7 minute read Players and commentators talk a lot about playing each ball on its merits, but actually it’s not always that good an idea. Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley gave an illustration why in the 2023 Ashes. It’s a mad but completely true fact that England haven’t had a settled opening partnership
Continue readingCategory: England
Ashes predictions that were very wrong
3 minute read It’s almost time to start looking ahead to the Ashes again, but before we get back to that, let’s first look back on the Ashes. Specifically, let’s look back on ‘looking ahead to the Ashes’ by revisiting our 10 things to watch out for from before the series, so that
Continue readingPretty sure that was a fantastic Ashes, but what do you actually remember of it?
3 minute read The 2023 Ashes has sogged and then at the last moment unexpectedly fizzled to its conclusion. With five Tests in 46 days, immediately following on from the World Test Championship final, it’s been a lot to take in. What do you actually remember of it? The series itself resulted in
Continue readingNight-night, Nighthawk: Stuart Broad’s final shot in Test cricket
< 1 minute read It’s a weird feature of cricket that you can go out in style but then still carry on playing for the whole of the rest of the day and probably a good chunk of the next day as well. Stuart Broad ended his batting career gloriously. Never mind the artifice
Continue readingDid you see… Marnus Labuschagne score a run?
2 minute read It’s quite possible you didn’t. He only scored nine of them in 82 balls after all. You have options in Test cricket. You can choose how you go about things. We would argue that England’s hare approach to batting at the minute is actually a lot more interesting for being
Continue readingAn England v Australia Oval Test preview with Rick Dangerous
4 minute read It’s late July and that of course means the end of the Test summer. With no more England men’s fixtures scheduled until the tour of India from the end of January 2024, you should probably try and make the most of the Oval Test. The nights are drawing in, as
Continue readingDoes Zak Crawley’s 189 matter?
4 minute read It was only one innings, but two Zak Crawleys batted at Old Trafford last week. The first was what we call in these parts “a jousey bastard” who cemented his reputation as the most gifted inside-edger in world cricket. The second was an almighty destroyer of worlds who flickered into
Continue readingWhat’s it like in the Old Trafford temporary stand? (a match report)
4 minute read Send your match reports to king@kingcricket.co.uk. We’re only really interested in your own experience, so if it’s a professional match, on no account mention the cricket itself. (But if it’s an amateur match, feel free to go into excruciating detail.) Our eternal lack of enthusiasm for doing absolutely anything before
Continue readingOld Trafford Test pitch preview with Private Hudson
4 minute read England and Australia have arrived in Manchester for the last northern Ashes Test until 2031. The tourists lead 2-1, but fatigue is starting to tell for both teams. What can we expect in the week ahead? Pat Cummins has bowled 140 overs in the last six weeks, and may conceivably
Continue readingGot some random job that needs doing? Maybe see if Moeen Ali fancies stepping in
2 minute read First published in 2016 and now republished without changing a word – although we did update the lead image and add a link at the bottom. If you have a problem, if no-one else can help, and if you can find him, maybe you can ask Moeen Ali to do
Continue reading