The Cricket Thread

[TommyGee]

Joe Root's got heat stroke and is in hospital. Apparently, it was almost 58C at the wicket!

He’s returned to the crease now, hats off to him - that’s easily the most fight shown from any of the English team this tour (Bairstow‘s headbutt aside).

 

[Sweetsman]

He’s returned to the crease now, hats off to him - that’s easily the most fight shown from any of the English team this tour (Bairstow‘s headbutt aside).

Apparently, it was gastroenteritis and not heat stroke. Likewise, Moeen's form has gone down the pan.

 

[aussiespursguy]

Apparently, it was gastroenteritis and not heat stroke. Likewise, Moeen's form has gone down the pan.

I missed it this morning but I'm guessing he has a broken finger after the mis stroke yesterday. That didn't look like it tickled!

 

[Danners9]

I'm glad this will soon be finished. England should have forfeited after the 3rd test and gone to the pub.

 

[aussiespursguy]

Whoa, sorry, I didn't mean any of what I said as a pop at Australia, though I can see how it came across that way. Apologies.

First, I'm not English, so it's not a partisan thing. I'm Irish, and while I usually like to see England do well in cricket, I'm really a neutral & just a fan of the game. So it's not about you vs. us for me. It's about good, healthy test cricket.

Re: the mismatched teams, yeah, this is primarily England's fault for sucking. Aussie have been outstanding, and it's not their fault they had no competition. Not at all.

Re: the bad viewing hours, again, I didn't mean this as a pop at Aussie (of course not!), just one of the reasons I gave for the disappointment of the series for me. It's ok to stay up all night when there's competition, but watching double centuries and 2-wicket days for 6+ hours isn't a great motivation to stay up till 5am.

Re: the pitches & the ball, these are perennial debates as you know.

Here's the bottom line for me, and I don't care how it comes about, as long as it does: I want to enjoy the full range of skills of all 22 players. Batsmen scoring runs, playing all the shots in their arsenal; fast bowlers being rewarded for pace; something there for seamers & swingers; spinners having a chance later in the match. How do we make that happen? I don't know, but for me that should be the sole focus of pitch prep & the ball used.

Earlier in the thread I mentioned centrally-contracted international groundsmen. I was being kinda facetious, but might it work if their sole mandate was to ensure an even contest of bat & ball? I suspect advances in grass/soil technology could be used way more than they are at present to improve the situation. Are we really still that much at the mercy of the sun & rain? 20 years ago European football pitches in winter were mud baths. Today they're bowling greens. Couldn't cricket get to a similar place of artificially-aided pitch prep?

Anyway, sorry for misunderstanding, maybe this is the post I should have made first time around.

All good my friend. I agree that we would all love to see the perfect pitch in every test playing country. Its just never going to happen. As i said, other than the MCG, which was a massive disappointment, the pitches have been quite good, and have offered something to the quicks but played pretty true for the batsmen. Swing is always a problem over her, and its generally atmospheric conditions that effect it. Dry heat kills a lot of movement in the air. I know that first hand.

The other issue with pitches, and its happened for years and years, is certain countries will prepare a pitch solely for the benefit of their team. When you have spinners opening the bowling in a test match there is a problem, and thats where the ICC needs to get involved. Thats bloody rubbish. Maybe an ICC approved pool of groundsmen to work with the locals to ensure the pitches are up to scratch. I'm not sure myself.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

I'm glad this will soon be finished. England should have forfeited after the 3rd test and gone to the pub.

That's effectively what they did

 

[aussiespursguy]

That's effectively what they did

I think there were a few positives for the English in the series. Lurch looks alright. Has a bit of ticker and a pity he got injured. Malan also has looked ok. I also hope you stick with Crane. Remember Shane Warne in his first test in Sydney was 1/150. Be positive!

 

[WiganSpur]

Stoneman and Vince are nowhere near good enough. Malan should be given another shot. Lots of change needed in the England setup though.

I'd bring back Hameed to open for Stoneman, and Stokes in for Vince switching the order round a bit. I'd keep Curran in for now as he hasn't done too badly and we don't have much genuine pace to choose from.

 

[Sweetsman]

All good my friend. I agree that we would all love to see the perfect pitch in every test playing country. Its just never going to happen. As i said, other than the MCG, which was a massive disappointment, the pitches have been quite good, and have offered something to the quicks but played pretty true for the batsmen. Swing is always a problem over her, and its generally atmospheric conditions that effect it. Dry heat kills a lot of movement in the air. I know that first hand.

The other issue with pitches, and its happened for years and years, is certain countries will prepare a pitch solely for the benefit of their team. When you have spinners opening the bowling in a test match there is a problem, and thats where the ICC needs to get involved. Thats bloody rubbish. Maybe an ICC approved pool of groundsmen to work with the locals to ensure the pitches are up to scratch. I'm not sure myself.

I want to see every strip like the old WACA: rock hard and lightning quick, just like when Lillee and Thommo were in their pomp.

 

[theShiznit]

Apparently Cook is the only batsman ever to carry his bat in a double ton and average less than 50 for a series.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

I'd bring back Hameed to open for Stoneman, and Stokes in for Vince switching the order round a bit. I'd keep Curran in for now as he hasn't done too badly and we don't have much genuine pace to choose from.

Hameed has been very very unlucky with injuries and then struggled for form, he has easily looked the most likely to succeed IMO.

For all our problems, it didn't have to be this way on this tour. What irritated me is that pretty much all of us called it when the squad was announced. The Aussies planned way ahead and planned well. We just sat on the rollercoaster and never bought a ticket and if a bunch of sad bastard numpties on an Internet forum can tell what's going to happen, surely the power that be at the ECB knew it too? It's almost like they threw the Ashes away and it takes the piss. It takes the piss out of the fans who spent their nights curled top on the sofa, watching and channel hopping between the cricket and babestation for a quick Barclays during the intervals, it took the piss out of the fans who paid a LOT of money to go out and watch this shower of shit and it took the piss out of someone else who I can't think of right now

I know people are going to say we couldn't have done it, but for one series, one fucking series, would it have been too much to have asked Morgan, Buttler, Hales, Plunkett, Billings or any one of the others to have rocked up and given it a whirl? These are experienced international cricketers, I know some have been tried but they've also been discarded way to easily too IMO and at least they MIGHT have done well.

If we'd at least given that a go and failed I would have understood that the limitations have been seen and accepted and that we at least tried to do something about it.

And that wankchopped ginger tosser Stokes shouldn't get a free pass either. ****. And Root? Fuck off. Get a grown up man to captain the team not some cherub faced schoolboy who you just can't take seriously as a figure of authority. And Strauss? Fuck right off.

Thoughtless and hugely pointless rant some of which I didn't actually mean, over.

 

[Twizzle]

Normal order has been resumed...........................................................until we next tour England

 

[WiganSpur]

Hameed has been very very unlucky with injuries and then struggled for form, he has easily looked the most likely to succeed IMO.

For all our problems, it didn't have to be this way on this tour. What irritated me is that pretty much all of us called it when the squad was announced. The Aussies planned way ahead and planned well. We just sat on the rollercoaster and never bought a ticket and if a bunch of sad bastard numpties on an Internet forum can tell what's going to happen, surely the power that be at the ECB knew it too? It's almost like they threw the Ashes away and it takes the piss. It takes the piss out of the fans who spent their nights curled top on the sofa, watching and channel hopping between the cricket and babestation for a quick Barclays during the intervals, it took the piss out of the fans who paid a LOT of money to go out and watch this shower of shit and it took the piss out of someone else who I can't think of right now

I know people are going to say we couldn't have done it, but for one series, one fucking series, would it have been too much to have asked Morgan, Buttler, Hales, Plunkett, Billings or any one of the others to have rocked up and given it a whirl? These are experienced international cricketers, I know some have been tried but they've also been discarded way to easily too IMO and at least they MIGHT have done well.

If we'd at least given that a go and failed I would have understood that the limitations have been seen and accepted and that we at least tried to do something about it.

And that wankchopped ginger tosser Stokes shouldn't get a free pass either. ****. And Root? Fuck off. Get a grown up man to captain the team not some cherub faced schoolboy who you just can't take seriously as a figure of authority. And Strauss? Fuck right off.

Thoughtless and hugely pointless rant some of which I didn't actually mean, over.

It's been a culmination of errors all round to be honest. Attitude, selection, preparation, the Ben Stokes bollocks, Moeen being shite, poor leadership etc.

I can't believe the ECB didn't see the problems with picking three relatively inexperienced batsmen in Vince, Stoneman and Malan though. The latter has performed reasonably well imo, but there was no chance all of this lot were going to smash the Aussies out of the park. Cook and Root haven't helped, but yeah I agree you've got to have more experience in there for this series. The long term focus should be on prospects like Crane, Curran and Hameed etc but for this series i'd have had Hales in for one of those three batsmen at the very least.

 

[mpickard2087]

Yeah you do have to look at the leadership & management of the team.

Off the pitch... Well. You've got players repeatedly getting into incidents whilst out on the piss. Some of them in isolation quite minor (some eg. Stokes obviously not), on tour especially you don't begrudge them going out for dinner and drinks, but incidents have kept totting up and there is no common sense to say 'ok lads, we've got to be smarter for the next period of time' and that it keeps happening suggests a lack of discipline and the coaching team being able to rein in the players.

On the pitch it isn't much better. Batsmen making repeat errors, and seemingly just left to get on with it. No one standing up and taking the decisions such as the night watchman the other day. Overton apparently playing with a busted rib until they eventually found out. The ridiculous squad in the first place that gave a whiff of giving up before we'd even started.....

The coaches, Strauss, whoever it is, someone running the op has to get a grip.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

I do feel better having got that off my chest

The squad for the New Zealand test matches should be interesting. Or be exactly the same. The sad thing is, that really wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Spurs_Bear]

I do feel better having got that off my chest

The squad for the New Zealand test matches should be interesting. Or be exactly the same. The sad thing is, that really wouldn't surprise me.

You can write the script cant you. The squad will be the same, Vince will burgle 100 in one of the Tests and we'll have to put up with the **** for the summer tests against India and Pakistan as well.

Heads need to roll. Bayliss out. Fuck off.

 

[Deleted member 27995]

Love the stick Vince is getting, thing is I haven't seen a solid solution yet as who to replace him with.

People throwing their toys out the pram because a shot maker who made his name primarily through the shorter overs format of the game isn't playing like a world beater at three ...

The set up needs looking at. The signs were there at the end of last season playing those three late tests against the Windies.

 

[alfie103]

You can write the script cant you. The squad will be the same, Vince will burgle 100 in one of the Tests and we'll have to put up with the **** for the summer tests against India and Pakistan as well.

Heads need to roll. Bayliss out. Fuck off.

Vince is a lovely looking player but just doesn't seem to have temperament for test cricket. I don't think we should go too far with this England bashing. This isn't a great England side but no side in the world has been great away from home. Australia got pumped in India and lost in England last time. We also beat South Africa home and away. There are huge concerns about the test side but I don't think getting rid of Bayliss is going to do much. We just haven't got a great group of players at the moment.

 

[Spurs_Bear]

Vince is a lovely looking player but just doesn't seem to have temperament for test cricket. I don't think we should go too far with this England bashing. This isn't a great England side but no side in the world has been great away from home. Australia got pumped in India and lost in England last time. We also beat South Africa home and away. There are huge concerns about the test side but I don't think getting rid of Bayliss is going to do much. We just haven't got a great group of players at the moment.

But the coach has to take the biscuit. Why haven't Vince's flaws been ironed out? Vince is a lovely looking player when he plays a cover drive. So was Shane Watson. He's already said he'll leave in 2019, whatever he is doing clearly isn't working, we have lost more tests than we've won since he took over, which is poor for a team like England. New ideas, new approach, the same as it would work in football or rugby is what is required in my book.

 

[Spurs_Bear]

Love the stick Vince is getting, thing is I haven't seen a solid solution yet as who to replace him with.

People throwing their toys out the pram because a shot maker who made his name primarily through the shorter overs format of the game isn't playing like a world beater at three ...

The set up needs looking at. The signs were there at the end of last season playing those three late tests against the Windies.

It's not the fact that Vince is a shot maker in the shorter format etc, it's the unimaginative selection of him in the first place. He had a pretty mediocre season in the county game last year, and would have been as surprised as anyone that he was even selected to tour in the first place. Same goes for the continued selection of Ballance. A coach is there to do his job.