Fast bowler tears through England in a breathtaking spell that reminds onlookers of a glorious West Indies pastAt drinks on the second afternoon, as England’s batting lineup sat in flaming ruins on 49 for seven, the DJ in the Kensington Oval’s party stand flicked through his record collection and plumped, rather predictably, for David Rudder’s Rally Round The West Indies.This was not the slow and slightly mournful brass version used as the region’s de facto anthem before games, however, but rather the full-blown calypso mix; the one that implores the people of the Caribbean to “rise again like a raging fire”. Related: West Indies v England: first Test, day two – live! Continue reading...
England all-rounder marks 50th cap by giving West Indies a taste of his indefatigable brawn and a natural ability to get the ball hoopingAt 9am the England supporters had swamped the public spaces outside the Kensington Oval, perusing the market stalls, taking on early fluids and jostling for pictures in front of the cover-driving statue of Sir Garfield Sobers.Inside the so-called mecca of Caribbean cricket another all-rounder was also being celebrated. In the pre-match huddle Ben Stokes received his 50th England cap from his former county teammate Steve Harmison, who once planted his personal flag in the region when blasting Michael Vaughan’s side to a series win in 2004. Related: Jimmy Anderson helps revive England against West Indies on sluggish...
Two years of overhaul, including a home World Cup, could fire cricket’s future in England if the governing body has its wayIt was a coincidence that the MCC scheduled its winter 1918 committee meeting on 12 November, though if pressed Lord Hawke might have professed it presentiment and canny planning. Either way, on the very first day after the armistice, the MCC’s ordinary committee got together to get on with the business of organising the next domestic schedule. They had a lot to talk about. Through four years of war, there had been no county cricket at all. Now it was back, no one seemed to agree exactly what it should be. Opinion was split. On the one side were...
Much has changed since the debacle of 2015, not least the settling on two spinners who can help control a gameWith a home World Cup swiftly followed by a home Ashes series the summer of 2019 has the potential to rival the greatest in the history of the English game and also to be among its most crushing disappointments.The home side are the favourites to win both competitions and the England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive, Tom Harrison, has declared himself “giddy with excitement” about the “once in a generation opportunity” the coming months represent. Related: Cameron Bancroft lasts three balls on return from nine-month absence When is it happening? Continue reading...
He may look like he should still be playing for the colts but after bursting on to the Test scene in the summer England’s tyro has pocketed a lucrative IPL contract to crown his 2018Last year my kids went to do some holiday cricket training at Surrey’s practice ground at New Malden. When they came back I asked my wife if she’d found the right place, and she said, oh yeah, I got a bit lost but there was a very nice boy who was having his foot massaged and I asked him where to go and he got up and showed us the right place, we had a bit of a chat he was lovely, very nice, very polite.While...