Key events
Can’t wait for that first ball?
Well, if you’re hankering for some cricket on the go, Tom Davies is on top of all the County Championship action here:
Preamble
Daniel Gallan
I never thought I’d say this but I’m glad the Test schedule is over and we can get stuck into some white ball action.
No really, I am. It’s not only because the six England Tests against the West Indies and Sri Lanka were plodding affairs. No disrespect to the opposition who, thanks to deep inequities in the game, arrived to a gun fight with little more than wooden swords. But of course the lack of a proper battle diluted the whole affair.
Australia’s white ball players will offer a much tougher test of England’s mettle and it’s for that reason that I’m jazzed about this contest.
As Geoff Lemon writes, there’s been a bit of change in both camps as “two quite aged teams are becoming two sides in transition.” This means we’re in relatively unknown territory and, given the heavy emphasis on 20 and 50 over ICC competitions, this next month could give us an idea of the future world order of the game. A few standout performances from some newbies could become launchpads for greater heights.
Geoff also concedes that this is a money spinner. But that’s not said with dripping cynicism. Money means interest and cricket in general needs an interested public. As a fan of the game with no skin in this one, I’m just hoping for some decent action.
England have (cheekily, I feel) named their XI already. But I’ll stick with OBO convention and list that later. I’ll also be bringing you the Aussie line-up with some other bits and bobs as we approach the first ball which is scheduled at 6:30 pm BST/3:30 am AEST (good morning to you early birds).
