< 1 minute readThat’s a reference to his name cropping up in talk of IPL match fixing and the fact that he’s won 12 international tosses in a row, including all of them on this tour of New Zealand (without yet winning a match). Top tossing, Mahendra. Top tossing. Even if the perfect
Continue reading< 1 minute readIt’s not just England then. South Africa have been forcefully Johnsonned and are probably already considering reverting to a more conservative team for the second Test. Five bowlers is great when you’re top of the world and full of confidence, but let’s just see what happens now that they’re rattled.
Continue reading< 1 minute readIf there’s one thing Australia have been lacking, it’s dull, steady, three-an-over partnerships in the middle order. Today they got one and they look like a proper team again. Even while gaily twerking atop England’s comatose body, there was a fragility about the Aussie Test team. How odd that they
Continue reading2 minute read“We’ve got the best fast bowlers.” “No, we’ve got the best fast bowlers.” “Not being funny, but actually, I think you’ll find we’ve got the best fast bowlers.” “Yeah, right, whatever. Have you even seen our fast bowlers?” The build-up to what promises to be a fascinating Test series between
Continue reading2 minute readGed writes: Late season, I always try to take in a day of county cricket with my old friend, Charley “The Gent” Malloy. It helps us both to prepare for the inevitable winter withdrawal symptoms to come. By 11am we were already tucking in to sesame bagels stuffed with honey
Continue reading2 minute read‘How about we put together a nice cosy environment where everyone goes along with everything Alastair says?’ Imagine we’re not talking about cricket for a second and put yourself in a position where someone’s just said that to you. How do you feel? Do you think that sounds like a
Continue reading< 1 minute readLeading India by 301 runs after the first innings, New Zealand frittered away all but 40 of them in the second innings to ensure an unexpectedly exciting finish to the first Test. If you’re in an almost unassailable position and want to make things interesting for yourself, get bowled out
Continue reading< 1 minute readWell that was easily the tensest sporting moment of the last 20 years. Possibly ever. There he was, on 99, and Cricinfo refreshed several times with no change to his score. Surely this moment couldn’t be ripped away from us so cruelly? We were absolutely on tenterhooks. But huzzah! After
Continue reading< 1 minute readIt’s a week in which teams have been relying on their big name, 30-something batsmen. This isn’t a coincidence. That’s just the way Test cricket works. Kumar Sangakkara has indulged in some average bolsteration by hitting 424 runs in the second Test against Bangladesh. For their part, Bangladesh managed two
Continue reading2 minute readIn our experience, the employees most likely to be considered ‘team players’ are the obedient, unquestioning ones. Management may make great show of inviting feedback – and they may honestly believe that they’re open to it – but the truth is that no-one makes a decision thinking it is the
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