Eng 288-6. Windies 172 all out Cricket watchers are only talking about one thing after Saturday’s ODI: the performance of Ian Bell. It was simply magnificent. If there’s a classier batsman playing international cricket in the world today, I haven’t heard of him. And if someone told me there was such a batsman, I wouldn’t believe them. Bell oozes class from every pore – it’s a cliché because it’s true – and he proved once again that you don’t need brute strength to score quickly at the top of...
Has the cricket world gone bonkers?
England 250-4 (50 overs) beat Pakistan 230 all out, by 20 runs If you’d told me a month ago that England would get whitewashed in the tests, but lead the subsequent ODI series 2-0, I would have done one of three things. I’d have either punched you in the stomach for wasting my time; reported you to the police for taking illicit narcotics; or suggested politely that you needed psychiatric help. If you’d gone on to suggest that Alastair Cook – the guy Mike Atherton and others didn’t want in...
When the batting reserves are looking thin, go with Finn
As hell hasn’t frozen over as yet, we can all assume that England are going to stick with the four bowler policy at Edgbaston. That means a recall for Ravi Bopara – who is set to bat at number six (one place above a batsman twice as good as him). Consequently, the following debate is largely hypothetical. But what’s the harm in that? It’s irrelevant theories and idle conjecture that make the cricketing blogosphere go round. The focus of this discussion is simple – should Bopara play in...
Bowling out Sri Lanka with three beanpoles was always going to be a tall order
Would the West Indies have been so effective in the 1980s if their attack had consisted of four Joel Garners? I think not. Their attack was so much better for having the skiddy Malcolm Marshall at one end, with his ability to swing the ball around corners. Yet England went into this game with three seamers who were all exactly the same height, within an inch, and who all bowled at exactly the same pace. Once Dilshan had mastered one, he’d basically mastered them all. Variety is the spice...
