Jayawardene will develop England’s batting artistry
England have appointed Mahela Jayawardene as their one day batting coach. This does not mean Mark Ramprakash is out of a job. He will be regarded, in future, as the Test match specialist. This...
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Broad is the dish of the day
It’s been some year for Stuart Broad. Not content with knocking Australia over in an hour and a half at Trent Bridge to secure the Ashes (having been initially reluctant to bowl first),...
Australia’s Red Centre is not just a desert full of spiders
A TOWN CALLED ALICE I spent a fascinating week in Alice Springs and surrounding area – the gorgeous Western MacDonald ranges – and found there is much to do including swimming at some...
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...
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...
