“We’ve been back from home from India for a few days now – it’s always nice after a tour to have a cup of tea and sit with your feet up on your sofa” – That’s a woman after our own heart. Ebony Rainsford-Brent reflects on England Women’s tour of India.
“One frame showed Trott short of his ground, but with the bails firmly intact, and the next had the batsman leaning on his bat in his crease with the woodwork scattered in an unsightly heap. OUT! Screamed Shah’s response and everyone was left slightly bewildered” – Cow Corner was as bewildered as the rest of us by the decision that felled Trott.
“Why do we like Tamim Iqbal? Because he stands and delivers, is utterly fearless and is truly Bangladesh’s first world-class batsman now that Mohammad Ashraful has sadly been revealed as a flash-in-the-pan impostor” – The Reverse Sweep celebrates one of the pluses of the Bangladesh series.
“I apologise unreservedly… It’s testament to him that he did get everyone frustrated. It was just a spur of emotion which is exactly what Cookie told us not to do, so I’m in his bad books” – Graeme Swann takes his punishment like a man after marking his dismissal of persistent Bangladeshi batsman Junaid Siddique a day earlier with the epithet “Fuck off” – and being caught out by the stump microphone.
“What I try to explain to the ex-professionals is that as a seasoned England watcher, your default position is to expect the worst and then you won’t be too disappointed!” – Adam Mountford recounts his wobbles on the fifth day of England’s first Test against Bangladesh.
“Despite Bangladesh being given every opportunity to develop their game, there is little sign of improvement. They represent no contest for any self-respecting Test nation. The bowling is innocuous and the batting mainly thoughtless and mostly incompetent, certainly on the basis of the first Test against England” – Simon Mann worries about the possibility of a contraction in the number of Test nations that threatens Bangladesh, Pakistan and the West Indies.
“Purely from an entertainment point of view, it would be nice if the game were more competitive, but the age-old maxim of only being able to beat what is put in front of you still stands” – Cow Corner rejects the notion that the Bangladesh Test series is somehow not a serious game of cricket – and that everything is about the Ashes.
“It is actually an opportunity for Cook to improve himself as a captain, and to learn a lot over the next few weeks. He will almost certainly have to handle an attack featuring two spinners, too… it is good that we might well see more of what Cook is about as a potential future full-time England captain” – Aggers sees opportunities, not problems, for Alastair Cook in getting round England’s depleted bowling attack.
“England defeated Bangladesh by 45 runs in the third and final One-Day International to sweep the three-match series 3-0. Chasing 285 runs to win, Bangladesh managed 239-9 in 50 overs” – what a good way to start the weekend.
“Collingwood entered the fray with a grim countenance, and proceeded to turn an increasingly enthralling contest into a comfortable chase” – Cow Corner licks its pen for another coruscating match report after Paul Collingwood England beat Bangladesh in the first ODI.