4 minute readThe future’s here. The future’s even more of Stuart Broad bowling with the new ball. You might think that sounds suspiciously like the past and you’d be right. Sometimes things don’t change all that much. Actually one thing’s changed. Whether it’s enthusiasm, rhythm, a minor technical tweak or a combination
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Why did Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft think that cheating using sandpaper was worse than doing the exact same cheating using something that wasn’t technically sandpaper?
3 minute readWhen we first saw Cameron Bancroft tampering with the ball using sandpaper, we thought to ourself: “That is sandpaper” – and so did everyone else. We were therefore very much surprised when he later claimed that it was not in fact sandpaper but something akin to home-made sandpaper. “We had
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Has David Warner really ‘gone rogue’ and if so, why? Let’s examine the evidence
4 minute readAbsolutely the best recent headline about Australia’s ball tampering is the one on Fox Sports suggesting that David Warner has ‘gone rogue’. The evidence for David Warner’s rogue-going is that (a) he was sitting on his own at one point and (b) he drank Champagne with friends who weren’t cricketers.
Continue readingAustralia have been caught ball-tampering. But what was the worst aspect? And what was the funniest?
4 minute readWell this is very much hilarious but also reprehensible because saying the second bit is part of the unwritten contract we have all entered into as cricket fans. Australia have been caught ball-tampering, a simple statement that doesn’t really do justice to all that’s happened and how people have reacted
Continue readingLet’s celebrate that magnificent Rabada v Warner thing without at any point expressing support for all the stuff that gave rise to it
3 minute readHere at King Cricket, we’re not at all in favour of unnecessary on-field aggro: fielders over-celebrating dismissals, bowlers getting right up in the batsman’s face and all that. However… We are HUGELY in favour of adrenaline-fuelled cricket – particularly when it involves a true fast bowler and a batsman who
Continue readingWhen was the worst moment to tune in on the day England were 58 all out?
2 minute readEngland were 58 all out today and New Zealand didn’t even have to stoop to a bowling change. Being as play largely took place during the UK night, England supporters will have first seen the score at all sorts of different points, depending on bedtime, alarm time and bladder size.
Continue readingSix very important things to watch out for as New Zealand take on England in Big Man Cricket
2 minute readHat-tip to Marlon Samuels for coining Big Man Cricket, a term that really does sum up the might and majesty of the longest format rather well. 1. The Great Neil Wagner First and foremost, make sure you watch The Great Neil Wagner, whether on live coverage or via the tiny
Continue readingLet’s see if we can sum up Kevin Pietersen’s entire career by looking at one innings – but no, not by using that one
6 minute readTerry’s been with the firm for 30 years, but he’s not retiring; he’s going part-time. A couple of years down the line Terry reduces his hours further and then a bit later still he says that he’s going to be available for jobs he’s already done a bit of work
Continue readingShould England play Chris Woakes or Mark Wood?
4 minute readChris Woakes is a very good and admirable cricketer. He didn’t have the best of time in the last Ashes but has since bounced back in the shorter formats. If he were to play a Test match, he would not doubt take a bunch of wickets. Nevertheless, England should pretty
Continue readingFrankly, you might as well open the bowling with Mark Wood
< 1 minute readThe big news from England’s warm-up piss-take of a match against a New Zealand XI is that they’re thinking of having Retired Hurt open the bowling. Accounting for three batsmen, he was England’s most successful bowler after Jimmy Anderson, who took 4-56. Root deployed just the nine bowlers and even
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