Picture this: it’s your wife’s first time at a cricket match and she asks you what to expect – apart from a long day watching gentlemen in white throwing a red ball at a man with pads and a helmet on. “And what about the people?” she says. “It’s a wide variety” I reply, “let me explain them to you”… 1. The posh bloke Posh bloke generally went to public school, and if he went to a ‘major one’ like Eton then he’ll probably let you know all about it. He’ll be the one asking...
Today, new writer Tom Chambers discusses Jonny Bairstow’s inevitable return to England’s Test side. Will Zak Crawley be the man to make way? It’s far from clear cut. Brendon McCullum made a rod for his own back when speaking to the BBC’s Test Match Special team back in December. When asked about a certain Yorkshireman’s eventual return from injury the New Zealander said, “As soon as he’s fit he’s back in the side, no doubt. But let’s work that out down...
I’m flummoxed. How on earth does one summarise that? Should I go for the default reaction – that it was one of the best Test matches of all time and therefore the result doesn’t really matter – or should I point out that results, do, in fact, matter quite a lot? I understand the former argument, of course. Maybe we should simply feel grateful for playing our part in a humdinger? However, there’s an equally legitimate perspective that, actually, the team should be gutted for losing a...
With the dust having truly set on last year’s painful series defeats in England and Australia, which all but damaged their hopes of making the World Test Championship final (2023), the Proteas will want to regain their form quickly against the West Indies at home. The Windies, on the other hand, would like to make it a double sweep on their travels to Southern Africa after beating Zimbabwe in a recently concluded two-match series. This instalment of the Sir Vivian Richards Trophy is therefore...
When thinking of world cricket’s premier all-rounders, the name Sikandar Raza likely won’t immediately spring to mind. Why this is the case often baffles me as his performances, particularly of late, have been nothing short of sensational. In fact, they have etched the Pakistan-born Zimbabwe all-rounder’s name into the history books as being the first Zimbabwean male international cricketer to make the ICC ODI and T20 teams of the year – a feat he achieved this past year (2022). So...
Cricket in the English winter is an interesting spectacle. Devoid of any home action, badgers like me turn our attention overseas. There’s plenty to watch. World cups provide a thrilling contest, alongside the seemingly endless supply of white-ball bilateral series. Franchise cricket also offers an exciting watch with its gallery of international stars mixing and matching in neon kits. Test cricket too, is alive and kicking in the winter months: England’s blistering Bazball approach gave many a...
