Ben Stokes’ side could be forgiven for their unwavering commitment to Bazball if it meant winning 10 out of 11 TestsAnd frankly, is this not what the people want? Australia may be on the verge of going 2-0 up after enduring the worst of the conditions, the loss of their champion spinner and an out-of-form No 3 batter. But these are mere details, and the men of Bazball do not trouble themselves with details. Could they have gone harder? Could they have lost their wickets in even more perplexing ways? Could they have thrilled us even more? When cornered, don’t back down. Double down.For all the wildness and weirdness of the darkening evening, this Test turned on the slapstick of...
One of the batting greats showed his class again for Australia at the home of cricket with a century full of balance and defianceIt seemed fitting that even Steve Smith’s celebration of another brilliant, gripping sui generis hundred should become a little bit clipped and fraught and fussicky. The hundred had arrived in the right way too, with one of the thrillingly unbound, but still perfectly balanced cover drives that had decorated his innings.Smith’s cover drive is a remarkable thing. It shouldn’t really be possible. He is already opening his body up the other way as the ball is delivered, closing his left shoulder, gripping the bat hard with his bottom hand, shaping for the default leg-side nurdle. Continue reading...
Ben Duckett’s Test career appeared to be finished in 2017 but his busy 98 at Lord’s embellished a stirring comeback storyIt was actually a vodka and lemonade, not that it really matters. Everyone assumes that the drink Ben Duckett tipped over James Anderson during the ill-fated 2017-18 Ashes tour – the drink that looked like ending his international career for good – was a pint of beer. To a large extent, I think, this is because Duckett basically looks like a pint drinker. You can almost see it nestled in his meaty hand: one arm resting on the wood-panelled bar, the other showing you a picture of a new sports car on his phone.And for years this is how Duckett...
Captain’s half century builds lead on day of ups and downs after Sophie Ecclestone’s relentless bowling checked their progressOn the fourth morning of the Women’s Ashes Test in Nottingham, Australia had the game in their hands. One wicket down, 149 on the board, leading by 159 in the third innings, with their two most reliable hands Beth Mooney and Ellyse Perry together at the crease. Thirty-five overs later they were all out for 257, the last nine down for 108.That session-and-a-bit of was like the breaking of a storm, after three and a half days of bowlers working thanklessly thanks to a batting pitch and a raft of missed chances from both teams. The game’s trajectory had not suggested losing...
Ben Stokes’s declaration on day one was a mistake but it was not a fatal one and a lack of match practice really undid themA close finish in Test cricket is an Agatha Christie, a whowunnit with umpteen suspects. When the difference between the sides is slim, you can attribute it to almost anything: Usman Khawaja’s 13-hour vigil, Pat Cummins’ cool-headed cameo, Ben Stokes’s befuddling declaration, Jonny Bairstow’s frustrating fumbles, Nathan Lyon’s eight wickets – or a pitch that was tailor-made for him. The old farts among the fans were too quick to blame it on the boogie. But it wasn’t Bazball wot lost it: it was Bazball that, as so often, defeated the draw.The declaration attracted the most scorn,...