The cricket thread

earwighoney · September 2018

Heartfeltdawn said:

If any player deserves a proper farewell it's Ali Cook, he's been the great gentleman of the sport and maintained a great reputation as a man even at testing times.

@earwhighoney And that is one hell of a good send off.

Yes, a fine achievement to mark his incredible career.

crunchman · September 2018

When you see him play like this, you really wish he could go on a bit longer.

Great way to go out though.

scrumhalf · September 2018

I can see him coming back. He's not old for a test batsman, he's in good physical nick and he may well get tired of carting county bowling attacks all over the place.

Heartfeltdawn · September 2018

I think people will learn from this regarding schedules and proper breaks will be instituted. Had he missed an entire winter over the last two years, perhaps he'd still be going now. Watching him bat today truly was watching a man with the shackles lifted.

And it means I'll be at the Oval tomorrow. Thank God we've finally got a proper 5 day Test match. This is what happens when you prepare a good cricket wicket.

breezytele · September 2018

At the Oval to witness both tons.
A declaration , then some quick wickets please

guitars4you · September 2018

breezytele said:

At the Oval to witness both tons.
A declaration , then some quick wickets please

enjoy it

Just got in the ballot for my Ashes tickets for next year - fingers crossed

scrumhalf · September 2018

The Indian run chase has started well...

crunchman · November 2018

Like what Foakes is doing to rescue it after the inevitable top order shambles.

Best bit is that we will have a decent keeper if he stays in the side.

iseverynamegone · November 2018

Stokes at 3 then in the next test.

sixstringsupplies · November 2018

Many will demand that Bairstow should be in the team...it would be extremely harsh on Burns but the only way to fit him in is to drop an opener.

Bairstow hasn't had the best test summer and I've heard whispers that he sulks at any threat of the gloves being taken away from him (rumours going back 2 years or so). That debate seems over. He needs to learn to play solely as a batsman.

Regarding Stokes, I agree with many of the pundits that he has a textbook technique...Could be a masterstroke. We'll see when I wake up early to watch it!

crunchman · November 2018

You could drop a bowler to get Bairstow in. As it stands you have 6 bowlers. It's nice to have three spinners in Asian conditions and still have 3 quick bowlers. Anywhere else in the world, you would leave out one of the spinners to play an extra batsman. On a raging turner in Sri Lanka though, it's worth having the third spinner - and it would be a big risk to only go in with 2 quick bowlers.

iseverynamegone · November 2018

Stokes technique will hold up to 3. He has played a few defensive innings now when he has needed. I think I said earlier in the thread I fancied him at 3 a few months back.

Let Bairstow recover fully and then he can come back.

crunchman · November 2018

Given the players England have available, then Stokes at 3 looks to be the best bet. It worked for Kallis as an allrounder.

iseverynamegone · November 2018

Standard this morning then.

scrumhalf · November 2018

Anderson and Leach to open the batting? If we're going to be four or five down for 100, we might as well let the tailenders get out.

Heartfeltdawn · November 2018

It's a good call because Stokes isn't going to be bowling a huge number of overs. His technique is there so it's all down to mindset. Get the right mindset, make yourself get into that side as a batsman alone and see the bowling as a very useful bonus.

Dropping Burns would have been regressive. He's there through sheer weight of runs. Plenty of players get nervous on debut (Michael Hussey was awful on Test debut despite having played a lot of ODI cricket beforehand). He deserves this and the next series to press his case. Good start today on a tough wicket.

No problems with YJB not playing. He's not been in great form for some time.

Heartfeltdawn · November 2018

sixstringsupplies said:

Many will demand that Bairstow should be in the team...it would be extremely harsh on Burns but the only way to fit him in is to drop an opener.

Bairstow hasn't had the best test summer and I've heard whispers that he sulks at any threat of the gloves being taken away from him (rumours going back 2 years or so). That debate seems over. He needs to learn to play solely as a batsman.

Regarding Stokes, I agree with many of the pundits that he has a textbook technique...Could be a masterstroke. We'll see when I wake up early to watch it!

Going back through this thread, I've been calling for Buttler and YJB to be played as batsmen only. The example was there of a supremely talented keeper batsman who dropped the gloves in favour of the bat in Sangakkara yet we did not follow it. A keeper-batsman who averages 40 is a good thing to have: when you have two keeper batsmen who could average 40 but who could slot in higher up and average more in the top order where we are weak, you have to wonder why it took us so long to actually get to the position.

And how have we have reached this position where we have an out and out keeper of quality in Foakes, Buttler batting as well as he has ever done, and a fired up YJB batting very well today in the same side?

A freak injury. There wasn't a call or decision made from the management. We've come into the Third Test and we have experimented. Finally!

That line up looks very solid now.

crunchman · November 2018

Not convinced Bairstow's technique is tight enough to bat 3 in places where the ball does more for the fast bowlers like England, NZ, or SA.

Still wonder if we would be better with Stokes trying to do the Kallis role at 3 with Bairstow 5 and Buttler 5.

iseverynamegone · November 2018

I’m definitely with you on Stokes at 3. I. also agree that playing 2 batsmen at 5 would be an interesting development.

crunchman · November 2018

Meant to say Bairstow 5, Buttler 6!

Heartfeltdawn · November 2018

crunchman said:

Not convinced Bairstow's technique is tight enough to bat 3 in places where the ball does more for the fast bowlers like England, NZ, or SA.

Still wonder if we would be better with Stokes trying to do the Kallis role at 3 with Bairstow 5 and Buttler 5.

Stokes isn't close to being in Kallis's class with the bat. I take your point about technique but we haven't got a Dravid or Sangakkara figure whose technique looks solid. A player like Kallis is a rare thing. When you look at his stats, it reinforces that 3 is a difficult spot.

280 innings, 45 tons. That's a ton every 6.22 innings.

Batting at 3: 78 innings, 9 tons. That's one every 8.66 innings.

Some comparisons when batting 1 to 3:

Cook: 290 innings, 33 tons = 8.79
Sachin: 1 innings. 15 runs scored.
Lara: 68 innings, 9 tons = 7.55
Dravid: 242 innings, 32 tons = 7.56.
Sangakkara: 216 innings, 37 tons = 5.83.

Then of course we have to do the Don: 56 innings, 20 tons = 2.8. Yet another stat that demonstrates how outlandish his run scoring was in the entire history of Test cricket.

So perhaps we need to move away a bit from technique. An ugly technique can work if you adapt (just ask Graeme Smith). YJB wants the gloves but isn't going to get them. It's pretty clear he's been riled by some of the media criticism directed his way. That shout when reaching his century was a decided message to the detractors. He strikes me as the sort of guy who likes a challenge. Tell him that he's got the number 3 slot for the foreseeable future and set him the target of making that his spot alone.

Nobody thought Steve Smith's technique was tight enough five years ago. That average certainly picked up and went a bit higher than that guy at 3 for Oz who kept padding up and challenging reviews...

scrumhalf · November 2018

So was today's Sri Lankan collapse down to crap batting or brilliant bowling? More the foemer than the latter, I think.

But as Barry Davies said whilst commentating on the Olympic Hockey final "But quite frankly, who cares?".

sixstringsupplies · November 2018

scrumhalf said:

So was today's Sri Lankan collapse down to crap batting or brilliant bowling? More the foemer than the latter, I think.

But as Barry Davies said whilst commentating on the Olympic Hockey final "But quite frankly, who cares?".

Bit of both. Batting was poor but Stokes bowled really well (don't say that enough about him)

Sri Lanka making a fist of it today though, what a run chase it would be if they pull it off

Gassage · November 2018

And, as if by magic, Jofra is now available for the World Cup!

Yaaaay!!!

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/nov/29/jofra-archer-available-england-ecb-eligbility-rules-cricket

earwighoney · November 2018

Gassage said:

And, as if by magic, Jofra is now available for the World Cup!

Yaaaay!!!

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/nov/29/jofra-archer-available-england-ecb-eligbility-rules-cricket

A good change to the rule.

I thought the qualification issue for Jofra Archer was a little harsh, especially considering his father is British/from the UK and he's had a British passport from day one.

crunchman · November 2018

Much as it's likely to be good for England, he really should be playing for the Windies. Cricket needs a competitive Windies team.

Gassage · November 2018

crunchman said:

Much as it's likely to be good for England, he really should be playing for the Windies. Cricket needs a competitive Windies team.

It's his choice, nobody else's.

crunchman · November 2018

Gassage said:

crunchman said:

Much as it's likely to be good for England, he really should be playing for the Windies. Cricket needs a competitive Windies team.

It's his choice, nobody else's.

But if he's played for Windies U19s already, then surely he's made his choice at that point. This looks mercenary because there is a lot more money in the English set up.

Meanwhile Windies cricket is in the doldrums, and world cricket is much poorer for that.

Heartfeltdawn · November 2018

crunchman said:

Gassage said:

crunchman said:

Much as it's likely to be good for England, he really should be playing for the Windies. Cricket needs a competitive Windies team.

It's his choice, nobody else's.

But if he's played for Windies U19s already, then surely he's made his choice at that point. This looks mercenary because there is a lot more money in the English set up.
Meanwhile Windies cricket is in the doldrums, and world cricket is much poorer for that.

I don't think it's mercenary. It's just what happens in the modern era with greater migration than before. It is odd though how I've seen a few people online say Archer is mercenary for moving yet I can't recall anyone describing Sams Hain and Robson for doing likewise after representing Australia U-19s.

If I had the ability to ping the ball down like Archer then I'd want to come to the UK rather than spend my time bowling on some of those awful West Indies tracks.

earwighoney · November 2018

Heartfeltdawn said:
I don't think it's mercenary. It's just what happens in the modern era with greater migration than before. It is odd though how I've seen a few people online say Archer is mercenary for moving yet I can't recall anyone describing Sams Hain and Robson for doing likewise after representing Australia U-19s.

In addition Keaton Jennings & Jon Trott played for South Africa U19's.

Btw, Sam Hain is the most unintentional awesome name for a cricketer (for the Glenn Danzig associations...)

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