I’m probably not the only England supporter who these days has a more emotionally ambiguous attitude to the side’s fortunes. Rightly or wrongly, I don’t yet identify with this team with every fibre of my heart and soul. But my mood bears a dividend. I now don’t get paranoid about them losing. No longer do I tie myself up in knots of neurosis, convincing myself that, whatever the match situation, defeat is nigh. Some feel that England are now in danger of losing this...
A tale of two openers – day two at Leeds
When England’s openers strode to the crease yesterday, one was a fresh faced youngster with just one test under his belt (in which he looked unconvincing), and the other was a seasoned test player with more hundreds under his belt than any other England player in history. People who had never watched a cricket match before would have assumed that Alastair Cook was the former, not the latter. Cook’s dismissal was so predictable it was painful. He should have been given out on Friday evening...
A tale of two bowlers: day one at Headingley
Stumps: England 36-0. Sri Lanka 257. What a difference a competitive pitch makes. On the evidence so far, this Headingley strip is almost everything a test pitch should be: conducive both to shot-making and lively bowling. It remains to be seen whether it will take spin; if it does, England, who will bat last, may have a problem. There are few things more exciting in cricket than fast bowlers causing mayhem, as happened yesterday afternoon. By contrast, who enjoys watching the batsmen so in the...
Put Cook out of his misery
If Alastair Cook can’t handle criticism, he’s in the wrong job. In comments you will have probably read yesterday, the England skipper lashed out at his detractors in an interview with the BBC’s Jonathan Agnew ahead of the Headingley test. Just to remind you of what he said: “Something needs to be done because, for the three years that I’ve been England captain, I’ve in my eyes been criticised for a hell of a lot of that time. Yes, when we lose games of cricket as...
C’est la vie – Day 5 at Lord’s
So what did you think? For me it was a match that didn’t quite make sense. The pitch was lifeless (a poor one for test cricket) yet the match ended in compelling drama. Both attacks spent most of the match aiming at the batsman’s head – even though there was no pace and bounce to speak of – and Alastair Cook set some pretty creative fields on day five. I know this was because runs weren’t an issue, but it was still jaw dropping to see. Maybe they put something in his water at...
A tale of two batsmen: day four at Lord’s
The reaction of the England balcony to the day’s last few overs spoke volumes. As Broad and Ballance upped the ante with a flurry of boundaries – and the latter reached his century – Alastair Cook led his players in a display of fist-pumping, arm-raising, physically-demonstrative emotion. It revealed the extent of Cook’s desperate to win a cricket match. It laid bare the depths of his frustration, despair, humiliation and emasculation. The Broad and Ballance show shone a...
