< 1 minute readIt’s been very humid in the North-West these last few days. That probably didn’t have any impact on the outcome of the T20 International between England and Pakistan but we haven’t got much to say about the cricket so thought we’d flesh out this piece by talking about the weather
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The ins, outs and merits of England’s one-day plan
2 minute readIt’s not an elaborate plan. It’s not particularly intricate. It is however consistent and that is perhaps of greater importance than anything else. Previously, England seemed to pick 11 players before deciding how to play based on what they ended up with. This led to an ever-changing formula from which
Continue readingTypical Pakistan: magnificent one day, diabolical the next (according to the format)
< 1 minute readPakistan have actually achieved an even more impressive feat than becoming the top-ranked Test side. It takes a particular kind of artistry to become the top-ranked Test side while also maintaining ninth position in the one-day rankings. Hats off. So what’s the difference? An obvious answer would be ‘Misbah-ul-Haq and
Continue readingPakistan are slightly number one
< 1 minute readIf there is one great benefit to the ongoing turmoil at the top of the ICC’s Test rankings, it is that it is slowly starting to dawn on people that rankings are relative. Top can mean ‘out on your own, everyone else trailing in your wake’ or it can mean
Continue readingSeven things we learned from England v Pakistan
2 minute read We’ve been trying to provide some sort of pithy and insightful summary of the Test series for 24 hours now, but it’s not really happening. We’ll instead content ourself with a vague collage of observations. If these are our workings-out, maybe you can provide the conclusion yourself. Specialists and
Continue readingYasir Shah the best bowler in the world again – shortly after being worthless
2 minute readIt’s hard to say whether memories are fading faster these days – because who can honestly remember how things were previously? This was nevertheless a thought that has crossed our mind a few times of late – generally when some commentator or other has claimed that England have ‘worked Yasir
Continue readingYounus Khan knows what he’s doing – even if it doesn’t look like it
< 1 minute readWe really wanted Younus Khan to get runs in this Test. A lot of commentators who have at no point in their lives been able to bat even half as well as him have not just been criticising his batting during this series, but actually making fun of it. We’ve
Continue readingThe beard that smeared – Moeen Ali enjoys the evening session
2 minute readSmeared with exquisite timing and grace, we should say. It was poetic smearage. Smearage without breaking sweat. Smearage that involved all moving parts working in perfect harmony to pan the ball to the fence. Morning session It’ll be interesting to read the reports about this morning’s play. Was Alex Hales
Continue readingWhere is the ICC’s Test mace?
2 minute readNot much more than a week ago, Australia captain Steve Smith was presented with the ICC Test Championship mace in a closed ceremony. The media and public would of course have been clamouring to attend such a spectacular and meaningful event. The nature of the presentation gave rise to an
Continue readingEngland’s age of all-rounders
< 1 minute readEngland fielded eight batsmen to Pakistan’s seven in this match and five bowlers to their four. That is quite an advantage to carry. It was most notable when England batted in the second innings, when the duration of a Test match was really starting to bite. Pakistan’s quartet held it
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