King Cricket

December 27, 2007 Australia / India

Brett Lee’s actually good nowadays

2 minute readStuart Clark got the better figures, 4-28 and got the best batsmen out, but the story’s about Brett Lee today. He took his 250th Test wicket, but there’s more than that. This is Australia’s third Test since Warne and McGrath retired and every time Australia’s opponents have batted, Brett Lee’s

December 27, 2007 South Africa / West Indies

It’s Shiv and he’s scoring a hundred

< 1 minute readWe haven’t seen it, but we bet it was beautiful. We could watch him play those lithe, supple shots all day. He doesn’t look at all like the chimney sweeps in Mary Poppins when he’s at the crease. He doesn’t rock from side-to-side like a dancing cockney when he ambles

December 22, 2007 England / Sri Lanka

Alastair Cook papers over some cracks

< 1 minute readThe quiet, southern, well-kempt, left-handed Michael Atherton for the 21st Century (actually, maybe he’s not Michael Atherton, thinking about it) brought the merest hint of pride back to shameful, shameful England with what we can’t help but describe as a rearguard hundred. Alastair’s very much a rearguard hundred kind of

December 21, 2007 England

Andrew Flintoff’s impact

< 1 minute readAndrew Flintoff’s been away quite a long time now. He hasn’t featured in full health for England for even longer. We were starting to forget what was so good about him, but we think we remember. It’s because he has an impact. Career averages of 32 with both bat and

December 20, 2007 England / Sri Lanka

England’s learning curve away from home versus Sri Lanka’s

2 minute readIt’s bad when the aftermath starts on day two. We didn’t realise we’d be so much further on by day three though. We’re struck by the contrast with Sri Lanka’s tour of England in 2006. When Sri Lanka arrived, they were, without wishing to be disparaging, ripe for the taking.

December 20, 2007 Australia / New Zealand

Ricky Ponting goes through some rather spectacular motions

< 1 minute readNo, he hasn’t risked eating cream cheese in Karnataka and isn’t enduring THOSE sorts of spectacular motions (just say no, kids). He’s just going through the cricketing motions, only ‘going through the motions’ for Ricky Ponting involves scoring unbeaten hundreds. He operates at a higher level, this batsman. Australia won

December 20, 2007 England / Sri Lanka

Chaminda Vaas has one of his days again

< 1 minute readHere’s a post about Chaminda Vaas which deserves a second showing. Read that, then come back here. It took England two days to take six Sri Lankan wickets. Sri Lanka managed to take six English wickets by the time the score had reached 33. The world authority on subcontinental bowling

December 19, 2007 England / Sri Lanka

England heading for fifth in ICC rankings

2 minute readIf England don’t win this Test match, they’ll drop to fifth in the ICC’s Test rankings. With rain forecast and two days gone without one innings being completed, it looks like this’ll happen. We think it’s fair. Generally speaking, over their last few series, England have looked worthy and full

December 19, 2007 England

He bowls a heavy ball

< 1 minute readApparently Ravi Bopara is ‘quicker than he looks’. This is a moronic statement that’s often made about a bowler. ‘He skids onto you a bit’ is another. Very rarely does anyone actually mean that the ball is delivered at such a low angle that the ball skids rather than bounces.

December 18, 2007 England / Sri Lanka

Harmison in the wickets

< 1 minute readPretty good, but he can do better still. We won’t really be satisfied until he runs through a side. That’s what Steve Harmison’s supposed to do – the Dreamland Steve Harmison who we regularly summon up when things aren’t going England’s way. The not-at-all-real Steve Harmison who embodies English cricketing