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England vs West Indies Second Test – England Report Card
Andrew Strauss (141 and 45) – Dropped anchor to grind is way to a rapturously received second century in consecutive Tests, though he will know that greater challenges lie ahead. Was hardly flawless,...
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The Final Over of the Day – England vs West Indies Day Three
Ball One – Six of this West Indian team are of Asian origin. In a sense, that is barely a point worth mentioning given the ethnic whirlpool that is the Caribbean: but a majority of such men in an XI...
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The Final Over of the Day – England vs West Indies Day Four
Ball One – Everyone loves a last wicket stand… except the fielding side. Tino Best blazed away to anything in his own half, so why England didn’t get the ball into his chin and under his feet was...
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England vs West Indies First ODI – The Final Over of the Day
Ball One – Ian Bell then eh? Back in the ODI team and playing beautifully for a century, a rare feat for England player in one day cricket. Has he established himself (again)? With KP out of the...
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Summer The First Time – Fast Bowling
In 1976, I was 13 years old. A 13 year old boy is exactly that – a boy, but all around me, girls were turning into women. I couldn’t speak to them – they might as well have been, as William S Burroughs...
View ArticleThe Final Over of the First Test – England vs West Indies
Ball One – Jason Holder held the advantage Ben Stokes wouldn’t be human if he didn’t wince a little as his shout at the toss proved correct and he faced the tricky choice of whether to bat or bowl....
View ArticleThe Final Over of the Second Test – England vs West Indies
Ball One – Stokesing up the hype There’s a time in every great sports star’s life when everything just bends to their will – indeed, it’s that time that characterises them as a great, and not merely a...
View ArticleEngland vs West Indies 2020 – The Report Cards
England Rory Burns (234 runs at 47; 1 catch) – Still all twitches, crazy pick-ups and rush of blood offside slashes, but concentrates like Magnus Carlsen and is as unflappable as his piratical face...
View ArticleThree Memories of Cricket in 2020
First Test England vs West Indies – Shannon Gabriel to Zak Crawley It had been an emotional few days. Early July, deep in lockdown, we didn’t know whether we’d see any cricket at all, we didn’t know...
View ArticleBotham-Richards Trophy 2022 report cards: grading every England player
Joe Root: 289 runs, average 48; one wicket, average 69; four catches By the hideous denouement, the trademark busyness with the bat required an almost visible force of will, while the interviews’ words...
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