Along with Geoff Lemon, we share a love for radio cricket commentary and a belief that it is special and necessary“What are you blokes up to now?” When explaining to friends and colleagues that I had decided to purchase the radio rights for Australia’s Test series against Pakistan, the response bounced somewhere between curious and bewildered. Geoff Lemon and I have frequently taken an unorthodox approach to staying afloat as freelancers, but buying the means of production on my credit cards, without a sponsor in sight, appeared a new and preposterous one.Fast forward a couple of weeks, to the penultimate delivery of the 90th over of the final day at Dubai. Sure, throughout the gripping struggle our vantage point was...
As England prepare to play their milestone Test against India six writers recall their most memorable of the previous 999England won by two wickets Related: The Joy of Six: England v India memories Related: 2005 and all that: an alternative history of the greatest Ashes Objectively, he was not much fun. But we were giving the Aussies what-for in return and that was good enough for meThe barbecue on the eve of the rest day at the Botham residence was as near to a wake as is possible for that event Related: The Joy of Six: Ashes memories Their batsmen looked like they’d seen the devil. It was only Devon, but on that day it was hard to tell the...
Australia pushed England hard while their former coach’s sensitivity was exposed by an investment company’s giveawayAccording to PJ O’Rourke, it’s best to affect a limp handshake. “A firm, hearty handshake gives a good first impression,” he wrote, “and you’ll never be forgiven if you don’t live up to it.” There were a lot of hearty handshakes at the start of this latest one-day series between England and Australia, a gamut of clasps, claps, pats, pumps and bumps. Before the start of play the Australians shook hands with the umpires and then the Australians shook hands with each other, then the umpires shook hands with the English, then the English shook hands with the Australians. It was, O’Rourke might say, a...
How what seemed a routine case of ball tampering quickly escalated into a national scandal that swept away Steve Smith, David Warner and Darren LehmannIt all ended in tears. Quite often it does in cricket. If nothing else, this week has been a reminder of the unique hold the game has on its players and, in the case of Australia, an entire nation. Add Steve Smith, David Warner and Darren Lehmann to a list of cricketers making tearful departures that includes Michael Vaughan, Kim Hughes, Hansie Cronje and more surprisingly – and privately – Brian Close when he was sensationally sacked by Yorkshire in 1970. Related: Australia's ball-tampering scandal delivers bout of soul-searching Related: Why did Smith and Bancroft have...
It is not clear who benefited from all the weeping in the fall-out of the Australia ball-tampering scandal but not the playersFive days deep into the scandal the Australia team finally hit bottom. Their coach has quit, their two openers are banned and their captain and best batsman since Don Bradman is a broken man.Thursday was a wretched day. It began with Cameron Bancroft’s press conference in Perth, his words catching in his throat as he spoke, continued with Steve Smith’s in Sydney, when he seemed almost overcome with suffering, and finished with Darren Lehmann’s sudden announcement that, despite everything he had said, he was going to resign after all. Lehmann said he changed his mind when he saw Smith...