< 1 minute read The Barmy Army are playing Australia’s Fanatics tomorrow. Among the Barmy Army team is, somewhat inexplicably, The Australian, who seems destined to be ‘The Australian’ even when involved in a cricket match featuring a whole team of his kinsmen. You can sponsor him and implicitly condone his defection here. Money
Continue readingMonth: August 2009
Joe Denly earmarked for summat
< 1 minute read Joe Denly has been picked in England’s Fewer Overs squads for the arse end of the summer. This is pretty good. We get the impression England’s selectors have identified him as an attacking opening batsman who’s actually an opening batsman and not just a sloggy all-rounder who has a bit
Continue readingBrett Lee chasing the birds
< 1 minute read From the BBC: “Liam Plunkett was cleaned up by Lee for a breezy 34. The dismissal sparked a bizarre incident when a seagull swooped on one of the dislodged bails, escaping with its plunder with Lee in hot pursuit.” Many people would let the bird have the bail and gone
Continue readingCharles Coventry has an ODI world record score
< 1 minute read Zimbabwe’s Charles Coventry hit 194 not out against Bangladesh. Zimbabwe lost. This equals the world record individual one-day international score. How do we all feel about that? The original 194 not out was scored by Saeed Anwar against India 12 years ago. Even in these days of tree-sized bats and
Continue readingDwayne Smith makes use of his beach cowboy expertise
< 1 minute read The theme of Twenty20 Finals Day 2009 was The Magnificent Seven on account of it being the seventh Twenty20 Finals Day. They played music from westerns, there was a bucking bronco thing and there were cowgirls. Between the second semi and the final, the entire Edgbaston crowd recreated the campfire
Continue readingResponse to England’s fifth Ashes Test squad
< 1 minute read Jonathan Trott, who is being dropped into a deep end infested with piranhas from a great height for his debut, said: “I’m chuffed.” Mark Ramprakash, writing on Twitter, (genuinely) said: “Defecating in a package to send to Geoff Miller.” Quite bizarrely, Trott seemed to echo Ramps’ thoughts when speaking about
Continue readingChris Adams commentating on Twenty20 Finals Day
< 1 minute read We’re not convinced. “He’s doing exactly what it says on the tin. Bowling straight; wicket to wicket.” You can’t use ‘does what it says on the tin’ wherever you like. There are rules. You can’t say: “I’m doing exactly what it says on the tin: I’m stopping in with a
Continue readingFourth 2009 Ashes Test match report
2 minute read SW writes: It was agreed that The Australian and myself would enjoy a weekend of camping up at Peterborough with our acquaintance Price and some other lycra-clad rowing folk. There was rumour of naked rowing, pole climbing and general debauchery being on the cards, so this seemed like a good
Continue readingIs the Australian team better?
< 1 minute read Certainly Australian cricket is better. Look at the players that aren’t even playing: Phil Jaques, Test average 47; Brad Hodge, Test average 56; David Hussey, first-class average 55. That short list can quite easily be extended. The English system produces the odd exceptional player and that’s being generous – more
Continue readingRob Key’s sanguine outlook
< 1 minute read Rob Key’s greatest strength is his don’t-give-a-toss-ishness. It’s the main reason we originally warmed to him, back in the winter of 2002. It’s also why he makes a great captain. We know what you’re thinking: what about that bat-flinging hissy fit on Twenty20 finals day in 2007? That was a
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