With the India test series rapidly approaching it’s strange to think, in fact it’s outright bizarre, that we beat them in 2011 with spin. Swann and Monty were excellent. If anything, the Monster actually had the edge. As a result we all simply assumed that when Swann’s elbow finally gave up the ghost, Monty would step up to replace him. The spin cupboard was stacked. These days it’s as bare as Kim Barnett’s head. What on earth happened? In the absence of any specialist spinner worth his salt...
C’est la vie – Day 5 at Lord’s
So what did you think? For me it was a match that didn’t quite make sense. The pitch was lifeless (a poor one for test cricket) yet the match ended in compelling drama. Both attacks spent most of the match aiming at the batsman’s head – even though there was no pace and bounce to speak of – and Alastair Cook set some pretty creative fields on day five. I know this was because runs weren’t an issue, but it was still jaw dropping to see. Maybe they put something in his water at...
Nobody said it was going to be easy – day three at Lord’s
A good cricket pitch is one that produces good cricket – a strip that offers the bowlers just enough help, but also enables good batsmen to dig in and execute their shots. Lord’s is a beautiful cricket ground, but its pitch isn’t quite up to the same standard. The cricket played (at least in this match) therefore hasn’t quite been as compelling as we’d hope. There was a spell yesterday afternoon when Jordan and Plunkett were running in hard, bowling between 87 – 91 mph, and doing their very...
Selectors get it spot on
Warning. This is a positive post. If you’ve come here to bury Caesar not to praise him, you might be disappointed. I’m astounded. The selectors have picked, man for man, the exact twelve players I would have picked. Indeed, it’s the same squad I picked in the pub last night. I can only assume that Whitaker, Fraser and Newell were hiding behind the curtain hanging off my every word (wink). I don’t want to get too carried away, as they might not pick the same XI I’d field, but the signs are good...
Worrying signs as Moores makes abject start
On the face of it, a nine run loss to the World T20 champions doesn’t sound too bad. England made a game of it, at least. I should stress, therefore, that my headline refers to the performance of the England head coach yesterday, rather than the players’ efforts. Let’s not beat around the bush here. England lost this game because of poor selection, a poor batting strategy, and a catastrophic dropped catch by a player that should not have been playing (so again, a mistake arising from poor...
And so the “new era” begins
Peter Moores’ second stint in charge of the England team begins in earnest on Tuesday night with a T20 match at The Oval. The Full Toss will be in attendance, of course, to sample the atmosphere and gauge enthusiasm for the new regime. Although we won’t be able to read too much into the crowd’s response to Moores’ England, as T20’s at The Oval tend to attract a lot of casual fans who are more familiar with Paul Dowton’s career in The City than his past life as a wicket-keeper, it will be...
