http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/ An acerbic and irreverent twist on the wonderful world of cricket en-GB Thu, 26 Jul 2012 12:04:19 +0200 http://www.typepad.com/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification TheReverseSweephttp://feedburner.google.com http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/07/county-championship-xi-of-the-week-12.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/07/county-championship-xi-of-the-week-12.html Neil McKenzie (Hampshire) - Whilst his former South African team mates ground England into the dust at The Oval, the Hampshire opener took 139 runs off the Essex attack at Chelmsford. Sam Northeast (Kent) - Hit a stylish hundred - the fourth of his first-class career - as the game with Glamorgan petered out to a draw. Nick Compton (Somerset) - Kept his side in the game against Warwickshire with an unbeaten 73 in the first innings and then provided sterling support to Kieswetter as Somerset pulled off a remarkable turnaround at Taunton. Jim Troughton (Warwickshire) - The captain's hundred... Alfonso Thomas Ben Scott County Cricket County XI of the Week Craig Kieswetter David Wheater Essex Hampshire James Tomlinson Jim Troughton Kent Moeen Ali Neil McKenzie Nick Compton Sam Northeast Somerset Steve Magoffin Sussex Warwickshire Worcestershire The Reverse Sweep Thu, 26 Jul 2012 12:04:19 +0200 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/07/ravi-boparas-big-opportunity.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/07/ravi-boparas-big-opportunity.html At first glance, Paul Collingwood and Ravi Bopara wouldn’t appear to have much in common as cricketers. The first extracted the absolute maximum out of his abilities to have a long and successful international career, whilst the latter has yet to justify his obvious talent consistently on the biggest stage. Collingwood is one of the mentally toughest cricketers to have played for England whereas Bopara has a reputation for being a bit flaky and prone to serious lapses in form, confidence and concentration. But Bopara was the man Andy Flower initially earmarked as Collingwood’s replacement in the Test side before... England Paul Collingwood Ravi Bopara South Africa The Reverse Sweep Mon, 23 Jul 2012 09:27:37 +0200 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/07/alastair-cook-keeps-proving-them-wrong.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/07/alastair-cook-keeps-proving-them-wrong.html Let's go back in time to two summers ago. Pakistan were visiting English shores for what would prove to be an eventful and never to be forgotten tour - and not for the right reasons sadly. Alastair Cook couldn't buy a run. His game looked completely awry and Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer toyed with their new victim like an excitable pair of kittens with a cornered mouse. Drop him was a familiar cry from pundits and spectators alike. But then from the depths of despair, Cook came out firing at The Oval with a courageous 2nd innings hundred that... Alastair Cook England Jack Hobbs Michael Atherton Mohammad Aamer Mohammad Asif Sachin Tendulkar The Reverse Sweep Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:41:32 +0200 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/07/county-championship-xi-of-the-week.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/07/county-championship-xi-of-the-week.html The Championship returned at long last, but the weather was just as bad as when the Friends Life T20 interrupted proceedings at the start of June, but we still managed (just) to cobble together an XI of the week... Andrew Strauss (Middlesex) - Scored 50 out of his side's dismal 1st innings total of 98 and then demonstrated he is ready for the South Africans with an unbeaten 127 against Notts at Uxbridge. Joe Root (Yorkshire) - Many believe the young Yorkshireman is the heir apparent to Strauss at the top of the order of England's Test side and a... Andre Adams Andrew Strauss Chris Read County Cricket County XI of the Week Essex Glamorgan Jeetan Patel Jim Allenby Joe Root Kevin Pietersen Lancashire Middlesex Nottinghamshire Reece Topley Rikki Clarke Steven Croft Surrey Tim Murtagh Warwickshire Yorkshire The Reverse Sweep Wed, 18 Jul 2012 10:00:00 +0200 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/07/england-vs-south-africa-too-close-to-call-again.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/07/england-vs-south-africa-too-close-to-call-again.html We were fortunate enough to attend the inaugural lunch of the Wisden 150 Club at the Kennington Oval earlier this week where Michael Atherton and Allan Donald relived their memorable contretemps at Trent Bridge in 1998 as well as other notable encounters between the two. Whilst the Chatham House Rule prevents us from divulging what Messrs Atherton and Donald actually said whilst we enjoyed a glass or two of a rather fine Bordeaux, we were reminded that clashes between South Africa and England tend to be extremely close. Think back to 1994 where Devon Malcolm’s nine for 57 squared the... AB De Villiers Allan Donald Andrew Strauss Dale Steyn Devon Malcolm England Graeme Smith Hashim Amla Imran Tahir Jacques Kallis Michael Atherton Michael Vaughan Morne Morkel Nasser Hussain South Africa Vernon Philander The Reverse Sweep Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:00:00 +0200 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/07/the-pursuit-of-greatness-the-england-cricket-team.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/07/the-pursuit-of-greatness-the-england-cricket-team.html In our view true greatness in sport is rare, although the last two Sundays have seen superlative performances from arguably the best tennis player of all-time and one of the best sides to ever grace a football pitch. But if Roger Federer's and Spain’s places in the sporting pantheon are assured, what of England’s cricketers who but for rain washing out the ODI game at Edgbaston against an outclassed and confused looking Australian side would likely have been sitting at the top of the ICC Test, ODI and T20 rankings? That is the subject of our piece for All Out... All Out Cricket England The Reverse Sweep Fri, 13 Jul 2012 17:55:22 +0200 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/06/england-vs-australia-odi-series-underwhelming-and-unnecessary.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/06/england-vs-australia-odi-series-underwhelming-and-unnecessary.html England versus Australia. Now there's a clash to whet the appetite. Two bitter rivals slugging it out on the cricket fields of England. So why do we feel so underwhelmed about the prospect of the five match ODI series that starts at Lord's today? Well for a start there are no Ashes Tests to follow the hors d'oeuvre of the coloured pyjama brigade. Worse, the series has been solely arranged for the benefit of mammon and television. Catastrophically, the imposition of this needless series coupled with the Olympics means that the forthcoming Test series with South Africa will be played... Alastair Cook Ashes Australia England Kevin Pietersen Michael Clarke The Reverse Sweep Fri, 29 Jun 2012 11:31:16 +0200 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/06/tom-maynard-rip-hell-always-be-23.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/06/tom-maynard-rip-hell-always-be-23.html At the start of the season as we selected our County Championship XI to watch in 2012 we suggested that Tom Maynard was a good outside bet for England's squad to defend the World T20 trophy in Sri Lanka in September. Now we will tragically never know. The circumstances surrounding his death are still shrouded in mystery, but it seems he was hit by a tube train after running away from police who had stopped his car in the early hours of the morning. 23 is no age to die. Like Ben Hollioake before him, we will never know now... Ben Hollioake County Cricket Glamorgan Obituaries Surrey Tom Maynard The Reverse Sweep Mon, 18 Jun 2012 21:04:39 +0200 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/06/england-v-west-indies-england-series-marks-out-of-10.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/06/england-v-west-indies-england-series-marks-out-of-10.html Andrew Strauss (326 runs at 65.20) 9: Redemption at Lord's followed by a second successive hundred at Trent Bridge (to prove that Test match centuries can be like London buses) set up his side's victories in the first two Tests. A touch negative in the field during Samuels' and Sammy's big stand at Nottingham and also when Best and Ramdin caused chaos at Edgbaston. Alastair Cook (176 runs at 44.00) 6: Failed in the 1st innings of every Test and only made it to 24 at Trent Bridge after being reprieved twice by Roach no balls, but anchored a tricky... Alastair Cook Andrew Strauss England Graeme Swann Graham Onions Ian Bell James Anderson Jonathan Bairstow Jonathan Trott Kevin Pietersen Matt Prior Steve Finn Stuart Broad Tim Bresnan West Indies The Reverse Sweep Thu, 14 Jun 2012 09:35:22 +0200 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/06/west-indies-v-england-west-indies-series-marks-out-of-10.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/06/west-indies-v-england-west-indies-series-marks-out-of-10.html Adrian Barath (114 runs at 22.80) 3: Battled through the first sessions at Lord's and Edgbaston but then promptly gave it away each time after reaching 40. A Test average of 23 doesn't lie, but the talent is there as his hundred on debut against Australia at the Gabba as a teenager proved. Needs to bat with an experienced opening partner - yes, we're talking about you Chris Gayle. Kieran Powell (71 runs at 14.20) 3: Despite the odd cracking drive, is clearly not an opener and would be far more at home at five or six. Kirk Edwards (8... Adrian Barath Assad Fudadin Darren Bravo Darren Sammy Dinesh Ramdin England Fidel Edwards Kemar Roach Kieran Powell Kirk Edwards Marlon Samuels Narsingh Deonarine Ravi Rampaul Shane Shillingford Shannon Gabriel Shivnarine Chanderpaul Sunil Narine Tino Best West Indies The Reverse Sweep Thu, 14 Jun 2012 09:22:34 +0200