The Bowled Over Cricket Blog

Throughout the history of humankind, tragedies of all kind have taken place, and as bad as the current situation may seem, perhaps no tragedy in our history has been as awful as World War 1 or 2. Young men and women around the same age as many of our cricketing heroes were being sent  off to fight in battles all around the world, not battles where series and wickets were at stake, but peoples’ lives. Over the course of the two wars , millions died, including those from almost every major cricketing nation - and some scars from the two conflicts may never heal. However, cricket was a positive force in those turbulent times.  Members of the armed forces enjoyed playing the game we love in their time away from the front line. It gave those in a war-torn world a crumb of comfort, a chance to take their minds away from the horrors of the time. Members of the royal navy enjoy a spot of cricket in Malta during the second world war A group of female auxiliary corps prepare for a cricket

Throughout the sport’s rich history, many unbelievable  stories have emerged from the game we love.  Did someone really score 286 off 1 legal delivery? Did Hitler genuinely kill the German cricket team? Did someone actually hit a six into the next county?  Or are these all just fantastical tales that we have been led to believe, passed down from generation to generation? Case 1: Russia Refuses to Recognise  Cricket as a Sport - Fact  or Fiction? On July 15 th 2019, just one day after England won their maiden cricket world cup, Russia removed cricket from their list of official sports - despite the game being watched and loved by nearly a third of the world’s population.  Many saw this as a political move against the UK; tensions had been brewing between the two nations ever since the poisoning of British intelligence agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. Sports on the list included model plane flying, footgolf and draughts - but cricket couldn’t get itself a spot, until the 1 st

Vigorously rubbing the ball against his lycra trousers, Yasir Shah stands at the top of his mark, all set to bowl the first delivery of the 35 th over. Waiting down at the strikers end lies Joe Root, who anxiously taps the ground with the toe of his red and silver New Balance bat. Shah hustles in and bowls, a substandard ball at best, a filthy longhop at worst, but Root, seemingly set for a big innings on 40*, can only pull the delivery straight into the hands of short midwicket. A hush falls over the Ageas Bowl, the early May sun flooding over the ground. The odd Pakistani horn sounds as a booming announcement informs the crowd that Jos Buttler will be the new man at the crease. Suddenly the noise picks up again. Those who were about to head off for a beer or toilet break scamper back to their seats; no one wants to miss a chance to watch a cricketer who, on his day, can rip any bowling attack into shreds. The sold-out crowd waits in anticipation as Buttler makes his way down the