Today we welcome new writer Dan Humphreys to TFT. He assesses Ireland’s recent performances and what the future might hold across the Irish Sea. The bizarre nature of following Irish cricket is a genuine inability to tell what they will do next. Despite a promising opening display in the T20 World Cup, confidently brushing aside the Dutch, they went on to be comprehensively beaten by Sri Lanka. The tournament came to a head when they were unceremoniously dumped out by Namibia. I watched...
There is a phenomenon in English society known as “tall poppy syndrome”. Briefly it means to build somebody up in order to knock them down, the idea being that the tallest poppies that stand out from the others in the field are the most likely to be cut down to size. Having spent the best part of the season signing the praises ofEngland’s new management team of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum it would seem peculiarly English to bury them in criticism after one defeat...
There are few tours that stir the passions in quite the same way as a visit by the South Africans. For those of us of a certain vintage, over 30 perhaps, only the Ashes gets the pulses racing more than a visit from the Proteas. With the exception of a largely forgettable series in 2017, every tour by the rainbow nation since readmission has been intense, enthralling and usually quite bruising for England and its captains in particular. Mike Atherton was caught with dirt in his pocket at Lords...
The retirement of James Hildreth, and the likely enforced retirement of Steve Patterson and Darren Stevens, reminds all county fans of the contributions these fine players have made to their respective sides, and also how much the county game has changed throughout their careers. Most county players will aspire to international honours throughout their career, but of this trio only James Hildreth seemed close to selection on occasions. A record of 47 first class hundreds confirms...
In every sport, in every land across the globe, fans will reserve their most vicious bile for the officials. Those responsible for regulating play are the ultimate arbiters of the game. They are never loved, grudgingly respected and occasionally despised. However, cricket is different as umpires maintain an air of gentility and the concealed respect of players and fans. Back in the day, they always wore ties and a white overcoat. A white hat, black trousers and white shoes completed the outfit...
With Ben Stokes announcing his retirement from ODIs yesterday, and the ECB sacrificing our domestic 50 over competition to accommodate The Hundred, I thought now would be a good time to publish this guest post from Haren Shylak. With T20 bringing in so much money, and Test cricket still the purists’ favourite, will ODIs be the format that slowly dies? Since the first ODI was played in 1971, the format has always evolved. The format has seen revolutionary changes such as coloured clothing...
