Test cricket is becoming a competition between just three teams. That seems almost beyond doubt at this point. I can’t figure out how it’s good for the future of the game but the English, Indian and Australian cricket boards appear to disagree. Their actions have been promoting this outcome for years now, and the ICC […]
| 5m 13d ago
In the opening round of County Championship fixtures, there were several Australian players looking to prove their value to the test squad before the first Ashes match in Birmingham. Some of these Australians will likely be in the first eleven come June, Steve Smith being an example, whilst others will be playing the County Championships […]
| 5m 13d ago
Today, Steve Connor has an idea that would breathe new life into the Championship and maybe, just maybe, provide an international alternative to the IPL. I’m writing this in a short lull between various T20 leagues ending and the Big One, the IPL, starting. This comes a week after learning that something called Major League […]
| 5m 13d ago
When Rehan Ahmed was selected for the 3rd test against Pakistan in December, he became England’s youngest ever Test cricketer. At 18 years and 126 days, he beat the record set by Brian Close in 1949. It’s difficult to imagine any sporting record lasting for 73 years, but shows how cautious England have been in […]
| 6m 21d ago
England’s white ball teams now have a battery of left arm seamers, and often go in with as many as three. The sudden profusion of left arm options is, however, a fairly recent development, as until recently it was a comparative rarity for England to select a left armer in their seam attack. Perhaps the […]
| 6m 24d ago
Since its dawn in 2003, the T20 format has taken over cricket. Last year alone, there were a whopping 536 T20 international matches, including a successful World Cup alongside an array of domestic leagues and franchises. The format has been around for a mere two decades, yet has undergone a host of tactical developments. The […]
| 6m 27d ago
We shouldn’t let the ODI series in Bangladesh go unmentioned. Yes, it was ‘only Bangladesh’, but not everybody realises that the Tigers are rather handy in their own backyard. In fact, England are the only side to have won a bilateral ODI series in Bangladesh since 2015. And now we’ve done it twice! It’s an […]
| 7m 0d ago
Today, James Walker looks back at the tour that created England’s most prolific pairing… England cricket fans will have enjoyed the first Test against NZ at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty and a thrilling finish at the Basin Reserve, Wellington. Am I alone in not regretting the loss too much? Seemingly, there […]
| 7m 1d ago
Picture this: it’s your wife’s first time at a cricket match and she asks you what to expect – apart from a long day watching gentlemen in white throwing a red ball at a man with pads and a helmet on. “And what about the people?” she says. “It’s a wide variety” I reply, “let […]
| 7m 5d ago
Today, new writer Tom Chambers discusses Jonny Bairstow’s inevitable return to England’s Test side. Will Zak Crawley be the man to make way? It’s far from clear cut. Brendon McCullum made a rod for his own back when speaking to the BBC’s Test Match Special team back in December. When asked about a certain Yorkshireman’s […]
| 7m 5d ago
