Articles that Peter Roebuck wrote for ESPN Cricinfo (ESPN Sports Media Ltd).
11 November 2010. Kevin Pietersen arrives in Australia with his game in working order and his purpose renewed. Kevin Pietersen is a cricketer in search of his game and a man in search of his life. At last he is starting to look in the right places. After two years spent in self-indulgent folly he […]
4 November 2010. They have a settled side and a united leadership, but they haven’t been as impressive away as at home, their bowlers are unproven and their batsmen far from impregnable. Everything has been going England’s way. According to the pundits a glorious victory awaits. As far as they are concerned, the Australians are […]
20 October 2010. He fits the type and is the right age but is yet to show that he can confront his weaknesses and toughen up like Ponting did. Michael Clarke is an established Test batsman with an impressive record, a successful leader of his country’s Twenty20 team and the vice-captain of a Test side […]
7 October 2010. VVS Laxman is an artist whose strength lies not in his artistry but in his competitive spirit, a batsman who needs adversity to unleash the giant within. VVS Laxman has joined Brian Lara on the short list of modern batsmen whose mastery extends to fourth-innings chases and whose masterpieces include memorable innings […]
8 September 2010. Time is up for making excuses and passing the buck; anti-corruption bodies and administrators can do no good if players keep giving in to temptations. Cricket has been leading a double life. At the same time it is a valiant and beautiful game played with intent by a collection of superb players, […]
The nebulous idea of the spirit of cricket is hard to sustain in our fractious times. Better to think in terms of respect for opponents, perhaps. By sponsoring the Test series between Pakistan and Australia played in England, the Marylebone Cricket Club did the game a service. Cricket faces no greater task than the protection […]
11 August 2010. The five-day game is still compelling, but pitches need to be got right if the format is to thrive. Ajantha Mendis’ plucky stand in Colombo proved a superb advertisement for the longer version of the game. Whereas 50-over cricket is one-dimensional, Test matches can swing back and forth in the most improbable […]
28 July 2010. Australia and India face similar problems, with ageing stalwarts and unproven youngsters. The upcoming series between the two doesn’t seem as good a prospect as those in recent times. By no means can the Indians or Australians be confident about their Test prospects over the next few months. In that period Australia […]
14 July 2010. Murali hasn’t been combative like Warne or full of rage like Kumble; more unconventional than them, and tenacious to the core, he has surpassed them both. Muttiah Muralitharan has made a mesmeric contribution to the game. It was no small thing for a boy from Kandy to attract the attention of selectors […]
30 June 2010. Strauss’s boys are full of a new attitude, defined by resilience, optimism and unbreakability. Hope and hurt fell upon English sportsmen during a tumultuous week. Hurt came from another heavy defeat at the hands of the Germans, so often a nemesis on the games field if not upon the battlefield. As usual […]
16th June 2010. Things may not be as rosy as observers may have cause to hope for, but respect for those seeking to rebuild the country and its cricket must surpass anger about those hell-bent on its destruction. Zimbabwe and its cricket community have been getting soft treatment lately, as both undergo changes that optimists […]
2 June 2010. Our sport must embrace the environment it belongs to, engage with it, and move with the times. Cricket’s primary task over the last 30 or so years has been to move beyond its historic and geographic confines and to take its place in a broader, more difficult, less governable and much richer […]
19 May 2010. Collingwood’s side were fearless and kept pressing till victory was theirs. Here’s hoping it marks a renaissance in the country’s cricket. England deserved their triumph in the Caribbean. The two best teams met in the final and the most resourceful side prevailed. Paul Collingwood’s outfit gathered momentum as the tournament went along […]
5 May 2010. At no point in the history of one-day cricket has as much emphasis been put on taking wickets as there is now – though not too many are getting it quite right. In a recent Twenty20 match against Australia played in the land of the long white cloud, Tim Southee produced one […]
21 April 2010. An abbreviated format may not provide enough of a canvas for greatness to be displayed, but cricket is about entertainment foremost. A lot of nonsense is talked about lengths of matches. It does not make much difference. A cricketer is a cricketer. If he is any good, he will quickly learn to […]
24 March 2010. England’s spin sensation plays like a man eager for a scrap and bowls like one expecting to take wickets. Long may his tribe last. Like all countries of any age, England has endured its share of caricatures. Basil Fawlty, Captain Mainwaring, Richard the Lionheart, Robin Hood, Jonathan Ross, Beau Nash, George Formby, […]
10 March 2010. Twenty20 offers fast bowlers their most convenient stage. It will be a pity if it becomes their only space for expression. Fast bowlers don’t actually like bowling. Labourers don’t like digging holes. Give them a chance to put their feet up and have a cup of chai and they’ll grab it with […]
20 February 2010. Hunting and fishing are still part of his life but the rawness and inconsistency have dropped away and Steyn has emerged as one of the best fast bowlers in the world. Dale Steyn likes fishing and hunting and bowling fast. In his time he has caught a crocodile, shot an impala, and […]
10 February 2010. They have long been among cricket’s most compelling teams, and though the current turmoil in the country bodes ill for the game, there is hope yet. Pakistan is a team struggling for direction, from a nation batting for identity. Ever since the tragic death of its founding father soon after independence had […]
2 February 2010. Cricket Australia ought to consider banning alcohol at matches. It has gone well beyond a joke. Australia needs to start addressing the real issues. Indian students killed in Melbourne, Pakistanis assaulted on the field in Perth, blazing headlines around the world, a nation’s reputation dragged into the mud, and never mind that […]
27 January 2010. It’s back from the dead courtesy of Swann, Hauritz, Benn and others, relying on good old accuracy and slight disguise. Long ago consigned to a cricketing graveyard, finger spin has rallied in the most unexpected and impressive manner. Any student of the rankings will rapidly discover that numerous members of the orthodox […]
13 January 2010. Kohli, Roach, Parnell and 10 other youngsters to look forward to in the years ahead. If cricket changes half as much in the next decade as it did in the last, followers of the game had better fasten their seatbelts. Of course the game itself has not actually changed all that much. […]