Be afraid, be very afraid

Ok, I’m back, but just before I settle down for a night in the land of Nod, I should draw your attention to the story on crickinfo headlined IPL eyes global network of leagues, which suggests that not only England, but South Africa, Australia and Pakistan are all working on their own models of the [...]

England really are just men at work

Shaun Marsh (see Fanfare for a common man) may be being unfairly overlooked by Australia’s selectors, but there is another Aussie that people should be paying attention to. His name, apparently, is JRod and he is a film-maker from Melbourne when he’s not blogging about cricket. Anyway, if you haven’t already been there, get over [...]

Fanfare for a common man

I’ve not generally been one to blow my own trumpet but, sod it, I’m gradually learning that if I don’t, no one else will. So here goes: reading Line and Length yesterday afternoon, before sharing a very convivial beer with its creator in the evening, I learned that the leading run-scorer in the IPL, which [...]

Community care

Here I am trying to do some proper work, but progress is slow as I become more aware of just what an enormous cricket blogging community is out there. As someone relatively new to the blogosphere (as I believe Patrick has referred to it on Line and Length) I find that, despite my other obligations, [...]

Heroes every one of them – update

After several contributions, it has come to my notice that I failed to name a captain for my side. I’d have to go for Geoff Howarth, since his record leading New Zealand was pretty good, but, having been reminded of a hero I left out, I will instead insert Mike Brearley into the mix, as [...]

Answer me

Well done to Brian Carpenter, who recalled that the umpire who walked out on the first day of a game was Guy Randall-Johnson; he’d had a spat with Julian Wood over an lbw decision during the Berkshire Minor Counties Championship game with Dorset in 2006. A new quiz question will follow later.

Still crazy after all these years

Cricket could finally go completely crazy tomorrow morning when the ECB meets to discuss so-called ‘radical’ changes to the domestic game. Among the new ideas mooted, according to reports, are a return to a three-day county championship, which may or may not be divided into three ’conferences’ based on regional distribution, and, most bizarrely of all, a retention [...]

Heroes every one of them

We’ve had World XIs, best county XIs and best England XIs but I don’t remember seeing anywhere anyone’s Heroes XI – ie a team of the players you admired when you were growing or after you grew up . So I thought I’d have a go myself. Feel free to join in and name your [...]

Quiz question of the day

Congratulations to Patrick Kidd and the Twelfth Man for getting yesterday’s quiz question right. It was indeed Jack Marsh, who should have played for Australia but for various reasons didn’t, and the year he wore splints to try to avoid being called for throwing was 1900. I can see I will have to be even [...]

Kiwis fooled by pitch

Well, what a strange pitch that is at Old Trafford. It seemed to change its temperament on each day of the Test and finally bore out Nasser Hussain’s contention that it has become a “bowl-first” wicket. While Monty Panesar was named man-of-the-match, and Andrew Strauss rightly lauded for his innings yesterday, it has to be [...]