Today Rob Thirlwell delves into cricket’s history. I learned something from reading this … The First World War was a horror that brought devastation to millions around the World and the British Army alone lost just over 700,000 men. As Britain geared up for war young men queued up to enlist, those who could not fight were put to work producing arms and professional cricket ceased. Although some counties held out longer than others, pressure from some of the game’s most influential...
Step Back In Time: England v West Indies 1984
Today Haroon Khalid takes us back to a time when the Windies ruled world cricket and England, well, the less said the better. Enjoy. “What? Really?!, You’re joking!” It was the summer of 2017. The incredulity in the voice of my friend’s teenage son was palpable. What had prompted this disbelieving response? A few seconds earlier, no doubt bored with how tiresome this old cricketing reactionary was sounding off about how incredible the West Indies team of the 80s were, whilst at the same time...
Black Lives Matter, So Let’s Not Ignore The Rebel Tours To South Africa
Today Alex Ferguson reminds us about England’s two rebels tours to South Africa. Thank heavens there was never a third. Two weeks ago the West Indies completed a three-game series against England, where – quite rightly – the words: “Black Lives Matter” was all over Sky’s coverage. Knees were taken, tears welled up. It was simply amazing. Cricket’s move is a follow-up to all other sports who have done the same thing in an effort to push black rights. But...
Bodyline And The Harold Larwood Story
With the second Test bound to take centre stage later this week, I thought now would be an ideal time to take a trip down memory lane and remember an English cricketing hero from the past. Everyone knows the story of Bodyline, of course. But not everyone knows the broader history of Harold Larwood. And Stuart Broad thought he was badly treated! Here’s young writer Rahul Palaninathan’s account … During this pandemic, I’ve gluttonously devoured mountains and mountains of...
Men Of The Moment Volume 2 – Mike Atherton, 2001
Today Billy Crawford returns with the second instalment of his ‘Men Of The Moment’ series. The first put Nasser Hussain in the spotlight for the way he transformed England’s fortunes in 1999/2000. Next up is the heroic Mike Atherton, who won the last of his 115 England caps in 2001. Here’s Billy’s article entitled ‘Mike Atherton: Out Of Time’ … It ended in a familiar way at the end of the 2001 summer. A thick edge to the slips, dismissed by his...
Why Vaughan’s England Would Beat Strauss’s England
Lockdown. It’s the perfect time to engage in hypothetical discussions. Nobody can ever win these arguments – it’s just a matter of opinion – but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time trying. And what else are we going to do in the absence of live cricket? I was motivated to write this piece after seeing a poll on Twitter over the weekend. Nearly 70% thought that Strauss’s 2010/11 Ashes winners were better than Vaughan’s 2005 heroes. This...
