Cricket Comment: Stokes can be England’s next true all-rounder May 27, 2015 Like many people I thought Jason Gillespie had a real shout of landing the England head coach’s job but I believe that Trevor Bayliss is a really good appointment and he is someone who will move the national side in the right direction. I spent a bit of time with him when I was with [...]
Cricket Comment: England want to land a big fish May 20, 2015 CARETAKER boss Paul Farbrace this week threw his hat into the ring to become England’s head coach on a full-time basis. I think he has a chance but my gut feeling is that England are after a bigger fish. Having said that, he has the opportunity to impress over the next few weeks during the [...]
Kevin Pietersen: Four reasons why Andrew Strauss is wrong to exclude him from the England cricket team May 12, 2015 Andrew Strauss has only just been unveiled as England's new director of cricket, yet there are already calls for him to be sacked after he decided against reintroducing Kevin Pietersen into the England team. In his first press conference as director, Strauss had to deal with a tide of journalists' questions about Pietersen's exclusion – [...]
Cricket Comment: Morgan should prioritise England over IPL duties April 29, 2015 In the long term it is not a massive issue but Eoin Morgan is England’s one-day captain and he should be there for his side’s first 50-over clash since their disastrous World Cup campaign, against Ireland in Dublin on 8 May. Morgan has been given dispensation by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to [...]
Cricket Comment: England in need of a spin doctor April 22, 2015 KENT’S James Tredwell did a good job in the first Test against the West Indies in Antigua and gave England a chance of victory with five wickets in the match but I understand the decision to recall off-spinning all-rounder Moeen Ali. He has looked a bit rusty so far in the second Test in Grenada [...]
Cricket Comment: Scratching around won’t do, England must find form fast April 15, 2015 IF ENGLAND put a rocky start behind them and win the first Test in the West Indies it will relieve some pressure, but the bigger picture is that they’ve got to be looking ahead to New Zealand and Australia. Both are really tough opponents, so when they visit us this summer England need to be [...]
Cricket Comment: Pack leader Jimmy can rack up 500 wickets April 8, 2015 ENGLAND seamer Jimmy Anderson is a class act. He got a bit of stick over the winter in the one-day format but he is one of the best bowlers this country has ever produced, if not the best. He has taken 380 Test wickets and only needs another three to equal Sir Ian Botham’s all-time [...]
Cricket Comment: Colin Graves’ concerns – why four-day Tests are not best way forward April 1, 2015 From what I have seen, incoming England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Colin Graves has the appetite to implement change that will improve the structure of cricket in this country. He is due to start work next month and will arrive with a fresh mind and, hopefully, will be armed with certain long-term ideas that [...]
High winds were just not cricket for Lord’s March 31, 2015 LONDON was hit yesterday by gusts of up to 50mph which caused chaos for commuters and workers in the capital. A fallen tree left commuters trying to get to Hackney, Walthamstow and Chingford stranded and the Father Time weather vane at Lord’s cricket ground was damaged.
Sport Comment: Popcorn at the ready for return of cricket’s very own Butch Cassidy March 26, 2015 I KNOW, I know: it’s international week and Lithuania are in town but, seriously, I think even the staunchest Tottenham fan has had enough of Harry Kane. Instead, keeping the international theme going, I give you the case of a 34-year-old, perhaps past his prime, who is hoping for a last hurrah with England. Those [...]