England 289/7 vs Australia
Scorecard
Here are some quick thoughts on the first day's play of the second Ashes Test at Lord's.
1. Ryan Harris was the best of the Australian fast bowlers by a distance today, and Australia should make sure that his injury-prone body is well-managed for the rest of the series.
2. Ian Bell is the real deal. When England were in a wobbly position after being 28/3, he calmly walked in at number five and began scoring freely en route to a vital 109.
3. Steve Smith conjured up memories of a certain Shane Warne today when he took three English wickets in the evening session. However, he is nowhere near the bowler Warne was and the English batsmen should figure him out the rest of the series.
Series prediction: 3-0 or 3-1 England.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
1-0 England. Also, BOOM BOOM IS BACK!!!
England 215 & 375 beat Australia 280 & 296 by 14 runs
Scorecard
My fellow blogger Matt Becker over at Limited Overs said it was the best Test he ever witnessed. I would have to say that this one runs Galle 2008, the second Test I ever watched, pretty close. That Test in Galle was the second Test of the series between Sri Lanka and India, and it had everything. Virender Sehwag's best innings (better than both his 300s), a 201 where he carried his bat on a pitch that was doing everything. The vaunted Indian middle order of Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, and Laxman against Murali and Mendis. And finally, a delicately poised match going into the final day which India wrested away from the Sri Lankans to even the series. Sehwag's batting in that Test made me wonder "why doesn't everyone just bat like that?' It took me all the way up until Sehwag's recent drop in form to truly realize why.
This Test, too, had everything. A shock debut, two great bowling attacks, a man under pressure making a vital, match-winning century, and a finely poised match going into the final day. Except this match remained finely poised until the very last delivery of the match. And it was only fitting that it should go down to the last delivery being decided on DRS (cricket's version of instant replay, for the neophytes) and England winning because they rightly called for the review.
A commenter in Matt's article on the fifth day's play commented on how he can recall specific Tests from memory that he watched live. I think I'll start that list too.
Galle 2008, Trent Bridge 2013.
Hopefully I can add to this list in the years to come.
Pakistan 224/9 beat West Indies 98 by 126 runs
Scorecard
Now transferring from the long-lasting traditions of Test cricket to the not so long-lasting innings of Shahid Afridi. Except, that is, on days like yesterday, when he makes watching cricket so much more fun. 76 off 55 and 7/12. Next thing you know, he'll be dropped for something or other and announce his retirement... before coming back again.
Anyways, Boom Boom is back and the cricket world is better off for it.
See you tomorrow for the 2nd ODI between West Indies and Pakistan (it's on ESPN3, hooray!) and on Thursday for the 2nd Test between England and Australia at Lord's. If you haven't seen Lord's before, find a stream between the hours of 5 am and noon, because it really is breathtaking.
Scorecard
My fellow blogger Matt Becker over at Limited Overs said it was the best Test he ever witnessed. I would have to say that this one runs Galle 2008, the second Test I ever watched, pretty close. That Test in Galle was the second Test of the series between Sri Lanka and India, and it had everything. Virender Sehwag's best innings (better than both his 300s), a 201 where he carried his bat on a pitch that was doing everything. The vaunted Indian middle order of Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, and Laxman against Murali and Mendis. And finally, a delicately poised match going into the final day which India wrested away from the Sri Lankans to even the series. Sehwag's batting in that Test made me wonder "why doesn't everyone just bat like that?' It took me all the way up until Sehwag's recent drop in form to truly realize why.
This Test, too, had everything. A shock debut, two great bowling attacks, a man under pressure making a vital, match-winning century, and a finely poised match going into the final day. Except this match remained finely poised until the very last delivery of the match. And it was only fitting that it should go down to the last delivery being decided on DRS (cricket's version of instant replay, for the neophytes) and England winning because they rightly called for the review.
A commenter in Matt's article on the fifth day's play commented on how he can recall specific Tests from memory that he watched live. I think I'll start that list too.
Galle 2008, Trent Bridge 2013.
Hopefully I can add to this list in the years to come.
Pakistan 224/9 beat West Indies 98 by 126 runs
Scorecard
Now transferring from the long-lasting traditions of Test cricket to the not so long-lasting innings of Shahid Afridi. Except, that is, on days like yesterday, when he makes watching cricket so much more fun. 76 off 55 and 7/12. Next thing you know, he'll be dropped for something or other and announce his retirement... before coming back again.
Anyways, Boom Boom is back and the cricket world is better off for it.
See you tomorrow for the 2nd ODI between West Indies and Pakistan (it's on ESPN3, hooray!) and on Thursday for the 2nd Test between England and Australia at Lord's. If you haven't seen Lord's before, find a stream between the hours of 5 am and noon, because it really is breathtaking.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
A Record-Breaking Day
England 215 & 80/2 Australia 280
England lead by 15 runs
Scorecard
I woke up at 8:30 this morning, and the ESPNCricinfo notifications I saw on my phone told me that Australia had been reduced to 117/9. Right, I was thinking, England will get them out for 150 at most and take the ascendancy in the match. However, I had failed to realize until I pulled up Cricinfo that Australia had already made much more than 150.
I saw that Australia had somehow gotten to 238/9 thanks to semi-experienced campaigner Phillip Hughes and a young man I didn't even know was in Australia's squad until a couple weeks ago. Ashton Agar, all of 19 years of age, more known for his left-arm spin bowling than his batting, which is why he was batting at number 11, was on 71 from 71 deliveries, along with Hughes who was on 66 from 108. Now since I got introduced to cricket in 2008, I have been privileged to see many great moments happen live, such as Ajantha Mendis' 6/13 against India, Sachin Tendulkar's 200 against South Africa, MS Dhoni's six to win the World Cup, Hashim Amla's 311 against England, Marlon Samuels' 78 against Sri Lanka, and Tino Best's 95 against England, the previous high score by a number 11. Moments like those have stuck with me, and this one today has definitely joined them. As I eagerly found an online stream to watch the action, and to see whether young Agar would go any farther, I began to think about the enormity of the situation. Here was a 19-year-old who came in with his team at 117/9 staring into a substantial deficit on his international debut. And what does he do? He plays every shot in the book. Powerful, well-timed drives against the fast bowlers. Audacious straight sixes, off an accomplished spinner in Graeme Swann, no less. On top of it all, Agar conducted his business with the biggest smile at Trent Bridge today, more so than the England fans' in the morning and the Australian fans' in the afternoon. Agar ended up making 98 of the best runs I have ever seen made by a player in that sort of situation. The only situation I can think of that even comes close to this is this 2010 match between Sri Lanka and Australia. When Agar got out, pulling the ball to deep midwicket, he still had the same smile on his face that he had while playing all his lovely shots.
Well played Ashton Agar, and if this doesn't get you a promotion from number 11, I don't know what will.
After Australia were finally dismissed for 280, England went about consolidating and not trying to lose wickets until the end of the day. After Mitchell Starc, a left-arm fast bowler for Australia, took the wickets of Joe Root and Jonathan Trott in consecutive balls, both on questionable calls, Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen batted until the end of the day, getting England to 80/2.
A cracking Day 3 is in prospect, so wake up at 5 am, grab some coffee or tea, and find an online stream to watch the action!
In other cricketing news today...
India 203/9 beat Sri Lanka 201 by 1 wicket
Scorecard
MS Dhoni is quickly proving that he is the best captain in world cricket. After Dhoni got injured in the first game of this ODI tri-series in the West Indies, involving the hosts West Indies, India, and Sri Lanka, his Indian team looked listless in their first game under new leader Virat Kohli, conceding 374 against Sri Lanka. The stage was set for a half-fit Dhoni to make his return to the team after India scraped through to the final after a win over the Sri Lankans. And what a part he played. India were chasing a seemingly easy target of 202, and Dhoni walked to the crease with India at 139/4. Then India went through a momentary collapse which left them at 182/9. Dhoni has this ability to make his players better, and he did that with last man Ishant Sharma today, inspiring Ishant to fend off the Sri Lankan bowlers eagerly searching for the final wicket. It all came down to India needing 15 off the last over. Leave it to Mr. Cool. Six, four, six, and the game was over. Dhoni has truly proven in his career that he has the Midas touch. Also, this series was available on ESPN3, so head there if you want to catch the action from what was a great match.
England lead by 15 runs
Scorecard
I woke up at 8:30 this morning, and the ESPNCricinfo notifications I saw on my phone told me that Australia had been reduced to 117/9. Right, I was thinking, England will get them out for 150 at most and take the ascendancy in the match. However, I had failed to realize until I pulled up Cricinfo that Australia had already made much more than 150.
I saw that Australia had somehow gotten to 238/9 thanks to semi-experienced campaigner Phillip Hughes and a young man I didn't even know was in Australia's squad until a couple weeks ago. Ashton Agar, all of 19 years of age, more known for his left-arm spin bowling than his batting, which is why he was batting at number 11, was on 71 from 71 deliveries, along with Hughes who was on 66 from 108. Now since I got introduced to cricket in 2008, I have been privileged to see many great moments happen live, such as Ajantha Mendis' 6/13 against India, Sachin Tendulkar's 200 against South Africa, MS Dhoni's six to win the World Cup, Hashim Amla's 311 against England, Marlon Samuels' 78 against Sri Lanka, and Tino Best's 95 against England, the previous high score by a number 11. Moments like those have stuck with me, and this one today has definitely joined them. As I eagerly found an online stream to watch the action, and to see whether young Agar would go any farther, I began to think about the enormity of the situation. Here was a 19-year-old who came in with his team at 117/9 staring into a substantial deficit on his international debut. And what does he do? He plays every shot in the book. Powerful, well-timed drives against the fast bowlers. Audacious straight sixes, off an accomplished spinner in Graeme Swann, no less. On top of it all, Agar conducted his business with the biggest smile at Trent Bridge today, more so than the England fans' in the morning and the Australian fans' in the afternoon. Agar ended up making 98 of the best runs I have ever seen made by a player in that sort of situation. The only situation I can think of that even comes close to this is this 2010 match between Sri Lanka and Australia. When Agar got out, pulling the ball to deep midwicket, he still had the same smile on his face that he had while playing all his lovely shots.
Well played Ashton Agar, and if this doesn't get you a promotion from number 11, I don't know what will.
After Australia were finally dismissed for 280, England went about consolidating and not trying to lose wickets until the end of the day. After Mitchell Starc, a left-arm fast bowler for Australia, took the wickets of Joe Root and Jonathan Trott in consecutive balls, both on questionable calls, Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen batted until the end of the day, getting England to 80/2.
A cracking Day 3 is in prospect, so wake up at 5 am, grab some coffee or tea, and find an online stream to watch the action!
In other cricketing news today...
India 203/9 beat Sri Lanka 201 by 1 wicket
Scorecard
MS Dhoni is quickly proving that he is the best captain in world cricket. After Dhoni got injured in the first game of this ODI tri-series in the West Indies, involving the hosts West Indies, India, and Sri Lanka, his Indian team looked listless in their first game under new leader Virat Kohli, conceding 374 against Sri Lanka. The stage was set for a half-fit Dhoni to make his return to the team after India scraped through to the final after a win over the Sri Lankans. And what a part he played. India were chasing a seemingly easy target of 202, and Dhoni walked to the crease with India at 139/4. Then India went through a momentary collapse which left them at 182/9. Dhoni has this ability to make his players better, and he did that with last man Ishant Sharma today, inspiring Ishant to fend off the Sri Lankan bowlers eagerly searching for the final wicket. It all came down to India needing 15 off the last over. Leave it to Mr. Cool. Six, four, six, and the game was over. Dhoni has truly proven in his career that he has the Midas touch. Also, this series was available on ESPN3, so head there if you want to catch the action from what was a great match.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
The Ashes
England 215 Australia 75/4 End of Day 1
Scorecard
As you may or may not know, perhaps cricket's greatest rivalry kicked off today. England vs Australia. The Ashes. Today was the start of a journey that will take us through 5 Test matches in England this summer, and then another 5 in Australia at the end of the year. From Nottingham to London, from Brisbane to Sydney, The Ashes is sure to captivate the hearts and minds of every Englishman and Australian for the next 6 months, and quite a few others too.
Now to the action on the field. England won the toss and elected to bat first on a typical English summer's day, which means it was cloudy with a chance of rain. Alastair Cook, England's captain, said he wanted to bat first because the pitch was dry and he didn't want to bat last. The much-anticipated first ball of the series was bowled by Australian James Pattinson, and it was a wide, though not quite as shocking as this wide though. (England fans, look away.) England started alright on a slow pitch that the batsmen weren't really getting used to, and where it was hard to find timing. Pattinson got the first wicket of the day, that of Cook, with a full, wide delivery. Cook's wicket sort of set a precedent for England throughout the day: getting a start, but giving their wicket away. One person who did not obey that precedent was England's other opener and second wicket to fall, Joe Root. Peter Siddle, who had taken quite the beating in his first 3-over spell, bowled an excellent outswinging yorker which beat the outside edge of Root's bat and hit the stumps. England's batsmen then went about getting starts but failing to convert them into something substantial while giving their wickets away, against some Australian bowling that wasn't too special barring Siddle. England ended up with a score of 215 in 59 overs, which was considered below-par, especially for a team that had chosen to bat first. Therefore, England's bowlers would have to come out firing in the remaining 21 overs.
And come out firing they did. England's bowlers, led by the impressive James Anderson, made a good start against Australia's opening pair of Shane Watson and Chris Rogers. Steven Finn, England's other opening bowler, ended up getting Watson out for 13. And then something inexplicable happened. Ed Cowan, known for his temperament and his defensive nature as a batsman, had a wild swing at the first delivery he faced and ended up getting out. And then something more remarkable happened. Michael Clarke, Australia's captain and best batsman, who has scored 23 centuries in Test cricket, including a mammoth 329, faced his sixth ball and was yet to score a run. Anderson steamed in, and delivered perhaps the ball of the series on the first day. Hit that, Michael! Clarke was out for 0, and Australia were wobbling at 22/3. Steven Smith came in, and began to assert himself on the game, attempting some audacious shots, including a magnificent straight six against England's premier spin bowler, Graeme Swann. Although Australia lost Rogers, Smith ended the day with a well-made 38 from 51 deliveries faced, and Australia ended with 95 runs for the loss of 4 wickets.
Day 2 of the Ashes from Trent Bridge in Nottingham starts at 5 am tomorrow, so find a stream online and tune in!
For those of you that are cricket neophytes, her are some Wikipedia articles that will help to better explain in your terms what I've said in this post.
Cricket
Test cricket
The Ashes
Trent Bridge (the stadium where this game is being played)
Over
Wide
Bowling
Yorker
Century
Scorecard
As you may or may not know, perhaps cricket's greatest rivalry kicked off today. England vs Australia. The Ashes. Today was the start of a journey that will take us through 5 Test matches in England this summer, and then another 5 in Australia at the end of the year. From Nottingham to London, from Brisbane to Sydney, The Ashes is sure to captivate the hearts and minds of every Englishman and Australian for the next 6 months, and quite a few others too.
Now to the action on the field. England won the toss and elected to bat first on a typical English summer's day, which means it was cloudy with a chance of rain. Alastair Cook, England's captain, said he wanted to bat first because the pitch was dry and he didn't want to bat last. The much-anticipated first ball of the series was bowled by Australian James Pattinson, and it was a wide, though not quite as shocking as this wide though. (England fans, look away.) England started alright on a slow pitch that the batsmen weren't really getting used to, and where it was hard to find timing. Pattinson got the first wicket of the day, that of Cook, with a full, wide delivery. Cook's wicket sort of set a precedent for England throughout the day: getting a start, but giving their wicket away. One person who did not obey that precedent was England's other opener and second wicket to fall, Joe Root. Peter Siddle, who had taken quite the beating in his first 3-over spell, bowled an excellent outswinging yorker which beat the outside edge of Root's bat and hit the stumps. England's batsmen then went about getting starts but failing to convert them into something substantial while giving their wickets away, against some Australian bowling that wasn't too special barring Siddle. England ended up with a score of 215 in 59 overs, which was considered below-par, especially for a team that had chosen to bat first. Therefore, England's bowlers would have to come out firing in the remaining 21 overs.
And come out firing they did. England's bowlers, led by the impressive James Anderson, made a good start against Australia's opening pair of Shane Watson and Chris Rogers. Steven Finn, England's other opening bowler, ended up getting Watson out for 13. And then something inexplicable happened. Ed Cowan, known for his temperament and his defensive nature as a batsman, had a wild swing at the first delivery he faced and ended up getting out. And then something more remarkable happened. Michael Clarke, Australia's captain and best batsman, who has scored 23 centuries in Test cricket, including a mammoth 329, faced his sixth ball and was yet to score a run. Anderson steamed in, and delivered perhaps the ball of the series on the first day. Hit that, Michael! Clarke was out for 0, and Australia were wobbling at 22/3. Steven Smith came in, and began to assert himself on the game, attempting some audacious shots, including a magnificent straight six against England's premier spin bowler, Graeme Swann. Although Australia lost Rogers, Smith ended the day with a well-made 38 from 51 deliveries faced, and Australia ended with 95 runs for the loss of 4 wickets.
Day 2 of the Ashes from Trent Bridge in Nottingham starts at 5 am tomorrow, so find a stream online and tune in!
For those of you that are cricket neophytes, her are some Wikipedia articles that will help to better explain in your terms what I've said in this post.
Cricket
Test cricket
The Ashes
Trent Bridge (the stadium where this game is being played)
Over
Wide
Bowling
Yorker
Century
Monday, July 8, 2013
Intro
Hello.
My name is JP Daugherty, and I'm an American kid who loves just about every sport under the sun (or roof). Hockey has always been my first sporting love; however, cricket does come close, and that is where I got my start in the blog universe, writing previews of major cricket tournaments for fellow Minnesotan Matt Becker's cricket blog Limited Overs.
And when I was writing those previews, I realized I wanted to do something more. I wanted to start my own blog, and I wanted to do more than just one sport. Instead, I wanted my blog to show my love for just about every sport that's out there.
So that's why I called my blog World of Sports. I want to blog about as many of the great sports our world has to offer and are under the radar for most Americans. Sure, I'll have the occasional hockey, baseball, or (American) football post, but mainly I want to blog about sports like cricket, rugby, soccer, and Australian rules football, among others. Basically, whatever sport I feel about blogging that day, I will blog about.
So sit back and enjoy what will be a fun ride for me, and hopefully you too.
On Twitter: @jdaugherty96
My name is JP Daugherty, and I'm an American kid who loves just about every sport under the sun (or roof). Hockey has always been my first sporting love; however, cricket does come close, and that is where I got my start in the blog universe, writing previews of major cricket tournaments for fellow Minnesotan Matt Becker's cricket blog Limited Overs.
And when I was writing those previews, I realized I wanted to do something more. I wanted to start my own blog, and I wanted to do more than just one sport. Instead, I wanted my blog to show my love for just about every sport that's out there.
So that's why I called my blog World of Sports. I want to blog about as many of the great sports our world has to offer and are under the radar for most Americans. Sure, I'll have the occasional hockey, baseball, or (American) football post, but mainly I want to blog about sports like cricket, rugby, soccer, and Australian rules football, among others. Basically, whatever sport I feel about blogging that day, I will blog about.
So sit back and enjoy what will be a fun ride for me, and hopefully you too.
On Twitter: @jdaugherty96
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