< 1 minute readFew initially remarkable features, but you often get nice swing. If Jimmy has an end, Cricket Badger readers will soon be aware that Vernon Philander has two – a top and a bottom. This week’s Philander ailment is a light case of back knack. Violent full body convulsions can do
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.
Keith Pont benefit match report, Ongar Cricket Club, 1986
2 minute readChas and Nick write: Back in 1986, sister/auntie Susan worked in public relations for Rhône-Poulenc (now part of Aventis), in Ongar, Essex. She was asked by one of its cricket-loving executives to organise a cricket day for Keith Pont‘s benefit year at Ongar Cricket Club. It’s worth remembering how popular
Continue readingA cat moved from indifference by Toby Roland-Jones
< 1 minute readTom in Keynsham writes: “I know it’s not the usual thing, but it was noteworthy that our cat Olive took note of the cricket for the first time in her two-and-a-bit years on this planet during the emergence of Toe Roe-Joe.” Don’t worry, we’ve already commended Tom on providing a
Continue readingMoeen Ali, England’s second spinner, takes a hat trick
< 1 minute readWe’ve told you before how we once saw a story in the local paper where a woman had come second in some sort of vegetable growing competition despite being the only person to enter something in that particular category. The judges decided that her entry was only worthy of a
Continue readingToby Roland-Jones: first look in Test cricket
< 1 minute readWe don’t believe you can draw meaningful conclusions from players’ debuts – but we report on them anyway. We suppose that if people call you Toblerone, you’re kind of duty-bound to provide the odd peak. 4-39 is pretty useful for a kick-off. Toby Roland-Jones seems to bowl at around 80mph.
Continue readingWhat Ben Stokes’ erratic boundary-hitting says about his batting
< 1 minute readKevin Pietersen’s career strike-rate was 61.72. Matthew Hayden’s was 60.10. For all that these are batsmen with a reputation for intimidating bowlers, they chose their moments. This is a large part of the art of Test match batting. It’s about letting bowlers know that you are willing to hit them
Continue readingTom Westley: first look in Test cricket
< 1 minute readWe don’t believe you can draw meaningful conclusions from debut performances – but we report on them anyway. If there’s one thing we’ll say for Tom Westley, it’s that he appears to have a pleasing preference for the workmanlike side of the ground. Legside nurdlery has always worked for Alastair
Continue readingEngland pick some wheat and chaff and postpone their separation until later
< 1 minute readAs a result of Cricinfo’s redesign, we don’t actually know that a Sri Lanka v India Test is taking place and therefore cannot comment on who has scored hundreds and who has been dismissed for three. We will instead restrict ourself to an observation that England will be picking at
Continue readingIn what sense was JP Duminy “released”?
< 1 minute readJP Duminy had initially been sentenced to a full Test tour of England but has been released early due to good behaviour and bad batting. Duminy has been around a while. He made his one-day international debut in 2004 and his Test debut in 2008. Somehow he has played 46
Continue readingMonumental rant about Anya Shrubsole narrowly averted
< 1 minute readWe properly went off on one there for a minute. Internally. An onlooker wouldn’t have noticed a thing, but inside we were seething. Anya Shrubsole took 6-46 (plus a run-out) to win the World Cup for England and she wasn’t even player of the match. They gave it to a
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