Mercurial spinner proves he is the polar opposite to Jack Leach with a performance of highs and lows on return from Test exile“Ashes?” “Lol.” And so, after a two-word WhatsApp exchange and a two-year break, Moeen Ali is back at the top of his mark. There’s a roar of approval as his name is announced, a newish red ball in his hand and a fresh page to be written. Moeen has bowled 11,854 balls in Test cricket and most of them, like most of everything, have been instantly forgettable. But then there are the ones you remember.For his nine years in international cricket this has been the eternal illusion of Moeen: a cricketer in whom you can see whatever you...
Australia opener proves another point with a Test century against England that fills the one remaining gap in his recordYou have to start at the end. The celebration is unlike any other. Usman Khawaja starts recognisably, jumping as he crosses for a run, brandishing the bat like a fist pump with custom extensions. But the feeling boils up in him, something frothing its way to the top and over.He throws his bat away, one arm up involuntarily like the jukebox just hit the chorus of Don’t Stop Believin’. It’s not a clean throw, no mic-drop drama, not planned. The bat tumbles from his hand to the ground because his body flails, a physical expostulation as response to a feeling that...
The England bowler devised delivery to dismiss Australia batter, but cannot have expected police assistancePerhaps the best part of the big Stuart Broad set-piece on the second morning at Edgbaston, one of those moments where the wind seems to change, the dogs miaow, the birds fly backwards through the sky and the clock strikes Broad o’clock, was the introduction of mimicry, physical comedy, improv into the usual routine.Broad was always going to do this at some point. He’s a montage bowler. Every Ashes has its sequence, from failing to walk, to Brisbane T-shirts, to hands-over-the-face human-meme stuff at Trent Bridge. This time the talk will be mainly about the dismissal of David Warner, because this has been the chief pre-series...
Doubts have crept in after England lost Jack Leach while Pat Cummins’ side enjoyed ideal preparation for the first Test at Edgbaston in their defeat of IndiaUntil a couple of weeks ago I was pretty confident about England’s chances of winning the Ashes, but a combination of Jack Leach’s injury and watching Australia win the World Test Championship final has got all sorts of doubts creeping in. Still, I can’t wait for the series to start and I’m delighted that it’s happening at Edgbaston, home of the raucous Hollies stand. It’s going to be buzzing and Ben Stokes’s team will absolutely love that sense of occasion.The visitors will get plenty of stick, which won’t be anything new for most members...
Bowler was largely unknown when he arrived on international stage at the age of 32 but his weapons could threaten England“Scotty Boland, he’s now my favourite player. He always has been, but he continues to be my favourite.”Sure the Australia captain, Pat Cummins, might have displayed some confusion about time and continuity. But his sentiment was what mattered, after another decisive bowling burst from the Victorian quick opened up Australia’s path to victory against India in the World Test Championship final. Continue reading...