2 minute readFans and pundits alike are agreed that Steve Smith will be the difference between the two sides in this year’s Magellan Ashes (movement rate of all ships is increased by two). He has therefore been named man of the series, even though we’re barely halfway through the first Test. Some
Continue readingAuthor: King Cricket
Otherwise known as Alex Bowden, a lapsed cricket journalist who has written for ESPNCricinfo, wisden.com, Cricket 365, The Cricketer and plenty of other places.
Links to some non-cricket writing and a bit more background here.
Steve Smith erodes delight
2 minute readSteve Smith is a very boring batsman these days. There’s so little jeopardy about his play that it’s hard to feel interested. For much of the latter part of the day, events progressed along a railroad with no possibility for detours. Some would say he’s the best batsman in the
Continue readingMassive weaknesses and massive strengths – the first few pages of the story of James Vince and Australia’s bowling attack
2 minute readOn the first day of the first Ashes Test, James Vince made what Reese described to us as ‘a daddy 30’. No-one expected Vince to make 83 and what’s so marvellous about that is that it undermines a number of pre-series certainties to leave us all watching a nice, unpredictable
Continue readingShaun Marsh’s back
2 minute readWe’re so glad we went with Shaun Marsh is back last time around because now that he’s suffering a back complaint we can use a totally new headline. Totally new. Marsh may or may not be fit for the first Test, but the development still has the potential to muddy
Continue readingPace and sustained pace – Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are half an attack
2 minute readAs the pre-Ashes war of words hits a dizzying peak of meaninglessness, it’s worth reflecting on something said long after a previous series had finished. Reflecting on the team’s modus operandi during The Mitchell Johnson Ashes, Peter Siddle said: “The key stat for us is maidens. The more maidens you
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Books to read at the cricket? Herding Cats: The Art of Amateur Cricket Captaincy by Charlie Campbell
< 1 minute readEdwardian writes Charlie Campbell is the captain of the Author’s XI. I’ve seen these roosters a couple of times at the Wormsley ‘Words and Wickets’ festival. In 2014 there was a tent displaying the latest Jaguar cars and the food was provided by Jamie Oliver. I marvelled at the burgers
Continue readingAustralia win the bloody Ashes
< 1 minute readIn shit news, Australia have retained the Ashes. They won the first T20 international to give them a four-point series lead with only four points left to play for. Test centurion Ellyse Perry was at one point on a hat-trick for Australia as England slipped to 16-4. From there, the
Continue readingWhen did Kolkata become dibbly-dobbly military-medium paradise?
< 1 minute readIf you were India and had access to a time-and-place machine capable of replacing a nearby patch of land with one from elsewhere and elsewhen, then when and where would you choose to play Sri Lanka at Test cricket? It’s unlikely that you answered ‘Derby last April’ but that is
Continue readingShaun Marsh is back
2 minute readIt occurs to us that people are far more likely to say “Shaun Marsh is back” than use the contraction “Shaun Marsh’s back” when referring to his return. This rather undermines an excellent joke we were going to make. Never mind. We’re sure we’ll one day get an opportunity to
Continue readingCricket’s doping crisis hasn’t arrived yet
2 minute readThis week’s edition of The Spin reports that the ICC “stepped up” its dope testing at this year’s Champions Trophy when it started conducting blood tests. As someone who spends a significant proportion of his working life reading about the shortcomings of even blood testing, the idea that a sport
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