Oh dear. I can already tell that Ed Smith and I are not going to get along. The selection of Jos Buttler to play as a specialist batsman at No.7 is indefensible if you believe in the county championship. And it's also indefensible according to Smith's own evidence-based methodology. First of all [...]
Today Mark Cohen returns with a somewhat controversial argument. Whereas most people want to see the back of James Vince, Mark sees something special and thinks greater investment will eventually pay dividends. Over to you, Mark ... James Vince’s last innings of England's winter tour once again advertised him at his frustratingly [...]
Although it has been on the cards for a while, Kevin Pietersen finally announced his retirement at the weekend. Forgive me for being a bit late to the party on this one. As someone who rarely watches the various T20 leagues around the world these days, I haven't seen KP play in [...]
So Ben Stokes is joining up with the England squad after a five month exile. I would say he's ready to jump into the fray ... although mentioning the words 'fray', or more specifically 'affray', might be a little uncomfortable for some. After all, many will disagree with the ECB's decision to [...]
Today we welcome guest contributor Charlie Walker to TFT. He opens up with a nostalgic tribute to The Duke Of Bellington. Thanks Charlie ... November 2017 was an anniversary of sorts. It marked two years since Ian Ronald Bell played his last Test match for England. Ashes defeats usually bring with them [...]
Unless you’ve been living under Uluru, you’ll no doubt have noticed Jofra Archer’s eye-catching performances for Hobart in the Big Bash. The Sussex and Horsham all-rounder has been absolutely outstanding and emerged as one of the breakout stars of the tournament. The fans seem to love him even more than Bill Lawry [...]
There has been plenty of chat about the likelihood of Ben Stokes going to prison if he's found guilty or pleads guilty. But it's hard for us laymen to know whether a suspended sentence, three years, or something in between is most likely. Thankfully Robert Foster, a freelancer writer with a background [...]
My thesis today is a simple one. I’m not going to beat around the Australian bush. The time for understatement and pretty language has long since passed. England are losing the Ashes 0-2. The series could be gone within the next three to five days. And a big reason for this is [...]
Occasionally an article lands in my inbox at exactly the right time. And this is one of them. I've long thought that Alastair Cook's form would be absolutely in the Ashes. And I think, in many ways, he needs to have a good series to safeguard his legacy as an ostensibly great [...]
Yesterday I heard Kevin Pietersen playing down England’s Ashes chances. He quite rightly pointed out all the holes in our batting line up, which currently resembles something akin to Swiss cheese. Although to be fair to the cheese-makers of Switzerland, their diary products are probably hardier and more resilient. Where I disagree [...]