The editor of Cricket Statistician analyses recent events

SIMON SWEETMAN

Past their peak? Irish struggled against England

In most sports an international match is an international match and that’s it. And in the early stages of competition a team ranked in the world’s top ten may play one in the bottom 50.
Most sports want as many of their member countries to take part in their various “World Cup” competitions as possible, even if it leads to some gross mismatches. In April 2001 Australia beat American Samoa 31-0 in an early stage of the football World Cup. FIF...