King Cricket

June 24, 2021 India / New Zealand

New Zealand’s World Test Championship and the fallacy of fairness

3 minute readWhere did we get this idea that every trophy has to be a lab experiment, measuring and weighing every facet of excellence? In the immediate aftermath of defeat, Virat Kohli said that in future the World Test Championship final, “has to be a test of character over three Tests.” Beaten

June 22, 2021 England

Oh look, a Chris Woakes. Forgot we had one. What shall we do with it?

2 minute readAfter six years away, Chris Woakes is back in England’s T20 squad. It kind of feels like they’ve just happened upon him hanging about the place and concluded that they had to put him somewhere. We’ve been moving house for the last week or so. We were only supposed to

June 21, 2021 India / New Zealand

Drawn Test matches are great because draws make Test wins better

< 1 minute readIt’s not a complicated thing. When you win a Test match, you’ve conquered not just the opposition but also time. This makes Test wins a bigger deal. It’s not enough to be better than the other team to win a Test match. You have to be better than them to

June 17, 2021 England / India

Charles Bannerman, Enid Bakewell and the incredible rarity of Test match No.141

2 minute readWomen’s Test matches are almost incomprehensibly rare – as evidenced by the fact that India are currently on a three-match winning streak which began in 2006. (The initial victory was followed by a bumper 2014 in which they played twice.) England’s long format fixture list hasn’t generally been too congested

June 16, 2021 Match report

A 1997 Ridiculous Ashes podcast match report

2 minute readRegular King Cricket contributor Ged Ladd writes… I listened to each of the first four Tests of the 1997 Ridiculous Ashes podcast while resting my back on the bed, early evening, following early morning starts. I can report that this method reliably sends me to sleep after 10 to 15

June 15, 2021 Regulars

Dusty seemingly exhibiting active distaste for the County Championship

< 1 minute readAP Webster writes… You may recall my parents’ cat, Dusty, from his indifference to the Boxing Day Test back in 2019. What with the whole global pandemic business, this weekend* (during which we have celebrated a Big Birthday for an important family member, and crucially also the first weekend I’ve

June 14, 2021 England / New Zealand

That match when Mark Wood top scored in England’s second innings

< 1 minute readA lot of things happen over the course of a Test match – even one that barely scrapes into a fourth day. But you look at an innings where Mark Wood top scored and that feels like the main thing. That’s the thing that sums the match up, isn’t it?

June 8, 2021 Australia / England / Features

The 2013/14 Ridiculous Ashes

2 minute readWe’ve done series two of The Ridiculous Ashes Podcast with Dan Liebke. It’s about the 2013/14 Ashes and we’ll add the episodes below as they go out each week. If you don’t already know, the Ridiculous Ashes is an alternative trophy awarded to the side that produced the most hilarious

June 7, 2021 England / New Zealand

That match when Devon Conway and Ollie Robinson made their Test debuts

4 minute readWe’re pretty sure we know how this Test will be remembered. The England team for the first Test averaged less than 273, so it didn’t seem unreasonable that they gave up trying to chase that on the final day against a really very good and balanced bowling attack. Others disagree,

June 4, 2021 Match report

As cricket crowds (partially) return – what’s it been like to be in the stands at Lord’s this week?

2 minute readSend your match reports to king@kingcricket.co.uk. We’re only interested in what it was like to be at the game, so if it’s a professional match, on no account mention the cricket itself. Equally, if it’s an amateur match, please go into excruciating detail. Regular King Cricket contributor Ged Ladd writes…