The cricket thread

earwighoney

Oof. 

England comprehensively pounded.

scrumhalf

Brain-dead batting. The chance to show some character and resilience after the bowlers were comprehensively tonked and this is how they bat?

I'm not saying they should be dropped (although some inevitably will) but put their bags on their planes seats and make them lie in the luggage hold for the flight back.

RandallFlagg

Cook to step down? I think it will more a case of a long chat with Andrew Strauss and then a decision will be made.

I'm not sure Joe Root is ready to replace him.

Heartfeltdawn

RandallFlagg said:

Cook to step down? I think it will more a case of a long chat with Andrew Strauss and then a decision will be made.

I'm not sure Joe Root is ready to replace him.

Nasser Hussain wasn't a county captain when he got the call. Neither was Michael Vaughan. It's the right time for Root. 

Heartfeltdawn

crunchman said:

They made it to tea!  They could still lose 6 wickets in an hour and three quarters though.  Think I've been watching England too long.

Watching Moeen this morning batting against the quicks bowling short stuff I take back what I said about keeping him at 5.  For me though that raises questions about his place in the team for home tests.  If you have 4 quicks then the spinner is either going to be used to break partnerships when all else fails, or to bowl 5 overs to give the quicks a rest.  To break partnerships I think Rashid might be a better option.  He'd also be better at disposing of the tail than Moeen.  Given that Keaton Jennings seems to be a competent bowler, you could use him and Root if you want a few tight overs to rest the quicks if Rashid leaks a few runs.

Moeen has just got out while I was writing the above.  I'm at work (should be working!) so I haven't seen it but Cricinfo described it as a revolting heave.  Has he got a brain?

Moeen is not an international top 5 because he hasn't worked out his technique. Steve Waugh in the early days was a compulsive hooker and puller in the mould of Andrew Hilditch. It got him out several times. When he eradicated those shots from the repertoire, then he started piling up the runs by virtue of not getting out (hello 1989 Ashes). With regard to him at home, I don't have problems with him playing in England. His strike rate in under 60 at home: away it's up to near 80. Bowling at home hasn't been the problem, it's converting that to decent performances on overseas tracks which doesn't bode well for Australia. 

Now Rashid had spells of looking good in India on the turning track but didn't do it well enough in the UAE for me. To take a five for in one Test and to still finish the series averaging 70 with a three figure strike rate... not good enough. 

Jennings: bats a bit like Tresco and bowls a bit like him too. Not there as a tight over man and neither is Root. 

Gassage

Heartfeltdawn said:

RandallFlagg said:

Cook to step down? I think it will more a case of a long chat with Andrew Strauss and then a decision will be made.

I'm not sure Joe Root is ready to replace him.

Nasser Hussain wasn't a county captain when he got the call. Neither was Michael Vaughan. It's the right time for Root. 

He was.

Heartfeltdawn

Someone on Sky Sports claimed this. Quite right on the part of Mr G. He was captain albeit one who hadn't been in the Essex job for long after taking over from Paul Prichard. 

Gassage

Heartfeltdawn said:

Someone on Sky Sports claimed this. Quite right on the part of Mr G. He was captain albeit one who hadn't been in the Essex job for long after taking over from Paul Prichard. 

Pritch suffered hugely from bottle problems (the liquid variety).

Awesome player.

scrumhalf

Well, that was some batting collapse. It was almost autodestructive art, I could imagine Pete Townshend coming out to bat with a Rickenbacker and destroying his stumps.

UnclePsychosis

scrumhalf said:

Well, that was some batting collapse. It was almost autodestructive art, I could imagine Pete Townshend coming out to bat with a Rickenbacker and destroying his stumps.

Probably the umpire's fault.

wackojacko

scrumhalf said:

Well, that was some batting collapse. It was almost autodestructive art, I could imagine Pete Townshend coming out to bat with a Rickenbacker and destroying his stumps.

Haha It was abysmal - just like the good old 90s collapses. Didn't think there was too much between the teams in the ODI and T20 series however. I think we will win the CT in May in England...or Australia. Never discount Australia. 

Test series we were a long way off the pace. Building a new team is all well and good but we have been building a squad for 2-3 years now and have no idea on our best 11. 

I wonder if the clock is ticking/there is any pressure on Trevor Bayliss - Test team has gone backwards but the ODI team has now become my favourite form of the game. (always a traditionalist but now look forward to OD games a lot more than I used to) The winter test tours were very depressing to follow. Or maybe its just Cook that needs to resign and stick to doing what he does best.

Farbrace and Morgan have to take the credit for the "no fear" attitude in the one day team it started before Bayliss took charge. 

I would like to see India play abroad for a bit now. Test cricket is becoming a little boring with so many teams being formidable at home and woeful away. (despite SA dominating in Australia recently and Pakistan getting a series draw against us) Maybe the tables are turning...or maybe its just England

scrumhalf

So, Cook's quit as captain but will carry on as a batsman.

Hmmm, not sure Root is ready to captain the side yet. Could be an interesting summer as we prepare for the Ashes.

Gassage

So that's how the Cookie crumbles.

I wonder if Root will be known as the Little Chef from now on?

UnclePsychosis

The right time. A great batsman but a distinctly "meh" captain.

Maybe England should take the novel step of making their best tactician the captain rather than just defaulting to whoever the best batsman is.

Heartfeltdawn

wackojacko said:

Haha It was abysmal - just like the good old 90s collapses. Didn't think there was too much between the teams in the ODI and T20 series however. I think we will win the CT in May in England...or Australia. Never discount Australia. 

Test series we were a long way off the pace. Building a new team is all well and good but we have been building a squad for 2-3 years now and have no idea on our best 11. 

I wonder if the clock is ticking/there is any pressure on Trevor Bayliss - Test team has gone backwards but the ODI team has now become my favourite form of the game. (always a traditionalist but now look forward to OD games a lot more than I used to) The winter test tours were very depressing to follow. Or maybe its just Cook that needs to resign and stick to doing what he does best.

Farbrace and Morgan have to take the credit for the "no fear" attitude in the one day team it started before Bayliss took charge. 

I would like to see India play abroad for a bit now. Test cricket is becoming a little boring with so many teams being formidable at home and woeful away. (despite SA dominating in Australia recently and Pakistan getting a series draw against us) Maybe the tables are turning...or maybe its just England

Most sides are in the same boat regarding inconsistency in Tests. Australia are generally dominant at home but fall apart away. For all their home qualities, don't forget how we stuffed India last time out. Most sides are failing away from home because tour schedules don't allow them to acclimatise as they used to in my view. The problem is that the schedules simply don't allow for more warm-up and tour games. Something has to give if Test cricket is to survive and I have a feeling that the decision to grant Ireland Test status will also be accompanied by two-division Test cricket. Fewer Tests per year but greater quality within those Tests should be the aim. 

ODI and T20 games still bore the shit out of me. T20 especially. Oooh, a six. Oooh, another. Ooooh, a slow bowler who can't spin the ball for shit gets a wicket because someone's tried to cart him away. 

In Test cricket, you get a nice new ball and the supposed cream of your attack. 

In T20 cricket, you get a new ball, a seamer, and a middle order batsman bowling 75kph non-turning darts. 

Heartfeltdawn

UnclePsychosis said:

The right time. A great batsman but a distinctly "meh" captain.

Maybe England should take the novel step of making their best tactician the captain rather than just defaulting to whoever the best batsman is.

A meh captain who still managed Ashes wins and the absolute golden trophy, the win in India in 2012. 

The stats on him being the fourth best captain in terms of wins for skippers who have done 40 Tests is interesting. As captain in Ashes Tests, he's lost more Tests than he has won 6-7 yet that still means two series wins and one 5-0 stuffing. I'd say his era was typified by us playing some fine cricket at times, a lack of consistency and when we lost a series, we tended to lose heavily. 

Gassage

I'd like to congratulate Tymal Mills at his £82,000 per game contract in the IPL.

He's living proof that amputees can perform at even the highest level, although how he gets that pace with only one leg is beyond me.

scrumhalf

Gassage said:

I'd like to congratulate Tymal Mills at his £82,000 per game contract in the IPL.

He's living proof that amputees can perform at even the highest level, although how he gets that pace with only one leg is beyond me.

Simple, he bowls long-hops.

scrumhalf

Having seen the Aussies totally stuff India in their own backyard I have to say I'm rather worried about the Ashes now.

Heartfeltdawn

scrumhalf said:

Having seen the Aussies totally stuff India in their own backyard I have to say I'm rather worried about the Ashes now.

Nowt to worry about... yet. One victory doesn't make a series secure. The Indians got complacent and thought they just had a prep up a turning wicket. Toss turned out to be vital and the Indians didn't anticipate that the pitch would help Hazelwood and Starc as well as the slow boys in the first innings. India batted very very poorly and their DRS use was dreadful. 

Steve Smith's ton was as good as anything scored for some time. He still looks awkward but damn he can play, as an average of 60 after 51 Tests shows. Also a lesson for England there in not judging people too early and letting them develop. Smith started as a leg spinner batting at 8 in Test cricket.