2 minute read We don’t believe you can draw meaningful conclusions from players’ debuts – but we report on them anyway. Much to admire, but can Gus Atkinson play the reverse sweep? And how grumpy will he be when England’s fielders revert to shelling one chance in three, rather than velcroing-in everything remotely within
Continue readingTag: First look
Rehan Ahmed: first look in Test cricket
3 minute read We don’t believe you can draw meaningful conclusions from players’ debuts – but we report on them anyway. We have a track record of getting overexcited about 18-year-old leg-spinning all-rounders. It worked out last time though, so the way we see it, it makes perfect sense to get completely overexcited again.
Continue readingWill Jacks: first look in Test cricket
2 minute read We don’t believe you can draw meaningful conclusions from players’ debuts – but we report on them anyway. England have a long and rich history of travelling to the subcontinent and handing out caps to spin bowling all-rounders who they wouldn’t ordinarily pick for either their batting or their bowling. These
Continue readingMatty Potts: first look in Test cricket
2 minute read We don’t believe you can draw meaningful conclusions from players’ debuts – but we report on them anyway. Before this match, we wondered whether Matty Potts was unusually tall or unusually quick. Turns out he’s neither, which makes Rob Key’s comment that he saw him as a “point of difference”
Continue readingBen Foakes: first look in Test cricket
< 1 minute read We don’t believe you can draw meaningful conclusions from players’ debuts – but we report on them anyway. We have this thing where we reckon a chance is worth, on average, about 28 runs. Based on this, we believe it’s generally worth playing your best wicketkeeper in Test cricket because
Continue readingCraig Overton: first look in Test cricket
2 minute read We don’t believe you can draw meaningful conclusions from players’ debuts – but we report on them anyway. Craig Overton looks like a big fast bowler. Then he humphs in and dobbles it like a good ‘un. Dobblery is not a craft that is highly regarded in Test cricket, but
Continue readingToby Roland-Jones: first look in Test cricket
< 1 minute read We don’t believe you can draw meaningful conclusions from players’ debuts – but we report on them anyway. We suppose that if people call you Toblerone, you’re kind of duty-bound to provide the odd peak. 4-39 is pretty useful for a kick-off. Toby Roland-Jones seems to bowl at around 80mph.
Continue readingTom Westley: first look in Test cricket
< 1 minute read We don’t believe you can draw meaningful conclusions from debut performances – but we report on them anyway. If there’s one thing we’ll say for Tom Westley, it’s that he appears to have a pleasing preference for the workmanlike side of the ground. Legside nurdlery has always worked for Alastair
Continue readingKeaton Jennings: first look in Test cricket
< 1 minute read We don’t believe you can draw meaningful conclusions from debut performances – but we report on them anyway. If there’s one thing that county cricket generally doesn’t involve, it’s playing in India. You can probably think of other things it doesn’t involve, but this particular aspect seems relevant to Keaton
Continue readingJake Ball: first look in Test cricket
< 1 minute read We don’t believe you can draw meaningful conclusions from debut performances – but we report on them anyway. Google does currently appear to be conflating Jake Ball with the Welsh rugby player of the same name. The cricket one’s tall, but we’re pretty sure he doesn’t weigh 121kg. Our first
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