Disappointed, but the Aussies were just too good.
Haynes and Healy scored over 1,000 runs in 9 matches. That is phenomenal.
Haynes and Healy scored over 1,000 runs in 9 matches. That is phenomenal.
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English cricket thread
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They have to get rid of the extra fielders restriction in woman’s cricket, it was brought in to make it more aggressive with more boundaries which it has done but now a lot of the players due to the level of exposure are much better than before & so it’s just far too easy for batters on good pitches. There should be an element of risk involved in hitting a good ball to the boundary
Posted this a couple of years ago and even though it is still true I wish Ms Healy could have picked a better game to justify my faith in her.
Bracey with a good innings today in the first county game of the season.
Think he should be given the chance for another opportunity against New Zealand.
Regarding captaincy it’s either Root stays on or it’s Woakes or Bairstow as a temporary stop GAP.
Tom Haines had a good innings, so did Alastair Cook. And they're actual openers.
What’s the point of picking players if we only give them a couple of tests to prove themselves,
Based on his performances last season he deserves another chance.
If you really think Malan is the answer then you are living in cuckoo land.
I don't think picking shit players several times just because you made a mistake once is a particularly good tactic myself. That's how you end up with the likes of Sibley and Overton trotting out over and over.
So basically the verdict is up then after two games for Bracey?
Agree with Sibley and Overton but they have clearly played for England longer and played more games and have shown they have not adapted there game or even improved it.
Maybe you should be more of an optimist then a pessimist.
If you're an England coach or selector you should know when somebody is just a good county plodder or when they have that bit more that could see them step up at Test level given the opportunity. The likes of Crawley or Pope I absolutely see what people see in them to think they need a run of games even if they're not doing so well. The likes of Sibley, Overton, Bracey and even Leach (to a much lesser extent) I just don't see the talent needed. Doesn't mean they won't have good careers but they're not proper international players.
Well that’s the issue isn’t it? Players getting selected based on amount of runs scored and having a good average.
I watched an interview not to long ago by Duncan Fletcher and his philosophy would be not just to focus on those aspects.
You mention Pope and he plays on one of the best batting tracks in the county circuit. Nathan Lyon had him on toast in the ashes because his game against Spin is shit which is not being helped by batting on a road the majority of the time.
Bracey is more technically correct then Sibley who you keep on bringing up and yes I agree he is not a test player.
I like what I've seen of Bracey, his average isn't great but he seems to have stepped up a level in the last couple of seasons. Made a century against Australia A this winter who had a decent bowling line-up of Neser, Boland, Steketee, M Marsh and Swepson. Even in this current match there have been 14 wickets so far, he's scored 117 and the next highest on either side is 28.
From what I remember of his tests last year he did look a little overawed but he was kind of thrown in as keeper at the last minute as well and made a couple of errors which wouldn't have helped with nerves.
From what I remember of his tests last year he did look a little overawed but he was kind of thrown in as keeper at the last minute as well and made a couple of errors which wouldn't have helped with nerves.
Joe Root resigns as captain, right call our best player but struggles with captain. No real viable replacement though.
Give it to Broady until the end of the year
Right call but who is going to take the armband? Stokes is the only clear replacement but he doesn't want it by all accounts.
My vote goes to Malan. Suppose Woakes would be ok.
Totally agree. Class player and clearly an absolutely top bloke, but an average captain.
Let him go back to the ranks and score millions of runs.
Get the feeling Root and Stokes don't particularly like him, or at least they're pissed off with his sulking and moaning (same goes for Anderson).
I'd be inclined to agree with you, but feel like he's persona non grata at the moment.
I’d go the other way, I think that Root needed that win in the Caribbean to justify his decision over Broad and Anderson and not getting it meant he lost a lot of face. Stokes would be an abysmal choice and that leaves (out of the current setup) Broad as about the only viable option.
And anyway, sulking and moaning Broad is the best Broad, as we’ve seen time and again. He’s easily the best tactician we have in the group (assuming Buttler isn’t being considered as I’m fairly sure he’s going to give up tests to captain the white ball side later this year)
My issue with him off the pitch is he can't keep his trap shut. On the pitch he's very excitable - we'd all make jokes about him using up all the reviews in his first spell but I'm not convinced it would end there.
I think that Stokes would probably accept the job if offered but it would be poor of the ECB to ask him.
Whoever it is, I fully expect things to get worse for this side yet. I don't see them being able to beat either New Zealand or South Africa this summer and that's followed by an almost certain defeat in Pakistan.
Whoever it is, I fully expect things to get worse for this side yet. I don't see them being able to beat either New Zealand or South Africa this summer and that's followed by an almost certain defeat in Pakistan.
With respect, I think you're overestimating how bad England are with a touch of recency bias. Yes, they have been woeful, but if they are quaking in their boots at the prospect of facing South Africa at home and Pakistan away, they might as well just resign their test status now.
New Zealand are a tough side but I don't think SA have been great recently and nor have Pakistan.
With the right kind of choices made at the top, and a bit of luck with injuries and new players coming in, there's no reason why England can't be moderately successful. Root has been a dead man walking for a while and looks like he's aged by about 10 years during the 'bubble' stage. He needed to get out of the firing line - give it Broad or another experienced member of the side. They need to make some tough calls, starting with having Stokes bat six where he ought to be (it has always irritated me to have an all-rounder at five).
I totally understand why the mood around English cricket is so negative, though I don't think it's because of an absence of talent, but due to issues that can actually be rectified.
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Yeah, South Africa at home shouldn’t be anything to fear. Pakistan away will be tough but it’s certainly shouldn’t be a whitewash or anything. England aren’t as poor as they’ve looked in the last year or so, they did play some of the very best in India and New Zealand, and beating Australia in Australia will always be a big ask. Let’s not forget that a year ago England won the first test in India comfortably before rotating (a policy which while not wrong, didn’t achieve what was wanted).
West Indies tour saw a tonne of issues and made it clear that Root was just destroyed as captain, but the first two tests England did edge and just didn’t see it through, which just can happen where you lose one match after two draws. Hopefully we can see a young player or two really stake a claim and swing some momentum (I’m looking at you, Ollie Pope. Time to shit or get off the pot) and change the entire mood around the time, quite like with United it’s becoming really toxic around the team and some excitement would really help everyone feel a little better.
West Indies tour saw a tonne of issues and made it clear that Root was just destroyed as captain, but the first two tests England did edge and just didn’t see it through, which just can happen where you lose one match after two draws. Hopefully we can see a young player or two really stake a claim and swing some momentum (I’m looking at you, Ollie Pope. Time to shit or get off the pot) and change the entire mood around the time, quite like with United it’s becoming really toxic around the team and some excitement would really help everyone feel a little better.
The combined effort of England + Somerset's batting along with United's form has probably led me to become slightly more pessimistic 
I do think it'll be tough though. SA's batting line-up isn't really any better but the bowling attack is quality. Now that Harmer is back available they even have the option of playing 2 very good spinners if the pitches suit.
For Pakistan, if conditions are the same as they were for the Australia series recently I don't see how this side takes 20 wickets. And I'm not sure the batters are capable of putting up 500+ even on a road.
I do think it'll be tough though. SA's batting line-up isn't really any better but the bowling attack is quality. Now that Harmer is back available they even have the option of playing 2 very good spinners if the pitches suit.
For Pakistan, if conditions are the same as they were for the Australia series recently I don't see how this side takes 20 wickets. And I'm not sure the batters are capable of putting up 500+ even on a road.
Why are people putting forward Stokes' name as a potential captain?
Bowlers don't really make good captains, having to bowl, bat, and captain is just asking far too much of a person.
So him and Broad should be ruled out immediately.
Bowlers don't really make good captains, having to bowl, bat, and captain is just asking far too much of a person.
So him and Broad should be ruled out immediately.
There’s nobody else that can be sure of a spot. Broad as a short term option to me seems to be the only viable move right now. We also have just been ripped apart by a Pat Cummins led Australia, it’s not that bowlers can’t captain.
Anyway, if I have to watch another year and don’t see Matt Parkinson as the front line spinner I’m going to lose my mind.
It was clear that Root didn't trust any of our spinners. Not saying any of them were world beaters but most of the time they weren't given the best platform to be successful with Root as captain.
Maybe with a new captain that will change.
The question is obviously whether the issue was not trusting their bowling or whether he was just so embarrassed by the batters that how good they were with the bat became an important factor in selecting bowlers.
Either way it was the wrong call imo, and yeah, Root’s tenure was full of poor calls.
Haines and Bracey impressing again with both scoring tons.
Is Rob the Key to England turning their fortunes around? Sorry for the poor joke but Rob Key is England's new Director of Cricket: https://www.ecb.co.uk/england/men/n...-as-managing-director-of-england-mens-cricket
Ben Compton of Kent looks a player. Batted for about 12 hours against Lancs who look one of the best sides in the country. Clearly a late developer but he must have something.
Feels like Rob Key was the only person who properly applied for the director role. He was very vocal on the Sky Cricket Vodcasts is on the record saying he backs dropping Broad and Anderson for the West Indies tour and that England should have split coaches for each format. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Langer land the test gig.
I think Langer would want the whole lot - tests, 50 overs and hit and giggle. If you down the split coaches route, I can see Gary Kirsten getting the test side with Mahela Jayawardena getting the white ball sides.
With respect to Langer I did consider that. The England role is very intense, coaching across all 3 formats is basically a year round job, so I wonder if Langer would appreciate a lighter load so he can spend more time with his family. Kirsten has expressed interest but that was even before Silverwood was gone so I’m intrigued if that will count against him now.
Yeah, decent attack-minded bowling unit what with Hassan Ali and Matty Parkinson in it. Difficult just to block and block against those two. Great achievement from Compton.
I’ll tell you what, Lancashire are looking excellent in the first two games. Obvious worry what happens to that bowling attack (and maybe Bohannon, who’s been magnificent) when the internationals start. Also the obvious worry with the northern weather, but a really strong team.
It’s almost seeing me through watching United
It’s almost seeing me through watching United
Don’t know where the hell this Ben Compton has come from but he is having an impressive start to the season. Think the previous game he was not out in both the innings!
He was the last man out second innings against Lancashire, after carrying his bat in the first and following on. A remarkable knock tbf.
Anyway, the obvious call was made. A really really bad one, but the obvious one.
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You've got to assume the ECB have done their due diligence and taken into account his mental health after the recent issues, but it is the ECB so....
Even without that I’d have thought it a crap move having your all rounder from all 3 formats captain. There’s far too much on his plate, he’ll be burned out totally in 18 months