Tag Archives: Memory

At the Other End: The Ashes, History and Heritage

Posted on January 3, 2018 by Christian Drury

Not many sporting encounters can match the pedigree of the Ashes. It is approaching 140 years of near-unbroken competition, largely at the pinnacle of the sport, with a storied cast of combatants and a grand compendium of anecdote and legend. … Continue reading →

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What If and If Only

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Christian Drury

The sad news of James Taylor’s retirement due to a heart condition has cast a shadow over the start of the English season. Spring should be a time for optimism and bright beginnings, not elegies and endings. Taylor’s retirement is … Continue reading →

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The English Condition

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Christian Drury

As another summer of cricket in England begins, so little seems to have changed. The County Championship has started; club cricketers dig out the mouldering kit in the loft; the Ashes loom as the defining feature of the season. English … Continue reading →

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The Accidental Radical: How Kevin Pietersen Challenged English Cricket’s Invented Traditions

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Christian Drury

Any good British political drama has a dodgy dossier, and the ongoing conflict between Kevin Pietersen and his erstwhile employers at the ECB is no different. There can be no doubt that it is political argument, revolving around representation, power … Continue reading →

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Ryszard Kapuściński: review

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Christian Drury

“To tell the truth is very difficult, and young men are rarely capable of it. They were expecting an account of how he go all fired up, forgetting himself, how he flew like a storm at the square; how he … Continue reading →

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The Dying Light: England, West Indies and a Forgotten Test

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Christian Drury

“So I wanted to prove these guys wrong, prove that I am a soldier where the bat is concerned. Wherever the fight is, I’m going to be fighting. I didn’t want to be rude to anyone, but anyone who is … Continue reading →

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Dream Teams: The Art of the XI

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Christian Drury

At the start of Shehan Karunatilaka’s Chinaman, one of the few “cricket novels”, there’s a punch-up at a wedding over the selection of an all-time Test XI. There’s been a similar Twitter reaction recently following Wisden’s selection of theirs. As … Continue reading →

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Tony Judt Remembered

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Christian Drury

An article commemorating the fantastic historian Tony Judt, written last summer. For those of us missing the historian Tony Judt’s brilliant scholarship, this year has brought a fine treat. Judt died of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a form of motor … Continue reading →

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Ashes Trauma: The Fear of Australian Resurgence

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Christian Drury

Brad Haddin has only won two Ashes test matches. That number sounds surprising because at Trent Bridge he scared England. He dragged his team to the brink of a record chase with that undefinable Australianness that has the English press … Continue reading →

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