Richard Gould interview: Surrey’s chief executive on T20 Blast success, The Hundred and the fifth Ashes Test September 2, 2019 Surrey are enjoying a bumper summer, but Richard Gould is worried news of their prosperity might be getting lost among other cricket events. The hype from England’s World Cup win in July has, thanks to Ben Stokes, merged seamlessly into Ashes euphoria, creating a phenomenon Surrey have been reaping the benefits of. The club’s chief [...]
Chris Tremlett: England must use Ben Stokes’s Headingley miracle to spark Ashes fightback August 28, 2019 Like many, I assumed it would all be over when I looked at the score in England’s third Ashes Test against Australia on Sunday. But like many I didn’t count on the character and talent of Ben Stokes. I was there at the WACA in December 2013 to see Stokes hit his maiden Test century [...]
Chris Tremlett: Once-in-a-generation Jofra Archer gives England an Ashes fear factor August 21, 2019 I was lucky enough to be at Lord’s on Sunday to see the culmination of Jofra Archer’s debut and watching live it felt like I was witnessing a once-in-a-generation bowler operate. Archer is undoubtedly a special talent. People may have scored more runs or taken more wickets on their Test debuts, but I’d struggle to [...]
England v Australia third Ashes Test preview: Joe Root comes home to Headingley needing to disprove the captaincy burden August 21, 2019 It’s hardly a new debate – in fact, it’s one nearly as old as the game itself – but Joe Root will still want to nip it in the bud this week as he returns home to Headingley. England begin the third Ashes Test against Australia in Leeds tomorrow needing to win at least two [...]
Australia still lead but Jofra Archer has redressed the balance of the Ashes at Lord’s August 18, 2019 They may not have levelled the series, but England’s performance at Lord’s has gone a long way to redressing the balance of the Ashes. Ultimately they were undone by the weather, which denied them the time to wrap up a win at the end of another enthralling Test. Considering the nature of their previous failings, [...]
Batting failures once again define England’s performance in second Ashes Test at Lord’s August 15, 2019 We don’t yet know the exact nature of the position England find themselves in after the first day’s play at Lord’s against Australia – being Test cricket it could be anywhere from disastrous to advantageous on the sliding scale – but what we can be certain of is that the same frailties were evident. England lost [...]
Chris Tremlett: England need classic Lord’s conditions to level the Ashes against confident Australia August 13, 2019 Spring-like weather has hit London over the last few days and, with the second Ashes Test starting tomorrow morning at Lord’s, England will be hoping April showers don’t ruin their chances of levelling the series. Having been beaten by Australia at Edgbaston, England really need the conditions to be on their side over the next [...]
Hazards of the Dukes: Why England cannot rely on the mysterious commodity of swing to win the Ashes August 13, 2019 It’s a mystical, erratic but vital element of Test cricket. Batsmen hate it. Pace bowlers thrive on it. Swing is the backbone of the contest between bat and ball – a sought-after, match-winning commodity which flits in and out of existence throughout the ebbs and flows of a game. And yet it remains largely misunderstood. Shine [...]
Chris Tremlett: Jofra Archer has the ability to solve England’s Steve Smith problem at Lord’s August 6, 2019 When they look back on the 251-run defeat by Australia in the first Ashes Test, England will reflect on an opportunity missed. After losing the toss, England had the visitors right where they wanted them at 122-8, only for Steve Smith to claw Australia back into the game with a brilliant 144. The former captain [...]
England facing stern questions after succumbing to Australia comeback in first Ashes Test August 5, 2019 In the end England surrendered the first Ashes Test meekly. The 251-run margin of defeat was unimaginable on the opening day, when Australia were reeling on 122-8 at a raucous Edgbaston. And unimaginable for good reason: England made history, registering the biggest loss of any Test side to have claimed a first-innings lead of 90 [...]