This week has been primarily notable for the predictable, if still disappointing, dénouement of the third Pakistan v England Test and the subsequent reset for the limited overs leg. England handily beat the Lions (which surprised me), meaning there will probably not be dramatic changes for the first ODI on Monday. (More on which tomorrow.) Pakistan warmed up by playing Afghanistan in the latter’s first full international. The Afghanis lost, but did themselves proud. There were also quite a few ODIs in the southern hemisphere. The Australian tri-series kicked off with three relatively poorly attended matches. India overcame Sri Lanka by four wickets in Perth, but otherwise little of note happened. And Zimbabwe’s horror tour of New Zealand continued with two massive defeats in the ODIs and a heavy loss in the first T20 as well. It was a surprisingly exciting week, and there were some very good pieces written, my favourite of which follow:
Third defeat completes humiliating whitewash of England – Batting For Hours
The revolution has been televised – Alex Malcolm, Cricinfo
Phil Tufnell’s England player ratings – BBC
Pakistan v England – England’s series report card – Gary Naylor, The Guardian
Jos Buttler, the latest candidate to be England’s Chosen One – Barney Ronay, The Guardian
Defensive Indifference 