Category: England

Geoffrey Boycott Autobiography Chapters 1 & 2

Geoffrey Boycott Autobiography Chapters 1 & 2

Posted on by Bobji

This and a series of blogs will be about Boycott’s autobiography. First, Geoffrey Boycott Autobiography Chapters 1 & 2. Geoffrey starts with an apology. He apologises to everyone who may have become his adversaries because of his forthrightness. He once walked past his mother without even looking at her because he was thinking about the …

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The Ashes England perspective

The Ashes England perspective

Posted on by Bobji

The Ashes England perspective Down 0-2 and eventually squaring the series 2-2 was an extraordinary achievement. I expected England to win atleast one Test. Afterall, they were playing at home under familiar conditions but never did I expect them to win 2. If not for rain at Old Trafford, they could have walked away with …

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The Ashes Australian perspective

The Ashes Australian perspective

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The Ashes Australian perspective. Another edition of The Ashes has been done and dusted. The series was well-fought between two evenly-matched teams. No quarter was given and none asked. There were some stellar individual performances as well as some sterling rearguard actions. Inevitable comparisons were made with the 2005 Ashes series which not at all …

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Are we witnessing history?

Are we witnessing history?

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England is sitting pretty in the Old Trafford Test. A brute of an innings from the much-maligned Zak Crawley, has put them in the driver’s seat. Michael Atherton, the much respected British commentator, remarked during his innings that Crawley has not been consistent but if he can get himself set, he plays an innings of …

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A tale of two contrasting series

A tale of two contrasting series

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There is India against the West Indies and there is England against Australia. Famously known as The Ashes. It is no brainer as to which one is the more popular series. There cannot be a contrasting series than these. In the future, respective boards will have to ensure that they must not schedule mismatched series …

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It is hard to wait for the 4th Ashes Test

It is hard to wait for the 4th Ashes Test

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Yes, it is hard to wait for the 4th Ashes Test. Never in their wildest imagination, would Australia must have thought that come Old Trafford, they will be 2-1 up in the series with an outstanding chance of winning the Ashes outright at the second opportunity. They would have been happy to reach the halfway …

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Questions for England ahead of Old Trafford

Questions for England ahead of Old Trafford

Posted on by Bobji

England is still alive and kicking in the ongoing Ashes. They barely survived at Headingley despite the brilliance of Mark Wood. There are quite a few questions that Ben Stokes and McCullum will have to find answers for before Old Trafford. Despite the win, bowling still needs to be improved. The much-touted Bazball, is for …

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Questions for Cummins ahead of Old Trafford

Questions for Cummins ahead of Old Trafford

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Mitchell Marsh’s comeback was nothing short of brilliant. Cameroon Green is touted as a future prospect who hasn’t done much wrong in his short career so far. Cummins has played 3 consecutive games and has bowled quite a lot of overs. Hazlewood will definitely play at Old Trafford. What to do with David Warner? There …

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England managed to keep Ashes alive

The whole of England would have screamed The Ashes is alive, The Ashes is alive, The Ashes is alive. Well, it is indeed alive. England fought back really well and ensured that they live to fight another day. The action at Headingley, the scene of Ben Stokes’s previous exploits, was riveting. The tension was palpable on the face of everyone watching the game. There were multiple heroes for both England and Australia. England will be the more happier of the 2 teams who were fighting for The Ashes. The victory was fashioned not by Stokes but by a bloke who is just in his first year in international cricket and a fast bowler, who should have been in the starting eleven right from Edgbaston. How did England managed to keep Ashes alive? The inclusion of Mark Wood He has got pace. He runs in hard and is not shy of releasing the ball at uncomfortable speeds. That, he wasn’t part of the England team from Edgbaston is for me, an unpardonable oversight unless he was injured. Wood’s pace and movement after pitching clearly unsettled every Australian player. I have been advocating for Wood to be included in every game until the series is decided. Ofcourse, it makes sense to protect such a precious asset but why wouldn’t you want to make use of his services when the series is alive? Does anyone think that without Wood, England would still have won and that too after the infamous Bairstow incident at Lords? I doubt it. Wood was clearly the difference between the 2 sides. Cummins who looked quite comfortable and assured of himself with the bat at Edgbaston and Lords, suddenly turned into a nervous wreck. Not just Cummins, the entire Australian tail was weary of facing upto Wood. They were afraid of getting hit by one of his thunderbolts. For once, Ollie Robinson’s words came true. Johnny Bairstow continues to flounder If only Bairstow had held onto the chances, England by now would have been leading 2-1 and not the otherway around. His keeping is not at all international standard. He misses every regulation nick and yet, he is persisted with for his batting. I am not advocating for Bairstow to be dropped but he must be relieved of his wicket-keeping duties. All the 3 games were won the Australia and England by small margins. As such, England cannot afford anymore largesse. It is another matter if England is short of good keepers but in Foakes, they have a worldclass keeper. Ollie Robinson will definitely not play at Old Trafford. It gives a good chance to bring Foakes back to keep wickets. Bairstow will probably be relieved to concentrate on batting alone. It may even unleash the beast within Bairstow. Let us remember that all those match-winning innings that Bairstow played last year, he wasn’t keeping wickets then. His replacement, Harry Brook, has gone on from strength to strength and cannot be dropped. Stokes has a tricky decision to make. Does he risk Ashes by persisting with Bairstow as the keeper or does he solidify the team with the inclusion of a brilliant wicket-keeper? It will shorten the bowling but Broad, Woakes, Wood, Moeen and if needed Stokes and Root will be able to bowl the necessary overs. If Bairstow continues to keep, probably one more Australian might tell him that “you have just dropped the Ashes” Boycott wants him dropped “England took a calculated gamble and it hasn’t worked,” wrote Boycott. “In three Tests he has dropped catches, missed a stumping and can’t score any runs. It is very sad and outwardly he may show he is upbeat and full of exuberance, but when you fail on the big stage in the full glare of publicity there is nowhere to hide and deep down it affects your confidence. Someone needs to be brave for him and take him out of the limelight. Well, I will not go that far. However, I certainly want him replaced as the keeper. Bairstow can continue as a batsman. Harry Brook showed his quality He has the potential to become one of the best batsmen of his era. He displayed remarkable composure under extreme pressure. Brook curbed his natural instinct to bat aggressively and decisively. The situation called for restraint and accumulation. In the company of Woakes, Brook showed what he is made of. England have really found a worthy successor to Root. Australia need not be disheartened The positives for Australia far outweigh the negatives. The excellent comeback of Mitchell Marsh, who may very well have played a match-winning innings if not for lack of support from the other end. Australia will now be very much unsure as to whom to pick. Whether they will have to go back to Green or do they continue with Marsh? Green has been seen as the future of Australian cricket and in the limited exposure, has not done anything wrong to be dropped. He is an excellent fielder at gully. It will make sense to continue with Green. Australia’s real problem is at the top. David Warner. 17 times he has fallen to Broad. Broad is not going anywhere. He will play the final couple of Tests. As such, he will relish the prospect of bowling to Warner. The only saving grace for Warner is that Australia does not have a reserve opener. Head opened in India but he has been so successful at number 5 that it does not really make any sense to move him up the order. Labuschagne himself is not among the runs and he is unlikely to. It leaves Mitchell Marsh to open the innings. I do not know whether he has opened even in Shield cricket but to do that in an international game needs a lot of courage. This could also be Marsh’s only opportunity to force himself into the side. If asked, I probably suspect that he will agree. Wrapping up England managed to keep Ashes alive It is not all doom and gloom for Australia. The momentum hasn’t shifted. This loss was always on the cards given the pressure on England. It took the brilliant bowling of Wood to unsettle them. They will be better off for this exposure

Posted on by Bobji

The whole of England would have screamed The Ashes is alive, The Ashes is alive, The Ashes is alive. Well, it is indeed alive. England fought back really well and ensured that they live to fight another day. The action at Headingley, the scene of Ben Stokes’s previous exploits, was riveting. The tension was palpable …

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