Looks like we chose the wrong series to predict a nightmare for Alastair Cook. In fairness, we weren’t the only ones who failed to foresee his transformation from the hapless klutz of the last two years into some kind of cross between Don Bradman and WG Grace. Presumably, Cook is an avid Full Toss reader – and our criticism galvanised a resolve to prove us wrong. When he celebrated his century today, I’m sure I detected a little glint in his eye which said, ‘Up yours...
Day one at Adelaide
Looks like I picked the wrong day to tune in ten minutes late. I can’t have been the only one to do a double – even triple – take. 2-3! 2-3? Eh? Have they put that the Aussie way round, with the wickets first? After the Gabba, some commentators began describing Australia as ‘the new England’. In other words, a disorganised rabble, much like we were for most of the 1990s. To my ear, that smacks rather of complacency. We have a very, very long way to go yet in this...
James Anderson: A tribute (and a bit of an apology)
Twenty five erratic overs, three miserable maidens, 108 runs conceded and just the one wicket. Those were Jimmy Anderson’s match figures the last time England played a test at Adelaide. The one wicket was about as worthless as it gets too: it was Glenn McGrath.
This time, however, it’s all very different. Indeed, James Anderson the cricketer is very different – both the bowler and the man. He’s now the undisputed leader of England’s attack and the Aussie pundits are raving about him.
My Adelaide nightmare revisited
Ah, Adelaide. Australia’s most beautiful town. City of the churches, home of Australia’s most picturesque test venue. And the scene of England’s most painful defeat in living memory.
The events of 2006, when we scored 551-6 declared in the first innings and still managed to lose by six wickets, sent a generation of England cricket fans into therapy. Post traumatic stress disorder is a horrible thing – and it’s the reason why so many England fans, four years later, remain neurotic wrecks.
Bad news: Mitch is dropped
It’s official – the hapless Mitchell Johnson, owner of cricket’s least awe-inspiring moustache, has been dropped for the Adelaide test. You’d have thought a few English batsmen would have done the decent thing, and got out to him on Monday, just to keep him in the side. But no. Selfish gits. “I was a little out of form in the last Test, so there’s a bit of work for me to do”, Johnson said today, in one of the great understatements of the series so far...
Blame it on the Cooley
A couple of days ago we questioned whether England’s former bowling coach, Troy Cooley, was right to tinker with Jimmy Anderson’s action. Now the Aussies are questioning Cooley’s work with media punch-bag, Mitchell Johnson. According to Brett Mortimer, Johnson’s mentor in Queensland, the Australian coaches haven’t treated him right: ‘there are so many hangers-on around Mitch … the problems with his action look pretty easy to fix to me’. In that case, why haven’t they fixed him? This...
