2 minute read He’s got more than his fair share of elbows and knees, but that hasn’t prevented him being given the highest honour in international cricket; the award that the players most respect and yearn for. This year’s Lord Megachief of Gold is Shivnarine Chanderpaul. England might have spent most of winter
Continue readingMonth: December 2007
Did Graeme Smith try to be clever?
< 1 minute read South Africa are currently ranked second-best in the world. The West Indies are ranked second-worst. The Windies had also come into this Test on the back of defeat to South Africa A, so when Graeme Smith won the toss, he put his opponents in to bat. This didn’t turn out
Continue readingThe Chris Gayle era
< 1 minute read The West Indies won a Test – and they were away. The West Indian batting is still woefully fragile. Their fielding, while far-improved in this match, will surely take a good while longer to repair from what we’ve seen in the past – progress can only ever be so fast.
Continue readingWindies’ early work keeps them on top
< 1 minute read If there’s one cricketing nation that’s quite reliable, other than Australia, it’s South Africa – particularly at home. If there’s one cricketing nation which is quite unreliable, it’s currently the West Indies – particularly away from home. So how did the Windies rack up 400 and then dispatch South Africa
Continue readingBrett Lee’s actually good nowadays
2 minute read Stuart Clark got the better figures, 4-28 and got the best batsmen out, but the story’s about Brett Lee today. He took his 250th Test wicket, but there’s more than that. This is Australia’s third Test since Warne and McGrath retired and every time Australia’s opponents have batted, Brett Lee’s
Continue readingIt’s Shiv and he’s scoring a hundred
< 1 minute read We haven’t seen it, but we bet it was beautiful. We could watch him play those lithe, supple shots all day. He doesn’t look at all like the chimney sweeps in Mary Poppins when he’s at the crease. He doesn’t rock from side-to-side like a dancing cockney when he ambles
Continue readingAlastair Cook papers over some cracks
< 1 minute read The quiet, southern, well-kempt, left-handed Michael Atherton for the 21st Century (actually, maybe he’s not Michael Atherton, thinking about it) brought the merest hint of pride back to shameful, shameful England with what we can’t help but describe as a rearguard hundred. Alastair’s very much a rearguard hundred kind of
Continue readingAndrew Flintoff’s impact
< 1 minute read Andrew Flintoff’s been away quite a long time now. He hasn’t featured in full health for England for even longer. We were starting to forget what was so good about him, but we think we remember. It’s because he has an impact. Career averages of 32 with both bat and
Continue readingEngland’s learning curve away from home versus Sri Lanka’s
2 minute read It’s bad when the aftermath starts on day two. We didn’t realise we’d be so much further on by day three though. We’re struck by the contrast with Sri Lanka’s tour of England in 2006. When Sri Lanka arrived, they were, without wishing to be disparaging, ripe for the taking.
Continue readingRicky Ponting goes through some rather spectacular motions
< 1 minute read No, he hasn’t risked eating cream cheese in Karnataka and isn’t enduring THOSE sorts of spectacular motions (just say no, kids). He’s just going through the cricketing motions, only ‘going through the motions’ for Ricky Ponting involves scoring unbeaten hundreds. He operates at a higher level, this batsman. Australia won
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