The cricket thread

crunchman · May 2022

Fun in Worcester today. Stokes 161 off 88 balls.

Rich210 · May 2022

NorthernGooner said:

Heartfeltdawn said:

crunchman said:
Said opening partner made 89 to add to his previous scores. How long until he is being talked about for England?

https://www.espn.com/cricket/story/_/id/33772384/county-championship-2022-ben-compton-kent-breakthrough-offers-hope-late-developers

"Rejected more times than he cares to remember, Compton has certainly been making up for lost time. Burns, MD of London County Cricket Club, where he offers mentorship in business and sport, feels the county system is at fault.

"I told Ben he had to work very hard because the way the system is designed it is a closed shop," Burns told ESPNcricinfo. "It is designed to recognise top talent at a young age - the next Joe Root, the next Ian Bell. But you don't need to find that player - they are a class apart. The real test of a system is whether it helps a player who is not outstanding at a young age to make the cut.
"What happens is because lots of money and time, not to say careers, is invested in that academy process, it becomes very exclusive. I'm not saying it is consciously exclusive, but late developers find it harder to break in. Players outside the system get disregarded."

A system rooted in academy progression is precisely what it is. After getting the giggles about Simon Heffer's pathetic piece in the Telegraph discussing woke Wisden, I checked over the recent Somerset 2nd XI game against Middlesex. The educational background of those Somerset players: red dot = privately educated, M = Millfield.

https://i.imgur.com/a1zSaOA.png

Restrictive pathways et al.

I take your point about restrictive pathways up to a point but you won't find talent if young people aren't playing the game or
not encouraged to play. I live in a leafy Cheshire small town which has a high school with a large open playing/sports field.
There is even an all weather cricket pitch, It's never used, the schoolkids occasionally mince around in the summer playing mixed sex rounders in a supervised games period and that's it. They seem to play no competitive sport at all. Never seen a cricket bat or ball out there ever. If that school was in Australia India or South Africa the kids would be out there all day playing. If it wasn't for independent schools I don't think we'd produce any players period unfortunately.,

There's a lot of structural issues at play though. Take Yorkshire as an example, the junior sections were dominated by private educated yars, even though Bradford had some of the best asian players in the country let alone yorkshire. The private schools can fast track kids onto academy set ups no bother. It's much harder for your average child that's not come from money or a white background to get into cricket. The coaching costs a lot, not to mention the petrol and the Endless amounts of cricket matches mums and dads ferry their kids too.

crunchman · May 2022

Rich210 said:

NorthernGooner said:

Heartfeltdawn said:

crunchman said:
Said opening partner made 89 to add to his previous scores. How long until he is being talked about for England?

https://www.espn.com/cricket/story/_/id/33772384/county-championship-2022-ben-compton-kent-breakthrough-offers-hope-late-developers

"Rejected more times than he cares to remember, Compton has certainly been making up for lost time. Burns, MD of London County Cricket Club, where he offers mentorship in business and sport, feels the county system is at fault.

"I told Ben he had to work very hard because the way the system is designed it is a closed shop," Burns told ESPNcricinfo. "It is designed to recognise top talent at a young age - the next Joe Root, the next Ian Bell. But you don't need to find that player - they are a class apart. The real test of a system is whether it helps a player who is not outstanding at a young age to make the cut.
"What happens is because lots of money and time, not to say careers, is invested in that academy process, it becomes very exclusive. I'm not saying it is consciously exclusive, but late developers find it harder to break in. Players outside the system get disregarded."

A system rooted in academy progression is precisely what it is. After getting the giggles about Simon Heffer's pathetic piece in the Telegraph discussing woke Wisden, I checked over the recent Somerset 2nd XI game against Middlesex. The educational background of those Somerset players: red dot = privately educated, M = Millfield.

https://i.imgur.com/a1zSaOA.png

Restrictive pathways et al.

I take your point about restrictive pathways up to a point but you won't find talent if young people aren't playing the game or
not encouraged to play. I live in a leafy Cheshire small town which has a high school with a large open playing/sports field.
There is even an all weather cricket pitch, It's never used, the schoolkids occasionally mince around in the summer playing mixed sex rounders in a supervised games period and that's it. They seem to play no competitive sport at all. Never seen a cricket bat or ball out there ever. If that school was in Australia India or South Africa the kids would be out there all day playing. If it wasn't for independent schools I don't think we'd produce any players period unfortunately.,

There's a lot of structural issues at play though. Take Yorkshire as an example, the junior sections were dominated by private educated yars, even though Bradford had some of the best asian players in the country let alone yorkshire. The private schools can fast track kids onto academy set ups no bother. It's much harder for your average child that's not come from money or a white background to get into cricket. The coaching costs a lot, not to mention the petrol and the Endless amounts of cricket matches mums and dads ferry their kids too.

A lot of that applies to poor white kids though. The money and the ability of parents to ferry them to matches will stop them from progressing just as much as the kids from Asian backgrounds.

It doesn't just apply to cricket though. How much musical talent doesn't get a chance? My daughters aren't that big on sports, but they have advantages that a lot don't. We aren't rich, but we can afford piano lessons for them. Their cousin told me last night that he wants to be a singer when he grows up. His dad probably earns £20k less than I do. His mum (my wife's younger sister) doesn't earn as much as my wife either. I doubt he's going to get the advantage of any kind of private music lessons.

My older daughter came to me for help with maths homework last night. That's fine for me, but there are a lot of parents who wouldn't have a clue about trigonometry, and what a cosine is. Some kids will always have built in advantages. We need to put support in place for those who don't have those advantages, but it's likely to be an uphill struggle. Getting cricket back into schools and getting local authorities to maintain decent cricket squares would be a start though.

Gassage · May 2022

So, I’m playing my first game of the season next Friday.

The ground I am playing on- which is first class- has every single species of indigenous British tree visible from the square.

Which ground is it?

Heartfeltdawn · May 2022

Gassage said:

So, I’m playing my first game of the season next Friday.

The ground I am playing on- which is first class- has every single species of indigenous British tree visible from the square.

Which ground is it?

Tom Harrison's front lawn.

Gassage · May 2022

Heartfeltdawn said:

Gassage said:

So, I’m playing my first game of the season next Friday.

The ground I am playing on- which is first class- has every single species of indigenous British tree visible from the square.

Which ground is it?

Tom Harrison's front lawn.

Nah!

In other news- I was completely wrong a couple of weeks back and I apologise unreservedly to you.

Heartfeltdawn · May 2022

Gassage said:

Nah!

In other news- I was completely wrong a couple of weeks back and I apologise unreservedly to you.

It's fine, man. S'all cool. So where are you playing then?

Gassage · May 2022

Heartfeltdawn said:

Gassage said:

Nah!

In other news- I was completely wrong a couple of weeks back and I apologise unreservedly to you.

It's fine, man. S'all cool. So where are you playing then?

The Parks - dead excited!!

Heartfeltdawn · May 2022

Ah, splendid, I hope the weather keeps good for you. Oxford is a fabulous place to play cricket. Sadly never got to play at the Parks but took in a number of the college grounds. Wadham College was a blinding batting wicket when I was there in 97. We had 275 in 50 overs, oppo chased it down in 45 overs (0 for 22 for me in 10 overs: you can imagine how the rest of the team figures looked). The match stays in my mind because I had to run up to the slips and ask the captain to utilise sign language when directing me on the boundary as I couldn't hear a bloody word he was saying thanks to two amorous horses rutting noisily in a field just behind me.

crunchman · May 2022

What's causing all of these stress fractures in the fast bowlers?

Archer now out for the season, along with Mahmood. Fisher out for the next month with a "hot spot".

All of them were in the Windies. Mahmood and Fisher were in the squad, and Archer training to get fit. Is there something the England bowling coach is doing wrong, or is it just bad luck?

If all the youngsters keep falling apart like this then we will probably still have Anderson and Broad in the team for a while yet.

Gassage · May 2022

Heartfeltdawn said:

Ah, splendid, I hope the weather keeps good for you. Oxford is a fabulous place to play cricket. Sadly never got to play at the Parks but took in a number of the college grounds. Wadham College was a blinding batting wicket when I was there in 97. We had 275 in 50 overs, oppo chased it down in 45 overs (0 for 22 for me in 10 overs: you can imagine how the rest of the team figures looked). The match stays in my mind because I had to run up to the slips and ask the captain to utilise sign language when directing me on the boundary as I couldn't hear a bloody word he was saying thanks to two amorous horses rutting noisily in a field just behind me.

Andrew,

On a more sombre note I played in the game at Christchurch Coll when the groundsman rolled himself into his own wicket post match. He had the roller in gear, stepped off to move some leaves off its path, slipped and the roller killed him with his daughter who was a twink trying desperately to stop it. Tragic.

Agree re the decks in Oxford- they have a bit of gas in them.

The match was a Stoics fixture.

Gassage · May 2022

crunchman said:

What's causing all of these stress fractures in the fast bowlers?

Archer now out for the season, along with Mahmood. Fisher out for the next month with a "hot spot".

All of them were in the Windies. Mahmood and Fisher were in the squad, and Archer training to get fit. Is there something the England bowling coach is doing wrong, or is it just bad luck?

If all the youngsters keep falling apart like this then we will probably still have Anderson and Broad in the team for a while yet.

I am starting to doubt Archer's interest in England. He gets huge wedge for nothing and lives in Barbados, giving very little back to his club or country

crunchman · May 2022

Gassage said:

crunchman said:

What's causing all of these stress fractures in the fast bowlers?

Archer now out for the season, along with Mahmood. Fisher out for the next month with a "hot spot".

All of them were in the Windies. Mahmood and Fisher were in the squad, and Archer training to get fit. Is there something the England bowling coach is doing wrong, or is it just bad luck?

If all the youngsters keep falling apart like this then we will probably still have Anderson and Broad in the team for a while yet.

I am starting to doubt Archer's interest in England. He gets huge wedge for nothing and lives in Barbados, giving very little back to his club or country

It's wrong that he's playing for England anyway. I know there wouldn't be as much money for him in the Windies, but he should be playing for them. A strong Windies team with a proper fast bowler would be good for cricket. I can understand him not wanting to bowl on some of the pitches over there though.

26.2 · May 2022

crunchman said:

Gassage said:

crunchman said:

What's causing all of these stress fractures in the fast bowlers?

Archer now out for the season, along with Mahmood. Fisher out for the next month with a "hot spot".

All of them were in the Windies. Mahmood and Fisher were in the squad, and Archer training to get fit. Is there something the England bowling coach is doing wrong, or is it just bad luck?

If all the youngsters keep falling apart like this then we will probably still have Anderson and Broad in the team for a while yet.

I am starting to doubt Archer's interest in England. He gets huge wedge for nothing and lives in Barbados, giving very little back to his club or country

It's wrong that he's playing for England anyway. I know there wouldn't be as much money for him in the Windies, but he should be playing for them. A strong Windies team with a proper fast bowler would be good for cricket. I can understand him not wanting to bowl on some of the pitches over there though.

Well his father is English and he has British citizenship. He also did the qualifying period, which is good enough fo me. I doubt he'll play Test cricket again though.

Gassage · May 2022

Found this last noght

If Carlsberg did cricket….19 overs from me (rewarded with a typo!) knock the total off and end up batting with one of the greatest of all time

Gassage · May 2022

Add to the above- Rob Grant (Cov) was prob the best seamer I faced at Prem League level, including Keith Arnold and Joe Dawes. He bowled magic balls, absolutely unplayable at times.

crunchman · May 2022

Which Waugh?

Gassage · May 2022

crunchman said:

Which Waugh?

Steve.

Heartfeltdawn · May 2022

Gassage said:

Found this last noght

If Carlsberg did cricket….19 overs from me (rewarded with a typo!) knock the total off and end up batting with one of the greatest of all time

Where you at Smethwick when they signed Wasim up in 1999?

So nice to see league bowling figures where players could bowl long spells. Seeing the WEPL now down to 50 over formats local leagues going 45 overs with 9 over max per bowler is shite.

Gassage · May 2022

In simple terms, I must be fucking mad

guitars4you · May 2022

Gassage said:

crunchman said:

Which Waugh?

Steve.

monstrous wow from me on that - excellent cricketer

Stuckfast · May 2022

Wow indeed, that's next level stuff. Meanwhile here at the very bottom of the pyramid we're fielding at least two over 70s and a guy who can barely walk tomorrow.

Gassage · May 2022

Oxford Uni v MCC yday:

Match Report from yesterday!!

Given that this match was set in the context of MCC cancelling the Varsity match at Lords, to say it was somewhat cantankerous is an understatement.

Oxford Uni refused to take drinks out, refused to move sightscreens, batted on far too long in a dec game and then sledged the fuck out of us.

I batted out 20 overs for 30 odd and copped beamers bouncers and heaps of verbals.

However, 42 yrs of hard cricket means I can look after myself- in the second to last over they brought their so called quick on. They asked me if I needed a lid- I replied not against that rubbish. He then beams me left arm round- i cut him over slips for 4. The mouthyest one asks me ‘You OK mate?’ to which i respond - ‘Bud, I’m 58, I got me kit out of the garage this morning, I’ve not picked a bat up for a year, and I’m making you, a so called FC cricketer, look like a total c*nt….!’

Kid then moves to short leg bellowing for more bouncers….tunes me ‘Going back to your sad existence with your wife and 2 kids then, old man?’ Me: “No mate, back to my gorgeous boyfriend who’ll have a line of coke racked up for me so I can fuck him senseless with my 9” weapon- which is exactly what I’ll do to you if you don’t shut the fuck up….”

Match drawn…job done. Laughing my socks off….!

UnclePsychosis · May 2022

And they say the spirit of cricket is dead.

Gassage · May 2022

UnclePsychosis said:

And they say the spirit of cricket is dead.

All good fun. We shook hands and had a beer afterwards

NorthernGooner · May 2022

'and was there honey still for tea'

pigface · May 2022

26.2 said:

Well his father is English and he has British citizenship. He also did the qualifying period, which is good enough fo me. I doubt he'll play Test cricket again though.

No, he didn't really. The ECB changed the qualifying rules, IMO, specifically to get him into the World Cup.

Heartfeltdawn · June 2022

https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/news/south_african_bowler_mondli_khumalo_in_hospital_after_assault.html

Not far from me. Utterly horrible. The SCG reports a large number of people were involved.

https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/20173899.serious-attack-taxi-rank-friarn-street-bridgwater/

sev112 · June 2022

Anyone know the England team for tomorrow ? Specifically who is opening ? Can’t find it anywhere

crunchman · June 2022

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