Cricket 2018

[ealingfox]

Give someone else a go at opening instead of Jennings I reckon.

[Osavo]

Brilliant test series, absolutely gripping games at Edgbaston and Southampton, a reminder of why test match cricket is the absolute pinnacle of the sport.

 

Be interesting to see what is done with Rashid now. Has really struggled this series and Moeen has shown him up in this test with his bowling figures. Wouldn't be surprised if Woakes replaces him for the last test if he's fit again. Jennings I think will just about retain his spot, due mainly to a lack of other options. Would also persist with Moeen at 3, got to be worth a try given the lack of other options.

[CosbehFox]

I’d be loathed to throw in any debutants over the winter. There’s an increasing trend where England pick a debutant or an inexperienced player for the winter. He then struggles in conditions he has little experience of. Doesn’t get pick for two years or similar. 

 

The issue of openers is a problem. I think the selection of Jennings is plain wrong given his background, let alone he’s not good enough for Test Cricket. Yet I’d be playing or Stoneman over the summer because I wouldn’t want a Rory Burns (highest average in CC) coming in and struggling. You’d be look give one of these guys a final shot and then put in a Burns for start of next English summer. 

 

As for the spin options, it’s still baffling how they dropped Dom Bess. 

Edited 3 September 2018 by Cardiff_Fox

[StanSP]

What happened to Hameed? Is he still playing? 

[CosbehFox]

32 minutes ago, StanSP said:

What happened to Hameed? Is he still playing? 

He’s had some injuries and struggled last year for form but he’s another example of just discarding an inexperienced player when they begin to struggle. 

 

Here’s a good round-up of the openers England have tried 

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/23650007/england-opening-merry-go-round

 

Of that bunch, Duckett as much of a dick he is has a huge 2019 in front of him with his move from Northants. 

 

Rory Burns and Daniel Drummond-Bell are the other two openers commonly cited as the best of the county game 

Edited 3 September 2018 by Cardiff_Fox

[Guest MattP]

34 minutes ago, StanSP said:

What happened to Hameed? Is he still playing? 

He's just come back into the Lancashire team after being dropped.

 

I've never seen a collapse from a player like it, went from averaging over 50 to under 30 in the County Championship. Been completely found by the short ball according to my Lancs supporting mate.

 

[Finnegan]

15 hours ago, AKCJ said:

Imagine how good we'd be with a top order.

 

 

 

Imagine how good India would be with more than one player

 

Sorry Stan, just kidding. 

 

Is Mo like the most inconsistent player in test cricket? He seems to be either the guy everyone's moaning about or winning things like an absolute boss with no real middle ground in between? 

[Guest MattP]

29 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

Imagine how good India would be with more than one player

 

Sorry Stan, just kidding. 

 

Is Mo like the most inconsistent player in test cricket? He seems to be either the guy everyone's moaning about or winning things like an absolute boss with no real middle ground in between? 

He's so good in English conditions and then absolutely horrific anywhere else.

 

Showed yet again this week though he's a far better option than Rashid.

[Captain...]

3 minutes ago, MattP said:

He's so good in English conditions and then absolutely horrific anywhere else.

 

Showed yet again this week though he's a far better option than Rashid.

Moeen in this test is basically his career in a microcosm, picked mainly for his batting and as a reasonable second spin option. Ends up bowling the most overs of the match and gets  promoted up the order to number 3. Fails at 3, will invariably be found out over the winter if picked as a frontline spinner and probably end up binned off again.

 

Mo has the potential to be a top batsman for England with a useful side line in spin, but he's been up and down the order like a yoyo. In a balanced side he would probably be a number 6 or pushed up to number 5. If he had focussed solely on his batting for the last 5 years he could easily be higher up the order, but now he is a halfway house all rounder and that is the one position we don't need  with Stokes, Woakes, Curran, Ali, then Bairstow, Buttler, Pope as WK/Batsman we have many number 6s. What we need are top order batsmen a frontline spinner and a couple of  world class seamers to replace Broad and Anderson. 

[Voll Blau]

Bit of an aside but I really enjoy @Finnegan's curiosity about cricket and questions in this thread. It's great to see someone enjoying learning about the sport as they go along through the medium of FT.

[Finnegan]

4 minutes ago, Voll Blau said:

Bit of an aside but I really enjoy @Finnegan's curiosity about cricket and questions in this thread. It's great to see someone enjoying learning about the sport as they go along through the medium of FT.

 

I have a really weird relationship with cricket. I played it as a kid but largely only because my mate does. 

 

I enjoy following it because I find it legitimately fascinating, there are variables that blow my mind, when air pressure or the composition of the soil around a wicket can change a match you know you have a sport worth asking questions about. 

 

I keep an eye on the score throughout the day when there's a test and loads of questions spring to mind, I like learning about it. 

 

But I still can't actually sit and watch a test it bores me to tears haha. And it's not one of those "give it a try and stick with it, it gets better" things, it's not season one of the wire or breaking bad. It genuinely just isn't for me. 

 

Tldr: great sport to read about, not one I like to watch. 

 

Oh but I'm sorry, I'm a complete heathen, I do like watching the IPL / big bash etc. 

[Voll Blau]

1 hour ago, Finnegan said:

 

I have a really weird relationship with cricket. I played it as a kid but largely only because my mate does. 

 

I enjoy following it because I find it legitimately fascinating, there are variables that blow my mind, when air pressure or the composition of the soil around a wicket can change a match you know you have a sport worth asking questions about. 

 

I keep an eye on the score throughout the day when there's a test and loads of questions spring to mind, I like learning about it. 

 

But I still can't actually sit and watch a test it bores me to tears haha. And it's not one of those "give it a try and stick with it, it gets better" things, it's not season one of the wire or breaking bad. It genuinely just isn't for me. 

 

Tldr: great sport to read about, not one I like to watch. 

 

Oh but I'm sorry, I'm a complete heathen, I do like watching the IPL / big bash etc. 

 

I've no problem with people enjoying T20. Anything that gets people into cricket (i.e. why that format was invented in the first place) has to be a good thing for the health of the sport overall, and I've got quite a few football mates who I've successfully managed to introduce to cricket because of it. I do personally find IPL/Big Bash a bit OTT though, and always prefer watching the county v county tribal rivalries we get here being played out.

 

On a similar theme, although the series is done it's great to see how seriously India are taking their Test cricket in the T20 age. Full respect to Kohli for instilling that in his team. Glad the series is wrapped up for England, but it would have been a hell of a decider if they had won in Southampton.

[Guest MattP]

1 hour ago, Captain... said:

Moeen in this test is basically his career in a microcosm, picked mainly for his batting and as a reasonable second spin option. Ends up bowling the most overs of the match and gets  promoted up the order to number 3. Fails at 3, will invariably be found out over the winter if picked as a frontline spinner and probably end up binned off again.

 

Mo has the potential to be a top batsman for England with a useful side line in spin, but he's been up and down the order like a yoyo. In a balanced side he would probably be a number 6 or pushed up to number 5. If he had focussed solely on his batting for the last 5 years he could easily be higher up the order, but now he is a halfway house all rounder and that is the one position we don't need  with Stokes, Woakes, Curran, Ali, then Bairstow, Buttler, Pope as WK/Batsman we have many number 6s. What we need are top order batsmen a frontline spinner and a couple of  world class seamers to replace Broad and Anderson. 

I don't think he could ever be a top six batsman at this level as he doesn't play the short or the new ball well enough, when he came in at three nearly got out about four times before eventually going. He's the best spin option we have though at the minute still in our conditions, we should just call him the first spinner and treat his batting as a bonus down the order.

 

Would be crazy to pick him for an overseas tour though, he just can't do it away from home.

[Voll Blau]

 

PLEASE be the scrapping of The Hundred. Actually the scrapping of that whole tournament.

[Captain...]

1 minute ago, MattP said:

I don't think he could ever be a top six batsman at this level as he doesn't play the short or the new ball well enough, when he came in at three nearly got out about four times before eventually going. He's the best spin option we have though at the minute still in our conditions, we should just call him the first spinner and treat his batting as a bonus down the order.

 

Would be crazy to pick him for an overseas tour though, he just can't do it away from home.

He bats at 3 for his county and has even been touted as an opener. I don't think he could do it now, but if we had had a clear plan for his development then it is something that he could have been worked on. Pick him as a batsman and look at his spin as a bonus. Work on his technique and vulnerabilities with a view to getting him up the order. Worcestershire were even open to helping England at one point and opening with Moeen in the county game. It seems  typical of the lack of joined up thinking with England. We saw it with Root when he was first picked, up and down the order and more recently picking 3-4 all rounders dropping Pope in at 4. Even recalling Buttler, it has worked but it feels a step backwards.

 

I really can't tell if we are progressing with the new selectors, Curran has been a success and Buttler has taken his chance, but the handling of our spin options has been poor, we still haven't addressed our top order issues and we are constantly being bailed out by lower order batting and devastating bowling spells. We've missed an opportunity this summer to try another opener, I don't think anyone really thought Jennings was the answer. With a tough winter coming up it would be harsh to throw in someone at the deep end. I would be tempted to pick 2 players to play the whole winter at 2 and 3, whether it is Burns or we go back to Stoneman or Robson or Duckett or Vince or someone else whose confidence we haven't already shot to pieces. Tell them they have the winter to bed into the team take the pressure off and say they are not expected to be amazing against Sri Lanka, but they will be 2 and 3 for Sri Lanka and Windies tours. The scheduling isn't great for us with the World Cup meaning we have no tests from mid Feb to 24th July where we have a one off against Ireland then straight into the Ashes.

[Tinman]

2 minutes ago, Voll Blau said:

 

PLEASE be the scrapping of The Hundred. Actually the scrapping of that whole tournament.

Rumoured cook is about to announce his retirement

[Captain...]

9 minutes ago, Tinman said:

Rumoured cook is about to announce his retirement

I hope not we would  go from having one opener to none and needing to find 3 top order batsmen before the Ashes next Summer.

[Bobby Hundreds]

Thanks for everything chef! 

[Captain...]

What a player and servant Cook has been to England. Hoped he would retire after a successful Ashes series next summer.

 

Good luck to the selectors in finding 2 openers and a number 3. Either that or we just say fvck it to opening batsmen and pick a team of all rounders and sloggers, rotate the openers so everyone gets their chance to come in at 46-3 and be the hero.

[Izzy]

Fair play to Cook. He’s had a great innings 

[Nick]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/45388727

 

Gone after the 5th test

[Guest MattP]

True legend, will never see another opener like him.

 

Would love him to go out with a ton this weekend.

[StanSP]

Legend of the game, let alone just for England. He's done Bedford proud! 

 

[Osavo]

What a servant Cook has been. 158 consecutive test matches is an incredible achievement and he is probably England's greatest ever opening batsman. Pre-2014 he was an absolute run machine, and his temperament in opening the batting was unbelievable, one of our only players capable of playing a long, determined innings. 

 

Shame to see him go but think the timing is right. Leaves us struggling for openers now, but in fairness Cook wasn't exactly scoring many runs. Hope he makes a really big score at The Oval.

[Voll Blau]

Denly would be a bit out of nowhere.