Steve Smith and Ben Stokes will understand forgiveness is not just earned by runs and wickets, it is by willingness to rebuild the example you setThe greatest cricketers obsess over their game with a motivation to be the best they can be. They squeeze out every ounce of skill and fitness which helps them approach matches with an unbreakable mentality, knowing every part of preparation has been covered. They throw themselves at every conceivable practice and game scenario to absorb, learn and build experiences to lock away in the memory bank. When they are faced with these situations again they then instinctively know what to do.Away from the playing field, though, I was reminded last week that even the greatest...
Enlist Jofra Archer, limit Joe Root’s options and make better use of Jos Buttler’s brain – how England might turn things roundJoe Root’s England have made a habit of losing one Test in a series. In his collection of home results, Root has a 4-1, a 3-1, a 2-1, a 1-1, and now a 0-1. The only visiting team not to get a Test off him are Ireland, who came close. The good news for the England fan, forever fretful, is that each of these home defeats has been followed by a victory. Related: Australia have a 'clear plan' how to wrap up Ashes series, says Justin Langer Continue reading...
Chance to lift gloom after loss in first Ashes Test is not helped by rustiness of any possible replacementsWe all make mistakes but most of us manage to do so without attracting too much attention. However, this luxury is not given to Test cricketers – even in the post free-to-air era. Moeen Ali is rediscovering this after his moon ball, his misguided leave and his wayward second-innings bowling at Edgbaston; so, too, is Jason Roy, who swung and missed so memorably when producing a poor imitation of Virender Sehwag at the crease. Playing international cricket is a great job; it is also a cruel one.It is an easier game in the press box. In my eagerness to feel some empathy...
It should come as no surprise that batsmen who have been told to whack a white ball into the stands cannot bat the day outWell, that wasn’t supposed to happen. On a mild, sunlit Birmingham day Australia bowled straight, fielded well, swarmed around England’s batsmen and took wickets with disarming ease in front of stands filled with garrulous southern hemisphere voices.As the final clatter began in earnest after lunch the endgame to this first Ashes Test began to feel a little giddy and light-hearted. There were ironic cheers for Moeen Ali as he successfully defended a straight ball from Nathan Lyon. England batsmen were barracked from the centre by the touring support en route to a 251-run defeat. Tim Paine’s...
Australia’s off-spinner made knocking off England in their second innings look a simple operation while his England counterpart will not be sorry to leave EdgbastonAgainst Australia in particular Moeen Ali has days like these. Days like the fourth of the Edgbaston Test when he started his bowling for the morning with a beamer looped at Steve Smith’s head. The former Australia captain usually bats like he is being attacked by wasps but this time even more so as he swatted his bat around at face height. He went on to take 57 runs from Moeen in the innings as the spinner went for 130.Days like the third day at Edgbaston when Moeen, on nought, left alone a ball from Nathan...