King Cricket

January 25, 2018 India / South Africa

South Africa v India is not boxing, it’s racing

< 1 minute readWith wickets falling every 10 or 20 runs in the South Africa v India series, it’s tempting to resort to the heavyweight boxer cliché. This has the two combatants going toe-to-toe, knocking lumps out of one another with neither taking a backward step. It’s odd to think of wickets as

January 23, 2018 Australia / England

What does Lloyd Pope’s hair say about his leg-spin?

2 minute readLloyd Pope took 8-35 to knock England out of the Under-19 World Cup and he’s done a bunch more eye-catching stuff since. This is Lloyd Pope’s hair. You may also notice something hanging off the bottom of it. That thing is Lloyd Pope. You may feel that a man’s hair

January 22, 2018 Extras

We got someone who’s been off work sick to report on the Under-19 World Cup for us

2 minute readBudgets and time constraints being what they are, this seemed a smart way to go about things. The Under-19 World Cup is definitely a tournament where you want to hear the views of someone who’s had a very heavy cold – particularly if that person also happens to harbour an

January 20, 2018 Extras

Newsflash: most cricketers enjoy all forms of the game and don’t actually want to choose between formats

< 1 minute readIt’s often said that young players are choosing T20 over Tests because of the huge financial rewards on offer. We happen to think that’s bullshit. Yes, there are undoubtedly a few players who set out to specialise, but a far greater number find themselves doing so unwillingly. It is something

January 19, 2018 Australia / England

England’s one-day bowling strategy shows up everything that’s wrong with their Test approach

< 1 minute readSpeaking about England’s Test bowling attack this week, Steve Harmison managed the rare feat of deploying the word ‘unit’ in a halfway meaningful way. He told Sky Sports that England have to, “make sure that at any one given time they’ve got skill factor with the new ball, an X-factor

January 18, 2018 Match report

Charity cricket in Regent’s Park – match report

4 minute readTwo reports on the same August 2000 charity match. Nigel writes: My friend, Lefty-Righty, sent an e-mail to me and Chas recently, which read: “I uncovered a note about a charity match in Regent’s Park, 24 August 2000, against [massive global communications corporate] about which I had more or less

January 17, 2018 England

Ben Stokes has been charged with a crime which apparently means he should become available for England again

< 1 minute readBen Stokes was suspended from international cricket while the Crown Prosecution Service decided whether or not to press charges relating to the Bristol scuffle. Now that they have decided to charge him, he’s once again become eligible for selection. We have no real opinion on whether or not Stokes should

January 16, 2018 India

Remember when Virat Kohli was a limited overs cricketer?

2 minute readNick Hoult wrote the case study we couldn’t be bothered writing in The Telegraph yesterday. The short version is that between now and England picking their first Test squad to face India in August, Jason Roy will have at most one first-class match in which to make his case for

January 14, 2018 Australia / England

We’re not going to write about Jason Roy

< 1 minute readJust read last week’s Wisden piece again with this innings in mind. Jason Roy played five first-class matches last season.

January 13, 2018 India / South Africa

Ajinkya Rahane must be shit-hot at making drinks

2 minute readWe’ve always liked Ajinkya Rahane. He’s always struck us as a batsman who can adapt to different situations and different conditions. India like him too. They like him to be 12th man. Rahane’s case for inclusion in the second Test against South Africa wasn’t undeniable, we’ll admit. He had a