Did England experiment with pinch-hitting in the 19th century?

Why unorthodox actions are successful

Reader: earl john

I can understand what Aakash Chopra is trying to say, and to reinforce this take, for example, Jeff Thomson... on his day he was as quick as anyone but he appeared to be quicker because, instead of holding the ball for the batsmen to see and cue off, he pushed it behind his back and the batsman had to wait until he was halfway through his delivery before seeing the ball. Similarly Tait, like Malinga has a round-arm action that has different delivery release cues to a high-actioned bowler.

Why we need the spirit of cricket

Reader: jose...p

Circa: April '55, 2nd yr College exams over. Vacation time. Locale: A small farming hamlet in Kerala. My 'hometown'! Ancestral home is in the middle of paddy fields.

Harvests, over. Women folks of the farm workers; busy with cleaning & storing paddy got as wages. Men, loiter around 'toddy' (a local liquor) shops. Paddy fields becomes playing grounds for their kids. Saw three kids playing 'football' with alacrity. The ball was a bundle of old rags tied together. Was curious how they play the game with just three. They taught me how. Key: rules of the game. Who keeps the ball in procession the longest is the winner. Who made the rules. They made it up. Scorer: their mental record. By the time they are tired to play any more, they know the winner of the day.

I enquired: "Won't the two who don't have the ball play foul? "No way", they replied in unison. "Why not?", I asked. Fast came the reply, "No, it is just not done"

An early lesson in the "spirit of the game".

The importance of being consistently rubbish

Reader: deuce03

Entertaining stuff as ever, Andy. But what attracted my attention rather more than the No. 10 issue was the scorecard from that Oval match in 1884: most notably the batting order in the second England innings, which saw the batting opened by the first-innings Nos. 7 and 9. Lord Harris was also promoted to No. 4, from No. 8. This seems to have been one of the rare occasions on which WG played for England but did not open - indeed he didn't bat in the second innings at all. Upon further investigation, the only innings for England in which Grace did not open but did bat was the second innings in 1880, when Lyttelton was also promoted above him to open . These are also the only occasions on which Lyttelton opened for England. I'm curious to know the story behind this. Was Lyttelton an early England experiment with pinch-hitting? Does their obsession with wicketkeepers opening the batting when quick runs are needed go back much longer than anyone thought?

'There was no shot I couldn't play'

Reader: vic nicholas

A brilliant batsman from the top shelf. When I was a kid, my brother would tell me "this Laurence Rowe is a genius, but his eyesight has deteriorated and he is not the same anymore". That was during the first season of World Series Cricket. Then in the second season of WSC, Rowe was reborn and that 175 was nothing short of astonishing. The man was in a league that only the true greats inhabit. I knew to never doubt my older brother on cricket matters.

The real Jadeja

Reader: hadeslogic

Always a pleasure to read the man-behind-the-cricketer profiles that Mr Monga does. Almost unfailingly he is able to blend cultural ethos, family history, childhood stories, rise and fall scenes and similar flavours into a story that is both masala and human in right measure. @HARRIS652 and others, the article is not about the cricketer but the man. It is not about right or wrong, it's about the impact. One can be sure that many from the subcontinent can empathize with his struggles and journey, just the odds of someone from his position and background 'making' it to the big leagues are extremely low. It takes hard work, will, character and kismet to reach there. And stories like his are the reason why cricket is madly popular in India: one of the few avenues where the escape-hatch appears the most realistic, relatable and achievable.

Reader: cricketlifer

I have always liked Jadeja for his spunk and fighting spirit. He hasn't received the credit for the match-winner he is - the number of times he has delivered for India but failed to be recognized, and in all three formats, has always astounded me. Others, have gotten their fair share of credit and some like Kohli and Ashwin have gone on to reach a completely different level of consistency and class but both had struggled in early parts of their careers. Now reading this article makes me understand this disparity better. Jadeja's modest background and conditions under which he got his coaching, playing time and uphill climb to play for India are clearly factors. He is indeed selfless by doing what has been asked of him. He could have pursued personal stats and PR campaigns to lift his profile but he has done what his captain (and perhaps coaches) asked of him and put that (and perhaps India) ahead of his interests. I wish he would become a more consistent player. India needs him. Good luck!

The rainmakers

Reader: emancipator007

Indian cricket audience was massive even in 70s/80s- just that economy was moribund and lack of purchasing power/disposable income meant many millions were not able to purchase/watch matches on TV. World-class stars Gavaskar/Kapil made pittance as market forces (unrealized) could not reward them unlike a small cricket economy like UK rewarding Botham and county leagues making cricket worthwhile for WI/Pak/SA stars. Post 1991-liberalization and sharp-edged marketing by whiz Dalmiya made Indian cricket a powerhouse. Tendulkar's rise was timely. IPL was byproduct of Indian fans' insatiable appetite for cricket making hyper-stars out of Dhoni & Kohli and a massive cricket economy making hundreds of OZ, SA,WI, SL players/coaches employable & rich. Kohlu cud be on course to be 1st dollar-denomination billionaire cricketer given his super-human output in ODIs/T20Is and with chance to become first player to average 50 across all formats! He can thank Indian fans, booming cricket economy & Tendu force-multiplier effect.