Root nurtured England’s rejuvenation
England were not at the races at Old Trafford today. Their batting was undone by the very thing that undermined Australia through the summer – seam and swing. But today’s anti climax should not...
News
Head examinations – the 90mph bouncer and its repurcussions
The bouncer was once the most feared thing in cricket. The West Indies fast bowlers of the 1970s and 80s made devastating use of it. Better protection and a more gung-ho attitude amongst batsmen...
Is James Taylor-made for England?
James Taylor has made a career out of defying the odds. At 5ft 6in he was cut out to be a jockey like his dad but forged a career in cricket. Everyone said he...
How much do batsmen actually watch the ball?
‘Watch the ball’ is the first thing they tell you. But is it actually possible to ‘watch’ a 90mph delivery? Is it purely fast reactions that distinguish the best batsmen from the rest? And...
The science of swing
Jimmy Anderson exploits it brilliantly, but it is not only batsmen who are baffled by swing. Many scientists have been bemused by it too. (And why the red ball does and the white one...
Trigger happy (extract from Who Wants to be a Batsman)
At the start of a season (or tour), batsmen spend many waking hours getting their ‘trigger movements’ properly grooved. Most use this trigger to get themselves going, a sort of prelude to hitting the...
Cricket’s cross-dressing phenomenon
Blinding weather for the 4th odi at Headingley. I travelled up on the train with the Chairman of the ECB and a man in a lizard costume (perhaps his CEO in disguise? A great...
Aussies too clever with the Kookaburra
The loss of David Warner and Shane Watson give England a chance of ruining Australia’s remarkable recent one day record – P19 W18. But they will also have to deal better with Mitchell Starc’s...
Not Taming The Australians and Other Batting Mishaps (book extract)
Against the Australian tourists, I’m leaving the nagging Terry Alderman well, ducking Merv Hughes’s bouncers and ignoring his unintelligible curses when I play and miss. I drive the pace bowler Geoff Lawson (86mph) back...
How batting has become a sporting smorgasbord (extract from Who Wants to be a Batsman?)
The days when a batsman strode out before a match with just his bat and gloves and eased a few gentle half volleys into the advertising hoardings (to the chagrin of the advertisers at...
