England’s and Australia’s top three most ridiculous Ashes captains

2 minute read

Newer readers will be entirely unaware that we sometimes do a podcast with Australian writer, Dan Liebke, because we haven’t actually produced any episodes in almost two years. The sizeable gap came about because we’ve been spending all of our podcasting time writing a book together instead – The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments. That’s out soon, so now we’re back with a special one-off episode about the most ridiculous Ashes captains, inspired by our findings.

The Ridiculous Ashes podcast

In this one-off episode, we debate our top three most ridiculous Ashes captains from each nation. Among other things, this sees us discussing asterisked ridiculousness density, our disdain for weak T and the platonic ideal of Australian Ashes captaincy.

We also reveal which Ridiculous Ashes series we’re going to cover next, AND we offer our predictions on the likely ridiculous superstars of the upcoming 2025/26 series.

If you want more Ridiculous Ashes podcastery, here are some subscription links.

• On Apple Podcasts
• On Spotify

And here are links to the previous series of the Ridiculous Ashes.

• Series 1 (1997)
• Series 2 (2013/14)
• Series 3 (2009)
• Series 4 (2013)
• Series 5 (1981)

The Ridiculous Ashes book

This is not a complicated one to explain. Together with Dan, we count down the 50 most ridiculous Ashes moments of the last 50 years. Most of your favourite stuff will be in there, even if it’s only being mentioned in connection with some other moment.

The book is out on October 28 in Australia and seemingly at a similar sort of time in the UK going by what various book retailers have uploaded to their websites. (We’re not sure the exact date’s 100% confirmed, but we’ve seen November 6 in a couple of places.)

If you are in the UK, it looks like you can now place your order on bookshop.org – which until Simon and Schuster tells us otherwise is our preferred online seller because they help support independent bookshops.

If you’re morally bankrupt and want to save £2.61, or you’re buying car key batteries or some other random item that you can’t find anywhere else and want to spend over the threshold so that you qualify for free delivery, you can also get it from Amazon.

Please let us know if you spot it for sale anywhere else.

Subscribe to the King Cricket email to get hectored again whenever future episodes appear.

The post England’s and Australia’s top three most ridiculous Ashes captains first appeared on King Cricket.

Related posts:

1. The Ridiculous Ashes is now a podcast
2. The 2013 Ridiculous Ashes
3. The 2009 Ridiculous Ashes

from King Cricket https://ift.tt/AGcROFZ

You want the Haseeb Hameed you always imagined? Peter Moores can get you the Haseeb Hameed you always imagined

3 minute read

There are ways, dude. You don’t wanna know about it. Hell, he can get you the Haseeb Hameed you always imagined by three o’clock this afternoon.

There are pluses and minuses to the coaching of Peter Moores, who has just taken Nottinghamshire to the 2025 County Championship title. It’s just that that wider public perception still only really takes in the latter. That can happen when you don’t make a great success of being England coach… on either occasion.

Lie back and think of England

The case against is, to be fair, compelling. Moores’ first stint as England coach ended due to a fall-out that also resulted in the ‘resignation’ of his captain. His second stint was derailed by a World Cup so horrific that Eoin Morgan was instructed to tear up the team and start again.

At the same time, the captain he fell out with was Kevin Pietersen and he was given just a few short months to prepare for that 2015 World Cup. He was also asked to do so alongside Alastair Cook – a wholly inappropriate but initially bulletproof one-day captain who had been not so much named as anointed.

We once described attempts to construct that 2015 one-day side as being like trying to lay paving slabs around a dead tree stump. It wasn’t just the obvious problem. Everything else had to be moved around to accommodate it. Failure was assured.

The only Test series Moores got second time around was a drawn tour to the West Indies, which doesn’t seem so dreadful.

Moores good than Harm

It’s not hard to think of achievements either. Halfway through a tour of New Zealand, he unexpectedly ditched Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard and brought in as his new opening bowler, a young Lancashire seamer who’d been drifting through his career bowling at a single stump during lunch breaks. That decision worked out okay.

The other lad who came into the side for that Test turned out half-decent too. Those were pretty significant decisions in the grand scheme of things.

Moores also brought in Matt Prior and Graeme Swann, as well as the man who would ultimately benefit from all these additions – Andy Flower.

Moores has always been good with young players, which is a large part of the reason why he’d already won two County Championships with Sussex and another with Lancashire before this latest one.

No has been

Which brings us to Haseeb Hameed, lost cricketer of the 2010s – still a young cricketer really at 28 and certainly so when he first joined Moores at Nottinghamshire in 2019.

Everything unravelled for Haseeb Hameed at Lancashire. By the end, man management amounted to completely random deployment of carrot and stick – often alternately from one sentence to the next. The gentle arm around the shoulder that he needed would then constrict around his neck, before morphing into a hug and then they’d drop him to the ground and shout at him.

His game went wrong and no-one knew what to do, so they tried everything, all at once, and obviously things only got worse.

From there, Hameed could quite easily have drifted out of the game altogether. He was playing for the second team to such little effect that Lancashire released him. Moores acknowledged he’d had difficult times when his signing for Notts was announced, but added that, “the ones that are destined for great things bounce back and move their games on again.”

Moores can spot a good young player and he knows how to support them. Publicly, at least, he has dealt with Hameed very straightforwardly. He has been unfailingly effusive whenever he has spoken about him and by 2021, he was already vice-captain for the Championship and captain of the one-day side.

Now Hameed’s led his county to the title and has done so as the second-highest run-scorer in the first division with 1,253 runs at 65.94, including four hundreds.

Worse players and worse coaches have received more plaudits.

Can Haseeb Hameed avoid diversions?

Follow King Cricket by getting our email.

Support King Cricket by backing our Patreon.

The post You want the Haseeb Hameed you always imagined? Peter Moores can get you the Haseeb Hameed you always imagined first appeared on King Cricket.

Related posts:

1. Haseeb Hameed, relationships and the toughness of love
2. Haseeb Hameed might carry his bat
3. Can Haseeb Hameed avoid diversions?

from King Cricket https://ift.tt/vtp1uA3

Division One Team of the Year… who’s made the cut from each club?

Liverpool’s Finn Hulbert bowled his side to promotion… has he made the team of the year?
Picture by ANGUS MATHESON

This week’s squabbling over England’s Ashes squad was merely a preamble to this, the Merseyside Cricket Online Division One Team of the Year.

The rules are simple, but worth repeating: One player from each club, in a balanced XI, with a 12th player from the bottom side. I have tried not to pick too many spinners, honest.

Selections are based on the stats, on personal experience where available and on conversations with teammates and opponents.

Overseas and county professionals are allowed, as are paid amateurs (I don’t know who gets paid and it’s none of my business). But one of the things I take into account is how players performed compared to what was expected of them.

Feel free to take it as seriously as you like. No I do not have an agenda against [insert club name].

1

Sam Heeley (Orrell Red Triangle)

589 runs @ 39.27, 3×100 • 27 wickets @ 30.15, 1×5 • 14 ct

Slightly outscored by his opening partner, Ben Mahoney, Heeley gets the nod for his three centuries and his left-arm seam, which will bolster a spin-heavy imaginary attack. The tons, against Maghull, New Brighton and Sefton Park, were his first since 2015 and all contributed to wins as Orrell sealed a return to the top flight after two years. There was also a match-winning 6/72 against Sutton – skipper the last time they were in the Prem, Heeley is still a crucial part of the team.

2

Nick Ritchie (Maghull)

619 runs @ 34.39, 1×100, 4×50 • 16 wickets @ 28.19, 1×5 • 11 ct, 1 ro

The Aussie opener more than doubled his return from 2024, rising to second in the division’s run charts. Maghull stayed above Old Xavs at the bottom thanks to picking up more bonus points on fewer wins, so it’s hard to understate the value of Richie’s 175 runs in two victories over the Woolton side. He also made runs against champions Liverpool, and against the quality spinners of S&B and New Brighton, and was a useful option with his seam bowling.

3

Joe Noctor* (Sutton)

673 runs @ 42.06, 6×50 • 12 ct

Sutton made a flying start to life in Division One, and for a while looked like mounting a promotion challenge. That fell away in a tough run of mid-season fixtures, but the skipper’s form remained consistent throughout – resulting in him topping the division’s run charts despite never quite making a century (he was nine runs away against Highfield in August). As captain he never got carried away with his side’s strong start, and a top-half finish is something to feel extremely proud of – he can lead this side, too.

4

Nathan Ashford+ (Spring View)

555 runs @ 29.21, 1×100, 2×50 • 14 wickets @ 14.00 • 11 ct, 1 st, 1 ro

It’s tempting to think of what might have been for Spring View, who led the table past the half-way stage and only dropped out of the top two in mid-August. But their final figures were up six positions, four wins and 110 points on last season, and they were a match for anyone on their day. Ashford started strongly too, with 258 runs in May – including 85 in a thumping win over Orrell Red Triangle and an unbeaten 106 in an equally dominant display against Maghull. He didn’t often keep this season but he’s shown willing, and that means he’ll be lumbered with the imaginary gloves in this side.

5

Madduma Lakmal (Highfield)

423 runs @ 28.20, 3×50 • 52 wickets @ 12.06, 4×5 • 11 ct

After eight seasons of outstanding consistency, Highfield know what they’re getting from Lakmal – namely runs and wickets. After taking over as captain on the eve of the season, Ryan Hargreaves had hoped for a promotion push – no team in the division lost fewer than their five games, but four washouts and five draws scuppered their challenge. They did win eight matches – in six of them, Sri Lankan-born Lakmal either scored a 50 or took a five-for.

6

Damitha Silva (New Brighton)

558 runs @ 34.88, 5×50 • 64 wickets @ 17.47, 7×5 • 5 ct

It was a season of transition at Rake Lane after last year’s vain struggle against relegation, but one of the constants was the role played by the Sri Lankan all-rounder. New Brighton won just two of their first 13 games – when Silva made 67 against Southport & Birkdale, then took 5/19 against Old Xaverians in May. Two months later he repeated the trick – 64 in a win over Maghull one week, 5/67 to help see off Hightown St Marys the next. Without Silva, a second successive relegation would not have been out of the question.

7

Finn Hulbert (Liverpool)

222 runs @ 15.86, 1×50 • 58 wickets @ 12.71, 1×5 • 9 ct

A signing that showed Liverpool meant business, a player who did the business all season. The former Leigh man took at least two wickets in every innings bar one and ensured Jared Clein’s first season in charge ended with Liverpool heading back to the top flight for the first time since 1999. The highlight was a spell of 8/34 against Hightown St Marys in July; with the bat, there was a 19-ball half-century in a big win at local rivals Sefton Park.

8

Gordon Bryan (Hightown St Marys)

200 runs @ 16.67, 1×50 • 37 wickets @ 12.35, 2×5 • 7 ct

In the end, Hightown did comfortably enough to ensure their survival after earning promotion last year. Their Jamaican seamer started with a bang, taking 18 wickets in May including 5/20 against Lytham, and only went wicketless three times all season (one of them a spell of just two overs). Skipper Matthew White took more wickets, while Jackson Darkes-Sutcliffe had a good year as an all-rounder – but both are spinners, and this attack needs pace. It’s a cruel sport at times…

9

Bobby Wincer (Southport & Birkdale)

160 runs @ 32.00, 1×50 • 71 wickets @ 10.44, 9×5 • 3 ct, 1 ro

Plenty of new faces at Trafalgar Road after the heartbreak of relegation, but it was a (young) old favourite who impressed the most. Topping the division’s wicket charts with 71 – five ahead of his teammate, off-spinner Muhammad Kashif – the slow left-armer took nine five-fors, with only Ainsdale’s Dilanka Auwardt taking more across all the whole Comp. His best was 7/20 to demolish Sutton in July. Next year might see a more sustained promotion push from S&B – they will want Wincer to be at the heart of it.

10

Huzaifa Zubair (Sefton Park)

183 runs @ 16.64 • 61 wickets @ 12.66, 3×5 • 3 ct

The leading seamer in the Comp, full stop – an impressive display from the 21-year-old. Sefton’s attack was excellent throughout and they were rewarded with a first piece of silverware since 2013, the Ray Tyler Cup, and a promotion challenge that lasted until the final few weeks of the season. Zubair’s 61 league wickets more than doubled his own previous best and played a key part in his side’s best season since 2019 – his haul included 7/30 at Maghull and 5/38 in the reverse fixture.

11

Colin Gibson (Old Xaverians)

3 runs @ 0.38 • 49 wickets @ 15.08, 5×5 • 2 ct

Xavs put up a hell of a fight against relegation towards the end of the season, and were in with a chance of survival going into the washed-out last weekend. Key to this was spinner Gibson, who took 24 wickets in the last six matches, including three five-fors and four in a win over champions Liverpool. Xavs beat both promoted sides this season, showing what they can do when it all comes together. And every combined XI needs a number 11 – take a moment to admire that batting record. All three came in one game, a win over Lytham, when he also took a five-for.

12

Sabbir Patel (Lytham)

91 runs @ 13.00 • 61 wickets @ 14.82, 6×5 • 3 ct, 1 ro

The slow left-armer has had four clubs in seven seasons in the Comp – if he wants to make it eight, he will need to find a new one next year after Lytham decided to exit the league. As they took the first relegation spot in doing so, their player is 12th man, a decision I have given a shameful amount of thought to, relative to how many people actually care. A haul of 61 wickets was par for the course for Patel, who only went wicketless once and claimed more five-fors than everyone in the division bar Silva and Wincer.

from Merseyside Cricket Online https://ift.tt/cbofgv7

Division Two Team of the Year… who’s made the cut from each club?

Ainsdale’s Dilanka Auwardt took 106 wickets in the league… is he in the Team of the Year?
Picture by ROGER GREEN

It’s that time of year again… with no cricket until April, what better way to spend the next few months than arguing about the Merseyside Cricket Online Division Two Team of the Year?

The rules are simple, but worth repeating: One player from each club, in a balanced XI, with a 12th player from the bottom side. I have tried not to pick too many spinners, honest.

Selections are based on the stats, on personal experience where available and on conversations with teammates and opponents.

Overseas and county professionals are allowed, as are paid amateurs (I don’t know who gets paid and it’s none of my business). But one of the things I take into account is how players performed compared to what was expected of them.

Feel free to take it as seriously as you like. No I do not have an agenda against [insert club name].

1

Ryan Donnelly+ (St Helens Town)

494 runs @ 29.06, 2×50 • 29 ct, 3 st

Newly relegated Town did not win a league game until July, then won six of their last 12 to finish sixth – only the top two won more over the same period. Through it all, opener and wicketkeeper Donnelly was a bastion of consistency – he never went more than two innings without making double figures, and his runs return was his best since 2014 (when he played twice as many games). And his 32 dismissals behind the stumps were the best in all three divisions.

2

Liam Sherriff (Southport Trinity)

583 runs @ 34.29, 2×100, 3×50 • 1 wicket @ 19.00 • 13 ct, 1 ro

It was a tough season for Trinity, kept off the bottom only by winless Prestatyn, who accounted for two of their four victories. Aussie opener Sherriff was a bright spot though, with early season centuries against Whitefield and Northop Hall, and 81 in the first of those wins over Prestatyn. While his form tailed off as the weather turned, he was still his side’s leading run scorer by more than 200 runs.

3

Harsh Shonak (Prescot & Odyssey)

1,089 runs @ 72.60, 2×100, 7×50 • 8 ct, 2 ro

Speaking of people who were their side’s leading scorer by a long way… take a bow, Harsh Shonak, who topped newly promoted P&O’s charts by more than 700 runs. For a spell in July and August, the former Rainford man made 496 runs in five innings, two of them unbeaten. And in four knocks against the promoted sides, he scored 96, 71*, 91* and 84 – a right-hander averaging 171 against two top-class left-arm spinners (see below). P&O finished fifth, an impressive showing after a step up – Shonak was their biggest upgrade by far.

4

Nathan Condon (Fleetwood Hesketh)

811 runs @ 45.06, 10×50 • 30 wickets @ 19.17, 2×5 • 10 ct, 2 ro

It didn’t take long for the New Zealander to impress captain Andy Bate, who was delighted with the professionalism he brought to training. There were tangible results on the field as well, with eight half-centuries in his first 11 innings. His seam bowling took a little longer to hit the groove but he took 11/58 across two matches against Whitefield, and seldom went wicketless from a spell of any real length. Hesketh finished fourth with 10 wins – they had a lot to thank Condon for.

5

Naveed Saleh (Parkfield Liscard)

521 runs @ 37.21, 5×50 • 25 wickets @ 20.56 • 7 ct

Recruited from Wavertree to bolster the Wirral side’s top order, Saleh fulfilled his brief. A hoped-for assault on the top half never materialised but the off-spinning all-rounder proved a versatile and dependable player. There were four half-centuries in his first six innings, three of them unbeaten – those numbers were difficult to maintain, but he topped the club’s charts by a decent margin at the same time as offering a wicket-taking option with the ball.

6

Adam Brown (Caldy)

396 runs @ 23.29, 2×50 • 30 wickets @ 20.17, 1×5 • 5 ct

Good returns with both disciplines for the seam-bowling all-rounder – just outside the top 20 for runs, just inside it for wickets. Caldy’s promotion challenge fell by the wayside earlier than last season’s, which was less heartbreaking at least, but Brown saved his best for later in the season, making 70 at Norley Hall and 87 at Southport Trinity, and taking 5/50 at Fleetwood Hesketh.

7

Ryan Wood (Norley Hall)

408 runs @ 29.14, 4×50 • 48 wickets @ 14.46, 4×5 • 5 ct

In a spin-dominated division, Wood stood out – no seamer took more wickets at a better strike rate than his 26.02. His highlights were a spell of 5/7 that demolished Parkfield Liscard, match-winning 5-fors against Caldy and Wavertree and a 22-over effort against Southport Trinity that yielded 7/63. And his runs from down the order often bailed his side out of trouble.

8

Dilanka Auwardt (Ainsdale)

251 runs @ 31.38, 1×50 • 106 wickets @ 9.72, 14×5 • 7 ct

Well, look. He took 106 wickets. One hundred and six. I could have been a bit clever here and gone for another member of Ainsdale’s title-winning side; there were plenty of candidates. But the Sri Lankan slow left-armer was the main reason Ainsdale won so many games, which is the main reason they won the league. He took 14 five-fors along the way and never went wicketless; the high points were many, but 9/74 against Norley Hall (the other one was a run-out) stands out. Ainsdale want to bring him back next year – watch out, Division One.

9

Rob Magee (Whitefield)

250 runs @ 13.89 • 55 wickets @ 12.91, 4×5 • 2 ct

Here’s one for you: In all three divisions, among bowlers with at least 20 wickets, who had the best strike rate? If you answered “Whitefield leggie Rob Magee” then it’s probably because you put two and two together, there was only one reason I’d possibly be asking that question underneath his name. Signed from Runcorn as an experienced foil to rookie skipper Ben Ashcroft, Magee responded with his most productive season ever. His 6/22 settled a blood-and-thunder Knowsley derby with Prescot & Odyssey, and he only went wicketless twice. He often failed at the top of the order, so I have demoted him here, but he couldn’t be left out.

10

Ben Smith* (Wavertree)

138 runs @ 11.50 • 28 wickets @ 20.07 • 2 ct

Firstly, he is the closest thing to a captain in this XI (he even took over pre-season interview duties from Theo O’Brien) so he can step up here. Secondly, Smith led Wavertree’s attack well, topping the wicket charts and claiming at least three scalps on six occasions – usually of the opposition’s top order batters. There were match-winning four-fors against Whitefield and Parkfield Liscard – he may not have managed a five, but he did his job and more.

11

Paul Jenkins (Northop Hall)

78 runs @ 26.00 • 90 wickets @ 11.17, 9×5 • 6 ct

Possibly the best bit of recruitment in the whole Comp last winter, persuading the veteran slow left-armer to return to where it all began was a masterstroke. Topping 100 wickets in all competitions was a first even for him, while nobody in the league bowled more overs or more maidens. Like Auwardt, he didn’t go wicketless once; for all his five-fors, his most remarkable spell was possibly his 4/1 in four overs against Prestatyn. As with Ainsdale, other players contributed to the Welshmen’s promotion; as with Ainsdale, it’s impossible to look past the spinner.

12

Andy Taylor (Prestatyn)

596 runs @ 33.11, 1×100, 4×50 • 15 ct

One of the rules of these things is that the twelfth man always comes from the bottom side, which is probably quite unfortunate for Taylor, who did little wrong. This was his best return with the bat, but the side’s problems could not be solved by one man, however consistent. Against Southport Trinity in May, he made 127 out of 201 – Trinity knocked them off one down. Lytham’s withdrawal from the Comp means Prestatyn will be back in Division Two next year – they need a few more players like Taylor.

from Merseyside Cricket Online https://ift.tt/QfqcUXt

Harry Brook’s Ashes all-rounder isn’t as good as Ben Stokes’s – but his fast bowling attack might be better

4 minute read

There is no Ashes tour moment quite so clean as the naming of the squad when the wheels are still on and everyone’s fully fit – everyone that is except for Ben Stokes (shoulder), Will Jacks (broken finger) and Mark Wood (most joints). Jacks is for us the most noteworthy inclusion, because despite masquerading as a backup spinner, he might actually be England’s frontline all-rounder – or half a one anyway.

Before we get to that, we must first talk captaincy.

“Yes, if it is to be said, so it be, so it is”

When Harry Brook was named as England’s white ball captain in April, we pointed out that they’d probably also just picked an Ashes captain.

Succession: Who becomes England Test captain when Ben Stokes inevitably suffers his next major injury?

Our reasoning ran thus:

1. Ben Stokes gets injured every few months
2. Vice captain Ollie Pope has always given off a certain placeholder vibe when standing in for him
3. Brook was now a fully-fledged England captain

It was pretty obvious Brook would be the preferred stand-in Ashes captain option and England have now acknowledged this by naming him vice captain for the trip instead of Pope.

All logical enough, but given Stokes’ history, ‘stand-in captain’ is a term that hindsight may come to rewrite.

Matter of fact

Stokes is one of life’s great optimists. A firm belief that he can defy the odds has fuelled his greatest on-field performances and also his many, many, many periods of rehabilitation from injury. Mind over matter is a remarkable feat precisely because, of the two, matter is the proven performer.

Stokes might miss one Test or he might miss five. Either way, there is an England Ashes team without him. What does a Harry Brook England team look like?

Are we already watching peak Harry Brook?

Long-term, England have lumbered their most exciting batter with triple format leadership responsibilities. That is a whole separate conversation. For now, all we’re asking is all anyone in English cricket ever asks. [Adopts shrill annoying voice] “What does this mean for the Ashes?”

“This is not ‘Nam. This is bowling. There are rules.”

Batting-wise, a Harry Brook England team is much the same as a Ben Stokes England team. The top five is exactly the same and so is the wicketkeeper. The main thing you have to change is the all-rounder and then off the back of that, you suddenly realise you have to change the bowling as well.

England don’t have any other seam bowling all-rounders in their squad, so you can’t just neatly drop one in. What they have instead is Will Jacks, who is a spin bowling all-rounder. Except he’s not. He’s actually half a spin bowling all-rounder.

We’ve seen this with the one-day team where Jacks and Jacob Bethell combine to no great effect. We also saw it as recently as England’s last Test match where Bethell and Joe Root jointly ticked the spinning box without doing anything so outlandish as actually taking a wicket. Yes, Shoaib Bashir was injured for that match, but you rather get the sense that he might have been left out anyway.

Because this is how England do things. They pick four quick bowlers and then they muddle through with spin. We doubt there’s a specific plan beyond that it’ll involve at least two of Bethell, Jacks and Root and – depending what’s going on with the batters – possibly all three. This is not very uplifting for those of us who believe the team with no spinner should lose, but the flipside is it does make for an exciting fast bowling attack.

England’s 2025/26 Ashes squad features a couple of fast bowlers and a good few fastish ones. Gus Atkinson is inked-in, but with three further slots instead of just two, you can have a lot of fun thinking about who else you might include.

So who’s in England’s first choice Ashes bowling attack then?

In an ideal world, Mark Wood and Jofra Archer would play every Test. With Atkinson, Archer and Wood already at your disposal, the wicket-taking benefits of Josh Tongue’s awkward and unreliable action start to seem more significant than all the byes and wides that he bowls.

That’s just one example though. There are a lot of possible permutations.

Less encouragingly, Stokes and Wood are the only two bowlers in the squad to have actually played a Test in Australia. In the absence of Stokes (and, let’s be honest, probably Wood as well) Harry Brook’s spin-free Ashes attack does look a little callow. And samey.

We can already see it… Flat pitch, day two. Please no! Anything but that!

---

Please have a think about helping fund King Cricket over the winter. Our plan is to spend too much time writing about the Ashes regardless, so at this point the Patreon is really just mitigation measures.

Our Patreon

We also have an email. Here is a big button that takes you to a page where you can sign up for it.

Our email

The post Harry Brook’s Ashes all-rounder isn’t as good as Ben Stokes’s – but his fast bowling attack might be better first appeared on King Cricket.

Related posts:

1. So who’s in England’s first choice Ashes bowling attack then?
2. Is Ben Stokes definitely a better pick than Harry Brook in England’s World Cup squad?
3. Did you see… Harry Brook’s first over?

from King Cricket https://ift.tt/vBgn09p

‘Christ, this could be happening…’ Jamie Barnes on his Lord’s knee-slide and what trophy win means to the club

Jamie Barnes celebrates getting Penzance skipper Brad Wadlan

It was possibly the first knee-slide ever attempted on the main square at Lord’s, and it will probably be the last.

But Jamie Barnes can be forgiven for getting lost in the moment.

He had just taken the key wicket of Penzance captain Brad Wadlan, the last specialist batter standing in Ormskirk’s way, with their opponents still 94 runs short of their target.

“I’ve never done a knee-slide before when I’ve got a wicket and I’m fairly sure I won’t again,” said Barnes.

“You don’t see Jimmy Anderson doing too many knee slides. 

“But Wadlan is such a good player and he was batting nicely – we knew that as long as he was out there, it was going to be a tough game to win. 

“That’s probably what led to all the emotion – we thought, Christ, this could be happening.”

Barnes first played for Ormskirk as a nine-year-old, and is one of six out of Saturday’s XI to have turned out for every senior side at the club – George Politis, George Lavelle, Harvey Rankin, Ian Robinson and Nicky Caunce being the others.

Three others were recruited as more-or-less finished articles in 2023 – Calum Turner, Sam Holden and Toby Bulcock.

Captain Gary Knight came through the juniors at Longridge before moving to Ormskirk, while seamer Sam Marsh arrived in 2020 from Croston. 

this weekend’s matches

latest tables

Batting & bowling stats

All have played significant roles during the cup run and the season as a whole – as did Australian all-rounder Tom Brown before he had to cut short his English summer.

But for the players who have spent pretty much their whole careers at Brook Lane, the celebrations were all the more special.

Barnes said: “One of the nicest things about the weekend was that it was the club’s day rather than the 11 people who happened to be on the pitch.

“I remember my mum dropping me off for my first U11s game, which must have been about 24 years ago. 

“In the crowd at Lord’s was Graham Ford, who drove me to my first senior game in the 4th XI in 2004, and Scott Meredith, who was my first 2nd XI captain.

“I think it’s that sort of sense of shared history with so many of the spectators that made it so special.”

The conditions on Saturday were ideal for Barnes and his full length, wicket-to-wicket bowling – slightly cloudy, and a pitch that was doing just a bit.

During Ormskirk’s innings, batters returning to the pavilion spoke of how tricky they had found it to play medium pacer Jonathan Ludlam; Barnes sensed it could be one of his days.

“I was thinking, this might be tailor made for me,” he said. 

“If I can hit my length and hold my length for a decent amount of time, it might give the team a really good chance. 

Listen to the Last Hour cricket podcast

“We bowled in the nets the day before and it seamed around a little bit, it was probably not quite as hard and true and as flat as you might imagine Lord’s to be. 

“So we were kind of hoping the wicket would be something similar.”

Sam Holden topped the figures with 5/41 while Barnes finished with 3/33, largely bowling in tandem with left-arm spinner Bulcock. 

He added: “He’s a dream to bowl with because he gives nothing away. He reads the game well, so he knows if you’re in good rhythm at the other end, he’ll sort of speed up and try and get through his overs and then likewise, if he thinks the game needs slowing down, he will do so. 

“He’s just such an easy man to bowl with, he makes my job a lot easier.”

Barnes – along with Caunce, Lavelle, Knight and Robinson – was part of the side that lost the 2017 final to Wanstead & Snaresbrook at Chelmsford.

Now he says he is expecting the magnitude of Ormskirk’s achievement to sink in some time in December.

“To win a trophy at Lord’s is something most international cricketers will never do,” he said.

“I remember during Covid, I was thinking I’ve been obsessed with winning this trophy for five years now, but it’s probably not going to happen. 

“We lost a few players as a club. Gary came in as skipper – we knew it was going to be a bit of a start again moment.

“This is a moment, to be honest, I probably never thought would come.”

from Merseyside Cricket Online https://ift.tt/yNoM380

How Ormskirk’s Calum Turner found the perfect wedding present as Penzance’s dodgy dossier backfired

Calum Turner on his way to 111 for Ormskirk at Lord’s

Calum Turner skipped his brother’s wedding to play at Lord’s – and made amends with a unique gift.

“I’ve offered him my man of the match medal,” he said, after his superb 111 led Ormskirk to victory in the ECB National Club Championship.

On a sticky wicket, he was the only man to consistently time the ball, scoring heavily square of the wicket and occasionally climbing into a straight drive worthy of the grand setting.

Opponents Penzance prepared a dossier on Ormskirk’s players then left it lying around to be discovered – they considered Turner a “front-foot bully” who could be bounced out.

It went about as well as the time England’s Ashes tourists famously did the same in 2006, theorising about how Matthew Hayden could be bored out. 

Hayden made 153 then chided the bowlers for overcomplicating things – Turner, an aggressive, stroke-making left-hander in the same mould, was equally dismissive.

He said: “I think that’s the first time I’ve seen a written game plan against me.

“I might be seen as a front-foot bully. But if they’re bowling short, it creates a really good scoring opportunity. 

this weekend’s matches

latest tables

Batting & bowling stats

“It can be a bit of a risk with fielders out, but it took my stumps out of play.

“I think the key on Saturday was whoever hit the stumps most would probably win the game.

“The wicket was a little bit tacky, it wasn’t quite coming on, and it wasn’t easy to hit straight from a good length. 

“So if you want to have a bumper plan, then crack on with it. With a 40-yard boundary on the leg side, I wasn’t about to take a backward step.”

It wasn’t all plain sailing for Turner, who was becalmed in the 60s and 70s as wickets fell at the other end, then bowled all ends up by Tommy Sturgess on 95.

He had made it half-way back to the pavilion before he realised the umpires had called a no-ball due to a fielding infraction.

Listen to the Last Hour cricket podcast

“I don’t think I’ve ever been shouted at as loudly in my life as I was from the balcony then,” he said. 

“I looked back on the stream afterwards, I dropped my shoulder and did a U-turn.

“I’d made peace with it, it was a peach of a ball that got me out. But to then get turned back around, that was another thing to add to the surrealness of the day.”

Turner punched Brad Wadlan through mid-wicket to reach three figures four balls later, then perished attempting a reverse sweep off the same bowler.

But the damage was done and, thanks to Ormskirk’s bowlers, Turner could relax and enjoy the game’s climax knowing he had more than done his part.

He said: “Once we get a sniff, once we get that breakthrough, we just take that momentum and just run with it.

“It’s one of our massive strengths with the ball.

“I was at third man for most of the innings and I had a great view of the fans in the background – it was brilliant.”

from Merseyside Cricket Online https://ift.tt/HXux6nw

From guests in the dressing room to heroes on the pitch: How Ormskirk wrote themselves into history books

Ormskirk in the Lord’s dressing room after their win

On Friday, the day before the ECB National Knockout final, Ormskirk’s players were settling into the visitors’ dressing room at Lord’s when there was a knock on the door.

“We were getting comfortable, putting our bags in, and a tour came in with 20 people,” captain Gary Knight recalled.

“The guide said, oh sorry, excuse me, do you mind if we do the tour? 

“I was like, you don’t have to apologise to us, we’re the guests here.”

The next day, Ormskirk proved they were no impostors at the Home of Cricket. 

Knight’s team became the first Love Lane Liverpool Competition side ever to win the ECB National Club Championship, seeing off Penzance by 25 runs.

Three of the key men were recruited by Knight at the start of 2023 to help Ormskirk make the step up from good to great. Three league titles, a Ray Digman Trophy, a Lancashire Cup and a National later, safe to say it worked.

Gary Knight’s trophies

Competition	Years
Love Lane Liverpool Competition	2023, 2024, 2025
ECB National Club Championship	2025
Lancashire Cup	2021, 2024 (shared)
Ray Digman Troohy	2024
Echo Cup	2022

Calum Turner made a brilliant 111 on a track where nobody else made 50; Sam Holden took 5/41 to wrap up the win; and Toby Bulcock claimed an unflattering 2/25 to squeeze the Cornishmen in the middle overs.

Knight – after a jubilant homecoming at Brook Lane – said: “It’s all been building up to something like this.

“I tried to get those three lads to the club because we had a solid foundation, we just needed a couple of lads who were at their peak years. 

“We wanted men who can count on themselves in really tough moments and all three of them have bought massively into this club and thrown their hearts and souls into it.”

All-rounder Holden’s contribution began with his first ball, which Penzance dangerman Christian Purchase slapped straight down George Lavelle’s throat at deep point, and ended with his last, which beat Pakistani seamer Mehran Sanwal all ends up.

It is likely to be his last action for the club, as he is expected to return to Prestwich over the winter.

“It’s been a really good three year loan deal,” said Knight. “If he does make that decision, that would be a hell of a way to sign off and everybody is extremely grateful.”

this weekend’s matches

latest tables

Batting & bowling stats

Purchase, who smashed a century in the semi-final against Wanstead & Snaresbrook, had made a run-a-ball 47 as Penzance set off in pursuit of 218 with an opening stand of 76.

It was a nervous time for Ormskirk, but Knight has always relished adversity.

“I always think it gives us a bit of clarity,” he said.

“We went back to basics – can I bowl a couple of dots, can I try and take a wicket.

“Part of the reason why we’ve been successful in the league and cup is because we’ve had real clarity in those moments.

“We knew it was going to be two different games with Purchase in – he was their game changer and if we could get him before 70 or 80, we knew we could put them under pressure.

“Every time we get a little bit of a sniff of taking a cluster of wickets, we put a really good squeeze on.”
From 76/0, Holden and Jamie Barnes reduced Penzance to 124/7, before Bulcock quelled any thoughts of a tail-end recovery and Holden returned to finish the job.

Knight believes Penzance, who won the toss, had allowed themselves to get carried away with the early cloud cover and a few signs of movement on the practice wickets.

Turner and George Politis quickly gave them a reality check with a stand of 74, but their seamers, in particular Sanwal and Tom Dinnis, fought back gamely.

Only Turner was timing the ball and his dismissal – fifth out on 188 – sparked a collapse of five wickets for 29 runs.

Knight was still confident due to intelligence from a well-placed source – Tom Hartley, who was unavailable for the final due to England commitments.

He said: “I spoke to Tom a few weeks back now and he said there had been mentions on the pro circuit of the Lord’s ground being a little bit slow, a little bit underprepared at times.

“Calum got to about 70 off 60 balls and all of a sudden started to struggle to rotate.

“I just thought, if he’s struggling now after how well he’s batted, it’s going to suit us massively. I thought 220 was par.”

Listen to the Last Hour cricket podcast

Where Ormskirk go from here is a question to be answered over the next few months. 

There is a sense that they have completed club cricket now, winning almost everything – in addition to the post-2023 trophy glut, 2022’s Echo Cup triumph means the National T20, won last year by Northern, is the only prize to evade Knight in his five-year stint.

The captain said: “Every year we try and rebuild a little bit – it might be one of those times of people doing a few different things.

“It’ll be a November, December, January job to try to get the team back together and see what we can do.

“The foundations are still there, we’ve got a hell of a lot of runs in the side, our bowling attack is one to be feared, so we’ll go again.”

Despite the failure of Saturday’s commentators to mention the league Ormskirk play in, the win is a huge and deserved boost to the profile of the Comp.

Two national tournament wins in two seasons tells its own story, but the overall quality is what keeps pushing Ormskirk and Northern on to new heights.

“I’ve had so many nice messages from lads around the Comp who we go toe-to-toe with every week,” said Knight.

“The level of respect and friendship is massive.

“You can just go up against someone for 5-6 hours, both sides desperate to win, and then you can enjoy a beer and some stories after the game and I think that needs to be protected.

“It’s really tough cricket and there are some really good sides around that are producing top-level cricketers.

“It’ll be some other club’s day soon, I’ve no doubt about it.”

from Merseyside Cricket Online https://ift.tt/zUPS7hu

Seasonal fluctuations: Counties think it’s summer, but England say it’s winter

2 minute read

What will Notts’ and Surrey’s best bowlers do this week with the County Championship on the line? One thing they won’t do is play cricket.

Mid September is something of a seasonal warzone. Meterologists say it’s autumn, while astronomers say you’ve still got a week or two of summer until the equinox (which is at 7.19pm today).

Most of us split the difference a bit and flip-flop for a week or two based on various other factors. The sun shines and the temperature rises: it’s summer. That first morning when it’s sufficiently cold that you sort of wish the heating had come on? Autumn.

Which makes cricket at this time of year very odd, because the sport can come across as both a clear indicator that it’s still summer, or as a thing that’s totally lost track of time and really should have migrated to warmer climes by now.

Even within the game, there is disagreement on what season it is.

The final round of the County Championship

Surrey v Nottinghamshire turned into a magnificent climax to the County Championship last week. Maybe they should implement the 13-match season immediately and just call time now. It pays to be flexible sometimes.

But assuming that doesn’t happen, this week shapes up as what exactly? The ‘falling action‘ stage of the story when tension’s diminishing and everything’s being resolved, we suppose.

Current leaders Nottinghamshire will host Warwickshire, needing a draw and a light sprinkling of bonus points to be sure of topping the table – probably a bit less. Surrey head to Hampshire needing at bare minimum a draw with plenty of bonus points, but more likely a victory even if Notts get beaten.

Both teams will be without their highest-profile England bowlers because Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue are being rested by their primary employer ahead of the Ashes, which – if you aren’t keeping up with these things – takes place in Australia during the British winter. We guess their seasonal laggard team-mates will have to pick up the slack.

Please help King Cricket by backing the site’s Patreon. Failing that, sign up for our emails.

The post Seasonal fluctuations: Counties think it’s summer, but England say it’s winter first appeared on King Cricket.

Related posts:

1. Are Surrey going to win the County Championship without hitting hundreds, taking wickets or winning games?
2. Surrey end summer
3. Drawsome: County Championship battle for mid-table mediocrity rages

from King Cricket https://ift.tt/avcRM2O

Turner masterpiece and Holden heroics lead Ormskirk to Lord’s dreamland

Ormskirk are national champions, the first Love Lane Liverpool Competition side ever to claim the honour, after battling to a 25-run win over Penzance at Lord’s.

Opener Calum Turner made 111, his sixth century of the season, as Gary Knight’s side, asked to bat first under threatening skies, posted a lopsided 217, bowled out in the last of their 40 overs.

From 125/3 at the half-way point, it was disappointing; it didn’t look enough as Penzance raced to 76 after 12 overs without losing a wicket.

But dangerous opener Christian Purchase slapped seamer Sam Holden’s first ball straight to George Lavelle at deep point, and Ormskirk had a foothold.

Holden beat the defences of Charlie Sharland and Nicholas Halstead-Clarke before Jamie Barnes – in conditions he must have dreamed of last night – accounted for Grant Stone and Josh Croom.

When opener Jack Paull, who had retired hurt, returned and sliced Holden to Toby Bulcock at gully, the scoreboard read 120/6 and Ormskirk’s army of supporters in the Mound Stand were starting to raise their voices.

this weekend’s matches

latest tables

Batting & bowling stats

And when Barnes found the outside edge of skipper Brad Wadlan four balls later, Knight’s impassioned celebration suggested he was beginning to believe too.

The tail wagged before Bulcock had Tommy Sturgess and Jonathan Ludlam held by Knight, and Holden beat Mehran Sanwal’s wild slog to spark even wilder celebrations on the pitch and in the stands – he finished with 5/41.

Both innings followed a similar template of early runs followed by a flurry of wickets to dry up the scoring.

The difference was Turner, who was ruthless with anything short and unfurled some straight drives as good as anything Old Father Time has seen over the years.

George Politis helped him add 74 before falling to Sanwal, whose slingy action and wicket-to-wicket line threatened to derail the innings – the Pakistani added George Lavelle and Holden in short order.

Listen to the Last Hour cricket podcast

Knight tried to up the rate but was smartly stumped by Halstead-Clarke off medium pacer Jonathan Ludlam.

Only Turner was getting the ball off the square, but he thought he’d gone on 95 when Sturgess bent one past his inside edge – a no-ball call came to the rescue and allowed him to reach his century moments later with a clip for four off Wadlan.

Two overs later, the Penzance skipper and slow left-armer got his revenge when he beat Turner’s attempted reverse sweep.

Ian Robinson followed next ball and Sam Marsh, Harvey Rankin, Bulcock and Nicky Caunce fell in a heap towards the end.

Penzance had the momentum, and carried it on into their batting innings – but they let it slip, and Ormskirk took advantage to seal their place in local cricket folklore.

from Merseyside Cricket Online https://ift.tt/tJr54e2

The last few ups and downs as Love Lane Liverpool Competition season comes to a close

Ormskirk are champions, Birkenhead Park are down, Liverpool, Ainsdale and Northop Hall are promoted. Congratulations or commiserations to all, as appropriate.

But there is still plenty to play for in the final round of fixtures…

Premier Division relegation battle

	Sep 20	Points	Wins	BatP	BowlP	HtH
Wigan	NOR A	184	4	50	49	26
Colwyn Bay	BOO H	160	3	51	44	24

The good news for Colwyn Bay is that they have a home game against a Firwood Bootle side with little to play for, while Wigan travel to Northern. The bad news for Colwyn Bay is that things have to go almost perfectly for them to stand a chance.

If Wigan get even two points – that’s 130 runs, four wickets, or a washout – they can’t be caught, even if Bay pick up a maximum 25.

If the Welshmen do manage to get level on points, they can go ahead on batting points. But the following scenario is possible…

1st innings: Colwyn Bay lose the toss, are asked to field and bowl Bootle out. Wigan bat first and make 100-129.

2nd innings: Colwyn Bay win. Wigan lose by nine or 10 wickets.

In this case, Colwyn Bay will earn 25 points (20 for the win plus five bowling points) and Wigan one (a batting point). The sides will be level on 185 points; on four wins; on 51 batting points; and on 49 bowling points.

The decider will be their head-to-head points, where Wigan have a two-point advantage.

Division One promotion & title battle

	Sep 20	Points	Wins	BatP	BowlP
Liverpool	SUT A	353	13	41	47
Orrell Red Triangle	OXV H	343	12	42	46
Spring View	SEF H	322	11	54	43

Spring View need to win with at least one bonus point to stand a chance of dislodging Orrell Red Triangle, who will seal promotion if they earn five points or more. A tie on points will go View’s way, as they will be level on wins and are well ahead on batting points. But a return to the Premier Division is in Orrell’s hands.

Liverpool are already promoted but will want the title. A win will wrap it up, anything less lets Orrell in.

The only way Liverpool and Orrell can finish level on points and wins is if Orrell get a 20-point win and Liverpool manage a 10-point draw (bowl Sutton out for 220+, then get to 220 themselves but fail to win) or if Orrell get a 25-point win and Liverpool tie with Sutton.

In the first scenario, Liverpool will go ahead on batting points; in the second, Orrell will be ahead on either batting or bowling points. So this can’t go to head-to-head points (for the record, as I went to the trouble of looking it up, Orrell are ahead 32-25).

Division One relegation battle

	Sep 20	Points	Wins
Maghull	HSM H	178	4
Old Xaverians	ORT A	174	5

The closest of all the races, to avoid the single relegation spot. A win with two bonus points will put Maghull out of reach, whereas anything less will open the door to Old Xaverians, who beat league leaders Liverpool a few weeks ago.

The Woolton side are effectively just 3.5 points behind as any tie is bound to break in their favour – there is no way the sides can be level on points without Xavs staying ahead on wins (if Maghull win and Xavs don’t, Maghull will be at least nine points clear).

Division Two title race

	Sep 20	Points	Wins	BatP
Ainsdale	PRE A	429	17	47
Northop Hall	WAV H	408	16	39

Last but not least… Ainsdale need just four points at rock-bottom Prestatyn to claim the title. Northop Hall, also already promoted, can catch them on points and wins but not on batting points – so they need to earn at least 22 points and hope the leaders have an off-day.

Now that’s all done, I’ll just take a big sip of coffee and check the weather forecast…

from Merseyside Cricket Online https://ift.tt/rpzUdAC