Australia vs West Indies: Test Series Preview

Australia go into their first Test series since the Ashes with a strong desire to bounce back, and one could hardly dispute that the West Indies are in need of a boost following their recent troubles, so both sides should be sufficiently motivated for the three Test series which starts on Thursday. For Australia, the [...]

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Champions Trophy: Group A Preview

The second most prestigious tournament in everyone’s third-favourite format of the game is nearly here. Can you contain yourself? Here are the Group A runners and riders: Australia will no doubt have had a confidence boost from driving a steamroller over England over the latter part of the summer, but doubts remain over how they [...]

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The Headingley Forecast

The ten-day weather forecast for Leeds (or at least the one available at the time of writing, these forecasts have a habit of changing) doesn’t make pleasant reading for an Australian side one Test down with two to play. Given the impact that losing a day’s play (or more) tends to have on Test matches [...]

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Anderson the all-rounder?

England fans everywhere are carefully considering whether or not to get their hopes up after their side ended the second day of the Second Ashes Test at Lord’s needing only two further wickets to bowl out Australia, who currently languish 69 runs short of the follow-on target. Jimmy Anderson in particular starred with the ball [...]

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Let’s not get carried away…

In all the excitement about England’s remarkable batting to save the First Test (Monty Panesar faced 35 balls, for goodness’ sake), and all the inevitable claims about the effect on the remainder of the series, it’s important to remember that the finish was only as dramatic as it was because England failed spectacularly both in [...]

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England’s Ashes Attack

Much has been made in the build-up to the Ashes about the supposed weakness of Australia’s bowling attack, but it is quickly becoming apparent that England’s isn’t quite as good as some people would have you believe. Flintoff has bowled plenty of overs without looking particularly menacing; Panesar‘s only wicket was more or less self-inflicted [...]

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Deja Vu?

It’s the Ashes. Everyone’s still talking about the 2005 series. England have made a ‘big’ score, mainly thanks to Pietersen and Collingwood but with contributions from others too, everyone in the UK has got even more excited about this, then Australia have got in and, with no small contribution from Ponting, have made the ‘big’ [...]

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England vs Australia: Test Series Preview

Unless you’ve been hiding away in a University tower for the last couple of months, it can hardly have escaped your notice that the Ashes starts tomorrow with the First Test in Cardiff. England’s fans (and some sections of the media) seem to have suffered a bout of collective amnesia (or perhaps repression), with the [...]

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Pakistan vs Australia – in England

The ECB have announced that Pakistan will play two Tests and two Twenty20 matches (no ODIs, interestingly) against Australia in England (and possibly Wales – the venues are yet to be confirmed) next July. Previously, hosting matches in England had been considered too expensive for the PCB, but that obstacle seems to have been overcome. [...]

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Flintoff on the road back

England may have embarrassed themselves last night, but we Poms can take some comfort in the news that Andrew Flintoff is playing cricket again. Freddie took a wicket with his second ball of Lancashire’s County Championship match at Durham, ending up with 2 for 30 from 12 overs. It’s still far too early to be getting [...]

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Australia relying on a different type of spin

They may have arrived in England with only a single spin bowler, but Ricky Ponting’s Australia seem not to be short on the type of spin favoured by Malcolm Tucker as opposed to Malcolm Walker. First there was the suggestion from Ponting that England had moved the First Test from Lord’s on purpose because Australia [...]

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IPL 2009 Preview: Part 2

Kings XI Punjab Punjab have been relatively quiet in the transfer market, having added only Jerome Taylor, Ravi Bopara, and the previously obscure Burt Cockley. Sarwan has departed – having apparently only been on a one-year contract – and a number of key players will only play part of the season (Shaun Marsh, Brett Lee [...]

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