The opinionated former England batsman’s TV and radio commentary always refers to his past exploits and that is something irrelevant to the modern eraOn a mid-summer afternoon more than 30 years ago, back in the long-lost era when Yorkshire played a lot more of their cricket away from the dismal confines of Headingley, I was having a happy sunlit wander round the charming old ground at Harrogate.One man on a bench on the boundary was going on and on to his mate about the usual subject. I paused for a moment to see which way this rather one-way conversation was going to turn when a bloke in the row behind intervened, loudly. “Oh, give it a rest for Christ’s sake!”...
England’s No3 is vulnerable through that slightly open bat face, while Alastair Cook’s Ashes game plan against the spinner Nathan Lyon isn’t clear, which is puzzling for a champion cricketer about to play his 150th Test in PerthJoe Root’s optimism after the defeat in Adelaide was to be expected. You don’t throw the towel in from 2-0 down, however much history is against you. That said, the way Australia’s bowlers are slicing through England is all pointing to the Ashes changing hands.Much was made of Root’s decision to bowl first – more on that later – but right now, four innings into the series without a hundred from a touring batsman and only one total a nudge above 300, it...
There are plusses for England despite the scoreline – Craig Overton, Chris Woakes and some team spirit – but the side may be clutching at straws from here on inIn Brisbane and Adelaide England have managed to tantalise. They have not been uniformly hopeless. They clung on at the Gabba for three days and there were moments when they could have taken control of that Test. Conversely in Adelaide, having played ineptly for two and a half days, they bowled out Australia for 138 in their second innings and so conjured up the possibility of a historic victory. On the fourth day they rose again and allowed their fans to dream. On the fifth grim reality returned. All out for...
Anderson made a mockery of the notion that he poses a threat only on English green-tops on a day that left Australia with decisions to ponder before PerthJimmy Anderson does his best work after midnight. Australian time. For cricket fans in this country, the presence of the world’s most productive seam bowler of this decade is more theoretical than palpable. He lives on cable TV in the middle of football season.But his record in Australia? That is a story we’re familiar with. Sure he did well in 2010-11, but got properly carted in the whitewashes either side. He’s the guy George Bailey hit for a record 28 runs from an over. Bailey played five Tests. Related: Joe Root digs in...
Australia’s captain taunted by England’s Barmy Army for his hasty reviews during day four’s fine advert for pink-ball Test cricketThe twilight zone. Though 24 hours later than many expected, England got their moment under lights on the fourth evening in Adelaide and through Joe Root, Dawid Malan and some pyromaniacal reviews by Steve Smith, somehow the tourists remained in the hunt.Whatever the result on the final day, this was the kind of session for which day-night Test cricket was designed. A hooping pink ball, a straining attack and batsmen battling hard to get just shy of halfway in their pursuit of 354 – Ashes cricket might not need the format to sell out grounds but the glow of the outfield, the...