< 1 minute readThe Test before last, Australia fielded a bowling attack of Hilfenhaus, Johnson, Hauritz and George. In this Test, they have Harris, Bollinger, Siddle and Doherty, who have barely taken a wicket between them. What happens now? Go back to the first lot? The players can’t enjoy this selection drama. They’re
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.
What use is a flat track bully?
2 minute readThe term ‘flat track bully’ isn’t so popular these days. It’s because it’s no longer indicative of a weakness. A batsman who makes the most of flat pitches, bullying bowlers into submission, is basically what you want in Test cricket where 19 pitches out of 20 are basically pretty lifeless
Continue readingAlastair Cook further extends the time between dismissals against Australia
< 1 minute readAlastair Cook is in a Vaughanian run of form down under. When he was batting with Jonathan Trott, it was a case of ‘the bowlers may change, but the batsmen remain the same’. Was it the Ashes or some sort of Cook-Trott conceptual art? Can you detect the passage of
Continue readingThe James Anderson plan
< 1 minute readEngland showed us Plan A today – James Anderson beheads the innings with the new ball and then returns to sweep away the ankles with the second new ball. But you’re aware how fragile it is. Today it worked, but even after taking three wickets in 2.1 overs, Australia still
Continue readingHigh scores at Adelaide Oval Cricket Ground
< 1 minute readHistory’s a load of arse. It gives you a slightly better idea as to what might happen, but really all it tells you is what’s already happened. It’s a guide not gospel. We were told that Brisbane would be pacy and this that and the other, but the pitch started
Continue readingDue a big score, due a hundred
< 1 minute readWe’ve written about batsmen being ‘due’ a score before. The idea is that if a batsman isn’t scoring any runs, he’s actually stockpiling them for a future innings. The idea seems to be that every batsman has a quota of runs that he can allocate as he chooses. A terrible
Continue readingJohnson Watch feature dropped
< 1 minute readWe are sad to announce that the Johnson Watch feature is being dropped after just one instalment. The main reason for this is that the protagonist failed to hold up his side of the bargain. He didn’t bowl badly while hinting that he could bowl brilliantly at some point soon.
Continue readingWG Grace Ate My Pedalo | book review
< 1 minute readYou, King Cricket reader, will love WG Grace Ate My Pedalo. We are pretty much certain of that. You may all be very different, but you all have one thing in common – this website. Alan Tyers’ book is not a million miles away from what you might expect to
Continue readingJohnson Watch – part one
< 1 minute readWe figure we’ll formalise the Mitchell Johnson victimisation this year. Might as well. So here it is: ‘Johnson Watch’. Sounds a bit rude, but only really if you’re American – and as we all know, Americans don’t count. What passes for Mitchell Johnson news today is the following quote from
Continue readingAustralia v England, First Test, day three match report
< 1 minute readSorry for those of you still waiting for match reports to appear, but we thought we’d make an exception to our normal rules about leaving everything in the queue for months on end in order to maintain the Ashes theme. Remember that this isn’t Sam’s fault when you start the
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