Today, Rob Stephenson wonders whether the solution to England’s opening woes has been under our noses, plying his trade as a county stalwart, for years. England have tried an awful lot of openers since Andrew Strauss and then Alastair Cook retired. Most of them are pretty good red ball players at county level. The odd bolter was not – step forward Alex Hales and Jason Roy. Another player mentioned for a possible recall (before the squad was officially announced) was Sam Robson. I do...
Last week, Rikki Clarke called time on his long and distinguished county career. A terrific player for three counties who played the odd game for England in his youth, but who became a much more mature, and consistent, player in his late 20s. It is ironic that England never tried him again after the 2009 retirement of Andrew Flintoff, as he would’ve been capable of standing in for Ben Stokes when needed, too. I say this not as a Surrey fan but an England fan – there are some players...
What does one do when the cupboard is bare? This is the question that’s been bothering me since England’s pathetic capitulation at Edgbaston. Some want to look to the future; others want to recycle players from the past. One name that keeps coming up, however, is the admirable Dawid Malan. Today Rob Stephenson champions the veteran left-hander’s cause … So that is that. A chastening defeat and a first home loss in six years, and England’s young batting line up ridiculed as one of the...
It must be tough to be a sibling, in the same line of work (professional sport for instance) and yet be overshadowed by an older or younger brother or sister (or cousin for that matter). Iain Greig was a solid county all-rounder – but few casual fans would be able to tell you that he played two tests in 1982 as England floundered even with Botham for a period of time. More recently Billy Root has showed signs of developing into a solid county batsman at Glamorgan, yet will always suffer...
We all know how cricket writers and supporters in England love to romanticise certain forms of bowling. Leg spin and fast bowling are probably the best examples, in part because there are so few genuinely great exponents of both of these challenging arts. Medium pacers (and I enclose medium fast and fast medium) seam and swing doesn’t seem to get quite the same respect, although Jimmy Anderson’s skill and longevity are certainly well known and respected, as is Stuart Broad. The list of English...
Today Rob Stephenson asks what’s next for one of England’s brightest but most controversial young batsmen … English batting at the moment seems in reasonable health. Since the retirement of the colossus that was Alistair Cook two and a half years ago, a number of young batsmen have come into the team – Rory Burns (yes, young in terms of experience), and Messrs Sibley, Crawley, Pope and now Lawrence. The first four have all scored maiden test hundreds and Dan Lawrence may...
