I try to stonewall, bowl leg spin, field in close and sledge relentlessly, but in reality I'm usually out injured. Now retired and trying to coach. Just as rubbish with a pen as with a bat.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part one of a two part interview with Andrew Hall, the former South African all-rounder. Due to the length of the interview, it’s been split into two pieces. This piece focuses on his international career, while the following piece will focus on his County Cricket years. Thanks go to Andrew for … More Andrew Hall: From Cronje to Kolpak (part one)
Now that the New Zealand domestic season – the Plunket Shield, the Ford Trophy, the Garishly Promoted Sickly Series – has drawn to a close, and with Test and one-day squads to tour England named, it’s an appropriate time to sit down and reflect on those who are the ‘nearly-theres’. Players who, despite not being … More New Zealand’s Six Who Could: Batsmen
Until the 2003 Cricket World Cup, Canada hadn’t been a ‘real’ cricketing nation. They’d been nothing more than the answer to a rather tragic piece of cricket trivia: What’s the oldest international cricket fixture? Canada vs the USA, in 1844. That 1844 match, which Canada won by 23 runs, could quite easily have its “international” … More The Maple emergence?
Niall O’Brien (right) makes the cut A few days ago, I did a piece on the top five youngsters to watch during the 2015 County Championship season. Here, I’ve looked at the other end of the spectrum. The old buggers who continue to make an important difference for their county. As fun as it is … More The top five old heads of 2015
Twelve balls remain. Over 100 required to win; but that’s no longer the equation. Three wickets in hand. James Tredwell has the ball. The Kent second XI-cum-England Test spinner looks to pry the number eight out.
In 2014, the County Championship was a season plagued by Yorkshire. With Lyth and Lees at the top of the order, Williamson, Bairstow, Ballance, Rashid, Gale, Leaning, Pyrah, Finch, Root and Hodd vying for middle order spots when available, and with Rashid, Plunkett, Brooks, Sidebottom, Patterson and Bresnan completing the bowling tasks, it was one … More Five to watch: County Championship 2015.
When New Zealand play England in a two-Test series in May, England will head in as firm favourites. Despite New Zealand’s recent performances in the World Cup (contrasted against England’s woes), a May pitch at Lord’s is very different to a flat drop-in at the Caketin. And I’m sure we all remember what happened last … More Leader of the Opposition
Originally published as ‘Orange Cricket’ on the Mailer Report. Holland, 2; England, 0. It reads like a football scoreline – and makes it sound like the Brits, perhaps, performed better than expected. However, it’s not a football match, it’s the record of Twenty20 cricket matches between England and the Netherlands. 2009 and 2014. Two-nil, two-love, … More Cricket is Oranje! The Dutch cricketing story
Yesterday was a sombre day for cricket. Few people have impacted on cricket as much as Richie Benaud, and no one has done it in as many fields of the game. All of us here at Mind the Windows! loved Richie, and all of us feel his passing with sadness. A few of us have … More Richie Benaud; tributes to a master
Geoff Allott will always be remembered for the 1999 Cricket World Cup. New Zealand made the semi-finals, and it was in no small part thanks to Allott’s 20 wickets. As equal-top wicket-taker for the tournament – alongside Shane Warne – Allott’s performance was one that stayed as a New Zealand record until the recent semi-final … More Geoff Allott; “I live with that moment, constantly.”
Mind The Windows 