Australia Ashes Squad Michael Clarke (capt), Steven Smith (vice-capt), Fawad Ahmed, Brad Haddin, Josh Hazlewood, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Peter Nevill, Chris Rogers, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Adam Voges, David Warner, Shane Watson. Australians don’t like to hang around. The MCG drop-in pitches have barely taken up their winter…
With the ODI World Cup over for another four years, it is now time for all and sundry to wade into debate about the players, matches and moments of the tournament. Every news outlet has been spouting their team of the tournament from Cricinfo to the BBC to the ICC themselves. These are pretty facile…
Australia regained the World Cup in front of a packed MCG on Sunday evening after relinquishing their title for just 4 years. Their historic triumph now means they have been victorious in four of the last five tournaments. They secured a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over their Trans-Tasman rivals and looked in control throughout the match.…
Tomorrow sees the final act of what has been a game-changing World Cup. It is a clash between two great Trans-Tasman rivals. Two countries whose histories, heritage and culture are intrinsically linked, will take to the field at the MCG to battle for the honour of being crowned the best ODI side in the world.…
England have welcomed Otis Gibson back into their coaching set-up for the three match Test series against the West Indies that begins next month. Gibson will take on the role of bowling coach, after the incumbent David Saker was told he would not be required for the tour. Saker has been lambasted over the past…
After 5 weeks, 49 matches, and a whole raft of memorable performances, the Cricket World Cup comes to its conclusion on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Hosts Australia will be gunning for their fourth world cup in the last 16 years, while their opponents and co-hosts New Zealand are making their World Cup final…
Tomorrow sees the second semi-final of the Cricket World Cup, as undefeated India take on co-hosts Australia at the SCG. I would try and predict the result but that just seems futile when it comes to these sides. All the form in previous meetings would point towards a comfortable Australian victory, but it would be…
Last week I sent out a tweet with this picture attached…. The picture is a list of all the overseas players who had, at the time, committed to a stint with an English county in the forthcoming season. Many people lauded the superb display of talents and stated how great it was that big name…
Many older generation fans will lament the modern day advancements in a variety of sporting arenas. Whether it is technology entering the game, the wages on offer, or in the case of the Premier League, the histrionics we are subjected to on a weekly basis. One of the bedrock’s of modern sport however, has slipped…
The 2015 English county season is underway, as Yorkshire and the MCC do battle in champion county match in the now familiar surrounds of the UAE. While the match may be happening thousands of miles away, and the only way to keep track is via a live scorecard or the continually excellent commentary of the…
As I’m sure you’ll appreciate, I’ve not got a huge amount of time to blog today – it being ‘Super Saturday’ in the rugby and all. So with England still to play, and facing what now looks like a massive uphill struggle to win the Six Nations, it’s all been a bit worrying from an…
When Dave Richardson made his no infamous ‘only 8 competitive teams’ comment, I’m sure he didn’t think it would come back to haunt him as spectacularly as it did. Not only did Ireland cause a few upsets, and Bangladesh make it through to the knockout stages. But also the matches involving the supposed 8 competitive…
Get off Misbah’s back – Pakistan’s commander in chief hasn’t exactly enjoyed an easy ride in the job, with #misbahsfualt frequently trending on twitter. While I’m sure much of it is in good humour, the constant negative media and supporter attention must be having a detrimental effect on him and his team. If Pakistan are…
It’s the story that just won’t go away. KP versus the ECB. KP versus his former teammates. The ECB versus modern cricket. KP versus his ego. Whatever you want to call it, the ‘KP saga’ just drags on and on. I tried to become disinterested in it during last summer, as I wanted to try…
South Africa v Sri Lanka (Wednesday 18th March- SCG) The first of the quarterfinals pits perennial World Cup overachievers Sri Lanka against the might of South Africa. Sri Lanka head into the knockout stages with some reasonable results behind them, having beaten both England and Bangladesh, but their two defeats to co-hosts Australia and New…
With the England selectors due to name their Test squad for the West Indies this week, I thought I’d name my 17 players who can get the job done in the Caribbean. Alastair Cook (C) Sam Robson Jonathan Trott Gary Ballance Ian Bell Joe Root Ben Stokes Adam Lyth Moeen Ali Adil Rashid Joss Buttler…
As Ireland make their way home from the cricket World Cup after a pool stage exit, it speaks volumes for the high standards they now set themselves, that they will be somewhat disappointed in their performance over the last month. The opening match victory against the West Indies, while thrilling, did not have the same…
Earlier this week I had a few days away in Milan. It was an impulsive trip, booked on a whim via an offer before Christmas. While I was aware that the holiday would be budget due to the cheapness of it, nothing could quite prepare me for the experience of Ryanair. Michael O’Leary is operating…
Thank god for that. I can finally fully enjoy this cricket World Cup. England are on the way home, and with them will hopefully depart all my feelings of angst when watching this tournament. The rest of the sides have played during the last month with a carefree attitude that has provided entertaining and gripping…
Just a short post today, as time and intermittent wi-fi connection has conspired against me. A busy travelling day for me, and as a precursor to how my day has gone, tomorrow’s post will be all about the ‘experience’ that is Ryanair. Anyway, I’m off to enjoy the hotel bar and prepare my scathing attack…
Jack Vittles 