I feel sorry for Alastair Cook. It’s no secret that the English media, and certain fans, love to build someone up and then knock them down. We see it in other sports all the time. You’re either brilliant – a world class hero, a pin-up boy, a genius or an all time great – or you’re a waste of space, a steaming pile of donkey manure or even worse, Luis ‘the biter’ Suarez. But what makes Cook a unique case is that his employers have built him up as much as anyone. In order to justify...
The Cult of Alastair Cook
I feel sorry for Alastair Cook. It’s no secret that the English media, and certain fans, love to build someone up and then knock them down. We see it in other sports all the time. You’re either brilliant – a world class hero, a pin-up boy, a genius or an all time great – or you’re a waste of space, a steaming pile of donkey manure or even worse, Louis Suarez. But what makes Cook a unique case is that his employers have built him up as much as anyone. In order to justify the decision to sack you...
Is Taylor made for test cricket?
A cynic might suggest that James Taylor will play at Headlingley for one reason and one reason only: he’s a batsman. In the management’s eyes, this alone qualifies him to play. England decided long ago that they must play six batsmen at all costs, otherwise they might actually be in danger of bowling a world class batting side out. If the fat slogger who plays for your club’s third XI was the only batsman available, he’d probably play too. The individual merits of the batsman in question don’t...
Banger the queue barger
For cricketing celebrities there is no place to hide. That’s right, The Full Toss is watching you. We’re kind of omnipresent you know. Indeed, just this morning one of our spies (ok, some bloke we know) had a run-in with a rather famous ex-England player. One who should know better …. Our informant, Mr Simon Taylor, was at Heathrow Airport earlier today. He’d just returned from a week’s holiday on some paradise island (or the Isle of Dogs – details are sketchy at this point). However...
What if … Marcus Trescothick was still playing for England?
In a parallel universe, you and I are billionaires who own an IPL franchise. In another parallel universe, Marcus Trescothick didn’t develop a stress related illness and he’s still playing for England – racking up test hundreds, and singlehandedly leading a renaissance in our ODI fortunes. In this latter universe, Alastair Cook is a young whippersnapper who can’t get a game for England – despite his strong ‘I play for Essex’ credentials (the ones that got Ravi Bopara selected).* And...
The ten most memorable England test wins of the 2000s
1. V West Indies, Lord’s, 2000 The turning point. From one-nil down, we went on to win the series – the first against WI for 31 years – before beating both Pakistan and Sri Lanka the following winter. An era of success, which climaxed at the Oval in 2005, began here. The match itself was a breathless classic – and remember, West Indies were still a decent side then. 21 wickets fell on the second day as Caddick’s 5-16 helped dismiss the visitors for 54 and left us chasing 188 to win. Courtney...
