They will have the fastest bowlers on show at Edgbaston, but a new batting star will need to emerge if the tourists are going to find the runs to put England under pressureWith uncertainty comes excitement. So it must be a good thing that we don’t quite know what to expect at Edgbaston over the next few days. We do know that the ball is pink, that ticket sales are good and that it might be a good idea to bring a jumper (and maybe a blanket and a balaclava for the final session, which will probably end around 9.30pm every evening). Even better: get an invitation to a swish, warm hospitality box.We are less sure about how the pink...
West Indies are in town from Thursday, when a pink Dukes ball and inappropriate break names are the least of the adjustments to the staple Test match fareThe first of many questions that executives at Edgbaston had to ask as they commenced preparations for England’s first ever day-night Test was: what do you call the breaks? Standard, daytime Tests have their lunch break at, well, lunchtime, and their tea break at, give or take, tea time. A 2pm start distorts the timetable and, while 4pm can be referred to in many ways, if you are calling it lunchtime something has gone badly wrong with your day.In Adelaide, where Australia played day-night Test matches against New Zealand in 2015 and South...
The 20-year-old Hampshire spinner is unlikely to play in the day-night Test against West Indies at Edgbaston but he could soon buck a troublesome trendIt seems we have some dewy-eyed romantics as selectors. From Hampshire they have plucked the young wrist-spinner, Mason Crane, whose bowling average is twice his age. A fresh-faced novice of 20 is on the verge of playing Test cricket after 25 first-class games.It is an eye-catching selection and a heartwarming story and – who knows – might have a happy ending. Whether Crane actually plays in Birmingham against West Indies is debatable. This is England’s first ever day-night Test with the devious pink ball, which sometimes gets up to tricks when the sun goes down. During...
Two batting places are up for grabs in Test series against West Indies as selectors search for settled line-up in time for the Ashes in AustraliaIt is quite an achievement to beat South Africa for the first time in two decades in this country with what was to all intents a nine-man side. England were dependent on their old guard for victory while those seeking to establish a place in the side were unable to make telling contributions.The combination of Liam Dawson, Gary Ballance and Dawid Malan mustered 138 runs in 12 innings in this series – though one should not discount Dawson’s five wickets. At the top of the order Keaton Jennings scored 127 runs in eight visits to...
With his five-wicket burst, Moeen became the second England cricketer after Ian Botham to take 25 wickets and score more than 250 runs in a Test seriesIt had to be Moeen Ali, the man of Joe Root’s first summer as Test captain, who would pick the lock that sent England hurtling towards a 177-run win at Old Trafford and what was their first series win over South Africa at home in 19 years. After his 10 wickets and 96 runs at Lord’s came his hat-trick at The Oval, before the audacious counterattack with the bat here on the third evening was followed by figures of five for 69 in England’s fourth-innings surge.The shining smile that resides above the luxuriant beard...