England paceman stays true to his goals despite several left ankle operations and proves himself a bowler of shock and aweMark Wood, from childhood days spent charging in from the conifers at the back of his garden, trying to clonk his father, Derek, on the head, through to the present, has only ever wanted to bowl as fast as he possibly can and play Test cricket for England.A rebellious left ankle that has led to him going under the knife multiple times might have led others to veer away from one or both of these ambitions, either by dialling down on pace or specialising in short-form cricket in a bid to have a career of sorts. But Wood has always...
Tourists have Buttler and Stokes to thank for salvaging some pride against West Indies after top order exposed againTo say the first English arrivals on St Lucia did not fare too well would be something of an understatement.In 1605 the Olive Blossom was blown off course on its journey from Barbados to Guyana and under the leadership of the ship’s captain, Nicholas St John, its 67 passengers came ashore seeking refuge. Related: Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler give England hope as top order falters once again Related: Ben Stokes: ‘I didn’t take my pads off, I was just sat in my chair’ Continue reading...
This week’s roundup also features the worst Super Bowls, a points-fest of a Six Nations final day and golfers being good1) England receiving a Test match cricket horsing will be familiar to those of a certain age, so at the risk of inspiring PTSD, here are some more. Their heaviest defeat in terms of runs to West Indies was in 1976 at Old Trafford, the Test remembered for Brian Close being peppered by the quick bowlers and for Gordon Greenidge scoring centuries in both innings as the tourists won by 425 runs. Brisbane hasn’t been a happy place for England: they haven’t won there since 1986, lost by 381 runs in 2013, by 277 runs when Ricky Ponting starred in...
With England looking pallid and Australia showing only faint signs of recovery, this summer’s Ashes could be thrillingly closeThe traditional role of Poms in Australia is to accept graciously the humorous insults directed at the England cricket team, responding politely without resort to obvious cliches, particularly those involving convicts.For all kinds of reasons, it is a little different this time. For a start, British visitors are now greeted with a kind of affectionate pity mixed with honest curiosity: “What exactly is a backstop?” On enervating Australian afternoons, when the mind turns only slowly, it seems best to say that backstop is a fielding position, employed by captains of incompetent teams who can’t trust their wicketkeepers. Related: Significant win for Australia...
Changes are needed in the wake of England’s defeats in the Caribbean, but this is not the time for knee-jerk reactionsEngland have won eight of their past 11 Tests. They have also won eight of their past 19. They are not as good as they thought they were after victory in Sri Lanka; they are not as bad as we think they are now. By demanding an instant fix to a complicated problem, many modern fans are demonstrating the same aversion to nuance and patience that they deplore in England’s batsmen. It’s important not to overreact, but nor should England under-react. Their top-order batting was in crisis even when they were hammering India and Sri Lanka last year, and all...