Though England’s players will be rusty after a long lay-off the best have enough self-belief to resist any suggestion of frailtyRC Robertson-Glasgow, cricket writer nonpareil, once famously asked: “Who ever hoped like a cricketer?” As England’s chosen 30 prepare to pack their bags for the monastic retreat that is now the Hilton hotel at the Ageas Bowl, they will be full of hope after a prolonged absence from the game.Both Jimmy Anderson with his 151 caps and the eight players yet to make their debut will be bubbling with enthusiasm as they start to hone their skills again. But they will also wonder whether the magic is still there after their lay-off. In their quieter moments they will be all...
As an England teammate and TMS colleague I’ve admired Geoffrey Boycott’s work as a batsman and broadcasterThis is not an obituary. There is life after Test Match Special. Henry Blofeld, recently back from the Real Marigold Hotel, is proof of that, although the odds on Geoffrey Boycott following him on to that programme in the next series may be slim.Geoffrey will no longer be a regular on TMS, which is hardly surprising in this summer of all summers. He is in his 80th year and even he recognises it is a good idea to shoulder arms to the pandemic. Related: Farewell Boycott, a mess of contradictions whose TMS innings lasted far too long | Andy Bull It would be a...
Rudder shares lyrics to an upcoming song about Windrush as West Indies head across the Atlantic to bail out English cricketThe arrival of West Indies for this summer’s Test series in England is not the first time that bright young people from the Caribbean have travelled across the Atlantic to bail out the country during an hour of need.It may be for the financial benefit of English cricket, rather than a nation on its knees after a bloody world war, but there is a parallel to be drawn with Jason Holder’s tourists and those aboard the Empire Windrush in 1948 – as well as a stirring anthem that connects the two generations. Related: Geoffrey Boycott aims dig at BBC as...
Any player not included in the 55-man group named by selectors has little hope of an international futureThere must be some grumpy English professional cricketers out there this weekend. Let me try to bowdlerize their thoughts: “Our wise selectors have plucked out 55 players for training ahead of the proposed international matches this summer and I do not appear to be among them. 55 represents no fewer than five cricket teams so this is a source of some disappointment since I thought that I might still have the chance of the ultimate honour, playing for my country, in the foreseeable future. This now seems a rather distant dream. So it’s back to the nets, whenever that is allowed for the...
As Ben Stokes has shown, recognising perfection is impossible and not worrying about failure can be key to great successIn Ford v Ferrari – the Oscar-nominated film that tells the story of Le Mans 1966 – there’s a memorable scene where driver Ken Miles looks out over a racing circuit at dusk. “Out there is the perfect lap,” Miles tells his young son. “No mistakes, every gear change, every corner, perfect. Can you see it?” “I think so,” his son replies. “Most people can’t,” says Miles.During this sporting hiatus I’ve been pondering perfection, and the discipline it takes to achieve it, born of the sense that everyone around the world is using their Covid-enforced break more productively than me. I...