Posted by Next week is the worst week of our life because next week is when our England XI play and almost certainly lose to an Aussie Antagonists XI. The match will start on Monday and finish whenever England have been skittled for the second time.
After that, we should be just about ready to turn our attention to actual, real-life cricket, with England due to take on the West Indies from July 8. (We have every confidence that after the hottest, driest British spring in modern history, it will piss it down for that. But hey-ho, it’s not like we haven’t mastered watching cricket not happen in recent times, is it?)
We hope that our efforts to provide cricket “content” over the last few months have helped get you through. If they haven’t – well, you’re probably not reading this, so we don’t need to acknowledge your opinion. Thanks, as ever, to those who have been funding the site via Patreon. Time has been at a premium during the lockdown period, so it’s no exaggeration to say that without you guys next to nothing would have been published on King Cricket these last few months.
We’ve a bit of a gap now before next week’s horror begins. You could do worse than fill it with this piece we wrote for Wisden about the best and worst signature shots.
Every time I read something about Watson, I’m reminded why I was so glad he never got to 200 against Bangladesh. I mean it was a phenomenal effort, but a better batsman than him deserves the first sub-100 ball 200.
I’ve loved the stuff over the last few months. The least important reason is that it’s increased my standing at work: our CEO got really into the 90s-est Ashes Series, and the middle-aged XI also saw broad and less-than-mysterious uptake amongst the upper management demographic. I don’t know if I’ll see a promotion off the back of this, but you never know.
I too am hunkering down for the Invested XI vs Antagonist XI series, but I guess at least it’ll make my Aussie colleague Monty happy, and he has a nice face.
Not sure whether this site should really be making a mark at chief executive level. Doesn’t seem very ‘on brand’.
Two signature shots I’d like to nominate for the best are the Jayasuriya Scythe and the Ponting Pull, and in the worst section the Hilditch Hook.
Excellent suggestions all.
Nasser hooking might be among both best and worst…
I have greatly enjoyed all your writing during the lockdown. From the longer think pieces to the Haddin-hate to the Sim Series. Especially the Sim Series as it inspired me to acquire ICC 2019. That game has taught me, in no uncertain terms, that I am not nearly creative enough to be a captain of a Test or FC side. After about 30 overs of bowling I’m more or less out of ideas if I haven’t bowled them out yet (which I haven’t because picking players for Yorkshire based on their name is, it would seem, a poor strategy).
Cheers!
Also, never talk down a name-based selection policy.
It feels like sacrilege even as I type it, but many ways this cricket site has not suffered at all from the absence of actual cricket.
Daisy thinks that the joy we are finding in the simulated matches indicate that some of us really have taken leave of our senses during lockdown. But in many ways they are a natural progression from match reports that don’t actually mention the cricket and pictures of animals ignoring the game.
It’s all a very welcome distraction from the real business of fearing for the future of the game, given the massive financial hit from the much curtailed professional game this summer, the absence of recreational cricket, possibly for the whole season and the general economic tsunami yet to come, which might adversely affect the game for many years to come.
Chris Martin’s batting. Thank you, KC, for writing, once again, about Chris Martin’s batting.
The financial side of things is worrying – Lancashire have just emailed me to say they are assuming those who were going to go to the Pakistan game will go to the India game next year so won’t issue a refund by default, which – along with their entreaties to members to pay their membership fees this year even if there’s no cricket – is clearly motivated by concern around their immediate liquidity and cashflow.
KC – a heads up that the July payment for Patreon will probably be the last one from me at the higher ‘while there’s no cricket’ level, given that (I really, really hope) there will have been Test cricket by the time the August payment is due. I might leave it a little higher than the pre-virus level, depending on how things are going.
Thanks for seeing fit to raise it and indeed for even contributing at all.
Same for everybody: please feel free to chop and change and stop and restart your patronage however you want. Everything is appreciated and helpful.
Important to restate that everyone who doesn’t have a monthly pledge is of course equally welcome here too. Selfless saints that they are, our patrons make the site (hopefully) better for everyone.