The Cricket Thread

[Alex 34954]

His sole test appearance was as a replacement for the retired Swann. I know he's always been a good batsman but it's still strange the way things sometimes work out. Think he deserves a chance. Fantastic the amount of test players Durham have produced for England in their relatively short time as a first class county

[Alex 34954]

gives you another spin option too

And a leggy. Especially if a pitch is turning. Think the issue with Mooen is that while he's bowled well overall (and performed above expectations if we're honest) he's struggled a bit of turning pitches where you're looking to him as a match winner. The series in Windies that got Moores the sack springs to mind.

[David Kelly 1224]

I think Borthwick definitely is playing as a Batsman who bowls a bit now. I'm sure I've noticed him taking a few wickets this season but he's not bowled as much as the other bowlers. Think he's got at least three tons in the championship this season.

[Dr Gloom 21868]

moeen is a part time spinner really, though he has done pretty well considering, like you said.

[David Kelly 1224]

Woakes doing well this morning.

[Dr Gloom 21868]

moeen is mainly in the side for his batting, which i think has probably suffered with him having to bat with the tail. it's nice to have depth in batting but i think he's better than a number 8

[David Kelly 1224]

Aye his batting stats don't really do him justice but I think that's down to him batting so low. He could easily bat higher.

[Alex 34954]

moeen is mainly in the side for his batting, which i think has probably suffered with him having to bat with the tail. it's nice to have depth in batting but i think he's better than a number 8

He's picked as the frontline spinner though. Whether he's up to that role or not is open to debate and his batting is obviously pretty strong but I'm not sure he's in the side mainly for his batting. I think they're hoping he can develop into a top spinner. I know what you're getting at and I agree about batting with the tail. Tooj and I were at the last test and he was saying someone (might've been Michael Vaughan) said Moeen was batting like a number 8. Is he good enough to bat at 4 or 5 in the test side though? And 6 and 7 are nailed down.

[Dr Gloom 21868]

i reckon someone like buttler at 8 would be ideal - an ODI specialist who can have a quick dart. he might fail often but the pressure would be off and he could play his natural game. moeen looks to have the proper technique to play at test level - lovely driver of the ball outside off stump. i reckon he could survive at number 6 or 7 quite easily if everyone shuffled up a place or two. it might even get the best out of his game if he has more chance to build partnerships with specialist batters.

[Dr Gloom 21868]

back to the fantasy selector game, i'd go for something like this:

 

cook

hales

borthwick

root

bairstow

stokes

moeen

buttler

broad

finn (or wood when he's fit again, depending on conditions)

anderson

 

i'm the deano of the cricket thread

[Dr Gloom 21868]

Poor Hales. Falls just short of a maiden test ton again - this time just six short - and of getting on the Lords honours board.

 

Still, looks like the search for cook's opening partner might finally be over .

[Alex 34954]

For all those who didn't realise 94 was the same as 100 - 6

[Dr Gloom 21868]

Shame it was a damp squib in the end, it was nicely poised today. For all the talk of it being too cold in Leeds and Durham to host the early season tests, it was the London one that was a wash out

[Alex 34954]

Usually a draw at Lord's anyway. And if not it often goes to the final day. Even though they're loaded it alright for them to coin it in due to batting friendly wickets. Meanwhile the other venues prepare good cricket wickets and are financially penalised for doing so

[Dr Gloom 21868]

and lords always gets two tests too

[Alex 34954]

and lords always gets two tests too

Aye, although I read recently they're going to go back to 6 instead of 7 tests during the English summer after 2019.

[Dr Gloom 21868]

shame, as we're one of the few major test nations that still laps it up and delivers good crowds. they should rotate the games around the country's many, brilliant grounds. why the fuck should lords get two? shit atmosphere there too. have you ever been? it's full of stiffs.

[Alex 34954]

No, I fancy doing a Lord's test though. I can imagine it's teeming with cunts though.

The thing is, you say all that but the crowds aren't that great at many of the grounds outside London for test matches unless it's the Ashes. I think 6 is enough tests and while I'm a bit torn I can see the argument for having the tests at the 'traditional' test venues. Durham struggled to break even for the Sri Lanka test and it cost them just shy of £1m to host it. Perhaps the likes of the Riverside, the Rose Bowl and Cardiff should just host ODIs and T20s. It would be a shame in many ways but you don't want to see counties going into receivership either. The ODIs / T20s sell out no bother. The genie is out the bottle a bit though because those grounds I mentioned have spent money on redevelopment. Whatever makes the ECB the most money is what will happen though I suppose.

[Dr Gloom 21868]

they need more assistance from the ECB, i think. while centralised contracts have been a good thing for the England team, it's dangerous to ignore the grass roots.

[Alex 34954]

The bidding process seems wrong to me. The ECB should just get a share of any profits. They make a shit load of money from Sky anyway. Not quite sure what you're getting at re: grass roots.

[Dr Gloom 21868]

not allowing clubs to fold is exactly what i'm on about - they are the grass roots of the test match game. taking the game to new venues is a good thing, in my opinion, as it gets more people around the country into test cricket. clubs should be making money from hosting tests, not struggling to break even because they've had to bid so much for the privilege.

 

for years, the focus has been about england, central contracts etc at the expense of the county game. a lot of that has been great for the success of the england team but the whole future of test cricket is up for debate. we've got dwindling interest across the globe and the rise of T20. the country championship has to be protected imo and incentivised; it's in the long term interests of test cricket. these are the places where players learn how to play the long form of the game. look at a club like durham - it's produced so many england players in the past decade but they're losing money by hosting a test match. doesn't seem right.

Edited June 14, 2016 by Dr Gloom

[Alex 34954]

The focus has always been about England really. I agree with you though. But if you want to really generate more interest in the game though you put it back on terrestrial tv. That what made me love the game as a kid. The money provided by Sky combined with the greed of the ECB means there's virtually no chance that'll ever happen again.

[David Kelly 1224]

Ballance brought into the squad for the first test against Pakistan. Don't really understand that. Everytime I've checked a Yorkshire game this season he's been out single figures and he's not in the top fifty for batting averages in the county championship. Seems that there are better deserving of a chance.

[Alex 34954]

Just got 100 against Middlesex I noticed. It was on local BBC breakfast news this morning (Yorks lost by an innings and 4 runs). He's got a good test record overall too, although he obviously really struggled against Australia and NZ last summer. I had a quick check though and he's only averaging in the mid 30s in first class cricket this season.

[David Kelly 1224]

He always looks terrified when he's standing at the crease. I don't think he's a bad player but and I've go no problem with bringing players back in, Bairstow has proven it can work, but a player should be earning their place through performances. Bell is doing much better than Ballance for example. Borthwick has been having a bit of a lean spell recently after a fantastic start to the season. That's probably come at the worst possible time for him.

 

I've not heard of the other lad they've called up.