The Cricket Thread

[Archibald&Crooks]

Back to the actual game of Cricket...

With the England top order out of form (I like Stoneham but he needs to go on and make a century), who are the potential replacements? Does Vince keep getting backed in too deliver on talent and is Cook still the best opening bat? What is waiting in the county wings?

The answer is that the cupboard is pretty bare

Habeeb is probably our best bet as an opener, but he's been woefully out of form since injuring his hand so hasn't been able to get back in the test team, but I think when he does, we've a decent opener there. other than that, I'm struggling. A lot of people are against the idea, probably rightly, but if it were up to me I'd at least consider putting Hales, Morgan and possibly Buttler in the team, I know they've been tried but with them there's at least the possibility that they'll go on and make scores because they've done it before, albeit not regularly enough. With this current bunch it seems to be failure after failure after failure. So that's what I'd consider, whilst deciding on who we're going to back and easing them into it rather than deep ending some of them.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

Another collapse, 3 wickets lost for 1 run. We really are awful. I see Vic Marks is advocating an influx of players from the one day team too, but after the World Cup. That makes two of us that are silly ****s

 

[DaiT]

Another collapse, 3 wickets lost for 1 run. We really are awful. I see Vic Marks is advocating an influx of players from the one day team too, but after the World Cup. That makes two of us that are silly ****s

Yes but we have tripled our first innings score at Auckland. Surely that has to be a positive ......
We might as well play as though it is a one day game though - it is effectively like that.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

Well, that was the exception rather than the rule. If things go as they usually do, we'll be all out for 290-310 tomorrow and Bairstow will get out without scoring. Fingers crossed he gets his hundred.

 

[VegasII]

I can see Cook retiring from the England team when they get back.

 

[Wsussexspur]

Problems keep mounting for England. We could be going into the summer with a brand new top three. Cook looks done at this level and Vince and Stoneman continue to flatter to deceive. Biggest problem is there are no obvious replacements out there.

 

[dondo]

Good innings from bairstow but a real stupid shot to get out to in the end with the field that was set

 

[Pellshek]

The Hagley Oval looks like heaven.

 

[theShiznit]

Oh Jonny Bairstow you are the love of my life
Oh Jonny Bairstow I'd let you sleep with my wife
Oh Jonny Bairstow I want ginger hair too.

 

[Wellspurs]

Bloody hell 17/4..... without cheating.

 

[WiganSpur]

Good stuff, not sure why Jimmy's been taken off so early.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

Just seen Warners press conference, pretty much nothing apart from "sorry" and tears along with a refusal to answer any meaningful questions. Sky were actually half sympathetic! He dodged questions and kept repeating himself, it was fuck-all really. At least with Smith & Bancroft you felt they were genuine, but this felt more like yeah, I'm sorry.......sorry I was caught. What a slug.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

Yet again we do half a job when bowling. From 36-5 to 175-5. Although this new spinner is doing an okay-ish job.

 

[Metalhead]

Just seen Warners press conference, pretty much nothing apart from "sorry" and tears along with a refusal to answer any meaningful questions. Sky were actually half sympathetic! He dodged questions and kept repeating himself, it was fuck-all really. At least with Smith & Bancroft you felt they were genuine, but this felt more like yeah, I'm sorry.......sorry I was caught. What a slug.

Not being the most knowledgeable person on cricket, what I don't understand is why they chose this match in particular to cheat? What are the odds that this was the first time?

 

[Spurs_Bear]

I smell a rat with the timing of this injury to Starc...

 

[Spurs_Bear]

I watched a couple of hours last night and thought we bowled really well early on, shame we let them get back into it, sounds like there were some odd tactics that let them off the hook a bit, whether inexperience from Root or just as likely complete incompetence from Trevor Bayliss, hopefully we pick up a couple of early ones tomorrow morning and can get a lead to get started with.

 

[theShiznit]

Why is it our sense seems to go out the window when 9,10,J come in to bat?

Anderson and Broad were swinging the new ball nicely, you get number 9 in who does a few unorthodox things and then they start bowling short and wide and never troubling the stumps. So fucking annoying.

Great stat though that of all the 19 wickets to fall so far in this match, 19 have been by the new ball bowlers...

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

Here we go. Just as the axe hovers Stoneman & Vince put on a partnership.

The result of this is that the previous 825 collapses will be ignored because they scored a few runs this one time.

Stoneman's 5th half century. Usually he gets fifty and out and he's been dropped twice since reaching that milestone. In the context of this match its good news but going forward it'll put us backwards

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

And as I finish that Stoneman does it again. Gone for 60.

Collapse on the cards?

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

Vince gone for 76, here it comes.........