An eclectic, whimsical oeuvre of musings and ponderings on cricket, lovely cricket.
One cannot doubt that there is a natural correlation, a symbiosis, between cricket and statistics. Back in the day before statistics became de rigueur in professional sports cricket was awash with all sorts of figures that could be digested and gorged upon to one’s mathematical heart was more than content. Other sports have naturally caught... Continue Reading →
Twelve months on and the smell still lingers. If anything it has become stronger. Hampshire continues to be the Grinch that keeps on grinching. Post copping plenty of scorn for the demotion of Durham and the whole Kolpak farrago little has changed in terms of cause celebres in the intervening period. The club managed to... Continue Reading →
Comparing oneself to a Premier League striker would seem rather churlish but as the new season arrives on the horizon one ponders a phenomenon that has affected a number of successful players down through the years: second season syndrome. Post a successful first campaign the striker struggles to maintain the same standard the following year.... Continue Reading →
T20: it’s the answer to all of cricket’s ills in some eyes. More exposure, better entertainment, more excitement, a greater pathway to encourage others to start playing. It’s all about growing the game. The professional structure is now interwoven, and in some cases dominated, by the format and, by dint, the club and recreational game... Continue Reading →
Almost inevitably, last week’s major match announcement from the ECB provided a sense of predictability. The major matches from 2020 onward will be hosted by the most major venues, including the matches that will form the new T20 competition. In truth such a decision makes sense if the ECB wishes to sell as many tickets... Continue Reading →
In truth, somebody was going to be unhappy about the announcement. Regardless of the minutiae of said announcement the major match allocation, and the venues for the new T20 competition in particular, was likely to provoke rumblings and mutterings. Such is the nature of this polarising competition. One cannot help agree with the rumblings though.... Continue Reading →
Hampshire set for coveted Ashes Test For someone residing no more than twenty minutes’ walk from the ground in question and a Hampshire fan of many years such a headline should have provoked many frissons of excitement. Reality dictated a much different reaction though. For nearly half a century Mick Jagger has been singing... Continue Reading →
It’s almost impossible to put an exact date on such a matter but somewhen during the last decade or so the notion of spectating has become de trop. This author is obviously not old enough to remember when the concept of spectating at sports events was in its formative stages but one imagines that the public... Continue Reading →
Nota bene: Before reading please be aware that this author enjoys T20 cricket and this is not meant as a critique of the format but rather an observation or two on some of the consequences. In this time of T20 overkill barely a day passes without news of another century off of 50 deliveries,... Continue Reading →
