Australia’s star batsman is not resting on his laurels after Edgbaston, once again decorating the game he bruised last yearSteve Smith is ruining Test cricket. Like a maverick cop forced off active duty, he has been back only five minutes but is already laying the town to waste. Or at least this is the perception in some parts of the British Isles.Some objections come from the internet eggs that spawn around comment threads, decrying him as a cheat who should never be allowed near a cricket field again – you know, like all the other ball-tamperers who were banned for life rather than being feted as greats of the game with commentary contracts and hall of fame places. Related: Moeen...
The spinner has been dropped after struggling in the first Ashes Test, leaving England with more questions to answer at Lord’sNathan Lyon has not been as vociferous at the start of this Ashes series as he was before the last one in November 2017. There has been no need and maybe there really is a return to the brave old world when Australia respected their opponents. Back in Brisbane two years ago Lyon was the cheerleader on the welcoming committee, talking of English batsmen “running scared”, of a determination to “head-butt the line” and of an Aussie team eager to “end careers”. “I didn’t end any careers,” he said. “Mitchell Johnson ended them.”There is a suggestion that Lyon might just...
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...
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...