< 1 minute readBecause if you’ve got a fragile batting line-up, paper is the greatest disguise. You can conceal all manner of batting sins through judicious use of paper. England’s batting folded at Old Trafford but they got away with it. It happened at Headingley and they didn’t. Paul Collingwood’s innings of 91
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.
Rob Key fined for throwing bat in Twenty20 final
< 1 minute readWe thought it was a hissy fit of poise and dignity. If anything, it’s the ECB who should be fined – fined for crimes against perfection. Whatever that might mean. Luckily Rob mastered alchemy years ago and makes his own gold.
Continue readingRob Key hits 182 against Lancashire
< 1 minute readRob’s now hit 1130 first-class runs this season at an average of 59.47. After last season’s aberration (he was recovering from shoulder surgery) Rob’s back on track. Now seems a good time to fill you in on The Origin Of Rob Key. Just over a score and eight years ago,
Continue readingJames Anderson cruelly overshadowed
< 1 minute readWe have several other points to make about the Old Trafford one-dayer. We didn’t want to overburden you yesterday – our slightly addled hero worship seemed sufficient match analysis for one day. James Anderson bowled really well. Probably better than Stuart Broad. Anderson v Tendulkar is turning into an excellent
Continue readingAjit Agarkar tries to fool us with wickets – we won’t be fooled
< 1 minute readAjit Agarkar is still all kinds of terrible, despite taking four wickets in the fourth one-day international at Old Trafford. We’re not going to be swayed. We accept that his ball to Ian Bell was a beauty, although it was a hideously dreadful leave on Bell’s part. You don’t think
Continue readingRavi Bopara and Stuart Broad given the ultimate honour
2 minute readWhat were you doing when you were 21 or 22? We were mostly not leaving our room for weeks on end and feeling kind of numb inside. Not Stuart Broad and Ravi Bopara. They were exhibiting extraordinary amounts of steel in rescuing a disastrous one-day international run chase in front
Continue readingStuart Broad has won us over
< 1 minute readWe made Stuart Broad one of our ones to watch this season. Despite that endorsement, we’ve not been fully-convinced of his worth yet. A lot of hyperbole’s been spat in his direction and we weren’t really sure where it was coming from. We think we get it now. It wasn’t
Continue readingShahid Afridi puzzles over which glove’s the left and which glove’s the right
< 1 minute read[There used to be an image of Shahid Afridi staring at some gloves here] Just try and cram one on. If you haven’t succeeded within two minutes try the same glove ON THE OTHER HAND.
Continue readingAllan Donald preaches aggression
< 1 minute readAllan Donald became England’s bowling coach at the start of summer. Today marks the fiftieth occasion when an England bowler has said something along the lines of: “AD’s just been telling us to go out there and be really aggressive.” It was James Anderson on this occasion, but Ryan Sidebottom
Continue readingKent v Somerset Pro40 match report
< 1 minute readA match report, again from Lemon Bella who’s swiftly earning the title of ‘roving reporter (who tends to rove to the same destination)’: I was sat in front of two old ladies who couldn’t read the scoreboard or tell the players apart, so I had to help them fill in
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