A wicketkeeper and all-rounder to watch

The last two of my XI to watch: Steve Davies: A young English wicketkeeper with plenty of promise. Has performed well in domestic cricket, and has been tipped for the England gloves since forever (well, 2006). This could be his season, although it could admittedly not be. It could be someone else’s. Fawad Alam:Has been [...]

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3 young batsmen to watch

Here are some more young guns (although not in the Wham! sense) who will soon be setting the cricketing world alight like wire wool and a battery. Nasir Jamshed: Already has a decent average in ODIs (even if so far he’s only played against Zimbabwe), and he’s included in a near-full strength Pakistan squad to [...]

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The IPL – coming to London?

The Indian Premier League (or at least IPL franchises) could be coming to Lord’s or the Oval, according to The Times. This development is bound to focus the minds on county boards. Surrey’s chief executive is already talking about “rescheduling our own Twenty20 and we hope it will involve franchises” such as “Vodafone London – [...]

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Weekend Youtube: Shane Keith Warne

Now that Shane Warne has decided to quit First Class cricket, here are some of his finest moments. Warne, of course, burst into Test cricket’s collective consciousness with ‘The Ball of the Century‘, and it wasn’t long before he was annihilating batting line-ups on a regular basis. He was always a match-winner, and in the [...]

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Shane Warne likes money

Part-time Neighbours star and former Hampshire captain Shane Warne has announced his retirement from First Class cricket, in order to concentrate on his other interests such as dubiously flogging hair-loss treatment, playing poker and raking it in playing in the Indian Premier League. The IPL is already changing the way county chief executives think. The [...]

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3 young fast bowlers to watch

After the spinners come the seamers. No real surprises Tim Southee: I was going to include him anyway, but he tops the list after this. Crazed batting aside, taking 5-55 in your first Test is pretty special in and of itself. Mitchell Johnson: Won acclaim in some quarters after pulling out of the IPL in [...]

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Questions answered?

So, has England’s first away Test series win for three years answered the questions that I said they were facing a month ago? Not entirely, of course, but things are a little clearer. Should Strauss play? We had to wait until the 3rd day of the 3rd Test to get any evidence that the Wing [...]

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England Vs New Zealand – 3rd Test

I’m so late to the party, I may as well direct you to Republique Cricket, Are YOU a Left-Arm Chinaman or The Googly. What can I say? I’m too busy wondering if my questions have been answered to worry about such events.

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Drop Vaughan?

Dominic Cork has suggested dropping Michael Vaughan. At the moment, Vaughan’s captaincy skills are keeping him in the side, but how bad a captain can you be if you have Ryan Sidebottom taking 7-47?

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3 young spinners to watch

I was going to do a Top Ten To Watch, but I’m lazy so I’m doing it in installments: Sulieman Benn: I’ve already mentioned that Benn impressed me during the Stanford 20/20, and he’s currently making his Test debut for the West Indies. Adil Rashid: Already touted elsewhere as a Young Buck with a fair [...]

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Strauss and Bell gorge on runs

Like a pair of schoolboys who had been forced to give up runs for Lent, Ian Bell and Andrew Strauss gorged themselves yesterday on the New Zealand attack. It was less buffet bowling than smörgåsbord bowling. New Zealand, by contrast, face a gargantuan task to save the match and the series. If Fleming makes a [...]

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New Zealand capitulate even more dramatically than England

Anything England can do, New Zealand can do better, or rather worse. Ryan Sidebottom continued his recent good form, taking best ever figures of 7-47. This will no doubt add weight to the argument that he is one of the best in the world at what he does. Also continuing his recent form, although in [...]

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