< 1 minute read The tone of that title is meant to convey that this news is significant but that we don’t really have anything to say about it. We hope it has delivered in that regard. Kevin Pietersen’s absence seems like the kind of thing people might be talking about, but sometimes conversation
Continue reading< 1 minute read We used to fear this kind of thing, but it’s all been put in perspective by this: The holiday ends with you having a barbecue with the man himself. At least he’s a good cook. “Yes, I could definitely eat a 14th steak if you’d be good enough to go
Continue reading< 1 minute read Mitchell Starc’s been sent for an operation. Apparently, he’s been suffering with bone spurs for months. It’s very hard to keep track of injuries to Australian bowlers, but we think that he joins Pat Cummins and Jackson Bird on the sidelines. We presume Ryan Harris is injured as well, although
Continue reading< 1 minute read You see what happens? You see what happens? This is what happens. This is what happens when you goad Tlaloc, the Aztec rain god who loves Test cricket. Tlaloc has really been looking forward to the series between New Zealand and England, but then he found out about the schedule
Continue reading< 1 minute read Our facial hair says ‘couldn’t be bothered shaving’. Shikhar Dhawan’s says ‘I take enormous pride in my moustache’. Hair can build up like limescale or mould or it can be something you cultivate and tend to like a flower. Dhawan’s moustache reminds us of a possibly apocryphal story we heard
Continue reading< 1 minute read Expectations are a funny thing. A great film trailer guarantees a disappointing film. Far better to keep expectations low. That’s our philosophy. Promise nothing and then deliver half of something to semi-grateful murmurs of: “Oh, it’s not as bad as I expected.” After several years of promise and a number
Continue reading< 1 minute read A quick update on how Phil Hughes is doing against India’s spinners. He really kicked on today, scoring two whole runs. This means that Hughes has now been dismissed five times in his last 70 balls against spin, scoring two runs in that time. That’s 0.4 runs per dismissal at
Continue reading< 1 minute read A great result for Australia today with the first day’s play being a complete washout. It didn’t stop them making the one decision needed for them to commit to a playing eleven though. “We went with what we perceive to be our two specialist spinners.” Does that mean that they
Continue reading< 1 minute read Some believe that Brendon McCullum’s decision to bowl in Wellington was partly as a result of his decision to bat and then bowl on the first morning of a Test against South Africa at the start of the year. If so, he’s an idiot. The other alternatives are (1) that
Continue reading< 1 minute read This is the impression we’re getting. ‘Come up with three ways in which we can improve’ People keep using the word ‘homework’ and it’s because of the way the task was given to the players. It’s the kind of school assignment where the level of difficulty has been carefully gauged
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