< 1 minute readSo said South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk after her team had conceded a world record 216-1 in a T20 against New Zealand and then a few hours later conceded 250-3 against England. “An area of concern” is a great way of putting it. “An absolute liability” is just that
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England need a short-pitched specialist like Neil Wagner
< 1 minute readAsking someone to bowl with the old ball is not the same as picking someone who has built their career around bowling with the old ball. Asking someone to bowl short is not the same as picking someone who has built their entire career around bowling short. Being tall does
Continue readingThe fourth innings ‘ball hundred’
< 1 minute readRuns are not always the objective for a batsman. If a team finds itself behind in a game such that a win becomes almost impossible, the objective generally becomes survival. Similarly, if you’re one-nil up in a series and it’s the final Test, a draw means a series win. In
Continue readingIs Stuart Broad back and is that necessarily a wholly good thing for England?
4 minute readThe future’s here. The future’s even more of Stuart Broad bowling with the new ball. You might think that sounds suspiciously like the past and you’d be right. Sometimes things don’t change all that much. Actually one thing’s changed. Whether it’s enthusiasm, rhythm, a minor technical tweak or a combination
Continue readingWhen was the worst moment to tune in on the day England were 58 all out?
2 minute readEngland were 58 all out today and New Zealand didn’t even have to stoop to a bowling change. Being as play largely took place during the UK night, England supporters will have first seen the score at all sorts of different points, depending on bedtime, alarm time and bladder size.
Continue readingSix very important things to watch out for as New Zealand take on England in Big Man Cricket
2 minute readHat-tip to Marlon Samuels for coining Big Man Cricket, a term that really does sum up the might and majesty of the longest format rather well. 1. The Great Neil Wagner First and foremost, make sure you watch The Great Neil Wagner, whether on live coverage or via the tiny
Continue readingYou’ll never dismiss Jonny Bairst- oh…
< 1 minute readJonny Bairstow had made 104 runs off 59 balls when this happened. Two things to note. One, the bail is illuminated. Two, the position of Bairstow’s back foot. Pondering the former with reference to the latter, you might like to consider the path his bat took. Still, the job was
Continue readingA second Kane Williamson would have been handy
< 1 minute read“This game is not over until you get Kane Williamson out,” said Nasser Hussain when the New Zealand captain reached his fifty. Entirely untrue. England never did get him out, but still won. Kane Williamson scored getting on for a quarter of the runs in the match. No-one else passed
Continue readingEngland are back to loving 50-over cricket again
< 1 minute readIn the wake of their victory in the second one-day international against New Zealand, England have forgotten about Test cricket again and are back talking about the 50-over World Cup. Having officially changed policy after the first match, they’ve now officially changed back again. Ben Stokes or someone may or
Continue readingEngland revert to talking about the importance of preserving Test cricket as “the pinnacle of the sport”
2 minute readIn the wake of their defeat in the first one-day international against New Zealand, England have reverted to their traditional position that Tests are the main thing and they don’t really care about anything else. A 4-1 Ashes defeat followed by a 50-over series win encouraged an unprecedented change in
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