Quite a lot has happened this week. There’s been some on-field developments, with England thrashing Pakistan in the first ODI, plus some significant individual performances in the county championship too. There’s also a couple of off-field talking points we should sink our teeth into as well. We’ll start with England’s win at the Rose Bowl. Basically England were too good for Pakistan in all departments. This wasn’t really a shock. Although Pakistan have some very...
Super Chris
“Oh heavens, not Jordan”. That was my initial reaction when Eoin Morgan tossed him the ball as England took the field for Pakistan’s super over. I’m not a Jordan fan. Never have been really. But despite having the worst bowling figures of any England bowler during the match, Super Chris was absolutely super in the super over. He performed like Superman. They key to Jordan’s success was a succession of whippy yorkers. Many of these turned out to be full tosses earlier in the day, but Jordan was...
Plunkett Proves His Point
Is Alastair Cook the most undervalued cricketer in England? No. I’m going to say it’s Liam Plunkett. He’s probably the fastest bowler in the country, with the possible exception of Mark Wood, yet he’s not even going to South Africa. At least Cook is on the plane. Yesterday showed just how upset Plunkett is. He steamed in, snarled, and let the ball rip. His 3-21 off 4 overs would have been good in an old-fashioned county sixty overs match, let alone a T20 on a decent batting pitch...
Buttler Pops the Corks
This new England ODI side never ceases to amaze me. Every time I try to lower expectations, and keep things in perspective, they pull their pants down and give me the big moon. How on earth is a cynical supporter, who has become accustomed to false dawns over the years, expected to interpret all this? It doesn’t compute. England batted brilliantly today. The bowlers weren’t quite so hot, but they did enough. That’s all that matters. We’ve won another series and done it playing really...
Hales Make EMS Eat Its Words
Just a few words on yesterday’s ODI. I’m feeling a little crook today (the combination of a tummy upset and sinusitis isn’t pleasant) so I’ll keep it brief. Yesterday’s win in the cricket was absolutely superb. It was most unexpected too – at least from my perspective. Whereas our openers were a liability in the first match, they all but won the game yesterday. Kudos to them. Alex Hales scored his first ODI hundred – he played excellently and certainly...
England’s Reality Check
Just a few quick thoughts about yesterday’s ODI. I won’t go into too much detail because I imagine most of the games will follow a similar pattern. I’ll be repeating myself before I know it. Essential the game went exactly as many of us had anticipated. Just call me Mystic Morgan. I didn’t quite expect England to sink to 14-3 – that’s bad even for us – but I wasn’t at all surprised that we struggled. England have a very inexperienced team in these...
