< 1 minute read Here’s some statistics. Since the start of 2003, Daniel Vettori has had 48 Test innings and averaged 41.60 with two hundreds and 11 fifties. Since the start of 2005, he’s averaged 48.18. Not half bad for a number eight batsman. You’ve really got to redefine what the middle-order is with
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.
Respectable day for England hints at a mediocre future
2 minute read On the face of it, with New Zealand 282-6 on a flat pitch, England had a pretty good day, but Alastair Cook won’t always catch so well and they won’t always be playing New Zealand. The plan of the day was Plan D, because Vaughan had already been through A,
Continue readingSteve Harmison needs to take responsibility for himself
2 minute read Steve Harmison’s playing in Test matches because he’s England’s most dynamic bowler, but there was no sign of that at Hamilton yesterday. Harmison says himself that he can’t bowl line and length, but instead sees himself as a 90mph strike bowler. It’s worrying that that’s his view as it sounds
Continue readingMahendra Dhoni captains India to CB Series victory
2 minute read No Dravid, no Ganguly – no problem. Other players are making the step up and showing the maturity that should go hand-in-hand with seniority, but so often doesn’t. We were unsure when Mahendra Dhoni was made the captain of India’s one-day team. The extravagant crowd favourite rarely makes the best
Continue readingPhil Mustard unconventionally fields a Pietersen drive
< 1 minute read So Phil Mustard’s dropping the balls into the bowling machine and Kevin Pietersen’s driving the ball. Pietersen gets hold of one and Mustard takes it in the face. Anyone who’s so much as held a cricket ball in their hand will be wincing ever-so-slightly at that. Mustard’s had to go
Continue readingAndrew Strauss is going to GET THE JOB DONE
< 1 minute read Ceci believes that Andrew Strauss will “bring an air of orderly tweediness” to the England team. We’re of the belief that smoking a pipe is the most distinguished, gentlemanly act there is and Ceci has provided us with this just that Strauss-based reassurance: Look at that pipe. It says: ‘Enough
Continue readingSachin Tendulkar finds something he hasn’t done and does it
< 1 minute read Namely, score a one-day international hundred in Australia. Rohit Sharma may have played a major part, but he merely provided able and precocious support to the main man. It might be about the fifth time we’ve written this, but it doesn’t get any less true: Sachin Tendulkar is THE BALLS.
Continue readingJermaine Lawson signs for Leicestershire
< 1 minute read We could just reproduce the article about Fidel Edwards signing for Worcestershire, but can we really be bothered reading through it and changing the names? It’ll be interesting to see what Leicestershire’s team will be like this season. At present they’re an intriguing mix of old, experienced foreigners and virtually
Continue readingAnother post about Andrew Strauss
< 1 minute read It’d be better for everyone if Andrew Strauss got dropped again. We wouldn’t have to write about him and you wouldn’t have to read about him. Strauss retired out with 104 in the second innings of the warm-up match against a New Zealand Selection XI. Frankly, he shouldn’t have been
Continue readingGraeme Smith and Neil McKenzie set world record opening partnership
< 1 minute read Opening partnerships are the most boring kinds of batting partnership – especially if it’s the first innings. There’s no context to the innings and you’re removing any doubt about the rest of the game. Let’s face it, after 415 runs without a wicket, it’s either going to be a South
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