On current form the spinner, who has developed a Glenn McGrath-like knack of removing the opposition’s best player, is a captain’s dream – a stock strike-bowlerHow good is Ravichandran Ashwin? To some the question is rhetorical, to others interrogative. After another spectacular performance against New Zealand, he is No1 in the ICC Test bowling rankings, and will surely make life very unpleasant for England’s batsmen this winter. Yet this is not a straightforward case of a spinner achieving greatness. The enormous disparity between his record at home and abroad means that Ashwin is often disparaged by one little phrase: rough-track bully.His overall record is astonishing. He has taken 220 wickets in only 39 Tests, and has won four consecutive man...
Selectors may have one eye on the next series but will need to get things right first in Chittagong and DhakaEngland have won all eight of their Test matches against Bangladesh but they will have done very well if that 100% record remains intact in a fortnight’s time. There are good reasons for this conclusion ranging from the weather – there is clearly rain about in Chittagong at this time of the year – to the perception that Bangladesh have improved significantly in recent times.There is concrete evidence for Bangladesh’s advance with a white ball. By winning the ODIs 2-1 England ended a run of six series victories at home for Bangladesh and it was all the more rewarding for...
Paul Farbrace says Jos Buttler could not have had a tougher first series as captain but everyone rose to the challenge, despite the mental barriers they had to crossWhen England travelled to Bangladesh two weeks ago, there were many reasons why they could have lost the ODI leg – and in the course of the series they created a few more. Absent players, ever-improving opposition, alien conditions, crowds wishing them the worst, the suffocating – if superb, and inescapable – security detail and some overemotional aggro all popped up at one stage or another. England’s greenhorns passed their test, however. Related: Jos Buttler says England’s ODI series win in Bangladesh is ‘hugely satisfying’ Related: Eoin Morgan will resume England limited-overs...
Mystery spinners are far from new to the game but the puzzle they pose is an enduring oneNot many remember, now, the extraordinary story of Tom Spedegue, and how he won the Ashes for England, though it was the unlikeliest tale. Spedegue was a schoolteacher from the little village of Bishops Bramley, who had never played so much as an innings of first class cricket when he was called up for the fifth Test in 1928. It was a difficult decision for the selectors. One bolstered himself with whisky-and-soda, and another kept his passport in his pocket so he could make a swift getaway if it all went wrong. He didn’t need it. Spedegue took seven for 31 in the...
There is much sympathy for Durham following their relegation to Division Two and, having been encouraged to speculate by the governing body, it is justifiedThe majority of the cricket world has great sympathy for the plight of Durham – though there may well be a few discreet smiles in the Southampton region – and much of that sympathy is justified. They are regarded more as victims of an entrepreneurial England and Wales Cricket Board than spendthrift villains.Since Durham satisfied one of the criteria of becoming a first-class county two decades ago, which was to build a new stadium in their county, they have been an adornment to the professional game. They have won three County Championships, produced more than their...