Cricket Comment: Sri Lanka contests are the ideal auditions for England wannabes May 13, 2014 AS INTERESTING as a handful of matches against one of the best short-form nations in the world will be, I’ll also be fascinated by the sub-plots of the forthcoming clashes with Sri Lanka. England are a side rebuilding under a new coach after a winter of humiliation, so there are places up for grabs and [...]
Cricket Comment: Moores needs to focus on attack and team ethic April 23, 2014 PETER Moores inherits an England set-up in desperate need of a fresh approach – namely a renewed emphasis on free, attacking cricket and players doing more thinking for themselves. Coach Moores is the right man for the job and I fully expect him to implement those changes in mentality. Some will be down to personnel, [...]
Sport Comment: County cricket’s an anachronism in vibrant world April 13, 2014 MOURNFUL doesn’t usually describe the experience of watching live sport, but it was the best word I could come up with after a couple of hours’ cricket during the opening week of the LV County Championship. An antidote to the hysteria of Chelsea and London Marathon mayhem, it was also a reminder of the days [...]
Cricket Comment: T20 shouldn’t end Giles job hope April 1, 2014 FIRST things first: for England professionals to lose to the Netherlands’ team of virtual amateurs by a big margin this week at the World Twenty20 was embarrassing and pathetic. It’s a blow for Ashley Giles’s hopes of landing the Test job, but the players have to carry the can. You can train and motivate but [...]
Cricket Comment: Promoting Buttler could be key to reviving England’s World T20 bid March 25, 2014 ENTERTAINMENT has been in abundant supply at the current World Twenty20 in Bangladesh, and that’s largely down to some stellar individual performances lighting up terrific matches. Glenn Maxwell’s 74 off just 33 balls for Australia, the 94 off 54 in reply from Pakistan’s Umar Akmal, Dale Steyn’s 4-17 in South Africa’s win over New Zealand [...]
Spread betting on cricket March 20, 2014 Spread betting on the ICC World Twenty20 couldn’t be easier. Sporting Index will be offering hundreds of markets relating to runs, wickets, win indices and team and player performance, with many updated in-play. Our traders will be making predictions on a number of events and scenarios within each match, and the tournament in general, with [...]
Cricket Comment: Morgan fitness would be best result of week March 4, 2014 FOR the sake of putting their Ashes nightmare behind them it’s important that England complete a one-day series victory in the West Indies today, yet there are bigger issues at play. For as much as they’ll be desperate to win, they can’t afford to take any risks with the fitness of batsman Eoin Morgan if [...]
Cricket Comment: Young trio hold key for England February 25, 2014 CHANGE is in the air for the England team as they embark on their first series since the disastrous Ashes tour, and without stars such as Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook. The tour to the West Indies, comprising three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches, is being seen as a chance for England newcomers Moeen [...]
Cricket Comment: Pietersen Test career may not be history if England dressing room was a little more relaxed February 11, 2014 ONE issue lost amid the furore over Kevin Pietersen’s sacking by England chiefs is what this regrettable episode says about the dressing room. Specifically, is it all a bit too serious? From the coaching staff down to the kit men, there are a lot of very similar characters in the England set-up: ultra-professional, analytical and [...]
Cricket Comment: Kirsten is pick of candidates for Flower job February 3, 2014 COACH Andy Flower’s decision to step down from the England job following a disastrous winter caused mild surprise but it was no shock. As I’ve detailed in this column more than once, I think it is the right move – the question now is who succeeds him. In an ideal world it would be Gary [...]