing, starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and quite a few other people you know. At one point Wahlberg is bitten by a shark. A
Continue readingKyle Jamieson looks a useful and very slightly frightening bowler to have about the place
< 1 minute readIn Tim Southee and Trent Boult, New Zealand have textbook new ball bowlers who disagree on which arm to use. This is a useful starting point when trying to bowl out the opposition. After that, they have the finest old ball bowler around, The Great Neil Wagner. Wagner is a
Continue readingLet’s try and identify England’s purest and greatest bits and pieces cricketer
8 minute readA bits-and-pieces cricketer is a player who wouldn’t warrant a place in the side as a batsman or a bowler but somehow gets picked anyway based on cumulative all-round ability. Let’s try and find England’s purest and greatest bits and pieces cricketer. Before we get into this, you may be
Continue readingAustralia might again be poor enough that they’ll feel like they have to pick Shaun Marsh
2 minute readSometimes there’s a man. We won’t say a hero, because what’s a hero? But sometimes there’s a man – and we’re talking about Shaun Marsh here. Sometimes there’s a man… well, he’s the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that’s Shaun Marsh. If there’s
Continue readingDouble talk with Kane Williamson
< 1 minute readIt’s a Lord Megachief of Gold-fest down at Seddon Park this week. Neil Wagner (2019) is doing his usual thing, while Jason Holder (2018) has had a slightly less wonderful time. But it’s Kane Williamson (2015) who has been most influential. We’ve been thinking about double hundreds a bit recently
Continue readingDawid Malan has used ‘being the best batsman in the world’ as a stepping stone to competence
< 1 minute readIt’s like they always say: being the top-ranked batsman in the world can be a real confidence-booster and may even help you secure a place in the first team. When Dawid Malan became the number one batsman in T20 internationals in September, the general reaction could be summed up as,
Continue readingTemba Bavuma’s ramp shot is not polished
2 minute readTemba Bavuma has contributed all of 18 runs to the current T20 series between South Africa and England, so it’s odd that he should be responsible for one of the recurring highlights. His ramp shot is undeniably that though. This is how Temba Bavuma played a ramp shot in the
Continue readingJonny Bairstow proves he should open and also bat at four
2 minute readOur rule with white ball cricket is that if you’re bearing down on a World Cup, you pay attention to that particular format, and then immediately stop paying attention afterwards. The competition currently known as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is due to take place in October 2021. Being
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