England 293-7 (50 overs). Sri Lanka 297-3 (47.1 overs) The mindset of England’s strategic think-tank has always intrigued me. They sit on the balcony making notes, stoking their chins, adjusting their shades, and they occasionally nod in agreement when England collect six singles off six balls. Every time they nod, it seems to reaffirm (to them) the validity of their plans. They’re appreciating the beauty of seeing carefully conceived plans (apparently) coming to fruition in the middle...
Who is your favourite cricketer?
In America they call it ‘having a man crush’. I’m not sure what we call it over here. Most teams have ‘cult heroes’, and most fans have a particular favourite player, but it struck me recently that crowd favourites are rarely world class talents. Indeed, my favourite cricketer is more known for failing miserably than winning matches. Why should that be? Nobby Stiles wasn’t the best player in England’s 1966 World Cup winning team, but he is still remembered more fondly than, say, Martin Peters...
