Today Srinivas returns with this look at some cricket’s of most unusual and memorable names. Billy Birmingham really didn’t have to look far for inspiration! Feel free to add your personal favourites in the comments … When I was a schoolboy in the 1990s, the following question was often asked in sports quizzes: which cricketer has the longest name? The answer to the question, of course, was Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Usantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas, abbreviated rather...
Yesterday’s decisive ODI might have ended in defeat, but at least it was an entertaining contest. A 2-3 defeat in India isn’t a bad result considering that Root, Morgan and Archer were missing. However, it’s a bit alarming that we squandered so many excellent starts. What’s going on? Here’s Abhijato with a tongue in cheek perspective … The England white-ball team might have come away empty-handed from both the series they played in India, but their approach...
England’s loss in the first ODI was the latest by-product of England’s approach to playing this format of the game. All-out attack needs to be persisted with, Morgan reasoned, even in the face of reason. This approach almost took them out of World Cup contention in the group stage. But they ended up winning the tournament playing with the same approach anyway. Morgan’s men must be on to something. But there is one qualm to be had with him, which he cannot truly do anything about at the moment...
Stanley Kubrik subtitled Dr Strangelove, his superb Cold War satire, How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb. I really wanted to call this article How I learned to stop worrying and love T20 but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I should be able to. After all, I don’t need sports to go on for days to be able to enjoy them. I am a passionate football and rugby fan, both of which complete an entire encounter before a Test match has even reached lunch on the...
Today new writer Ollie Phillips argues that England’s team selection during the T20 series displayed worrying signs of hubris. Winning the World Cup in 2019 capped off an incredible turnaround of England’s white-ball fortunes. It was a watershed moment for the sport in this country and one that England fans will never forget – bar the odd moment made hazy by one libation too many. Eoin Morgan’s team have become a tremendous limited-overs outfit, and they displayed some of their...
Today we welcome Simon Begley back to TFT. As an Irishman living in England, he’s only got good things to say about our white ball captain. And who can blame him? Sometime around 2004, a young Surrey player told me about a wonderful left-handed batsman from our home country. Gary Wilson – who would himself later captain Ireland and Surrey – reckoned he was better than Ed Joyce. At the time, Ed was scoring county runs for fun and had qualified for England. According to Gary, this kid was...
