Ah Birmingham. An English cricketing fortress and cultural powerhouse. Home to world’s most beautifully named football club, the UK’s spiciest balti, and a musician named Astro. It’s also the place where Richie Benaud uttered arguably the two most revered words in the sporting lexicon: “Jones! Bowden!” I’m afraid I wasn’t able to watch yesterday’s play live because I’m dealing with a family bereavement. Therefore I was reliant on the C5 highlights and social media reaction. It sounded like a...
Adil Rashid Selection Is An Insult
Those who have listened to TMS over the years (and read the Economist) might have a solid insight into the mind of Ed Smith. I’ll tell you what I gleaned. I saw someone who was articulate, intelligent, but somewhat enamoured with what I can only describe as ‘thinking differently’. Clever people like to think differently. It makes them feel cleverer than everyone else – in a completely innocent and very human way of course. Consequently, although I initially enjoyed...
Tears On My Pilau? India Series Preview
After what seems like an eternity, test cricket returns to the English summer this week. This means that results, rather than having a good time, suddenly matter. The serious stuff is about to start folks. What’s more, this upcoming series against India should be a humdinger. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to it. Although I’ll be on an enforced holiday for some of it – don’t worry I’m moving house rather than on gardening leave –...
Cakewalk
Yesterday’s intriguing decider at Headlingley was a complete letdown if you’re a neutral. Fortunately, I’m about as neutral as Fox News. Therefore the fact the decider proved to be a cross between a walk in the park and a piece of cake (hence the title above) was extremely sweet … a bit like eating a Victoria sponge as one strolls through Kew. The victory couldn’t have been more emphatic. And it was all set up by our bowlers for a change. Mark Wood was superb...
The Decider
It was great to see England bounce back at Lord’s in the ODI series. The defeat at Trent Bridge was a bad one. A chastening one. And it was made worse by the fact that everyone predicted we’d struggle against leg-spin. I thought Kuldeep would prove a handful but 6-25? Wow. That was even worse than the pessimists expected. Luckily, however, England’s best batsman – and yes, he still is our best batsman in 50 over cricket – was there to restore some sanity at...
