Here’s new writer Dan Flanagan, aka Professor Mohammed Hafeez and Sir Gary Vallance, with his report on the abandonment of England’s recent ODI series. Cricket’s oldest bedfellow was left distraught in Cape Town on Monday evening after the ongoing ODI series between England and South Africa was abandoned due to concerns over coronavirus – rather than the traditional torrential downpour ten minutes before the toss. “I’ve been waterlogging pitches and ruining summer afternoons for...
Who Would You Choose To Bat For Your Life?
Picture the scene. You’re walking down the street, minding your own business, when a black van with darkened windows screeches to a halt alongside you. A gang of masked gunmen rush out, grab your arms and legs, and bundle you into the back. “You’re toast gringo” they growl menacingly into your ear before knocking you unconscious. When you finally wake up, after a gap of what could be hours or days (you’re too groggy to know for sure), you find yourself in surreal...
Stay At Home Cricket
Today guest writer Tom Jones tell us about his lockdown cricket activities. There are some really good ideas here. I loved his drill for practicing against the short ball (see the video below). Moeen Ali please take note! It’s Mid March 2020. The UK Government announces that social gatherings of all kinds are banned for the foreseeable future. Lockdown commences on March 22nd with the message “stay at home, protect our NHS, save lives”. Cricket – both professional and...
Well Left, Mitchell
Today new writer William Buckingham discusses one of the most extraordinary events to occur on a cricket field in living memory. And we’re not talking about Ben Stokes’s heroics at Headingley or Kusal Perera’s miracle at Durban … During this period of lockdown I have, inevitably, watched the 2019 Cricket World Cup Final a fair few times. It will always be remembered as an extraordinary game. But there’s one moment that never ceases to amaze me. No, not the...
Cricket’s Taking A Siesta As The Nation Plays A Test Match
Today we introduce guest writer Richard Sprake to TFT. Here are his musings on Test cricket and the lockdown. Enjoy! At 11.15 on Sunday the 3rd of April, the ICC announced that cricket will take a siesta this summer. There will be no spring butterflies in bellies of opening batsman. Green trees will wave around village grounds but no one will be there to witness them. The nation is currently in the mother of all Test matches. It’s the Corona Test. The UK population has been batting for 53 days...
Left Field Lives After Cricket
You’re a professional cricketer whose playing career has finally come to an end. What do you do? Cricket is probably all that you’ve known. Your A-levels are a distant memory. And even if you went to university that second class history degree doesn’t exactly make you a hot commodity in the jobs market. The prospect of finding gainful employment can be a scary one. This is where it pays to think creatively. You’ve spent years playing on the box and wearing a box, so now...
