2 minute read Matt Parkinson bowled someone with a ball-of-the-century-esque leg break earlier this month. He is also the man responsible for the slowest delivery in the entire CricViz database. Last week he took 7-126 in Lancashire’s innings victory over Kent, meaning he now has 15 wickets at 16.80 this season – despite
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A very obvious argument against tinkering with county cricket
2 minute read This is not an argument in favour of the status quo. This is not an argument to say never change things. It is just to point out that if you change every single county cricket competition, every single year, there are consequences. The format of county cricket has been tinkered
Continue readingDarren Stevens: a quite magnificently durable Wookie of a cricketer
2 minute read Was there a specific moment when you realised you were no longer young? We’re assuming you’ve realised by now. If you haven’t, we’re sorry to break it to you, but… We remember being highly alarmed the first time we heard Calvin Harris sing, “I’ve got love for you if you
Continue readingThings that are not rubbish about the Hundred: Sarah Taylor (+ videos)
2 minute read Say what you like about the Hundred, but it’s giving us Sarah Taylor when we otherwise wouldn’t have Sarah Taylor. The former England wicketkeeper is returning to professional cricket after joining Welsh Fire, having previously retired from cricket in 2019. We wonder how many times this year we’re going to
Continue reading2021 county cricket explained: What are the various competitions and how do they work?
4 minute read Few things gain complexity the more you try to simplify them. County cricket is an incredible thing. First things first: there are five – count ’em – FIVE different domestic cricket competitions to be contested in 2021. The County Championship The Bob Willis Trophy The One-Day Cup The T20 Blast
Continue readingDanish Kaneria or Dane Vilas – who is most Danish?
4 minute read Danish Kaneria is a Pakistani cricketer who has been banned from the sport for life for spot-fixing. Dane Vilas is a South African cricketer who currently plays for Lancashire. Despite what their names suggest, neither player is from Denmark. So who is most Danish? Let’s measure the two men against
Continue readingSo many bowlers, such pink balls, highly questionable invincibility – Mop-up of the day
2 minute read Welcome to Tuesday. Here are some things people may or may not want to talk about this Tuesday. England beat New Zealand fairly easily Heather Knight’s world champions hadn’t actually played a one-day international since December 2019, but they beat New Zealand in the first of three matches without too
Continue readingWhen did Keaton Jennings turn into Napoleon Dynamite?
< 1 minute read This is a rhetorical question, because even without research we know the answer is ‘during lockdown’. Isabelle Westbury reckons Keaton Jennings has gone Gower, but that isn’t quite right, is it? Keaton’s mane is more luxuriant than Gower’s. The truth is that Keaton has thought to himself: ‘Girls only like
Continue readingWas it tantamount to cheating for Essex to have Alastair Cook in the Bob Willis Trophy final?
2 minute read Essex won the Bob Willis Trophy because they scored more first innings runs than Somerset in the final. Essex made 337-8 and Somerset made 301. Alastair Cook scored 172. Only one other Essex player passed 30. There is something satisfying about this; the idea that the best players are very
Continue readingYou can watch (and rewatch) the whole of the Bob Willis Trophy final for free – including rain delays
2 minute read The Bob Willis Trophy final between Somerset and Essex is taking place this week. There were only 44 overs yesterday, but that’s okay because it’s a five-day game. The big news is that you can watch it. Sky Sports, the England and Wales Cricket Board and the BBC are all
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