It’s all looking rather promising eh. England quite often start overseas tours at a slug’s pace (apparently they’re slower than snails). But this time we’ve started in the perfect fashion – thanks to a couple of our middle-order dashers. Seeing Ben Stokes return to the side and score an imperious 158 at almost a run a ball warms the cockles. He’s becoming a bit of a streaky batsman. When everything clicks, he’s unstoppable. I think we can safely say that the lad has regained something close to...
South Africa v England: Battle of the Middleweights
So England have arrived in South Africa – a nation of biltong, wildlife, beautiful scenery, guns, macho men, and foreigners spouting generalised clichés. South Africa is also home to the world’s best test team – or so we’re repeatedly told. Most of us realise this is a bit of a fib though. The Proteas might be ranked number one (by a whisker) but there’s no dominant team in test cricket right now. The world is awash with teams in transition – teams with some strengths but also glaring...
Looking In The Mirror
If Hashim Amla asked a magic mirror ‘who is the fairest test team of them all’, I doubt he’d get a straight answer. There isn’t one. The rankings say it’s South Africa but keen observers of the game, not to mention the whole of India, might beg to differ. South Africa’s tour of India was an absolute disaster. They got hammered. The Proteas couldn’t play India’s spinners and seemed utterly devoid of confidence. They looked nothing like the world’s best side; they looked like a team in...
Hales Make EMS Eat Its Words
Just a few words on yesterday’s ODI. I’m feeling a little crook today (the combination of a tummy upset and sinusitis isn’t pleasant) so I’ll keep it brief. Yesterday’s win in the cricket was absolutely superb. It was most unexpected too – at least from my perspective. Whereas our openers were a liability in the first match, they all but won the game yesterday. Kudos to them. Alex Hales scored his first ODI hundred – he played excellently and certainly...
Hales Storm Leaves Sri Lanka Battered & Bruised
Well, well, well. Maybe we won’t completely ignore the World T20 after all. England actually won a game. I repeat. We actually won a T20 international, against a good side, under pressure. I can hardly believe it. I’m not going to beat around the proverbial bush here. Alex Hales’ 116 yesterday was absolutely magical. It’s one of the best efforts I’ve witnessed. His hitting was clean, calculated and brutal. He didn’t resort to unsightly slogs when the run rate seemed unmanageable. He simply took...
All Hales – second T20 from Durham
England 195-5 (20 overs). Australia 168-9. Yesterday was the last Saturday of the English summer; once September comes, the rugby season arrives and the nights seem to roll in. We’re left with just the dregs of the cricket season – a few ODIs which will always seem largely irrelevant when they’re played after the test series. Therefore, it was great to fire up the BBQ for last time, sit back with a few beers, and watch England slog Australia’s medium pacers around Durham – revenge for Finch’s...
