English Lions

The tour party of the England Lions was announced last week as they prepare to tour Australia in February and in the line up were the up and coming youngsters, guys on the fringes of the England side and a couple of senior statesmen from Warwickshire. Here we look at the party and give you the lowdown on who's who...

Rikki Clarke...ticks all of the boxes

Our favourite Australians

Having run the article below which brought over 20,000 people to our site this week alone, we have been accused of being anti-Australian. We're not I can assure you and I have many Australian friends. We just think you might get spanked over here in England this year. Saying that there is nothing worse than some loudmouth working in an Earl's Court pub, telling you how wonderful Australia is and how shit the UK is, all the while having left God's own country just to serve beer to a race they profess to hate! Anyway, seeing as it is Australia Day, and we have an army of new fans from Down Under, we thought we'd bring you the Middle Stump guide to our favourite Australians.

Captain Grumpy...what a player!

Are Australia in disarray?

“Mike Hussey is at the centre of a rumour doing the rounds by email, and published in of all places a financial gossip column on Thursday, that he and Michael Clarke had a spectacular falling out after his farewell Test at the SCG. According to the scuttlebutt, Hussey and Clarke had been split over where post-match celebrations should be held - Mr Cricket wanted them in the dressing room and then the hotel, but the captain preferred a planned evening on James Packer's super yacht Seahorse. Hussey, it was claimed, boycotted the boat ride in protest, having also just been surprisingly left out of the one-day squad. He was joined by two other players, the email said.” This was from Friday’s Sydney Herald.

The following however was sent to TMS Towers this evening by an anonymous source…

How to chat up a girl - The Middle Stump style!

Banter from the Valleys

Ryan Watkins was a double record holder at one point. Holding the record for the most catches by a Glamorgan outfielder and the record bowling figures in a T20 a few years back. Having retired from the first class game, Ryan is at the forefront of the Tom Maynard Trust and was an integral part of the famous cycle last year from Cardiff to The Oval. A top bloke, and a long term fan of us here at The Middle Stump, Ryan talks us through his mistake of slapping Simon Jones in the nets,  Shane Warne’s incessant sledging and what makes a decent ice bath in the East Midlands. Read on to find out more in this hilarious interview with one of the games characters.

Warnie's Big Bash

Thorpster has a look at the bat throwing incident from Marlon Samuels in the vague direction of Shane Warne last week, and says it is all great publicity for the Big Bash League.

A publicity stunt?

Alastair Cook - The Truth Is Out There

Tired of the same old guff about Alastair Cook? Well, guest blogger for The Middle Stump Jeff Thomas thinks he may have found a new angle to explain the England Captain's unprecedented success...

More stunning cricket grounds

We haven't visited this regular and popular feature for a while but just to cheer you up in the January gloom we give you some stunningly beautiful grounds in association with our good friends at Kingfisher. You don't just have to have one in your Indian restaurant you know. Crack open a cold one and enjoy...

The ex players pension scheme

Thorpster looks at the drab start to the year, the sad passing of CMJ and why all pundits are ex players? An old boys club? What do you reckon?

Colville...one of a dying breed

Pricing the average bloke out of cricket

I have just seen the prices for the coming series versus Australia and quite frankly I am incandescent with rage! For those not in the know, tickets to Lord's for the Grandstand or (the place where The Middle Stump lads like to hang out), The Mound are now three figures. Yep, a hundred squid to go and watch a day at the cricket. Even the cheaper seats in the Compton or Edrich Lower, where the view is not great are £80. Cricket is pricing out the average man.

Lord's...pricing out Joe Public?

Ones to watch in 2013....

Here the Middle Stump have a look at who will be the stars of the county game in 2013, and check out the young guys coming through. 2013 will be a big year for these guys and we look at eleven of the finest youngsters in the country.

Bell-Drummond...the "real deal"