Carse making great use of the perfect overhead conditions early up to find some serious hoops #TheAshes 🏏

A great session for England so far, Stokes and Jacks managing to put some pressure back on the bowlers by... *checks notes* ...not getting themselves out for a bit. It's likely far too little, too late, but it's nice to see that it can be done #Ashes 🏏

I hope anyone who was calling for more 'traditional English bowlers' is seeing how placid the non-Starc seamers are looking with this pink ball. The fact is, you *need* higher pace in Aus to make the bounce count, and it looks like England have the better arsenal in this Test. #cricket #Ashes 🏏

I enjoyed chatting to The Athletic a few weeks ago about the context around the next day-night Ashes Test: www.nytimes.com/athletic/683... There's only a small sample size for pink-ball Tests, so it is always fascinating to see how they play out (in hopefully more than 2 days!) #cricket #Ashes

Not to defend England's performance with the bat, but this innings from Head shows you *exactly* how damaging an aggressive approach can be in a low scoring game. No-one is criticising Head's shot selection because it's working. Execution, not intent, is the issue. #Cricket #Ashes

Glossing over the first innings, it was VERY FUN to see England looks so threatening with the ball in an away Ashes series Pace, accuracy, skill. It's been a long term plan to have this many high quailty options, and it's finally coming to fruition #Cricket #Ashes

With the #Ashes round the corner, and some new followers as a result, it's time repost this from the 2023 Ashes: swingdoctor.substack.com/p/2023-ashes... Your guide to navigating talk of conditions, the 'new Kookaburra ball' and other theories on swing bowling! #Cricket 🏏

Boosting these as The Ashes fast approach. 2 cricket starter packs including official accounts, journalists, bloggers, enthusiastic amateurs and passionate followers. We don't like cricket, we love it! Check out the Cricket feed too, use the 🏏 to help separate from the insect or #Cricket #TheAshes

Really enjoyed chatting to The Athletic on the (lack of) impact of 'overhead conditions' in cricket: www.nytimes.com/athletic/675... A pleasure meeting @nallum.bsky.social too, who approached the problem from a different perspective, but firmly joins the 'Look Down, Not Up' brigade #cricket

Linsey Smith out in the middle for England at No.10, which makes her the first left-handed batter to face a ball at a World Cup for England Women since Lydia Greenway in 2013. By ending 5*, she becomes England's fifth-highest left-handed run-scorer at Women's World Cups, ever.

The organisation of this entire Women's Cricket World Cup cycle has been a farce from start to finish, but because no-one cares about cricket administration, it has largely passed completely under the radar.

A dark, overcast Day 1 of a Test match? Time to repost my blog on cloud cover: swingdoctor.substack.com/p/look-up-no... #ENGvsIND #cricket

Some late-stage Test match thoughts from me on some of the cold adages in cricket, why we shouldn't always trust them, and how to actually think about 'overheads': swingdoctor.substack.com/p/look-up-no... #cricket #ENGvsIND

Here's a repost of my thread on drift and how it works too, for anyone who missed it the first time! #cricket #ENGvsIND

With all the talk in this Test match about Washington Sundar's drift, it's a good time to reshare my blog on the science of drift, and how it actually works: swingdoctor.substack.com/p/the-scienc... TL;DR: It's more about seam position, and less about revs, than you likely think #cricket #ENGvsIND

I love to hear Ponting compare Archer to Steyn in terms of lowering his pace to move the new ball, then cranking it up later in an innings. It's a rare skill to be able to do both, and often gets lost when people see Jofra bowling 93mph+. He's more than just an out-an-out pacer. #ENGvsIND #cricket

Really important piece from @hganjoo.bsky.social on what makes Bumrah not only exceptional, but also so *different*. A truly unique bowler, who is joy to watch, even when he is playing against your team! #cricket #ENGvIND www.espncricinfo.com/story/how-bu...

*Tuning into the Boxing Day Test* Commentator: 'And England have chosen the Milk & Cookies approach again, but sadly, there are no presents to be found, here on Day 1' Me, a Christmas analyst: 'Not again lads...'

Imagine a world where the myth of the clouds affecting swing never existed, and then think how this quotation would sound. (Shubman Gill referenced the 'overheads' too, so it's not just Stokes) #cricket

The negativity today around this Test is so baffling. Apparently Stokes 'got away with' bowling first in Leeds and is now getting his comeuppance. Can we not accept that it's okay to go against conventional wisdom, and fail, if it's the price for multiple incredible victories? #cricket #EndvInd

Now is the time in the Test where we see how aggressively India are going to approach this series. Traditionally, teams have batted to avoid a loss in the 3rd innings, but Gill has a chance to leave all results possible (not that Eng will see the draw). A fun choice for a young captain! #EngVsInd

The more I watch Carse, the more I stand by this comparison #EngVsInd

The sun is out, and the ball is swinging for both bowlers. Please can no-one use the phrase 'Look up, not down at Headingley' ever again. #EngVsInd #cricket

For all the talk of the wobble-ball, spin has been taking wickets at an extremely high rate too. The last 3 years of Test have the lowest spin SR of any year since 1932. Teams are leaning into home conditions for both bowling types and it has made batting very difficult in Tests. #cricket #WTC

Really enjoying Stuart Broad talking about needing an 'X-Factor' in Test cricket, and how Sam Cook's is his accuracy. I feel like this is an overlooked attribute at times, and to be so successful *without* high pace is something in itself. #EngVsZim #cricket

The first day of the English Test summer is always one of my favourites every year, really excited to see how England's bowlers perform in this game. It's also been too long since I've heard discussion of 'overheads', 'getting the lacquer off' and 'late swing'. Always good to stay grounded.

In non-cricket news, Reading band The Amazons (featuring my brother on bass) have released their new album, and it is amazing! Go buy/download/listen to it everywhere, you won't regret it open.spotify.com/album/6PXuxQ...

Rougher squares at #IPL2025 have been a key factor in the increase in reverse swing, not just the reintroduction of saliva to shine the ball. Sidharth Monga explains: bit.ly/4jYmcqK

Really nice to be asked to comment on old ball swing in the IPL for this great, in-depth piece. Data and science can help challenge the myths that pervade the cricket narrative, even when there is little evidence supporting them. #cricket #ipl www.espncricinfo.com/story/ipl-20...

New, short, blog post looking at some of the ways I hope cricket might change in the next few years: swingdoctor.substack.com/p/three-ways... This was inspired by the 'myth-busting' I did on the Good Areas pod, and looks at where I hope tactical narrative and analysis in the sport can get to!

The latest episode of Red Inker with Jarrod Kimber is an essential listen. Consultant data analyst for ECB, Aaron Briggs, provides a deep dive into the science behind swing bowling. www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQTD...

Just reposting this for anyone who has listen to Good Areas this week - this is the variation I was talking about. Very cool to see someone explain elite skill is such detail, the type of thinking we definitely need more of!

YouTube version of the Good Areas pod is also now up if you'd prefer to look at my rosy cheeks while listening to some swing bowling chat!

Had a fun time chatting to @jarrodkimber.bsky.social on Good Areas this week about all things swing bowling (even if I'm not sure I quite live up to the moniker he's given me...) Check it out on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/episode/2zHO...

Some tea-break reading for all the cricket data nerds out there: swingdoctor.substack.com/p/cricket-da... My latest blog post looks at some basic cricket data science principals in Elo Ratings and Expected runs, and even teaches you how to calculate them yourself!

After the relentlessness of the IPL, the County Championship starting feels like a old friend come to help you relax and enjoy some slow-paced, story-laden red ball cricket. Shout out to all the players, coaches, analysts and ground-staff for their winter hard work, and the sun for coming out!

This really shouldn't make any difference in white ball cricket, unless Fisherman's Friend's Indian market share has had a huge bump recently

Did it do more under floodlights, though?

Rachin Ravindra's ability to go into 'cruise mode' in the middle overs, especially against pace, is the hallmark of a great ODI batter. Scoring at 5 - 7 RPO, while playing low risk shots leads to the big hundreds which win you games in this format. #cricket #SAvsNZ

If anyone is (like me) bemoaning the lack of Champions Trophy cricket today, why not fill the void by reading a brief history of swing bowling in white ball cricket, which I wrote before the 2023 WC. swingdoctor.substack.com/p/a-history-...

As much as the two new white balls are maligned for killed reverse swing in ODIs, Wood and Archer are showing the value of swing at high pace, which the 'new Kookaburras' offer

this week's column is on the plight of Reading: a club with an owner they don't want, who doesn't want to be there, and yet who is basically impossible to shift. also some thoughts on the role of the media in driving the culture of overspending. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

I haven't been as excited for a series in a long time as I am for this Women's Ashes. Facing Australia in Australia is probably the toughest challenge in cricket, and it's been so fun to work on trying to overcome it. #WAshes #Ashes #AusVsEng

Conventional wisdom can hold us back. It's surprisingly common for someone to propose something plausible, without proof, and for that to be repeated until everyone believes it. I've encountered this many times, including several in baseball aerodynamics. baseballaero.com/2020/12/26/r...

I also love this clip of Ian Ward asking him about his Carrom Ball, only to find that it is a 'back-flipper', which is essentially and arm-ball that drifts in, rather than away, to a RHB. He turned one difficult variation into another, which I'm not sure any other RH off-break bowler has. #cricket

My lasting memory of Ashwin will be watching him bowl against England in 2018. The hold he had over Cook - a great player of off-spin by left-handed opener standards - was truly something. These two deliveries were at the start of Day 1 and end of Day 2, in foreign conditions. Incredible bowler.

How are they talking about Pant's keeping technique, and not the fact the ball swung two feet after hitting the edge?! 'Wobble' after the batter isn't an England specific thing, it happens when the ball starts swinging if it has no rotation after pitching, which can happen anywhere. #AUSvsIND

A quick Public Service Announcement before Bumrah starts terrorising the Australian batters: The ball doesn't 'do more' under lights, it's just harder to see. Carry on. #AUSvsIND

Interesting to see Starc swinging a 40 over pink ball, the movement usually drops off very quickly after the opening spells. Definitely conventional swing, and not reverse, too. #AUSvsIND

Great article from @finnysteve.bsky.social providing some excellent context to the 'county record vs attributes' debate for Tests. Even data analysts don't have access to a lot of this information, such as player condition, but we are getting better at accounting for pitches!