The cricket thread

crunchman

Warne just said on air that England can't bat that badly again.  The challenge is made.

scrumhalf

Well, there's plenty of football and rugby over the weekend.

guitars4you

And the guy who scored the most runs in test match cricket for England last summer can't get a match

Not a bad bowler as well

RandallFlagg

Where's the pissing rain when you need it? 2 days of typical Leeds weather would be perfect now.

NorthernGooner

Never seen the point of Bayliss whatsoever. That inane grin and the floppy hat. He must have  been looking down at his wage slip every time he's shown on the England balcony gurning away. Still one of his successes must be Leach. Looking on the bright side England have found their new Ashley Giles.   

sixstringsupplies

Whilst I can just about remember the performances of the 90s, I don't think I've ever been more disappointed in the England Test team.  (I'm 32 for context, so England test cricket has been pretty healthy since 2003 or so for me)

....I'm just repeating what others have said.

1) Can't wait for Bayliss to go. 
2) I would trade the World Cup for a top 3 test team/couldn't care if we never win the thing again
3) Root should resign after this series. It's on course to be 10 ashes tests, 0 wins. 

The ECB need to change it around. I've noticed that during every test this series, *most* days as soon as the final ball is bowled, the Sky Sports cricket channel buggers off to some T20 Blast game.  

and next year we have The Hundred. Any England player with Test match ambitions worth their salt should refuse to play.

On the plus side...Leach has looked the best England spinner since Swann retired and Stokes bowled his heart out today.

Test Cricket is one of my main passions in life.  If i had the money  I would follow the England team around the world each year watching test cricket. Today was the first time I can honestly remember turning it off. 

iseverynamegone

The point of Baylis was always the one day game and to be fair he couldn’t have done much better in that respect.  Doesn’t make the shower of shite today any less easier to watch though. 

sixstringsupplies

iseverynamegone said:

The point of Baylis was always the one day game and to be fair he couldn’t have done much better in that respect.  Doesn’t make the shower of shite today any less easier to watch though. 

Of course, he was brought in to win the WC and did it. But the effect to the test team has been detrimental. The test team has really poor since Root became captain and a bit less poor in the last 18 months or so of Cook's reign.

Heartfeltdawn

 guitars4you said:

And the guy who scored the most runs in test match cricket for England last summer can't get a match

Not a bad bowler as well

Who's that then? Buttler topped the run scoring charts against Pakistan and India. 

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/averages/batting_bowling_by_team.html?id=12026;team=1;type=series

https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-series/2619/india-tour-of-england-2018/stats#!/?statsType=mostRuns&seriesType=bilateral&seriesId=2619&matchTypeId=1&seriesTeam1=9&seriesTeam2=2


Suddenly Cook's average as opener in both series doesn't look so bad. 

Heartfeltdawn

sixstringsupplies said:

....I'm just repeating what others have said.

1) Can't wait for Bayliss to go. 
2) I would trade the World Cup for a top 3 test team/couldn't care if we never win the thing again
3) Root should resign after this series. It's on course to be 10 ashes tests, 0 wins. 

The ECB need to change it around. I've noticed that during every test this series, *most* days as soon as the final ball is bowled, the Sky Sports cricket channel buggers off to some T20 Blast game.  

and next year we have The Hundred. Any England player with Test match ambitions worth their salt should refuse to play.

On the plus side...Leach has looked the best England spinner since Swann retired and Stokes bowled his heart out today.

Test Cricket is one of my main passions in life.  If i had the money  I would follow the England team around the world each year watching test cricket. Today was the first time I can honestly remember turning it off. 

The ECB are changing things around: that's part of the problem!

I hope T-Hun falls flat on its arse and the ECB end up looking even more fucking stupid and greedy than they did over Stanford. 

shrinkwrap

Well the comments here are better than the match. Nothing to add. Ho hum.

RandallFlagg

I look forward to a home Ashes series so, so much, it seems to take forever to come round again, I was so excited as I have tickets to go for a day for the first time ever and I feel so angry and frustrated that it will be to watch a pointless dead rubber game because the opportunity to really make this a contest was thrown away so cheaply. Not just by one or two batsmen making silly errors but the whole batting performance was abysmal. This was not the innings for that to happen you idiots. They should be berated vigorously by the coach for this.

Joe Root captaining world cup winning England, on his home ground, on a sunny day with Aus on the ropes without thier best batsman and just 179 to chase, opportunity to rest the bowlers for a day and a half ready to blitz the third innings. It was set up perfectly for the win, a dream. Even a mediocre batting performance with a couple of half centuries would have been enough to at least level the scores. But no, we get this pathetic dribble and not one of them had the stones to come out and talk to TMS after the day's play, man up you spineless fools.



However   as I like to be optimistic and enthusiastic about most things in life...

If England can get the last 4 wickets down for 20-30 runs and have 310 or so to chase then they have 2 1/2 days to patiently chase it down and win. It is distinctly possible, if it were Australia in this position they would fancy their chances and have a valiant go. It will take a remarkable, nigh on impossible turnaround from England and require 2 or 3 batsmen to really show exceptional patience and skill to get there and need all the lineup to contribute, but it is possible.

I can't believe that I'm hoping beyond hope a professional national Test team can score just 300 runs in a 2 1/2 day innings on home ground and that it sounds like a ridiculous fantasy.

If they do it, all is forgiven. If not, my weekend, month and year are all ruined. 

Listening to tears For Fears Sowing The Seeds Of Love loud through headphones has cheered me up. "Anything is possible sowing the seeds of love"

guitars4you

Heartfeltdawn said:

 guitars4you said:

And the guy who scored the most runs in test match cricket for England last summer can't get a match

Not a bad bowler as well

Who's that then? Buttler topped the run scoring charts against Pakistan and India. 

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/averages/batting_bowling_by_team.html?id=12026;team=1;type=series

https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-series/2619/india-tour-of-england-2018/stats#!/?statsType=mostRuns&seriesType=bilateral&seriesId=2619&matchTypeId=1&seriesTeam1=9&seriesTeam2=2


Suddenly Cook's average as opener in both series doesn't look so bad. 

Curran - Sorry and slight edit - Best ave against India

NorthernGooner

For those of a certain vintage............. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/1620D/production/_84873609_lewis2_rex.jpg

I hate you Buttler.    

Heartfeltdawn

guitars4you said:

Curran - Sorry and slight edit - Best ave against India

I'm averaging 99.98 when it comes to stat-based pedanticity  

But yeah, I said I'd have him opening the batting at the start of the series on the basis that he had scored runs at international level, knows how to handle a bat, and his bowling would be more than useful. At the very worst, he'd have matched the 49 runs Roy has contributed this series. 

earwighoney

Heartfeltdawn said: 

 You start by looking at the women's game. So much of the financial boost a few years back went into the top level with the goal of winning the World Cup. This short-term goal was achieved but it was at the price of the domestic structure going nowhere. Cricket Australia went long-term and now they're light years ahead of everyone having spent their financial boost wisely by strengthening top and bottom and making their domestic structure better. 

the men's game has had the financial boost going on for years and focused on the short term goal of winning the World Cup. This was achieved by fucking over county cricket, primarily the one-day competition and the County Championship, and this will be compounded next season with the introduction of the Hundred, a competition which so far seems to be focused on rewarding Australians with fat coaching contracts. 

I hope to shit that the Test-loving fraternity do everything possible to boycott the team if we get stuffed this series. Don't attend internationals, stay away from the Hundred. Nothing would send a greater message to the ECB than Pakistan and Windies series next year where there are vast expanses of empty seating. 

Great post. 

Something else I'd like to add which you already addressed is the appointment of Ed Smith, which IMO is the issue of cronyism which seems to rotting English cricket. 

Genuinely I can't even think of any other sport where two of the highest ranked positions in the game have gone to people with absolutely no experience (Ed Smith & Andy Strauss) 

crunchman

earwighoney said:

 

Something else I'd like to add which you already addressed is the appointment of Ed Smith, which IMO is the issue of cronyism which seems to rotting English cricket. 

Genuinely I can't even think of any other sport where two of the highest ranked positions in the game have gone to people with absolutely no experience (Ed Smith & Andy Strauss) 

Aren't they both old boys of prestigious public schools?

guitars4you

Heartfeltdawn said:

guitars4you said:

Curran - Sorry and slight edit - Best ave against India

I'm averaging 99.98 when it comes to stat-based pedanticity  

But yeah, I said I'd have him opening the batting at the start of the series on the basis that he had scored runs at international level, knows how to handle a bat, and his bowling would be more than useful. At the very worst, he'd have matched the 49 runs Roy has contributed this series. 

It is a case of where do you fit Curran in - They want Butler to bat with a free spirit - But chances have not arisen - Anderson may well be back for the 4th and 5th test, so chances are Woakes will have to make way (won't be Broad or Archer unless they rotate Broad but I'm not in favour of that)

You maybe right about Curran to open - I've heard some of the R5 pundits support this - They see him more as a long term batsman who can bowl a bit, more than an all-rounder

I think that assuming we don't win this match, then the 4th and 5th test matches need to be also about long term planning and the Africa tour - With that in mind where does this fit in with Anderson, Broad and Denley

A lot of questions - Not sure the answers are there

In short how to loose the Ashes in one session on Friday morning

VimFuego

jeez, can't we just throw in the towel? if this was boxing, the bout'd have been stopped by now. 

crunchman

Any discussion about the long term future has to start with the captaincy.  Root averages 52.8 when he's not been captain.  He averages 40.4 as captain.  The captaincy is obviously affecting his batting.  On recent evidence, he's not a great captain either.  He overbowled Archer at Lords, and he overbowled Stokes yesterday.  If he was the second coming of Brearley, or even Vaughan, then it might be worth sacrificing his batting, but at this point I'd seriously be thinking of making someone else captain, and tell him to concentrate on his batting.

While I was writing that, Bairstow has just dropped Labuschagne for the second time.  He's also given away a good few byes in the series.  Foakes has to be in.  I'm sure he would have made more runs than Buttler (54 runs at 10.8).  Bairstow has made 3900 test runs, and in the absence of test quality batsmen, I'd probably play him as a specialist batsman at 5 or 6.

The bowling doesn't look too bad.  Anderson doesn't have long left, but Broad is bowling well and probably has 2 or 3 years left.  Archer and Stokes should be around for the long term.  Stone looked decent against Ireland.  Curran can give you an extra option as the 4th seamer, and stiffen the batting.

The big problem is the top order batting.  Burns isn't great but he's probably capable of averaging mid 30s long term, and he generally gives the impression that there is a reasonable chance of him seeing off the new ball and being there after 20 overs.

If we keep Burns and Root, then we need to find two top order batsmen from somewhere.  Sibley and Crawley are a couple of the names being mentioned.  You need to get them in the side at the right time and give them the right support.  I don't think Bayliss has helped with this hit your way out of trouble approach.  They need to get the appointment of the new coach right.  They need to find another Duncan Fletcher - someone who will toughen up the team.