http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/ An acerbic and irreverent twist on the wonderful world of cricket en-GB Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:21:07 +0100 http://www.typepad.com/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification TheReverseSweephttp://feedburner.google.com http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/all-round-stuart-broad-no-longer-a-charles-hawtrey-figure.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/all-round-stuart-broad-no-longer-a-charles-hawtrey-figure.html As an enforcer, Stuart Broad was about as effective as Charles Hawtrey would have been as a bouncer at a particularly troublesome nightclub. The penny finally dropped with the player himself when despite favourable bowling conditions his return for the series against a fragile Sri Lankan batting line-up was just eight wickets at 48.75. Indeed, the decision whether to replace him with Tim Bresnan for the subsequent series against India was apparently a borderline one. Following his lucky reprieve, Broad resolved to pitch it up more and the results have been devastating. Up to the end of 1st innings in... England Stuart Broad The Reverse Sweep Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:21:07 +0100 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/virat-kohli-points-the-way-forward-for-india.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/virat-kohli-points-the-way-forward-for-india.html There was some rare good news for the bedraggled Indian cricket team today. One of their batsmen finally managed to reach three figures in what has turned out to be the most one-sided Test series since India last played a Test series outside the subcontinent. The even better news was that the identity of the century maker wasn’t one of their veterans rolling back the years for a final hurrah (or even a long awaited 100th international hundred). Nor was it one of the misfiring opening batsmen whose individual run without a Test hundred now extends to 38 innings for... Ajinkya Rathane Cheteshwar Pujara Gautam Gambhir India Rahul Dravid Rohit Sharma Sachin Tendulkar Virat Kohli Virender Sehwag VVS Laxman The Reverse Sweep Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:58:26 +0100 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/englands-tale-of-woe-against-spin-in-asia.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/englands-tale-of-woe-against-spin-in-asia.html During the Dubai Test last week, Sky threw up one of its ridiculous stats, which illustrated how contrary to popular opinion the averages of England’s top seven batsmen against spin are all actually higher than their career averages. However, Sherlock Holmes wouldn’t be fooled by this and nor were we. Taking the candy on offer from the likes of Xavier Doherty in Australia, Amit Mishra last summer and Paul Harris on frankly any pitch is one thing, but doing it against Anil Kumble, Muttiah Muralitharan and now Saeed Ajmal in their own backyards is quite another. A quick scan of... Alastair Cook Andrew Strauss David Gower England Eoin Morgan Geoff Boycott Graeme Thorpe Ian Bell Jonathan Trott Kevin Pietersen Matt Prior Paul Collingwood The Reverse Sweep Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0100 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/pakistans-gripping-yarn-keeps-on-spinning-but-fails-to-enthral-hollywood.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/pakistans-gripping-yarn-keeps-on-spinning-but-fails-to-enthral-hollywood.html We once wrote that Pakistan had forced a dismayed Hollywood to tear up its script after they failed to renact that famous defeat to Australia in Sydney by beating the same opposition at Headingley in 2010. Those with long memories may recall that this was Salman Butt's first Test as captain after Shahid Afridi had jumped ship after just one match. Of course, Butt's captaincy ended even more unhappily than Afridi's. Whilst England's sorry defeat in Dubai last week left us like most England fans feeling a bit miserable, it did at least confirm that Pakistan - international cricket's most... All Out Cricket Pakistan Salman Butt Shahid Afridi The Reverse Sweep Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:30:00 +0100 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/misbah-ul-haq-second-only-to-bradman.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/misbah-ul-haq-second-only-to-bradman.html Whilst Don Bradman's dismissal for a duck in his last Test innings may have deprived him of finishing his career with a batting average of 100 it failed to dim a much lesser known but perhaps even more formidable statistic. In 24 matches as captain, Bradman's average actually increased to an even more remarkable 101.51 whilst his side failed to lose even one series - not bad considering that Australia lost Bradman's first two Tests as captain to leave them 2-0 down in the 1936/37 Ashes. This was but small fry to the Don, who hit 270, 212 and finally... Don Bradman Misbah-ul-Haq Pakistan The Reverse Sweep Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0100 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/podcast-pakistan-v-england-australias-dominance-over-india-much-more.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/podcast-pakistan-v-england-australias-dominance-over-india-much-more.html We had the pleasure of joining Blaise and Jonathan for this week's One Hand One Bounce podcast on the excellent World Cricket Watch where we had the dubious task of defending England after their pitiful defeat in Dubai last week and talking up the chances ahead of the 2nd Test that starts in Abu Dhabi tomorrow. To hear whether Andrew Strauss should be worried about his place, Monty Panesar should be picked and how much of a ribbing we got from Blaise (an Aussie, as you ask), give it a listen below. As well as a post-mortem on England, Blaise,... England Pakistan Podcasts World Cricket Watch The Reverse Sweep Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:30:00 +0100 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/win-a-brand-new-kit-for-your-cricket-team.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/win-a-brand-new-kit-for-your-cricket-team.html Does your grassroots cricket team fancy a brand shiny spanking new kit for next season for free? Would you also like a top of the range AEG washing machine for the clubhouse in which to wash the aforementioned new kit too? Of course you would especially as a fresh sparkling new kit will likely transfer to plenty of runs and bagfuls of wickets. It also means you'll be able to burn your old putrid, grass-stained and ripped kits before the first match of the season. What could be better? To find out how your team can be one of 40... The Reverse Sweep Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:47:02 +0100 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/ricky-ponting-rises-from-the-ashes.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/ricky-ponting-rises-from-the-ashes.html When we asked a few months ago if Ricky Ponting had lost his punch, despite being English we did so with a heavy heart given that we always had a strange and inexplicable affection for him. At the time of writing, Ponting had performed poorly at Cape Town in the Test that Australia were infamously dismissed for just 47. The axe was hovering as Ponting's dismal run reached what appeared to be its climatic moment. He had scored only one hundred in his previous 23 Tests. His average during this run was just 33.78. That slipped further to 26.50 in... Australia Ricky Ponting The Reverse Sweep Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:50:51 +0100 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/andy-flower-sticks-his-head-above-the-parapet-as-england-freeze-in-the-desert.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/andy-flower-sticks-his-head-above-the-parapet-as-england-freeze-in-the-desert.html We were at an event the other night where Tony Blair's spin doctor Alastair Campbell (a master of the Teesra long before Saeed Ajmal) gave the keynote address and shared with us a list of acronyms that he kept close to hand during his time in government. Number six or seven (we cannot remember exactly) was HAP, as in get your head above the parapet in times of crisis. That's exactly what England coach Andy Flower did the day after England's humiliating ten wicket defeat to Pakistan in the 1st Test in Dubai (a location that still doesn't sound quite... Alastair Cook Andy Flower Graeme Swann Ian Bell James Anderson Kevin Pietersen Pakistan Saeed Ajmal The Reverse Sweep Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:54:08 +0100 http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/1st-test-pakistan-vs-england-england-marks-out-of-10.html http://thereversesweep.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/1st-test-pakistan-vs-england-england-marks-out-of-10.html Andrew Strauss - 3: Failed to heed his patience policy with a dismal pull in Ajmal's first over and then amidst some rancour gave a faint legside edge behind second time around. Without a Test hundred in 17 innings and averages just 31 since the start of the tour to South Africa in 2009. Talk of him being under pressure though is ridiculous as evidenced by the fight his sides showed in the field. Alastair Cook - 1: Perhaps the early introduction of spin in only the sixth over of the match surprised him and forced an injudicious cut off... Alastair Cook Andrew Strauss Chris Tremlett England Eoin Morgan Graeme Swann Ian Bell James Anderson Jonathan Trott Kevin Pietersen Matt Prior Stuart Broad The Reverse Sweep Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:58:30 +0100