< 1 minute readThe moment, when it came, was hugely exciting. Connoisseurs of booing had spent quite some time nervously anticipating it. A full series build-up and then a full day’s play where the prospect of a home win grew ever more likely. Just what would it sound like when Megatron finally turned
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Even the highlights were boring
< 1 minute readOver rates and now run rates. England are in no hurry. Whatever the motivation, it doesn’t make for much of a spectacle. A team batting for a draw can make for riveting entertainment, but it’s tension that makes the cricket so compelling. When a team is batting for a draw
Continue readingWhat do you make of Steve Smith’s batting?
2 minute readWe’ve been struggling with this for months and we’ve still not reached any firm conclusions. We asked an Australian friend for his view and he just said: “He’ll be fine,” which didn’t really help clarify things. We’re probably verging towards this: In good conditions in the first innings, Smith’s head’s
Continue readingShane Watson’s muscle and skull
< 1 minute readOne of the reasons why it’s been so enjoyable to watch Shane Watson’s hapless summer is because he generally looks like the kind of batsman who can rifle a long series of chanceless fours. Yesterday, he actually did this. His drives were crisper than neglected bacon blackening under the grill
Continue readingAustralia’s batting disorder, Watson’s travels, something about buckets and Lehmann acting like Kevin Keegan
2 minute readIt’s the first morning of a Test. It’s time to try and come to terms with yet another new Australian batting line-up. Some batting orders are etched in stone. Australia’s are spelt out in magnetic letters on the door of the fridge. Obviously Mitchell Starc returns, because he plays every
Continue readingThe fifth Test is an Ashes Test
< 1 minute readWe don’t really buy into the concept of the dead rubber when it comes to Test matches. In a long one-day series, a situation can arise where bowlers are running in with a figurative cup of tea in one hand and a biscuit in the other (clasped awkwardly between two
Continue readingGooey foundations and a lack of curse words
< 1 minute readDirk Nannes has written about second XI cricket over at All Out Cricket. He draws attention to Greg Chappell’s decision to limit Australian state second XI teams to just three players over the age of 23 back in 2009. Chappell’s thinking appears to betray a belief that older players who
Continue readingAustralia, you have been sherminated
< 1 minute readWell that was – actually, what was that? It’s probably a bit early to be committing to specific words, so let’s not. England have won the Ashes. That’s a functional way of saying it. You can add your own emotions internally. England won every Test in which Ian Bell scored
Continue readingWhen every run matters
< 1 minute readWe’ve almost certainly written about this 12 times before, but cricket is at its best when the value of a run is greatest. A drop of rain is more gratefully received in the Outback than in the Lake District. It’s hard to judge what would be a decisive lead going
Continue readingChris Rogers is pretty good at edging it
2 minute readThat sounds like a backhanded compliment, but as a right-hander who bats left-handed, Rogers shouldn’t see backhand as being necessarily inferior. Edges We’re not sure we’ve ever seen a batsman miss and edge the ball quite as much as Chris Rogers did today. It was unreal. You can take it
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