Howzat? The Six Sixes Ball Mystery

Every so often, a cricket book passes us by that makes us sit up and take notice and if you want a bit of intrigue, mystery, shenanigans and chicanery over the festive period, then there is no need to spend lunch with Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi. Instead grab a copy of Howzat? The Six Sixes Ball Mystery by Grahame Lloyd and you won’t go far wrong.

Dear Jon....

Yesterday Jonathan Liew wrote an article in the Daily Telegraph sports section reporting on sledging and boorish behaviour, citing the recent poor form of Clarke in the Test match at Brisbane and linked our book Cricket Banter to a slip in the standards of behaviour. You can find a link to the article here:

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/theashes/10471449/Ashes-2013-14-Vicious-banter-has-rebranded-Test-cricket-and-is-an-excuse-for-witless-abuse.html

We, here at the Middle Stump have fallen out of love so here we respond with our very own Dear Jon break up letter.

Review of the First Test in Australia

England have lost by 381 runs in an absolute thumping in Brisbane. Their recent track record of poor starts in series away from home continued as Mitchell Johnson tore them apart in a display of outstanding fast bowling. If you thought last year in India was Ahmedabad, this was carnage at the Gabbatoir. England have some thinking to do, and fast, amidst a fairly tasteless media campaign from the Aussies. Fair play to Australia, who have won their first Test match since January, and completely deserved their victory.

Johnson...a fine game

The Middle Stump's Ashes preview

In a matter of hours, England and Australia go head to head in Brisbane, and having heard everyone give their opinion on the series, we thought we would chip in with ours. The build up has been immense with Shane Warne being the most vociferous in his critical views of Alastair Cook's captaincy. Already the Aussies are crowing and we are anticipating a closely fought series, with England retaining the Ashes.

Clarke...winless in 2013

England's Ashes Warm Up

England, coming off the back of a very wet and cold ‘warm up’ game against Australia ‘A’, travel to Sydney and hopefully warmer surroundings today in the last tour match before the first Test next week. Cricket Australia Invitational XI are the opponents who are led by Peter Nevill and feature a number of New South Wales players.

Captain Cook

The Springing Kangaroo

I hear that Andy Coulson is a big cricket fan. After all, during their face off regarding his alleged affair with the editor of The Spectator, David Blunkett, the philandering former Home Secretary struggled to pick the spin doctors googlies and grubbed around trying to visualise the source of his information. So when the now disgraced former tabloid editor first listened to the voicemail left on Michael Carberry's mobile, by the England selectors, informing him of his call up for the Ashes tour, what did he think?

Carbs