Is Flintoff (whisper it) back?

Scenes like this will have English cricket fans, whatever the result at Edgbaston, nervously dreaming of the Flintoff of old. To type any more would be tempting fate.

Read Full Post »

Sehwag defies Mendis

Sehwagology gained another batch of converts today, as its Leader (who may or possibly may not have any brains, according to one non-believer) made an unbeaten ton, notable for the seeming ease with which he played the bowling of Ajantha Mendis, the scourge of Indian batsmen and claimer of two more wickets today (those of [...]

Read Full Post »

Vaughan gets bat on ball, allegedly

Michael Vaughan was out first ball today, but at least he managed to get bat on ball (sort of) and edge it to Mark Boucher rather than get bowled in a hilarious fashion as he usually does. As previously noted, Vaughan’s recent form with the bat has put him under pressure, to which, as Aggers [...]

Read Full Post »

Bolster v. “to give a boost to, to support as if with a bolster”

England have dropped/rested/grown jealous of Stuart Broad‘s good looks, restoring Paul Collingwood to the side to face South Africa at Edgbaston in his place. Given that this is apparently being done “to give the impression of bolstering their batting line-up“, isn’t it odd that the player dropped has a higher Test batting average (albeit from [...]

Read Full Post »

Rob Key doesn’t know or care

Rob Key still isn’t sure whether or not Kent will be able to take part in the Twenty20 Champions League, as they fielded ICL-contaminated players like Justin Kemp in the Twenty20 Cup. And if Rob Key doesn’t know (or indeed care), who does? The ECB are hopeful that a compromise can be reached, but what [...]

Read Full Post »

The World Twenty20 Qualifier

Not all countries are automatically invited to the Twenty20 party. Some have to qualify. There are three spots available for Associates in next year’s tournament, including the extra slot which has been created by the non-participation of Zimbabwe. Next weekend, the following teams will try and fill them: Group A features Ireland, Scotland and Bermuda. [...]

Read Full Post »

Harmison returns – wicketkeepers beware

Steve Harmison has been recalled to the England squad for the Third Test against South Africa at Edgbaston. Is this a short-term measure, a knee-jerk reaction to the failure of innovative selection in the last Test, or simply evidence that the 2005 Ashes DVD isn’t worn out yet?

Read Full Post »

Murali and Mendis blow India away

The old and the new in Sri Lankan spin bowling combined to devastating effect, to earn their side victory over India in the First Test by a whopping innings and 239 runs. (Various youtube highlights of Mendis and Murali’s wickets can be found here, here and here). In all the fuss over Mendis, the original [...]

Read Full Post »

Twenty20 Cup finals day: Cricket in the Shadow of the Dollar

Tomorrow’s Twenty20 Cup finals day at the Rose Bowl will take place under the shadow of two other events to which the participating teams may or may not be invited. Firstly, the two finalists would in theory have qualified for the now postponed Twenty20 Champions League, although Kent and Durham wouldn’t have been eligible due [...]

Read Full Post »

Dilshan’s appeal shows the way forward

Tillakaratne Dilshan made cricketing history earlier today when he successfully appealed an umpiring decision in the First Test between Sri Lanka and India, using the new referral system. He was given out by Mark Benson, but Third Umpire Rudi Koertzen ruled in Dilshan’s favour when the batsman challenged the decision. Whether the system becomes widely [...]

Read Full Post »

No more Kolpaks?

The EU has agreed on a new interpretation of the Cotonou Agreement, which forms the basis of the rule that allows Kolpak players to take part in county cricket without taking up an ‘overseas player’ berth. This new interpretation means that the treaty “should not be regarded as [pertaining to] free movement of labour“. This [...]

Read Full Post »

Mendis-mania and Draws Galore

Tomorrow, Sri Lanka take on India in the first Test of the series. Much of the talk has been about a certain Sri Lankan spinner, and not the usual one. Sri Lanka will probably need both Mendis and Muralitharan to hit form, as Malinga and Fernando are both injured, meaning that the pace bowling attack [...]

Read Full Post »