The Full Toss Cricket Blog
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Welcome to TFT, one of the UK's longest serving cricket blogs. We'll be here throughout the year to debate, moan, and occasionally rejoice about the England cricket team. The blog was initially founded by Maxie Allen and James Morgan. If something's bothering you, whether it's selection, governance, or the cost of a pint, don't hesitate to get in touch.
The Full Toss Cricket Blog
1y ago
Hello all. I hope you’re all doing well and enjoying the cricket season. I haven’t actually seen a lot of the action myself. Life is just so busy these days that it’s become increasingly difficult to find the time. Talking of which, I have some news…
Sadly, I’ve taken the decision to call it stumps at The Full Toss. I’ve been winding the blog down for a while and, after approximately 15 years at the crease, it’s finally time to retire. I’ve managed to keep things going over the last couple of years thanks to our fantastic team of guest contributors. However, even editing is beginning to take i ..read more
The Full Toss Cricket Blog
1y ago
Peter Gilbert is back to review how the plethora of Australians playing county cricket are performing. We could’ve published something about England’s players, too. However, they’re all warming up for the Ashes by playing in the IPL instead. Ed Smith would be proud…
Last week’s County Championship round once again saw several Australians in action in the four-day county game.
Two of these, Marcus Harris and Marnus Labuschagne, will soon be a part of the Australian squad that will do battle once more with England, for the Ashes, later this summer.
Others, such as Michael Neser and Peter Handsco ..read more
The Full Toss Cricket Blog
1y ago
Kraigg Brathwaite bats long. Really long. His last century, a mammoth 182 against Zimbabwe, lasted a massive 468 minutes. A masterclass in patience and communication, the Barbadian hit just five boundaries on his way to three figures. For reference, the lowest boundary count in a Test ton since 2002 is four.
Sniffing out singles, Kraigg rotated strike religiously, reaching the landmark with a late cut in the 82nd over. The dogged knock helped form the ninth-highest opening partnership of all time – a gargantuan 336-run stand with the fresh faced Tagenarine Chanderpaul. More on him later…
While ..read more
The Full Toss Cricket Blog
1y ago
In the opening round of County Championship fixtures, there were several Australian players looking to prove their value to the test squad before the first Ashes match in Birmingham.
Some of these Australians will likely be in the first eleven come June, Steve Smith being an example, whilst others will be playing the County Championships hoping to impress selectors.
This article will look at the Australians, especially those who have recently been a part of the test side, who were in action during the opening round of fixtures.
Matthew Kuhnemann – Durham
Kuhnemann is a recent addition to the A ..read more
The Full Toss Cricket Blog
1y ago
The author Mark Twain famously declared, “rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated”. The same could be said for Test cricket, which, in recent months, has risen from its sickbed to stick two fingers up at the many pundits and scribes who have pronounced its days to be terminally numbered.
The driving force behind this has been the country which has brought so much joy to the game of cricket, New Zealand. The Black Caps victory after following on against England at the Basin Reserve in Wellington was simply one of the greatest Test matches ever played. Indeed, it is a wonder it has not ..read more
The Full Toss Cricket Blog
1y ago
Today, Steve Connor has an idea that would breathe new life into the Championship and maybe, just maybe, provide an international alternative to the IPL.
I’m writing this in a short lull between various T20 leagues ending and the Big One, the IPL, starting. This comes a week after learning that something called Major League Cricket will be starting in the US in the summer and attracting a surprising number of big names.
If you’re a fan of short T20 tournaments you are being very well served at the moment. And I’m not here to moan about the amount of franchise cricket. I genuinely enjoy T20 as ..read more
The Full Toss Cricket Blog
1y ago
It’s lighter outside, the clocks have moved forward, but it’s still bitterly cold and frosty. This can mean only one thing: the county championship is back. Oh yes! To get you in the mood, Rob has come up with an XI of county stalwarts that he’ll be keeping an eye on this summer. It’s a personal XI (based purely on players that he enjoys watching) who seem unlikely to play international cricket this summer. Enjoy.
1. Alastair Cook: No real explanation needed to select the old warhorse back for one final year for Essex. At one point it was commonplace for ex England players to return to the cou ..read more
The Full Toss Cricket Blog
1y ago
Test cricket is becoming a competition between just three teams. That seems almost beyond doubt at this point. I can’t figure out how it’s good for the future of the game but the English, Indian and Australian cricket boards appear to disagree. Their actions have been promoting this outcome for years now, and the ICC future tours programme – the Test series schedule – for 2023 to 2027 certainly backs it up.
In this four year window, every scheduled Test series of three or more matches features at least one of England, India and Australia. Put another way, when any two of the other nine Test na ..read more
The Full Toss Cricket Blog
1y ago
He’s back. This month, over 1,200 days after his 27th test century, Virat Kohli scored his 28th against Australia at Ahmedabad. A comeback long awaited, Virat looked every bit the player that, for so long, had world cricket at his feet as he strolled to 186 off 364 balls.
By no means a flashy knock, Virat’s marathon innings was mostly devoid of the crisp drives and powerful pulls that, for so long, were his calling card. Instead, he churned out the singles and ignored any good balls. An exhausted Aussie attack tried all manner of tactics to tempt him into a rash shot but the right-hander would ..read more
The Full Toss Cricket Blog
1y ago
There’s not a lot happening at the moment as we wait for the start of the county season. In the meantime, we’re going to bring you a couple of pieces discussing the big names in the game. Today, Sulaiman talks about one of his favourite players, AB de Villiers. And tomorrow, Will has something for you on Virat Kohli and his long-overdue return to form.
With the Indian Premier League due to commence in the near future, I thought it fit to write about one of the finest cricketers we have ever witnessed and a true IPL great. He is none other than former Proteas’ star batsman, AB De Villiers. &nbs ..read more