I took my kid to winter nets last weekend. He has turned ten now, and this marks his first exposure to a hard ball. To ease them in gently the coaches intersperse the hand-smacking cherry with a tennis ball and one of those “Incrediball” things. They swing so much that even I can project one with the “Sultan of Swing” menace of a slightly older Jimmy Anderson. Give it a go. You won’t be disappointed. Of course, this being the home-counties, I had to buy all the gear in advance. Not that I...
Ireland, Out Of The Ashes
Today we welcome Irish writer Kevin Galvin back to TFT. Here are his latest thoughts on cricket in the Emerald Isle. The enthralling third test between India and South Africa, which was a fascinating battle amongst the gratuitious run-scoring of limited overs cricket, exhibited why many people are of the credence that the long-form needs to be protected. But while in both England and Australia, the shorter form of the game, particularly T20, is becoming an almost uncontrollable behemoth, here...
Pining For Ian Bell
Today we welcome guest contributor Charlie Walker to TFT. He opens up with a nostalgic tribute to The Duke Of Bellington. Thanks Charlie … November 2017 was an anniversary of sorts. It marked two years since Ian Ronald Bell played his last Test match for England. Ashes defeats usually bring with them a sense of nostalgia, a yearning for players of a bygone era. But why is it that I am missing, even longing for, a player who is still only 35 years old and continuing to play first class...
England’s 4-1 Win Is 2010/11 In Reverse
It’s a nice feeling to beat Australia 4-1 in their own backyard. I remember a time in the 90s when we were well beaten by Australia A so I’ll definitely take this emphatic win. Obviously the depth in Aussie cricket was immense in those dark days – I reckon their A side might beat the current Australian side too – but you can only beat the canary yellow outfit in front of you. England aren’t the perfect ODI side yet, but they might get there one day. I won’t go into too much detail about...
Tour Officially A Disaster Now
And it was all going so well. Although we lost the warm up to this ODI series, otherwise know as ‘The Ashes’, by four games to nil, the main event was going swimmingly. Our white ball heroes had been in dominant form and looked set to whitewash the beleaguered and hapless Aussies by five games to nil, thus ensuring an emphatic super series win … our first down under since Tom Harrison learned to say the words “mummy” and “TV contract”. But disaster...
Archer Writing His Own Story
Unless you’ve been living under Uluru, you’ll no doubt have noticed Jofra Archer’s eye-catching performances for Hobart in the Big Bash. The Sussex and Horsham all-rounder has been absolutely outstanding and emerged as one of the breakout stars of the tournament. The fans seem to love him even more than Bill Lawry loves Merv Hughes. I love rooting for Archer because his tale is a great underdog story. He was originally spotted in the nets by England’s Chris Jordan when he was playing for...
