< 1 minute read The quiet, southern, well-kempt, left-handed Michael Atherton for the 21st Century (actually, maybe he’s not Michael Atherton, thinking about it) brought the merest hint of pride back to shameful, shameful England with what we can’t help but describe as a rearguard hundred. Alastair’s very much a rearguard hundred kind of
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Andrew Flintoff’s impact
< 1 minute read Andrew Flintoff’s been away quite a long time now. He hasn’t featured in full health for England for even longer. We were starting to forget what was so good about him, but we think we remember. It’s because he has an impact. Career averages of 32 with both bat and
Continue readingEngland’s learning curve away from home versus Sri Lanka’s
2 minute read It’s bad when the aftermath starts on day two. We didn’t realise we’d be so much further on by day three though. We’re struck by the contrast with Sri Lanka’s tour of England in 2006. When Sri Lanka arrived, they were, without wishing to be disparaging, ripe for the taking.
Continue readingChaminda Vaas has one of his days again
< 1 minute read Here’s a post about Chaminda Vaas which deserves a second showing. Read that, then come back here. It took England two days to take six Sri Lankan wickets. Sri Lanka managed to take six English wickets by the time the score had reached 33. The world authority on subcontinental bowling
Continue readingEngland heading for fifth in ICC rankings
2 minute read If England don’t win this Test match, they’ll drop to fifth in the ICC’s Test rankings. With rain forecast and two days gone without one innings being completed, it looks like this’ll happen. We think it’s fair. Generally speaking, over their last few series, England have looked worthy and full
Continue readingHe bowls a heavy ball
< 1 minute read Apparently Ravi Bopara is ‘quicker than he looks’. This is a moronic statement that’s often made about a bowler. ‘He skids onto you a bit’ is another. Very rarely does anyone actually mean that the ball is delivered at such a low angle that the ball skids rather than bounces.
Continue readingHarmison in the wickets
< 1 minute read Pretty good, but he can do better still. We won’t really be satisfied until he runs through a side. That’s what Steve Harmison’s supposed to do – the Dreamland Steve Harmison who we regularly summon up when things aren’t going England’s way. The not-at-all-real Steve Harmison who embodies English cricketing
Continue readingThere’s a Test match in Galle
< 1 minute read Take that Mother Nature, you hooker. Okay, so you may have given that teddy bear special powers and turned him into SuperTed, but do you really think that balances out the tsunami? No, it doesn’t. This is our way of lauding the Sri Lankans for getting on with things and
Continue readingBook review: If It Was Raining Palaces I’d Get Hit By The Dunny Door
2 minute read Yes, it’s good. There’s a review for you. Okay, let’s do a little bit more. First of all, the title. If It Was Raining Palaces I’d Get Hit By The Dunny Door is quite transparently a bit of Australian slang. It’s a way of saying you’re unlucky even when it’s
Continue readingMichael Vaughan and Alastair Cook keep panic at bay
< 1 minute read It was far from a classic Test match. It felt like it was mapped out from the start and the players were just doing what they were expected to do. Now we’re no strangers to going through the motions, but we don’t put a professional veneer on like the cricketers
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