The Cricket Thread
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SargeantMeatCurtains
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Alex Hales needs a test recall. 218 runs from 218 balls today for Notts. Put him in at 5 and he'll thrive. Ridiculous talent.
He is playing in Division 2. A very talented player no doubt but we have enough stroke players in the test side.
Buggsy61
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I would persist with Westley as he looks to have something for me but not sure as a 3. Jennings and Malan need to go. Agree that Hales needs another go, opening with Cook and I would bring Hameed or Stoneman at 3.
We badly need Woakes and Wood back fully fit for the ashes as they can push it through and make the Aussies hop a bit! A- Broad Anderson and Roland Jones won't have the conditions in their favour there.
We badly need Woakes and Wood back fully fit for the ashes as they can push it through and make the Aussies hop a bit! A- Broad Anderson and Roland Jones won't have the conditions in their favour there.
Spurs_Bear
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But we don't need a clogger at 5 so why wouldn't you put Hales in for Malan?
The opening berth still worries me, I genuinely don't know what we do there at the moment.
I don't agree with Bayliss that we only need 7 batsmen, our batting has been letting us down for the last few years, Moeen is a superb player but one who seems to thrive when the pressure isn't on him (not the pressure of the match scenario, as in pressure of the media etc), he's doing wonders down at 8. A fit Woakes for me walks back in over ToRoJo, even though he has had a good couple of tests, question is how fit is Woakes going to be. Also, this is just a theory but I'm not convinced Anderson is going to go to The Ashes, sneaking suspicion he might be done after the Windies series. He'll want to go out on a high and he should bowl Windies out running in with his trousers down his ankles. Especially when one of the games is a day nighter.
Does the line up for the Gabba resemble something like this?
Cook
Stoneman/Jennings/Hameed
Westley (His technique will be ok in Oz, it seams rather than swings and Bayliss will work on that bottom hand position)
Root
Hales
Stokes
Bairstow
Moeen
Woakes
Broad
Anderson/ToRoJo/Wood/Finn
Honestly is there a better 4-9 in world cricket there?? Maybe India in their own back yard I guess?
Spurs_Bear
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He has also scored 3 centuries (one now a double) in 38 days (ish), one in every different format of the game. The boy has got some serious skills.
Buggsy61
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I would be gobsmacked if Anderson missed out on a last ashes tour. Now that would be going out on a high and if there's one thing you can say about Jimmy he is a fighter and a competitor and I don't think he would even entertain the idea of missing it.
Spurs_Bear
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I know what you mean with regards his personality, I was over there for the last one when Swanny jacked it in and I never saw that coming either. I think/hope you are right, just a nagging suspicion that I cant shake off.
I personally think we need another batsman who is able to knuckle down and weather the storm if a team gets on top. I would go with Hameed and Cook at the top of the innings. They are two best openers and frankly we have the firepower to come in later when the ball gets older.
Number 5 in the order is a big problem for me. I can't really think of anyone who is standing out but I must admit I don't watch a huge amount of County stuff. I think who plays there for England in the Windies barring horrific form will go as I don't think they will want to chop and change too much. The things Hales has going for him is his height and that the ball doesn't move as much as it does here so it will be easier to play your strokes.
Woakes has come on leaps and bounds and his batting is a huge bonus. I think Anderson will go as his experience will be invaluable in Oz and I doubt he would play all five tests anyway as he has started to pick up niggles.
mpickard2087
Patient Zero
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I've come to the conclusion that most of the modern day cricketers cant really adapt much and it needs to be kept as simple as possible for them and not to have them juggling formats and dealing with/complicating things - it means Test cricket suffers in particular. So I think the red ball and white ball teams should be kept as separate as possible.
People like Buttler and Hales (and going down the list the Ducketts, Malan's etc) should in my opinion just focus on what they are good at, and that's smashing the white ball out of the stadium.
The Test team I want to be a real tough, battling outfit. The aim should be to bat two days and grinding the opposition into the dirt, currently we're lucky to last two sessions. The top four/five I want to go out there and look like they are batting like their lives depend on it each and every time. The lower middle can provide a bit of tempo and entertainment later on.
Mixed bag in terms of those they selected, runs are of course part of it but its more how someone went about things and if they showed something. Westley should be persisted with for now, he's organised and got a good temperament. Bit bottom hand and he got out a couple of times when trying to force it but he's shown up ok. Jennings in his current guise doesn't look like ever getting consistent runs, massive flaws and I'd bin him. Malan's brain looked scrambled in every innings, no clue as to how he was going about things. Two tests and canned would be harsh, but he'd only have himself to blame.
Dawson is just bits and pieces and a terrible safe selection. TRJ is a classic decent county seamer - in a home series plonk him in and they'll be a weapon in the familiarity of English conditions and pitches., other parts of the world though.... I don't know.
People like Buttler and Hales (and going down the list the Ducketts, Malan's etc) should in my opinion just focus on what they are good at, and that's smashing the white ball out of the stadium.
The Test team I want to be a real tough, battling outfit. The aim should be to bat two days and grinding the opposition into the dirt, currently we're lucky to last two sessions. The top four/five I want to go out there and look like they are batting like their lives depend on it each and every time. The lower middle can provide a bit of tempo and entertainment later on.
Mixed bag in terms of those they selected, runs are of course part of it but its more how someone went about things and if they showed something. Westley should be persisted with for now, he's organised and got a good temperament. Bit bottom hand and he got out a couple of times when trying to force it but he's shown up ok. Jennings in his current guise doesn't look like ever getting consistent runs, massive flaws and I'd bin him. Malan's brain looked scrambled in every innings, no clue as to how he was going about things. Two tests and canned would be harsh, but he'd only have himself to blame.
Dawson is just bits and pieces and a terrible safe selection. TRJ is a classic decent county seamer - in a home series plonk him in and they'll be a weapon in the familiarity of English conditions and pitches., other parts of the world though.... I don't know.
SargeantMeatCurtains
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HAMEED IS BACK KLAXON.
He's 77* in Lancs second division county match against Hampshire.
Although, his 77* has come from 219 balls at an eye-watering strike rate of 35.2 lol.
That knock also includes 10 4s. I'd love to know how many dots he has faced lmao
He's 77* in Lancs second division county match against Hampshire.
Although, his 77* has come from 219 balls at an eye-watering strike rate of 35.2 lol.
That knock also includes 10 4s. I'd love to know how many dots he has faced lmao
Arnoldtoo
The thinking ape's ape
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Does one innings warrant a recall though?
SargeantMeatCurtains
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I wouldn't think so. I'd hope not.
Hameed is earmarked to open for England, though. Whether that be now or definitely in the future. So i'm sure he'll get preferential treatment over players who have shown more consistency (eg Stoneman)
Hameed is also a rare breed, though. You wont find many 20 year olds in this day and age with such a conservative temperament to their batting. Especially with the international appeal of 20/20 cricket.
Arnoldtoo
The thinking ape's ape
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Quite agree that he's the future. I'd be a bit nervous of chucking him back in too early and possibly buggering that future up, though, so I think I'd maybe go with Stoneman for this Test.
mpickard2087
Patient Zero
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I'd have picked Hameed for the SA series in all truth. I know you cant just ignore county form but sometimes you have to make a brave call. He'd come into the England team and looked a natural, and hadn't fucked up in an England shirt so I'd have let him carry on. Tell him you believe in him, and a change in scenery and better coaches and players around him and who knows..... He might just be someone suited to the big occasion.
Spurs_Bear
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I can see why they didn't rush Hameed back, word on the street is he gets too square on and suffers against good Seam bowling (who doesn't?). Maybe they thought Rabada and Morkel was the equivalent of a hospital pass.
TottenhamLegend
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Lancashire - Hampshire abandoned as a draw, which means Essex are 41 points clear at the top with 5 to play!!
We are probably 2 wins out of 5 away from being County Champions in our first season back in Division 1, which is unbelievable. Avoiding defeat in our game against Lancs at Old Trafford is half the job now. A draw there and win against Somerset at Chelmsford in our next 2 games may well be enough, as long as we get some substantial bonus points along the way.
Love the fact that we're top of the Championship with a side that is more than 75% Essex academy graduates, and includes a number of guys I've played with or against plenty of times, been on nights out with etc. Cricket feels so much closer to home in that sense than football.
Eaaaaaaglesssssss!
We are probably 2 wins out of 5 away from being County Champions in our first season back in Division 1, which is unbelievable. Avoiding defeat in our game against Lancs at Old Trafford is half the job now. A draw there and win against Somerset at Chelmsford in our next 2 games may well be enough, as long as we get some substantial bonus points along the way.
Love the fact that we're top of the Championship with a side that is more than 75% Essex academy graduates, and includes a number of guys I've played with or against plenty of times, been on nights out with etc. Cricket feels so much closer to home in that sense than football.
Eaaaaaaglesssssss!
SargeantMeatCurtains
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England's top order continues to fail then. We aren't going to have a settled top order before the Ashes.
Arnoldtoo
The thinking ape's ape
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Oh I think they'll be settled; they just won't score any runs!
mpickard2087
Patient Zero
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Stoneman was unlucky, got the only jaffa of the morning (I also suspect he didn't he pick up the pink ball, which might be an issue for some of the players). Westley just missed a straight one playing his favourite shot. Not the worst dismissals, but we need these guys to start scoring runs.
Windies have mainly bowled some real filth so far though, must get better quickly.
Windies have mainly bowled some real filth so far though, must get better quickly.
