The Cricket Thread

[Alex 35615]

10 minutes ago, Dr Gloom said:

I’ve still got doubts about him at test level but he has potential if he can continue to play the situation like he did at the weekend. What I liked about the selection was it was based on form, albeit in t20. Looks like Smith is going down the same route with Jennings in for Stoneman, which is fair enough. There is a danger that we go back to the chopping and changing days of the 90s, but it just feels like this england team is at a crossroads and needs a shake up.

Yeah, play Jennings now when he's in form, definitely. I agree about it being a transition period as well. Tbh, my issue with Buttler was more having a specialist batsman at 7. But he's got a lot to prove (everything to prove really) at test level

[Dr Gloom 22185]

I like the idea of him coming in at 7 when we’ve got a few hundred runs in the board, not that that’s a regular occurrence these days. I’m more concerned about his technique outside off stump, wafting with an angled bat, if he comes in amid a bog-standard England batting collapse but hopefully the innings against Pakistan will give him confidence and something to build on in that regard.

Agree he has it all to prove but so do a lot of the players in and out of the England side right now. His average of 30 is better than Vince and Jennings, who are both averaging in the mid 20s. Stoneman and Malan only averaging 30. 

[Alex 35615]

Actually, without checking, I bet there's not one of them averages over 40 in first class cricket.

[David Kelly 1260]

There doesn't seem to be too many English batsmen around these days that are averaging 40+ in red ball cricket at the moment.  I think there's only about 10 who have an average higher than 40 this season (including Cook, Jennings, Bairstow and Vince) in division 1.  Given that most have played less than 5 games, one decent score can obviously skew what their average is.  We've spent the winter talking about the lack of bowling options and years having problems with finding a partner for Cook at the top of the order, but there appears at the moment to be a larger problem with lack of English players coming through accross the board. 

 

I think we have some very talented players to build the team around, but in red ball cricket at least, it's looking like there's not much depth where we can fill out the team/squad.  When you look at India and Australia, there are players coming through who might never make it at test level, but at least have very good records in the their national championships.  I'm not sure we have that at the moment.

[Alex 35615]

Doesn't help like when you squeeze a lot of the County Championship into April and May when it's inevitably more bowler-friendly conditions that the batsmen have to contend with

[Dr Gloom 22185]

We’ve got a couple of world class bowlers nearing the end of their careers, no spinner, a quality all rounder and wicket keeper/batsman,  plus  a couple of world class batsmen, one of whom it feels like has his best days behind him. 

Other than that it feels very much like a team in transition with plenty of positions up for grabs. 

[David Kelly 1260]

23 hours ago, Alex said:

Doesn't help like when you squeeze a lot of the County Championship into April and May when it's inevitably more bowler-friendly conditions that the batsmen have to contend with

Aye it's a joke really.  I've no idea how they plan to fit the new 100 ball format in too (my understanding is that this isn't a replacement for the bash).  Surely they need to look at the 50 over competition.  Either reduce the number of games so that County Championship games can be played alongside it, or spread it out over a longer period.  The national team aren't going to play much cricket in the conditions that we play so much of our four day game in.

[Alex 35615]

33 minutes ago, David Kelly said:

Aye it's a joke really.  I've no idea how they plan to fit the new 100 ball format in too (my understanding is that this isn't a replacement for the bash).  Surely they need to look at the 50 over competition.  Either reduce the number of games so that County Championship games can be played alongside it, or spread it out over a longer period.  The national team aren't going to play much cricket in the conditions that we play so much of our four day game in.

Yeah, it's a city-based franchise pile of bollocks and the T/20 Bash remains. I think I agree about the 50 over competition. It's a shame it's being margnalised because it's a superior form of the game (for me at least) to T/20 but something has to give. Also, while a first World Cup win would be great and it was good when we won the T/20 version what people in this country really care about is test cricket. Hard to see how a good test side can be maintained whilst county cricket is structured the way it is. I was reading Jennings (who has just been called up, so it's pertinent) hasn't played a championship match for 3 weeks and his last 5 games have been limited overs ones. Crazy

Edited May 31, 2018 by Alex

[David Kelly 1260]

42 minutes ago, Alex said:

Yeah, it's a city-based franchise pile of bollocks and the T/20 Bash remains. I think I agree about the 50 over competition. It's a shame it's being margnalised because it's a superior form of the game (for me at least) to T/20 but something has to give. Also, while a first World Cup win would be great and it was good when we won the T/20 version what people in this country really care about is test cricket. Hard to see how a good test side can be maintained whilst county cricket is structured the way it is. I was reading Jennings (who has just been called up, so it's pertinent) hasn't played a championship match for 3 weeks and his last 5 games have been limited overs ones. Crazy

Yeah I wouldn't like to see the 50 over competition done away with, especially at a time we're it's helped us get up to being ranked no 1 in the world.  But it does seem that it's a bit too big.  I wouldn't want to see it drop down to a straight knockout as then you'd have players (potentially England players) playing just one game of 50 over cricket a season.  But maybe it should be reduced to just a few group games then into the knockout.  Then you'd have more of an opportunity to play four day games around it.  Meaning that you wouldn't have the situation than Jennings is in now.  

[Alex 35615]

14 minutes ago, David Kelly said:

Yeah I wouldn't like to see the 50 over competition done away with, especially at a time we're it's helped us get up to being ranked no 1 in the world.  But it does seem that it's a bit too big.  I wouldn't want to see it drop down to a straight knockout as then you'd have players (potentially England players) playing just one game of 50 over cricket a season.  But maybe it should be reduced to just a few group games then into the knockout.  Then you'd have more of an opportunity to play four day games around it.  Meaning that you wouldn't have the situation than Jennings is in now.  

Actually, as an aside, one thing Bayliss was saying over the winter was that T/20 internationals should be done away with. It won't happen because they're money-spinners but I tend to agree. As he said, you could still have a T/20 World Cup (which I think works better than the bloated version of the One-Day World Cup we now have) and the teams could play a few friendlies in effect, in the run up to the tournament. The rest of the time, leave it outside the international calendar. Even that would ease fixture congestion a little bit.

They don't get as much coverage because it's not as big an organisation but you could argue the ICC is as corrupt and self-serving as Fifa. Possibly more so these days. I know he's not involved in the ECB any more but Giles Clarke is a perfect example of the dangers of the administrators just chasing more and more money with no concern for the long-term welfare of the game.

[David Kelly 1260]

28 minutes ago, Alex said:

Actually, as an aside, one thing Bayliss was saying over the winter was that T/20 internationals should be done away with. It won't happen because they're money-spinners but I tend to agree. As he said, you could still have a T/20 World Cup (which I think works better than the bloated version of the One-Day World Cup we now have) and the teams could play a few friendlies in effect, in the run up to the tournament. The rest of the time, leave it outside the international calendar. Even that would ease fixture congestion a little bit.

They don't get as much coverage because it's not as big an organisation but you could argue the ICC is as corrupt and self-serving as Fifa. Possibly more so these days. I know he's not involved in the ECB any more but Giles Clarke is a perfect example of the dangers of the administrators just chasing more and more money with no concern for the long-term welfare of the game.

Greame Smith said the other day that T20 internationals should be done away with too.  I suppose if you kept the world cup, you could argue that T20 teams don't need so much time together as the longer formats do (not so much need to work on tactics etc) so it wouldn't be a problem that the teams didn't play together before hand.  Especially as a lot of them would play together in ODI's.

[David Kelly 1260]

Bowling has been a lot better so far today.

[Alex 35615]

Have to wrap up the tail now. Shame it's just a two match series. The four match one over here a couple of years ago was class

[Dr Gloom 22185]

Shame for Jennings. Sounds like he was doing well until he nicked one 

[Dr Gloom 22185]

Another good knock from Buttler. Get him moved up the order

[David Kelly 1260]

The joy of Buttler is when we are in a position like we were yesterday morning and he can switch gears.  But it was great to see that over the two tests he can play how the situation dictates.

Really good starts for Bess and Curran too.  Curran will need to up his speed going forward if he wants to be a test bowler though.  Away from home he's not going to be able to trouble top batsmen with that pace.

[Sonatine 11572]

 

[David Kelly 1260]

Probably should have had some sandpaper of our own yesterday.  Absolutely pitiful getting beat off Scotland.

[Alex 35615]

Scotland played class but England still totally threw it away. Pleased for Scotland as they deserved it much more than England.

[David Kelly 1260]

The wickets we threw away were appalling.  Scotland did well and deserved it but far too often they didn't have to get our players out.  What Hales was doing running Root out I'll never know and Ali was so stupid playing that shot after him and Plunkett had basically won the match in the previous over.

[Alex 35615]

42 minutes ago, David Kelly said:

The wickets we threw away were appalling.  Scotland did well and deserved it but far too often they didn't have to get our players out.  What Hales was doing running Root out I'll never know and Ali was so stupid playing that shot after him and Plunkett had basically won the match in the previous over.

Aye. Even at the death with Rashid's run out. There was absolutely no need for it as a single was fine under the circumstances.

[Dr Gloom 22185]

i didn't see it, but you'd think bayliss might be for the chop if we don't beat india convincingly this summer

[David Kelly 1260]

Well he's got us to being number one ODI team and I think his main remit was to try and win the world cup.  So I can't see him being ditched as coach for the white ball teams.  It's possible that a series defeat to India might force them to look at splitting the role between red and white ball teams which I think could be the way forward.  I think it probably will happen come the end of his contract regardless.

[Dr Gloom 22185]

England on course for the ODI record - 370-3 from 41 overs - against Australia. Penny for @Ken's thoughts? 

[Alex 35615]

Disappointed the 500 isn't on any more