A meeting of the two best sides in the world is a rare treat in these straitened times and should be enjoyed while it lastsThere has been a lot of talk about what to do about the inaugural World Test Championship, which was originally established as a way of attracting casual fans to the five-day game by repackaging it in a simple, easy-to-follow format. So, let’s see how that’s going.As a result of the pandemic, standings are now being calculated on points percentage rather than points total. Australia top the table on 82.2%. New Zealand are on 62.5%, but will hit 70% if they beat Pakistan 2-0 in the series that starts on 26 December. Which means that in order...
Delay to Australian Open shows the power the grand slams have – many lesser tournaments are likely to bite the dustIf any normalcy remained in the sporting world this year, this week would have marked the first days of the 2021 tennis season. Until just a few weeks ago, this was to be the period in which players bade goodbyes to their families before flying to Melbourne to begin their fortnight of quarantine before the start of the Australian Open. Instead, most players still do not know where they will be in three weeks’ time, when the season begins.As things stand in these ever-shifting pandemic conditions, there will be an Australian Open. The tournament is scheduled to be moved from...
Cricket was not always so precious when it came to bowlers running out batsmen for backing up too farTo Dubai, and Ravi Ashwin’s ongoing escapades for the Delhi Capitals. Over the past few months Ashwin has been running something of a one-man campaign to legitimise cricket’s most nefarious means of dismissal, the Mankad. Which, if you need a gloss, is when the bowler runs out the batsman as he’s backing up at the non-striker’s end. Ashwin did it to Jos Buttler last season. “Disgraceful‚” said Shane Warne. “Completely out of order‚” said Michael Vaughan.Ashwin was unapologetic. This year he has being coached by Ricky Ponting, who warned “we won’t be doing that”. Instead, Ponting said, he wanted Ashwin to “hold...
The Yorkshireman’s relentless ODI form saw him compile a 10th century in the format in which he is one of England’s finestThe England men’s last match of the summer started with a slash, a catch, a cuss and a quick apology. Jason Roy threw his bat at Mitchell Starc’s opening ball and sliced a drive straight to backward point. In the silence of the empty ground, the curse he shouted out as he stomped into the dressing room came through loud and clear on the effects microphone. “Sorry for the choice language,” added Mike Atherton. It got worse. Joe Root was lbw to the very next delivery, so England were nought for two. Eoin Morgan was in now, while Jonny...
Life in a biosecure bubble brings the challenge of finding motivation in empty grounds for introverts and extroverts alike The doom-mongers said this summer could be the end of cricket as we knew it. They were talking about The Hundred, obviously, not a pandemic, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Rather than Welsh Fire and Manchester Originals, we got biosecure bubbles and umpires with wet wipes. Instead of inuring ourselves to five-ball overs or becoming instant experts in the strategic use of the timeout, we have been given a host of other unexpected details to obsess over.Who knew, for instance, the player with the sweatiest back would suddenly have such a vital role in the team?...