King Cricket

July 17, 2009 Australia

Australia’s bowlers aren’t flattered by comparisons with the past

< 1 minute readLargely because they’re a bit toss. 425 ain’t good enough and England haven’t knackered out Australia’s four bowlers as much as they should have done. Mitchell Johnson Mitchell Johnson or James Anderson? Easy. Johnson has promised a lot, but unless you love non-bouncing wides, he hasn’t really delivered. We love

July 17, 2009 Australia

Shane Warne’s head

< 1 minute readShane Warne’s head has long been round and red, but it seems to be getting ever more inflated and ever more vivid in colour. It looks like a spacehopper.

July 16, 2009 England

Andrew Flintoff advert

< 1 minute readAs in, it’s the advert featuring Andrew Flintoff, not an advert for Andrew Flintoff. Fred pretty much markets himself. They’re selling off the pedalo for charity as well. We’ve always wanted to own a famous pedalo.

July 16, 2009 Extras

Action replays with sound

< 1 minute readBack in the day, action replays didn’t have sound. This was the right way of doing things. You don’t need a big flashing R in the corner of the screen or anything like that, but you do need to know that it’s an action replay. Obviously, if you’re sitting there

July 15, 2009 England

Why has Andrew Flintoff retired from Test cricket?

< 1 minute readHave you seen the size of him and the way he bowls? It’s because of that. Andrew Flintoff’s body can get through 30-odd overs in a Test match as easily as it can get through the eye of a needle. We imagine that if you’re Andrew Flintoff, the impact on

July 15, 2009 Uncategorised

Why players sometimes underperform in the Ashes

< 1 minute readThe Ashes isn’t like other series. It’s the same game, but batting averages and bowling averages mean so much less. Runs or wickets against other Test nations give an idea how good a player is, but when it comes to the Ashes, you also need other qualities. The press and

July 14, 2009 Pakistan / Sri Lanka

Pakistan batting collapse shows they’re still the ultimate

< 1 minute readPeople in the British media sometimes complain about England being inconsistent, but when it comes to inconsistency, there’s only one side worth talking about. There’s only ever been one team worth talking about. Having gone from dreadful and seemingly a bit apathetic to World Twenty20 champions in under a fortnight,

July 14, 2009 England

England’s batting collapse in the first Test in Cardiff

< 1 minute readEngland’s second innings top order batting collapse was pretty piss-poor, but it was just as big a crime to get themselves into that position in the first place. Neither set of bowlers were exceptional in the first Test. The exceptional performance came from Australia’s batsmen, who were sublime. There was

July 13, 2009 England

Momentum has raised its meaningless head

< 1 minute readIf cricketers’ use of the word ‘momentum’ were given physical form, we’d like to meet it. Even if it were an innocent-looking child holding a balloon, we’d still have no qualms about punching it square in the face with all our might. We’d watch the balloon floating skywards and think

July 13, 2009 England

Close Ashes finishes (and why a draw after five days can be exciting)

< 1 minute readWe’ve reached a conclusion. We’re all dead. That’s right. Each and every one of us is dead. But we’ve not gone to heaven. Instead, we’re all stuck in purgatory working off our sins. It’s an Ashes purgatory of inevitable, unendurable tension where Tests are still in the balance right up

Lots of weird but broadly applicable measures in there and then also... "Head coach Gautam Gambhir's personal manager will not…

Looks like he’s decided to take them to the no girls allowed club. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/no-wags-family-on-tour-bcci-disciplines-india-after-disastrous-australia-series/ar-BB1rppVU

After my previous disastrous attempt to opine on the line, I should probably hold my peace. But surely Dusty is…

This is a valid question.

At what point does over-conspicuous indifference cross the line into... er, difference? Because Dusty feels like he's skirting mighty close…

Mark’s wood: Talking joinery and timber with England’s fastest bowler

23 of the best, worst and weirdest cricket moments of 2024

Lord Megachief of Gold 2024

Are we already watching peak Harry Brook?

Suffering centuries: Six bowlers who conceded extraordinary Test hundreds