2 minute readIf you write for a proper newspaper, reporting on county cricket is largely about identifying the English player who did best on the day and then saying that he’s going to get a national call-up before too long. Yesterday, we read a comment from Jos Buttler’s coach at Somerset, Andy
Continue readingCategory: England
Adil Rashid is getting worse
< 1 minute readHow much worse? One worse. Having taken 6-77 in Worcestershire’s first innings, Adil Rashid could only manage 5-37 in their second innings. This grave loss of form is deeply worrying. Ben Stokes is getting better How much better? 125 better. Having scored 10 in Durham’s first innings, Ben Stokes then
Continue readingAdil Rashid has day one of the County Championship
< 1 minute read“Day one of the County Championship?” thought Adil Rashid. “I’ll have that.” So he did. Rashid has kicked off with 6-77 against Worcestershire. That’s called ‘being better than everyone else,’ that is. We recognise it well from all the millions of times we’ve been one small part of the ‘everyone
Continue readingCounty Championship players to watch in 2011
< 1 minute readCounty Championship only. First division only. We’re also lumping them all together in one post this year, because multiple posts feels like quite a big commitment. Adam Lyth, Yorkshire Our reasons for picking batsmen to watch are invariably the same: they’re young and we’ve got a general sense that they
Continue readingStrauss v Dilshan sums it up
< 1 minute readWhen Tillakaratne Dilshan opened the bowling, Andrew Strauss couldn’t get him off the square. This was largely because he couldn’t make contact with the ball. When one of the most experienced batsmen in English cricket finds himself in this position against a part-time off-spinner, you have to ask yourself whether
Continue readingWhat Geoff Boycott said about Mike Yardy
< 1 minute readGeoff Boycott’s comments about Mike Yardy have attracted a lot of criticism. When told that Yardy was being forced to go home because of depression, Boycott said: “I’m surprised, very surprised. But he must have been reading my comments about his bowling, it must have upset him. “Obviously it was
Continue readingCricket World Cup storylines
< 1 minute readThe great thing about actual, proper tournaments is the way that narratives develop. Every remaining team already has a good story in place if they eventually go on to become World Champions. Pakistan – Would defy what was a catastrophic build-up to the tournament even by their standards. Being as
Continue readingJonathan Trott has become one of our favourite players
2 minute readWe realised this last night while watching The Ashes Series 2010/2011 – The Inside Story for an upcoming review. Obviously the runs help, but it’s not just that. What we like most about Jonathan Trott is his certainty. We trust his opinion. Everyone else is wrong During this World Cup,
Continue readingA five-step plan for an England World Cup win
< 1 minute readSince the telling contributions of Luke Wright and James Tredwell against the West Indies, it’s now apparent that we know what we’re talking about. Specifically, our bowl shallow-bat deep computer game-inspired template is clearly the way forward. With that in mind, we thought we’d outline a five-point plan as to
Continue readingEngland in the 2011 World Cup group stages
< 1 minute readFour wickets for two runs to record a win over the West Indies by 18 runs. That was the latest instalment of England’s ongoing experiment to see how much tension human beings can endure. It’s just plain ridiculous now. It doesn’t matter who they pick, how they play, who they’re
Continue reading