< 1 minute readLancashire started their must-win-by-a-mile match quite well, but James Harris and Ravi Patel secured a batting bonus point for Middlesex which means we now have a clearer idea of exactly what each team needs to do to survive. Lancashire need to either score 350, or declare with fewer than eight
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Relegation’s what you need
< 1 minute readYou know what we’re doing with that headline, right? That’s your theme for the week. Every time your mind idles, hopefully that’ll be what rises to fill the void. You’re welcome. There’s basically just one thing left to play for in the first division of the County Championship and that’s
Continue readingDurham do the dishes and then take out the recycling
< 1 minute readThe final of the domestic 50-over competition is an odd thing. It took place yesterday, in late September – a fortnight after the semi-finals, three weeks after the quarter finals and a month after the main bit of the tournament. You can see why it works that way, but with
Continue readingMop-up of the day – first-class status and second division performances
2 minute readThe Champions League is on. We managed to watch half of one innings, but it’s such a stupid, managed tournament, it isn’t really sport in any meaningful sense, so it’s back to county cricket. First-class but second-rate In these triple-format days, is first-class status as meaningful as it once was?
Continue readingYorkshire’s County Championship summed up in one line
< 1 minute readNot one of ours, unfortunately. It’s by Cricinfo’s David Hopps – a Yorkshireman hisself. “Their first Championship win for 13 years is a lesson to English cricket, based as it is on a strong commitment to player development – among all ethnic groups, and extending beyond the privileged classes.” Which
Continue readingVent your feelings about Ravi Shastri
< 1 minute readIn a recent comment, Bert revealed that he had something of earth-shattering importance to say about Ravi Shastri arising from this week’s Cricket Badger (sign up here). Unfortunately, he didn’t have a place to say it. Let this be that place. It also occurred to us that many of you
Continue readingMop-up of the day – spreading Roses
< 1 minute readThe Pennines have long separated good from bad, but there’s been an odd inversion in county cricket this year. White Rose good Nottinghamshire were the only team who could have prevented Yorkshire from winning the County Championship. Being as Yorkshire are positively monstering them with just one more game to
Continue readingThe ICC flexes its elbow muscles
< 1 minute readWell this is news. Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal has been banned from bowling. Ajmal was tested once before and had his action cleared. But not this time. This time he has been found guilty of the greatest crime in cricket. People will whisper the word whenever he is near and he
Continue readingMop-up of the day – England won two games
< 1 minute readEngland finally found a modicum of limited overs success. They’ve analysed the stats and apparently scoring hundreds and making big totals will give them a better chance of success in the World Cup. Common sense might also tell you such a thing. The fifth one-day international Joe Root became the
Continue readingOvertraining in cricket – a plea for an off season
3 minute readWe’ve written a rather hefty piece for Cricinfo about overtraining in cricket. We think it’s a big deal, but we get the distinct impression that no-one else really does. It’s partly that people don’t really understand the concept. Understandably, they think it just means training too much, but overtraining is
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