It was good to see England win their first warm up against a strong India A side in Mumbai. The hosts’ selection suggested they wanted to derail our preparations and sap our morale from the outset. ‘A’ teams usually consist of hungry young players not grizzled campaigners like MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh and Mohit Sharma. In the circumstances it was quite pleasing to see us win with seven balls to spare. However, although our batting looks as strong as ever I...
England’s Greatest Ever ODI Team?
If you believe the hype, England’s current ODI team is the best we’ve ever had. It plays with aggression and vim, is packed with match-winners, and has finally catapulted England’s limited overs cricket into the modern era. However an interesting thought crossed my mind when I was in the bath the other day (please excuse the hideous image). As I rubbed soap into my beer belly (again apologies) it occurred to me that very few players in the current XI would make my all time...
Kyle Abbott and the Kolpak Conundrum
It’s time we looked at one of the most polarising issues in cricket. I can’t ignore it any more. If you’re a South Africa supporter, an England supporter, or a Hampshire supporter in particular, your interest is going to be piqued and your stomach might well turn. For starters let me make my own position on kolpak players clear: I’m utterly conflicted. Like most England cricket fans I can see the benefits of South Africans moving to the UK – where would we have been without the likes...
10 Bold Predictions For 2017
There’s still a week before the ODI series in India kicks off. That means there’s time to dust off the TFT crystal ball and have some fun. The predictions below aren’t necessarily the most likely eventualities, but I do think there’s a significant chance at least none of them materialise. And yes, my middle name is ‘caveat’. 1. Alastair Cook keeps his job … for now We all know the cricketing reasons why Cook should resign as captain – the main one being that he’s a bit crap. However, the...
The Lottery of T20 Cricket
It’s fast, it’s brash, and it’s the apple of the ECB’s eye. T20 cricket is now the most popular form of the game (at least when it comes to the broader public) and it’s certainly here to stay. We can all argue whether it’s endangering test cricket or not – this one splits opinion like a Donald Trump executive order – but those who run the sport seem unconcerned. T20 is paying the bills and that’s what matters most. Although I’m no fan...
2016: Well That Was Mediocre
It’s that time of year when newspapers and blogs publish their various reviews of the last twelve months. They all get a bit repetitive after a while so I’m going to try and freshen things up somewhat. I’m not going to do a chronological report, and go over stuff we’ve done to death in detail a million times already, I’m just going to write a few lasting impressions, and conclude whether (a) it was a good year for the England team, and (b) whether it was a good year for English cricket in...
