🚨 If you’re an RCB fan, I’d love if you could fill out this survey on how you feel about the franchise this year. I plan to create a graphic story of your answers soon! 🚨
✍️ Dom Murray writes about the brilliant players who have been relegated to history’s dustbin because they weren’t brilliant enough – starting with NZ’s Chris Martin, who will never see his face pop up first on a Google search.
“So, I guess what I’m saying is that Chris Martin (New Zealand Cricketer), who, again, took 233 Test wickets, 599 first-class wickets, and has played the 15th-most Tests for New Zealand, is approximately the 16th-most famous Chris Martin overall, about the 10th-most famous Chris Martin associated with sports, and, for some, maybe even the 2nd-most famous Chris Martin associated with cricket.”
✍️ Richard Heller & Peter Oborne on the incredible talent and popularity of cricket’s first superstar, and how he revived the institution of amateur cricket despite being the grandson of domestic servants.
“Grace on his own was enough to sustain and animate a team. The greatest beneficiaries were the Gentlemen in their regular contests against the Players. Their last 20 matches before Grace produced 19 defeats and one draw. In Grace’s first decade, the Players won only three times, five matches were drawn and 18 won by the Gentlemen, and he had made the fixture England’s prime cricket attraction.”
✍️ Adam Burnett has an in-depth profile of Aussie bowler Nicola Hancock, and her journey through pain, injury, & multiple teams to finally find her place.
“But life in the big leagues was tough. Hancock, who had progressed quickly largely due to her pace, took just two wickets across a dozen professional matches in her maiden summer, and found the going at Cricket Victoria difficult.
…But somebody, somewhere, liked what they saw in the young right-armer, who prided herself on her work ethic, and excelling in the daily grind of fast bowling. At season’s end, Hancock was picked for another Shooting Stars tour, this time to Sri Lanka.
“Then I got home,” she says, “And Cricket Victoria said, “We don’t have a contract for you.”
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“Giving Bihar cricket its voice”
✍️ Akshay Ramesh profiles Robin Singh, a local coach-turned-commentator who is helping to find cricketing gems in the relative backwater of Bihar – including, of course, everyone’s favourite teenager this IPL. -
“His Middle Name Should Be Atlas”
✍️ Giles Wilcock on the brilliance of the West Indian George Headley amongst impossible racial standards in the early 20th century. -
“The sharpening of Sakib Hussain”
✍️ Shashank Kishore on how Sakib Hussain improved his game. -
“Catching Efficiencies, Unluckiest Bowlers & The PBKS Anomaly”
📊 Praatibh Surana analyses every team’s catching efficiency.
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“RCB’s mantra needs an update”
📊 Tarutr Malhotra on RCB’s ideology of hitting big regardless of match situation, after their third collapse of the season against GT. -
“Jason Holder is the missing cog in GT’s wheel”
đź“Š Karan Jain on how Jason Holder has turned an ailing GT side around.
“RCB limit DC to 13/6 in the powerplay”
📊 Tarun Pratap on how RCB’s pacers limited DC’s batters to an IPL record 13/6 in the powerplay.
“RCB’s concerning need for Shepherd”
📊 Tarutr Malhotra on RCB’s problematic dependence on Romario Shepherd to be their sixth (& sometimes fifth!) bowler.
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“World Cup squad special”
🎤 Wisden discuss the ENG-W’s WC squad, with special appearances from Charlotte Edwards & Nat-Sciver Brunt. [YouTube] -
“The art of spin bowling”
🎤 Test Match Special host Phil Tufnell & Jack Leach to discuss ENG’s lost spinners, and what they need in the team. [Apple/Spotify] -
“Why Bellingham could be good”
📽️ Mike Atherton talks to Alec Stewart about returning to Surrey, and the future of English cricket. [YouTube] -
“How I Became RCB’s Mr. Nags”
📽️ AB de Villiers talks to Danish Sait, the local comedian behind RCB’s famous Mr. Nags. [YouTube]