Patrick Noone looks at what Australia were lacking on a day of 'what might have beens' for the tourists The selection of Australia’s bowling attack was the subject of much scrutiny before the Ashes began. Pat Cummins, the number one bowler in the world according to the ICC rankings,...
It was Steve Smith's day as the Ashes got underway at Edgbaston, but not before Stuart Broad showed a glimpse of what might have been for England. It seems remarkable to think that there were some calls for Stuart Broad to be dropped for this Test match. Hindsight...
Patrick Noone on why we shouldn't write off Australia, even if the ball is swinging and seaming Australia have not won an away Ashes series since 2001. The reasons for them failing to win in England since have been numerous and varied, but the enduring image...
Ben Jones looks at the individual records between some of the players in this upcoming Ashes series. ANDERSON TO WARNER Controversial opening batsman David Warner has faced James Anderson in 28 Test innings now - but he’s never quite worked out how to play him. 272 runs...
Ben Jones analyses what's going on with Bairstow's Test method. Life is about sacrifice. It’s about looking at what you have, what you want to have, and understanding what you need to give up in order to achieve it. English cricket feels like it’s made something of...
Ben Jones analyses another distressing day for English Test batsmen. Why does this keep happening? Why do England keep collapsing? Why do England, a country with a surplus of white ball talent and a drought of red ball equivalents, fall so hard, so fast, so frequently? Why...
Patrick Noone looks at India's unorthodox talent There are not many batsmen in world cricket whose signature shot is the aerial flick over fine leg. There are not many left-handers who more or less totally eschew the off drive, preferring to play square on the off-side...
As the Southern hemisphere rivals go head-to-head in the World Cup once again, Patrick Noone looks back on their last group match encounter: a thriller at Eden Park. When New Zealand took on Australia at Eden Park in Auckland in the group stage of 2015 World Cup,...
Patrick Noone analyses the six balls that clinched the game for India at Old Trafford Sport is about moments. The moments that define matches, tournaments, even careers. We talk about ‘big game players’ who routinely step up and deliver such moments to seize the initiative, change the course of...
Patrick Noone looks at how the New Zealand captain has quietly gone about his business on his way to successive World Cup centuries. Kane Williamson is not an obvious modern-day batting superstar. He doesn’t possess the power of Andre Russell, the swagger of Virat Kohli or the innovation...