The Full Toss Cricket Blog
Welcome to TFT, the irreverent cricket blog with a zero percent bounce rate. 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 journalist or copywriter, just a fan with something to say. Email james@thefulltoss.com for more info.
Say What? The Latest News About The Not So Simple Hundred
I really, really wanted to give The Hundred a chance. I really did. Oh who am I kidding? I hated the idea from the start. It's almost impossible to like the idea. It's like forcing yourself to be objective about genital herpes. Not. Gonna. Happen. However, my initial doubts concerning this tawdry and quite ridiculous competition seem increasingly prophetic every [...]
Opening Up About Dominic Sibley
After scoring a double hundred and a hundred in the same championship match this week, Dom Sibley is the name on most people's lips as Ed Smith gets ready to name his tour party for New Zealand. New writer David Wyatt thinks Sibley has what it takes to succeed at test level. Here's why ... It’s perfectly ok to get [...]
Evaluating Bayliss: Is 5/10 Fair?
We need to talk about Trev. As Bayliss waved goodbye to English cricket at the end of The Oval test it suddenly struck me how little we've talked about him over the last four years. We've talked players, we've talked ECB chairmen, we've talked CEOs, we've talked selectors, but Bayliss has been largely ignored. It's really odd. After all, we [...]
Stick Or Twist? – Post Ashes Edition
The end of the English summer is a difficult time for all of us. We pack our kitbags away in the loft or garage - inevitably forgetting to unpack that pair of sweaty socks from the last match - and we start questioning the meaning of life without cricket. This is also the point at which, if you're a Sky [...]
Small Consolation?
As expected England completed their consolation victory over the Aussies at The Oval yesterday. It was never really in doubt. Parallels with Headingley were always misplaced because the pitch at Leeds seemed to improve as the game went on. This surface, on the other hand, was a good traditional cricket wicket. There was always some help for the bowlers and [...]
Joe Denly
I honestly thought he'd get there. He was just six runs short - that's one top edged Pietersen hook off Brett Lee away - from scoring a maiden test hundred. It was impossible not to feel completely gutted for the bloke. I like Denly. Everyone's warmed to Jack Leach because he's an ordinary Joe. But Denly's no different. And he's [...]
Rare Ascendancy
Oh what could have been. That's my overriding thought at the moment. England bowled really well today and we should win the 5th test from here. The holes in the Australian batting line up seemed wider than Kings Canyon in Northern Territory. If only we'd got our collective act together earlier in the series. A lead of 78 with all [...]
Why Knighting Andrew Strauss Is A Strange Decision
Excellent. Just as I was looking for a story that might distract everyone from Ashes debacle along comes a juicy one. I thought today's article might have to be about England's unchanged squad for the 5th test - a depressingly predictable move by Ed Smith. However, the news that Boycott and Strauss have been knighted offers endless opportunity for debate. [...]
Ham-fisted and Hamstrung (It Was Always Likely To End This Way)
So there was no miracle this time. Just inevitability. Our batsmen did their best but the mountain was insurmountable. Another team, with another batting line-up, might have saved the day. But our guys were ultimately undone by their own frailties. They showed tremendous fight, and made Australia work hard, but unfortunately they weren't good enough. Jason Roy's innings yesterday summed [...]
Surely Our Number’s Up This Time?
So I've had a couple of beers. I've got a third on the go. And it's time for me to update the blog. I doubt this will be my most coherent effort but the time feels right. After all, the Ashes feel like they're slipping away once again. We've been here before, of course, but I doubt even Ben Stokes [...]
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
Why Is Cricket So Popular In The UK?
Cricket has a long history in the United Kingdom. Many people see England as the birthplace of the sport. The popularity of cricket in the UK goes back to the 17th century when it was widely practiced in rural areas. Besides the long history of cricket here are some of [...]
India And The Rise Of The Cricket Business
The League of Outstanding Gentlemen of the Yellow Ball is a two-month private soccer championship featuring old celebrities. Far from everyone knows that it is not an ordinary championship but a cricket league with a billion dollars turnover. Inspired by the North American model, India is actively developing a highly [...]
England Level The Ashes Series, But Steve Smith Will Be Back For The 4th Test
England and Australia have produced some fantastic games in the Ashes down the years, but the third test of the 2019 Ashes series is a match that will go down in history as one of the greatest ever played. England fans, who are old enough to remember it, regularly talk [...]
The Lowdown On The Ashes
The sad truth about the world today is that everyone will continue to milk the same cow till a new one comes into the picture. We are of course talking about England’s controversial, not exactly but many would have you believe that, win in the World Cup. It’s quite surprising [...]
Never Get Clean Bowled With SmartBuyGlasses
Keep Hitting Sixers with SmartBuyGlasses! Cricket is not just a sport, for some people, it is more like a religion. It is a sport that not only unites countries but also people. Finally, it is that time of the year when people from 10 different countries come together and cheer [...]
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 [...]