Category: Cricket History

Mark Ramprakash and Justin Langer are not going to be playing at Edgbaston, regardless of media hype. Here is a list of nine players who did manage to make a comeback during an Ashes series.

Was Harold Larwood the fastest bowler that cricket has seen? Perhaps it is better if the uncertainty remains, and the legend is undiminished. Whatever, Harold Larwood was seriously fast, and far more so than any other bowler of his era.

Sunday evening saw the broadcast of the new cricket documentary series, Empire of Cricket, on the BBC. This first episode covered a basic history of the game in England, with a particular emphasis on the gentlemen/player divide and the moral code of the game.

England finally, finally, won the Ashes in 2005. So earth-shattering was this victory that “proper” news was pushed off the front pages, people danced in the streets as if world peace had been achieved and even Paul Collingwood’s performance (17 runs, 1 catch, 4-0-17-0) was considered worthy of an MBE.

On 4th June 1993, Shane Warne changed the English cricketing mentality with that one delivery. Only, this summer, he won’t be here to scare England batsmen.

England in 1989 were strong favourites to retain the Ashes at home. Australia had been uninspiring in the previous few years, yet returned home with a 4-0 victory.

Traditonally, a batting average of 40 or more has been held to denote a very good test player. But there is a feeling that in this modern era the figures don’t follow that rule, and that batting averages are now inflated.

Throughout the history of cricket we come across certain players who define their generation and shape the image of the game. But what about those cricketers who perhaps do not achieve greatness, who do not travel the globe and perform heroic deeds in crowded stadiums?