Now the dust has settled on our embarrassing test series in India, it’s time to look ahead to 2017. Which players actually have a test future and which ones should be dumped faster than Kim Kardashian’s next husband?* Alastair Cook – twist and stick England’s team is full of young, somewhat impetuous, attacking young players. Cook is therefore out of place as the team’s leader. He’s simply not a good fit for either this group of players or the Australian coach. England persevering with Cook...
Happy Proper Crimbo
Hi folks. I quickly wanted to wish all our readers, commenters and guest writers a very merry Christmas. My advice is simple: forget India, look forward to the upcoming ODIs (when we might actually win a game), eat as much as possible, and drink your own body weight in brandy. The last of these helps when it comes to the first by the way. It has been a really enjoyable year at TFT. It’s been a challenge running the blog in Maxie’s absence but one I’ve enjoyed. If you’re...
Red Cards Have No Place In Cricket
“Say it ain’t so Joe” the little kid may have said to Baseball legend Shoeless Joe Jackson. Or Ray Liotta, depending on whether he had seen the movie “Field of Dreams” or not. What we do know is it has been repeated multiple times in a million schmaltzy Baseball books and films. I am beginning to know how the kid felt. I am experiencing the same dream shattering unease about Cricket and the direction that its supposed guardians want to take it. Two imminent changes are at the root cause of my...
Australia Look More Comfortable In Pyjamas Too
Given England’s disappointing test performances over the last year there’s obviously been a lot of talk about the ECB prioritising white ball cricket. However, according to our spy down under Frazer Loveman, it’s not just England who look a better unit in limited overs cricket … Fresh off the back of the somewhat humiliating test series defeat to South Africa, salvaged only by a morale boosting win in the pink-ball test in Adelaide from a side buoyed by young blood...
England Wave The White Flag
The late 1980s and 1990s were known for their catastrophes. England supporters all knew the score: we’d collapse more often than not and show less backbone than a raspberry jelly. However, things got a little better when central contracts were introduced. Duncan Fletcher and Nasser Hussain provided stability and resilience; Michael Vaughan turned us into winners; then Andrew Strauss created an efficient machine. We might not have reached the heights of Viv Richards’ West Indies or Steve Waugh’s...
The 5th Test Flat Masochism Thread
Day Four It’s ok for you lot. You can just ignore the cricket when it’s boring and utterly depressing. But unfortunately I can’t. I’ve got a bloody blog to run. So here goes … Day four in Chennai caused a mixture of tedium, embarrassment and then eventually mild annoyance. India piled on the runs, as you’d expect in these totally benign conditions, and England’s bowlers looked hopeless. The fact our spinners only managed six maidens combined (out of a...
