The unique drama of Test cricket

The astounding cricket played by England and Australia has not only rejuvenated the 123 year old Ashes competition, it’s also demonstrated that the five Test series is one of the supreme forms of spectator sport available on earth today. New column by Mike Marqusee in Wednesday’s Guardian, and reproduced on his own blog, praising the current Ashes […]

Geraint, Blessing, World snub shock

Geraint Jones, Blessing Mahwire and Tapash Baisya are among the shock omissions from the thirteen-man ICC World XI chosen to play Australia in a six-day exhibition game at the Sydney Cricket Ground in October.

ODIs do not need fixing – Smith

ODIs do not need fixing – Smith (News 24 via UCBSA website, 15.8.05) Another reason why Graeme Smith will never be the captain Hansie Cronje was…

England defeat Australia by two runs

Deja vu all over again? Maybe. But England’s two-run victory over Australia in the women’s one-day international at Stratford-upon-Avon on Sunday was a quite historic occasion.

Beautiful game rises from the Ashes

It happens every time the Prince of Wales gets married. In 1981, within weeks of Charles’ wedding to Diana, a young tearaway called Ian Botham marked the occasion by leading England to a stunning set of victories over Australia at cricket. – Matthew Engel, Financial Times, 19.8.05 Proof that even Matthew Engel can talk bollocks sometimes. […]

Hands off Murdoch’s cricket rights

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/aug/20/media.cricket Thought-provoking opinion piece in today’s Guardian by former New Statesman editor Peter Wilby on the controversy over English Test cricket TV rights. Wilby argues that Government intervention to keep Test cricket on free-to-air television would be inappropriate. “But sport is just entertainment, for heaven’s sake.”

Save Your Legs! SBS Sunday 8.30pm

When I heard that SBS would be televising the Ashes this year, I wondered how they would reconcile cricket with the multicultural requirements of their charter.

Victory by two runs in the Greatest Afro-Asian ODI Ever

Players came together to celebrate wickets in the same manner that accountants gather to discuss a book-keeping oddity and the tiny band of Indian supporters waving their national flag allowed it to droop in confusion when Shahid Afridi and Kumar Sangakkara teamed up to dismiss Nicky Boje. – Neil Manthorp, CricInfo, 17.8.05 If it finishes with […]

Real Midwinter cricket as Africa meets Asia

While the Asian XI appeared overjoyed about playing with each other, the South African team that charitably took in two Kenyans to give an all-Africa feel to the outfit, behaved like they were on a long-overdue trip to the dentist. – Ranajit Dam, CricInfo, 17.8.05 It’s a Wednesday in the middle of winter in Centurion. So […]

Remember what they said about McGwire and Bonds

The ever-diligent Rajneesh Gupta notes that Australia has now had more sixes struck against them in the current Test series than in any previous series. And that with two matches to play. England has clobbered 26 sixes over the ropes thus far in the 2005 Ashes, beating the 23 struck by the South Africans of 1966-67 at […]