The Full Toss
Welcome to TFT, one of the UK’s longest serving cricket blogs. We’ll be here throughout the year to debate, moan, and occasionally rejoice about the England cricket team. If something’s bothering you, whether it’s selection, governance, or the cost of a pint, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You don’t need to be a professional writer or copywriter, just a fan with something to say. Email james@thefulltoss.com for more info. Cheers.
Too Easy
It was a shame in many ways. Obviously we'll take the win - World Cup wins for England have been thinner on the ground than active follicles on Doug Bollinger's head - but the crowd deserved a better spectacle really. Before the game I thought it could be a humdinger. The West Indies have played some aggressive and attractive cricket [...]
Will The Windies Blow England Away?
All this bad weather has been terrible for the World Cup. When India beat Australia I thought the tournament was slowly beginning to heat up, but it’s been a damp squib (literally) ever since. The format doesn’t exactly help either. There’s a lack of tension in the early weeks because teams know they can lose a game or two and [...]
The World Cup Match Day ‘Experience’
The great thing about the ICC deciding the World Cup should be held in England was the easy access to tickets. However, regardless of the spiel that the ICC gave about burgeoning ticket sales, there have been empty seats in practically all of the stadiums - perhaps a backfire of charging an arm-and-a-leg for England games. With the two gold [...]
Catch This!
The World Cup is finally beginning to warm up. Yesterday’s game between India and Australia was the first heavyweight showdown of the tournament, and those of us who cry when Smith and Warner laugh, and laugh when Smith and Warner cry, were rolling in the aisles by the end. India completely out-played the Canary Yellows in all departments. It was [...]
Back In Business
A good performance, a good win, and suddenly everything looks rosy again. Bangladesh simply couldn’t live with England in Cardiff on Saturday, and everyone sensed there was only going to be one winner once our batsmen sped past 100 without losing a wicket. Bangladesh were out-gunned with the ball and all but surrendered with the bat. They never even tried [...]
“What Game Even Is That?”: Two Factors Needed To Save Cricket’s Future
Today new guest writer Jon Kuhrt explores a subject I'm sure is dear to all our hearts ... I play cricket each week on a ground where the game has been played since 1743. A couple of weeks ago, a group of local children came past the ground. We are used to hearing comments shouted out, but on this occasion [...]
Yuk
Oh dear. That wasn't in the script. At the start of play everyone was full of predictions. Will we score 500 this time? How much will we win by? Will it be all over by lunchtime? The question nobody asked, of course, is IF England would win. Pakistan have some very useful players and everyone should know they're at their [...]
Promising
We didn’t freeze. We didn’t choke. Eoin Morgan’s men started their World Cup campaign with a bang. And this time, unlike previous World Cups, it wasn’t the bang of a metaphorical tire blowing up or the whole engine combusting, it was the bang of boundaries flying off Ben Stokes’s bat, and the clang of a Jofra Archer bouncer ricocheting off [...]
Your Starting England XI & Those Hundred Names Dissected
The World Cup finally starts on Thursday. Are you excited? On balance I think I am. I'm not exactly pant-wettingly excited, because (a) I prefer Test cricket to the white ball stuff, and (b) I'm too old to get too excited about sport anymore. However, I do sense a certain tingling, which I vaguely recognise as excitement, in my bones. [...]
Cider and Sandpaper
Welcome to the A&E. Otherwise known as the England dressing room. Players should form an orderly queue and use the Savlon sparingly. It's got to stretch a long way. Here's the current injury report: Mark Wood - Chronic foot / ankle condition Adil Rashid - Long-term shoulder niggle Chris Woakes - Long-term knee niggle Eoin Morgan - Bruised finger Liam [...]
The TFT Interviews
Cider Saturday: Annie Talks RLODC Final With Tom Abell and Andy Hurry
Today we're delighted to welcome Guerilla Cricket 'waffler' Annie Chave to TFT. She caught up with Somerset Director Of Cricket Andy Hurry and skipper Tom Abell at Taunton last week. There was only one thing on their collective minds: Saturday's big Lord's final against Hampshire. On Saturday 25 May, Somerset [...]
Talking Bats With Charlotte Surridge
I'm sure many readers will remember that well known cricketing brand called Stuart Surridge (SS). It was made famous by the likes of Graham Gooch and Sir Clive Rice back in the 80s. In fact, I bet a few of you owned an SS Jumbo or an SS Turbo back [...]
TFT Talks To Athers, Beefy, Nasser, and Bumble
I enjoy a good chinwag. I enjoy it even more when it's with four guys I idolised as a kid. It has always been an ambition of mine to chew the cricketing fat with Athers and Co - perhaps over a couple of beers in the pub - so when [...]
TFT Talks To Mark Butcher
Back in November 1998, a young Englishman fresh out of uni left these shores to travel around Australia. Obviously it was a complete coincidence that the Ashes was on. On the third day of the first test in Brisbane, he saw another young(ish) Englishman flay McGrath, Fleming, Kasprowicz and MacGill to all corners of the [...]
An Evening With Nasser Hussain
We arrived at the Grace Gate at Lord's. The ground was a hive of activity. Graham Gooch strolled by, shoulders rolling and head bowed in that familiar fashion, and then the penny dropped: it was corporate and media day ahead of the Royal London Cup final between Warwickshire and Surrey. [...]
The Full Toss Meets Devon Malcolm
At one point I didn’t think I’d live to tell this tale. The venue was the Lord’s Academy. The bowler was Devon 'you guys are history' Malcolm, and the batsman was, erm, little old me. And to think that I actually volunteered. The occasion was a promotional event for Play [...]
Ask Hoggy: 20 Questions With Matthew Hoggard
Last week I had the opportunity to ask the legendary Matthew Hoggard some questions. Some were serious and others were, well, not quite so serious. I think you'll enjoy his answers. Hoggy is currently plying his trade as an after dinner speaker. He's one of the leading cricket speakers on the circuit. I certainly beats running [...]
From Our Partners
Can Bangladesh Make It To The 2019 Cricket World Cup Semi-Finals?
Bangladesh has shown the cricket betting public it can now successfully challenge the best teams in the world. The Tigers have finally shed their tag of being a cricketing minnow as they have some formidable players in their squad these days. The best cricket betting sites don’t give Bangladesh much [...]
Will Sri Lanka Find Their Mojo At 2019 Cricket World Cup?
Sri Lanka's performances during the last 12 to 18 months have gone from bad to worse. If you take away the West Indies, no other major side has lost more money for cricket betting fans. They enter the 2019 World Cup with very low expectations even from even their die-hard [...]
Do New Zealand Have The Hunger To Win Their First ICC World Cup?
New Zealand has had a fantastic ODI team for well over a decade. The Kiwis made it to the 2015 ICC World Cup final but their cricket team came up short after they were outplayed by arch-rivals Australia. They go into the 2019 ICC World Cup as strong contenders and [...]
Can A Wounded South Africa Win The 2019 World Cup?
South Africa have been one of the best ODI sides in the world for the last two decades but they have always choked at the Cricket World Cup. In fact, South Africa has never won an ICC World Cup despite having some of the most talented players. Their current squad [...]
ICC World Cup Predictions: Are India The Team To Beat England?
The 2019 ICC World Cup is going to be entirely different from the 2015 event. Unlike 2015, the 2019 Cricket World Cup shall witness only 10 teams competing against each other to win the biggest prize in international cricket. The tournament will return to its roots this year – with [...]
Pakistan Bring their Brand of ‘Unpredictability’ To The 2019 World Cup
Pakistan has always been one of the most talented and unpredictable teams for cricket betting enthusiasts. They will bring their flagship brand of ‘unpredictability’ to the 2019 ICC World Cup as they can show up and play brilliant cricket or come in cold and get blown away very soon. Sportsbook [...]
Australia In Good Shape To Defend Their ICC World Cup Championship
Australia are the defending ODI World Cup Champions, but the bookies don’t consider them to be the favourites to win in 2019 according to the Cricket World Cup odds. William Hill has the Aussies at 5/1 with the hosts England being the favourite at 2/1. Therefore cricket betting fans might [...]