Roar Guru
Joined April 2020
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Interested in stadium politics, competition programming, sporting administration, cricket history and trivia
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The very first one-day international match took place on 5 January 1971, and so will celebrate its 50th anniversary in just a few weeks.…
Given that both actual and fantasy-team selectors customise bowling attacks for individual ground conditions, should they also apply that thought process to batting line-ups?…
Greg Chappell famously opined that “talent is a bit like fruit - if you don’t pick it, it can go rotten.” While many in…
A characteristic of cricket is that a grizzled veteran can often outplay a much younger rival. For each teenage Patrick Cummins or Doug Walters…
This 12th (and therefore last) Calendar Test will take place between September-born Australian and English teams. The September-born home team is a reasonably strong…
The series’ penultimate Test, between August-born English and Australian teams, will take place at Headingley. The hosts have everything to play for after levelling…
The series’ fourth Test, between July-born English and Australian teams, will take place at Old Trafford. England’s July-born team will be led by its…
This ninth match is the crème de la crème of calendar Tests. England’s June-born team is the best of its 12, while Australia’s is…
Following the opening match at Trent Bridge, this second Test will take place at Edgbaston. The teams composed solely of players born in the…
Following the inaugural Calendar Ashes series down under, England will now seek to regain the urn at home. Each of its six teams has…
The final game in Australia’s home series will take place at Bellerive Oval, which has never hosted an Ashes match, nor for that matter…
This Test, between sides of February-born players, will take place at the Adelaide Oval. The preceding four matches, for players born in October followed…
After Ashes Tests between sides of players born in October, November and December, the series continues with a fourth match in the New Year,…
After the first Test at the Gabba and the second Test at the WACA, battle will resume at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing…
Following the initial Calendar Ashes article between teams of October-born players, the November equivalent will take place at the WACA ground. If I could…
Matth’s excellent Alphabet Australian teams and Alphabet Ashes series prompted thousands of responses, including suggestions to select teams by birth month or star sign,…
I am finding it extremely difficult to take seriously a format in which-
* a side’s fourth- and fifth-best bowlers each must deliver a minimum 20% of their team’s overs
* a result can be achieved (on DLS) if the side batting second (and if necessary both sides) has faced as few as 5 overs.
Cricket's long-standing battle between bat and ball: Is the IPL money-driven 'show' ruining the contest of the game?
Thanks Gibbo,
Articles like this are the silver lining, to the cloud that is a winter without Test cricket.
Steve Bucknor to umpire
Steve Tikolo (the greatest-ever Kenyan cricketer)
Stephen Jefferies (Sth Af, Lancs and Hants, left-arm fast, 478 first-class wickets during isolation)
Steve O’Shaughnessy (Lancs and Worcs, scorer of a first-class ton in 35 minutes)
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/rewind-to-1983-the-fastest-hundred-that-never-was-675205
What’s in a name? The all-time great Steve XI
Agreed, Wikipetia.
One whole page per Shield game, and per Currie Cup match as well. In winter, one page per County club. Kersi’s articles on cricketing families. And a centrefold of a famous player.
RIP, David Lord: Australian sports journalism icon was 'always thoughtful and thought-provoking'
Thanks Ace, I appreciate it.
I do intend to submit the series’ 12th article on 1 May, for publication hopefully during the following few days. Then later in May, submit an article ranking all 12 sides, as well as one on a significant anniversary worth acknowledging.
Team of the Month: an April-born World Cricket XI
I hope that being named in one of these sides, isn’t proving to be a curse.
Sadly, Derek Underwood passed away earlier this week. He followed Mike Procter in Feb, and Bishen Bedi last Oct.
Team of the Month: an April-born World Cricket XI
Bernard Lance Cairns
Graham Anthony Richard Lock
Plus lots of Sri Lankans but they may have different naming conventions from Anglicised ones.
Matt, Mat or Matthew... The Best XI that shares the popular great name to play top-level cricket
Luteru Ross Poutoa Lote Taylor
Robert Neil Harvey
Ian Jonathan Leonard Trott
Wessel Johannes Cronje
Pinnaduwage Aravinda de Silva
Balapuwaduge Kusal Gimhan Mendis
Matt, Mat or Matthew... The Best XI that shares the popular great name to play top-level cricket
Hi Pierro,
You’ve just named 3 members of my May-born side. I’ll be submitting it in 2-3 weeks’ time for publication.
Team of the Month: an April-born World Cricket XI
Hi Targa,
Was Ramdin that good a batsman ? Averaged 25.87 in the highest-scoring era of all time. And scored just 4 tons in 74 games. Admittedly got to fifty 19 times in 126 innings.
Team of the Month: a March-born World Cricket XI
I’ll be interested to see how much interest the regular Roarers take in the upcoming T20 World Cup. The IPL doesn’t seem to be making an impact on them. Out of sight, out of mind ?
Team of the Month: an April-born World Cricket XI
I might play both McDermott and Gillespie ahead of Murali, in Aus, SA and even NZ ?
Marshall-Barnes-Gillespie-McDermott on a fast bowler’s pitch would be a handful.
Team of the Month: an April-born World Cricket XI
Cheers matth, looking forward to the next ones. It was your A-Z series in the early-2020 first lockdown that prompted me to start. And the page is looking pretty sparse, could use some content.
Matt, Mat or Matthew... The Best XI that shares the popular great name to play top-level cricket
Wow. Last year I had one rejected for being too long.
Matt, Mat or Matthew... The Best XI that shares the popular great name to play top-level cricket
Gerry Alexander (WI) to keep then !
Matt, Mat or Matthew... The Best XI that shares the popular great name to play top-level cricket
Brian Bolus (Eng)
Graeme Watson (Aus)
William Storer (Eng, wk)
Jeff Dujon (WI)
Matt, Mat or Matthew... The Best XI that shares the popular great name to play top-level cricket
Kevin Walters answers to Dougie
Matt, Mat or Matthew... The Best XI that shares the popular great name to play top-level cricket
Peter Matthew Siddle
Simon Mathew Katich
Joe Matthew Mennie
Matt, Mat or Matthew... The Best XI that shares the popular great name to play top-level cricket
Austin Matthews (Eng, 1937)
Craig Matthews (SA, 1992-1995)
Matt, Mat or Matthew... The Best XI that shares the popular great name to play top-level cricket
Hi Mike,
Not as strange as it sounds-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokers_v_Non-Smokers#:~:text=Two%20first%2Dclass%20cricket%20matches,by%20the%20other%27s%20national%20team.
Team of the Month: an April-born World Cricket XI
Hi Choppy,
Do you want an April-born WA side ?
Team of the Month: an April-born World Cricket XI
Thanks JN,
And currently trying to come up with a theme for my next one.
Team of the Month: an April-born World Cricket XI
Agreed, Mike.
And in ranking these 12 sides, I’ve tended to mark down those without a wrist-spinner. As you’ll see in a month’s time.
O’Reilly, Grimmett, Benaud, Mailey and Warne, as well as all-rounders Sobers, Armstrong, Steel and Simpson, made the cut.
But plenty of other high-quality ones were born in a month with better options. Including Faulkner, Vogler, Chandra, MacGill, Qadir and Yasir.
Team of the Month: an April-born World Cricket XI
I reckon this 11 plus Mankad and Gillespie, would make a great 13-man squad for all conditions.
Team of the Month: an April-born World Cricket XI
Hi Gibbo,
I haven’t yet seen a side of Ricks pop up, so here’s a pretty decent one-
Rick McCosker
Rick Darling
Ricky Ponting
Richie Richardson
Warwick Armstrong (ok, a stretch)
Richie Benaud (c)
Richard Hadlee
Richard Hutton
AFA “Dick” Lilley
Richard Collinge
Dick Motz
12th man Richard Illingworth, 13th man Richard Tyldesley
And with a bit of literary licence-
Barry Richards
Mark Richardson
Viv Richards
Peter Richardson
Vic Richardson
Arthur Richardson
Corey Richards
Jack Richards
Dave Richardson
Jhye Richardson
Tom Richardson
What’s in a name? The all-time great Steve XI