King Cricket

December 4, 2009 India

Virender Sehwag is what Test cricket is all about

< 1 minute readVirender Sehwag: 284 not out overnight. This was Test cricket. The Sri Lankan players couldn’t just soak it up for 20 overs before seeing if they could do better. This problem wasn’t going away. But what they had to endure almost all day, the crowd got to enjoy all day

The five best all-rounders over the next five years

< 1 minute readNot sure we’ve got Imran Khan or Garry Sobers on the cards, but it’s not looking bad. Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh, age 22 As a cricket-writer, we’re worried there’ll be no words left in a few years time, because they’ll all have been eaten by Bangladesh criticisers. Shakib Al Hasan

December 2, 2009 County cricket

Beware the fury of Sussex County Cricket Club

< 1 minute readThe BBC are reporting that Sussex are furious with Surrey because the latter approached one of their players. Sussex chairman, Jim May, was red-faced with fury, ranting: “The approach is unwelcome and the timing very unfortunate.” Peppering the interviewer with flecks of spit and bile, May’s rage later reached its

December 1, 2009 Match report

Royal Challengers Bangalore v Cape Cobras match report

2 minute readDapper Dan writes: My day began as most of my days have begun recently: Girlfriend’s alarm goes off at 6.15am, she gets up, goes in shower, I go back to sleep. Girlfriend leaves for work approximately 7.15am, wakes me up to say goodbye, I go back to sleep. Sunlight in

November 30, 2009 Cricket books | reviews and recommendations

Ask Bearders by Bill Frindall | book review

2 minute readWe were supposed to review this ages ago. Note to publishers: don’t push cricket stuff during the Ashes. We know it’s the cricket Christmas, but everyone’s a bit busy. Ask Bearders is subtitled Answers to the World’s Most Challenging Cricket Questions. It’s a compilation of Bill Frindall’s columns for the

November 30, 2009 South Africa

Mark Boucher at six? This isn’t South Africa

< 1 minute readWhen England took the fourth wicket of what seemed like a mesmerisingly unstrenuous dismantling of the South African batting line-up, we wondered where the real South Africa were. Mark Boucher at six? Where was the breathtaking conservatism for which South African cricket is so renowned? Think back to the glory

November 29, 2009 Australia / India / New Zealand / Pakistan / Sri Lanka / West Indies

Innings victories in cricket – good or bad?

< 1 minute readIt’s good if it’s your side that’s won, but if you’re impartial, it means that a Test has been one-sided. Australia’s innings victory over West Indies also raises uncomfortable and unwelcome questions about the future of the West Indies as a Test team, even if their best player, Adrian Barath,

November 28, 2009 West Indies

Adrian Barath hits a hundred against Australia on his debut

< 1 minute readWe didn’t see Adrian Barath’s hundred against an Australia bowling attack that we feel professionally obliged to describe as ‘rampant’. Was it any good? Brian Lara though Barath was some prospect when he saw him batting in the nets, aged 11. Being as Barath’s 19 now, he must have been

November 27, 2009 Extras

Cricinfo article about variation in bowling and English leg spinners

< 1 minute readYes, it’s another lazy Friday morning non-post. We’ve written something for Cricinfo which you could generously say poked fun at the English attitude to leg spinners and cricket’s newfound love of variation and innovation. More truthfully, you could describe it as a big pile of lies. It’s a 6/10. Read

November 26, 2009 Australia / England / India / New Zealand / South Africa

The five best batsmen over the next five years

< 1 minute readThe big names are generally old bastards. Who’s next? Ross Taylor, New Zealand, age 25 Ross Taylor tends to look like he’s the man who’s going to win the match for New Zealand shortly before doing something slightly spacky. Pretty soon those fifties will become hundreds and those hundreds will