King Cricket

November 23, 2017 Australia / England

Massive weaknesses and massive strengths – the first few pages of the story of James Vince and Australia’s bowling attack

2 minute readOn the first day of the first Ashes Test, James Vince made what Reese described to us as ‘a daddy 30’. No-one expected Vince to make 83 and what’s so marvellous about that is that it undermines a number of pre-series certainties to leave us all watching a nice, unpredictable

November 22, 2017 Australia / England

Shaun Marsh’s back

2 minute readWe’re so glad we went with Shaun Marsh is back last time around because now that he’s suffering a back complaint we can use a totally new headline. Totally new. Marsh may or may not be fit for the first Test, but the development still has the potential to muddy

November 21, 2017 Australia / England

Pace and sustained pace – Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are half an attack

2 minute readAs the pre-Ashes war of words hits a dizzying peak of meaninglessness, it’s worth reflecting on something said long after a previous series had finished. Reflecting on the team’s modus operandi during The Mitchell Johnson Ashes, Peter Siddle said: “The key stat for us is maidens. The more maidens you

November 18, 2017 Cricket books | reviews and recommendations

Books to read at the cricket? Herding Cats: The Art of Amateur Cricket Captaincy by Charlie Campbell

< 1 minute readEdwardian writes Charlie Campbell is the captain of the Author’s XI. I’ve seen these roosters a couple of times at the Wormsley ‘Words and Wickets’ festival. In 2014 there was a tent displaying the latest Jaguar cars and the food was provided by Jamie Oliver. I marvelled at the burgers

November 17, 2017 Australia / England

Australia win the bloody Ashes

< 1 minute readIn shit news, Australia have retained the Ashes. They won the first T20 international to give them a four-point series lead with only four points left to play for. Test centurion Ellyse Perry was at one point on a hat-trick for Australia as England slipped to 16-4. From there, the

November 17, 2017 India / Sri Lanka

When did Kolkata become dibbly-dobbly military-medium paradise?

< 1 minute readIf you were India and had access to a time-and-place machine capable of replacing a nearby patch of land with one from elsewhere and elsewhen, then when and where would you choose to play Sri Lanka at Test cricket? It’s unlikely that you answered ‘Derby last April’ but that is

November 16, 2017 Australia / England

Shaun Marsh is back

2 minute readIt occurs to us that people are far more likely to say “Shaun Marsh is back” than use the contraction “Shaun Marsh’s back” when referring to his return. This rather undermines an excellent joke we were going to make. Never mind. We’re sure we’ll one day get an opportunity to

November 15, 2017 Extras

Cricket’s doping crisis hasn’t arrived yet

2 minute readThis week’s edition of The Spin reports that the ICC “stepped up” its dope testing at this year’s Champions Trophy when it started conducting blood tests. As someone who spends a significant proportion of his working life reading about the shortcomings of even blood testing, the idea that a sport

November 14, 2017 Australia / England

Joe Root crushes the ‘targeting’ cliché

< 1 minute readJoe Root has done many great things in international cricket. He launched England’s rebound in 2015 and kicked off the last Ashes with a magnificent hundred later the same summer. Now he’s shone a light on the fundamental bullshittery of ‘targeting’ the opposition’s captain/best batsman. “I’ve heard a lot of

November 11, 2017 Australia / England

Ellyse Perry takes a rare opportunity and makes it very difficult for England to win the Ashes

< 1 minute readEllyse Perry’s long wait for a Test hundred lasted nine years and seven Tests. If you don’t get too many opportunities, you might as well make any hundred a double – she finished on 213 not out. The first women’s Test match was between Australia and England in December 1934.

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It would be very comical if England looked at that, had a word with the groundsman and then picked a…

Did you see… Harry Brook’s first ball in Melbourne? Unquestionably the 2025/26 Ashes’ finest moment

Sky Sports has boiled its Ashes coverage down to its purest and greatest form: Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain standing there talking about what’s gone wrong

The 2019 Ridiculous Ashes (podcast)

The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments is definitely out now – you should buy it for someone! (Possibly yourself)

51. Michael Vaughan Declines A Crushing