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Pietersen to open during the World Cup

No, this isn’t a joke. If it was, it wouldn’t be very funny. Now before I slate our management team for what can only be described as a desperate move, let me molify my criticism by saying this: the selectors have generally done a good job over the last few years. During the recent Ashes triumph, rumour had it that the one armed bandit they previously used to select our ODI squads had even been sold off to the ACB. However, the elevation of KP to opener on the eve of the World Cup suggests...

Graeme Swann’s number one fan – Harbhajan Singh

After years of enduring the likes of Eddie Hemmings and Nick Cook (remember him? The one that couldn’t actually let go of the ball) it still seems bizarre that we’ve got the world’s number one slow bowler. Spinners used to be the ones that tormented us, not the other way around. Some of you might have been alive during the days of Hedley Verity, or perhaps more realistically, Jim Laker, but back then I was just a glint in wannabe popstar’s eyes. Since the 1950s, the story of England and spin...

No Butts – Banned Pakistan cricketers should not be allowed to work on TV

Less than ten days ago, Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were banned from cricket for five years. Everybody knows that. But what you may not know is that less than a week later, Pakistan’s disgraced former captain has been signed up by a Pakistani TV company to offer insights during the World Cup. The TV company in question is Pakistan’s Channel Five network. What on earth are they thinking? I know that Butt might be able to provide information that other pundits can’t – like when...

The World Cup made simple

Confused about the format of the ICC World Cup? Not sure you can keep up with developments in cricket’s premier international tournament? Worry no more. Here’s a handy cut-out-and-keep Full Toss guide to how it all works.. 1. The ICC World Cup is comprised of 237 fixtures played over a period of eight months, and features seventeen separate elimination stages. The overall objective is to establish which side will lose to Australia in the final. 2. Fourteen nations participate in the...

Trevor Bailey dies

Former commentator and England all-rounder Trevor Bailey has died at the age of 87, following a fire at his home.
Bailey scored 2,290 runs and took 132 wickets during his 61-test career, which included three successive Ashes victories. To younger generations, he was perhaps better known for his twenty-six year role as Test Match Special summariser.
For more on his passing, here’s the BBC report:

Murali to coach Australia?

Muttiah Muralitharan, who was famously noballed for chucking in Australia, yesterday claimed he’s been offered the chance to coach the next generation of Aussie spinners at their Brisbane academy. Talk about bizarre. In case anyone needs reminding, Murali once refused to tour Australia because of all the abuse he used to get. Not being ones to call a spade a shovel, the Aussie crowds used to harangue the Sri Lanka for having an arm that was more crooked than an Italian politician. What they...

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