Ben Foakes finishing up his keeping drills with the Himalayas in the background and Man in the Mirror blaring from the speaker. I just don't see how life could get any better.
This is like telling someone you love them after six pints. You can't be making these types of promises at this time of night and on this kind of high.
Actual cricket thought: India's T20 team are desperate for an all-rounder to balance the side before next year's World Cup. But the only comp where they can find/develop one is the IPL and that has the Impact Player rule which drastically reduces the need for an all-rounder.
Another mad example of how cricket media rights work/don't work.
Root became England's leading run scorer in history today. And the official England account can't share it - and will never be able to share it - because they don't have the rights to match footage.
Alex Hales to bowl against Morgan tonight in an act of pure psychological warfare. Hales bowls him and does the Robbie Fowler celebration as Morgan walks off the pitch. Kids start crying but the Hundred is alive.
One of the most infuriating bits of cricket coverage.
England - the actual team who played in these matches - are not even able to share all of Anderson's milestone wickets because of whatever commercial/broadcast agreements exist. Instead have to share still images. Bonkers.
I've found Aussie cricket fan culture fascinating since I've been here. A national sport that people only pay attention to for two months a year with a swirl of politics mixed in throughout.
Here's my interpretation of it all. Hope it's not dumb.
🇺🇸Dallas is done for this WC. All four matches have been great events.
Can make the case that part of its success is that cricket has been building a community here for years as opposed to the 'pop-up' nature of NY.
Dallas: the home of cricket in the USA
My team of the series
1. Zak Crawley
2. Ben Duckett
3. Ollie Pope
4. Rajat Patidar
5. Jonny Bairstow
6. Axar Patel
7. Ben Foakes+
8. Tom Hartley
9. Rehan Ahmed
10. Mukesh Kumar*
11. James Anderson
So England will play India in Guyana on Thursday.
A couple of things to note:
- the forecast is less than ideal
- India will qualify if the game is washed out having won their group
Unusually, this second semi-final has no rain-reserve day. The first one in Trinidad does.
Not having that as anything other than a massive bottle job from Pakistan. Bumrah's key final over had two massive fullies in it. Pak needed 47 off 47 with eight wickets in hand. How are you finishing on 113 in a T20 having not even been bowled out? Madness
The thing that makes my brain hurt though, is that the lad whose batted "properly" and "read the situation well" has got 17. And the lads who've got wrong have scored 98, 42, 10 and 50. And those numbers are bigger than 17.
#Ashes
Coach Marcus Trescothick is in full whites and helping run the drinks. England low on the ground with Jack Leach and Rehan Ahmed no longer with the squad.
☝️ | 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡 (𝟑), 𝐥𝐛𝐰 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫.
Mulder gets Smith! The Australian survived a huge LBW shout from Scriven at the start of his innings, but he's sent on his way this time. A massive scalp. 💪
SUS 198/4
🔴 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲:
🦊
#LEIvSUS
Joey Barton: You have to have played the game at the highest level to be able to judge it.
ABDV: Nine is an upside down six and Pommie Mbangwa should be third umpire.
This is the most Australian day of Test cricket ever. Warner runs. Smith runs. Travelling team in disarray and spending seven years in the dirt. A 1000 degrees celsius. The MCG. Boxing Day Test. Lads with buckets on their head abusing fielders. Straya.
Liam Dawson's weird and wonderful international career continues. Only him, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid have been involved in every white-ball WC squad since 2016. And Dawson hasn't actually played a game in any of them.