English cricket thread

Sultan

Gentleness adorns everything
Joined
Sep 1, 2004
Messages
48,569
Location
Redcafe
Best gloveman should keep, it’s not like any of the other keepers are that much better at batting in tests.
Yes! He's a fantastic keeper and a specialist at his job.

Too much workload for Buttler or Bairstow to keep wicket and be expected to bat at a high level in a 5-day test match.
 

TheGame

Full Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2002
Messages
18,836
Location
In the Land of Saints and Sinners
Dan Lawrence has been carrying the drinks all series hasn't he? In saying that though I think I'd ring the changes for the next match, doesn't really matter if we lose, nice reward for the backups, rest for the injured, and you never know we might just get a decent performance out of somebody like we did with Crawley in this one.

I think I'd go:

Burns
Crawley
Pope
Root
Lawrence
Bairstow
Billings
Wood
Mahmood
Broad
Anderson

Robinson for Mahmood if he's not eligible. I think Root and Lawrence will have to do a job with the ball if we need a spinner unfortunately as the all rounder options are a bit scarce without Stokes, Woakes (poor bowler in Australia) or Livingstone (we need to try him out in tests ASAP IMO). I suppose the other option would be Bohannon's medium pace but it doesn't seem a great option for Australia!
I believe Mahmood and Bohannon have gone home haven’t they so they won’t feature. Missed opportunity for Mahmood. So agree with above line up with Robinson in.
 

phelans shorts

Full Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2009
Messages
27,217
Location
Gaz. Is a Mewling Quim.
If Billings was 90 mins away from catching a flight back here to prepare for the West Indies T20 series, I think Mahmood’s back home now.

I don’t think it’s fair to bat Pope @ 3 when he’s not settled in test cricket yet.
Not settled, he’s played 22 tests! He still looks totally lost and is being protected at all costs despite being one of the more experienced batters we have at this point!
 

McGrathsipan

Dawn’s less famous husband
Joined
Jun 25, 2009
Messages
24,581
Location
Dublin
The headline says battling and gripping. Cannot find anywhere where it says famous? Most of the headlines state they got a draw to avoid a whitewash which is true.

You referred to headlines stating it was a famous draw and yet have produced no evidence of the sort. No where does it state David v Goliath or celebrating anything of the sort so seems like you are just making stuff up.
Even skysports news have removed the word "famous" since this morning. It was there.
 

arnie_ni

Full Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2014
Messages
15,093
The headline says battling and gripping. Cannot find anywhere where it says famous? Most of the headlines state they got a draw to avoid a whitewash which is true.

You referred to headlines stating it was a famous draw and yet have produced no evidence of the sort. No where does it state David v Goliath or celebrating anything of the sort so seems like you are just making stuff up.
 

ArmchairCritic

You got pets me too mines are dead
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
16,152
Not settled, he’s played 22 tests! He still looks totally lost and is being protected at all costs despite being one of the more experienced batters we have at this point!
I agree but he’s still only 24! For me there’s no question Pope has the talent, it’s the mental side of the game he’s lacking in. Shunting him up to 3 doesn’t help, his talent is worth protecting as best as you can because his payoff is considerable.
 

phelans shorts

Full Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2009
Messages
27,217
Location
Gaz. Is a Mewling Quim.
I agree but he’s still only 24! For me there’s no question Pope has the talent, it’s the mental side of the game he’s lacking in. Shunting him up to 3 doesn’t help, his talent is worth protecting as best as you can because his payoff is considerable.
I agree he’s a talent but he just needs to go away and work out what he is. Long term I don’t see how keeping him at 6 helps because you’re essentially creating a situation where he’s never going to learn what’s needed to be the anchor of the side, at least if he goes to 3 and fails he’ll have more of an idea what to work on, rather than sticking at 6 and failing and having no idea what’s needed when he’s eventually moved to 3/4/5
 

McGrathsipan

Dawn’s less famous husband
Joined
Jun 25, 2009
Messages
24,581
Location
Dublin
Well I stand corrected and apologise. Didn’t think anyone would be thick enough to come up with a headline like that but someone was. Glad they removed it as it was a stupid headline.
It was a bit knee jerk from the Sky writer. ;)
 

ArmchairCritic

You got pets me too mines are dead
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
16,152
Think that ship sailed with Adam Gilchrist.
Foakes is hardly Bob Taylor, he’s got a better first class record than Buttler. Bairstow does average 37 with the gloves but I’m not sold on Bairstow in test cricket in 2022, especially with the moving ball in England. England need to improve their fielding and they should start with the keeper.
 

zing

Zingle balls
Joined
Oct 19, 2005
Messages
13,797
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...-leaf-blown-along-the-road-and-into-the-ashes


Smith was on 22 off 26 by now and cruising. There was a brief delay as Haseeb Hameed, who always seems to be tumbling out of the door with his school tie askew clutching a piece of toast, fiddled his way into a pair of shin-pads.

There were some other good things on the fourth day for England. Ollie Pope’s wicket-keeping was lithe and limber. There was even something refreshing in the sound of his eager, piping chat, a pleasant change from the silent sadness of Jos Buttler, who crouches for every ball with the look of a laudanum-addled poet splayed in his garret composing his latest ode to death.
 

charlton66

Full Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2015
Messages
3,948
Supports
Golden State
Think that ship sailed with Adam Gilchrist.
That is very unfair to Gilchrist since even without his batting he was a test match quality wicket keeper. What is happening today is that teams are picking barely competent keepers who can bat. I'm not sure Gilly is top 5 but I'd certainly put him in the top 10 pure test wicket keepers of my lifetime (sixty plus years). His foot movement was outstanding and the number of catches he took was outrageous. As a comparison, Alan Knott (who is possibly the best keeper I've ever seen) took 250 catches in 95 tests. Gilly took 379 catches in 96 tests
 
Last edited:

FlawlessThaw

most 'know it all' poster
Joined
Oct 26, 2005
Messages
29,599
I *think* Mahmood is still there in the Big Bash, Bohannon has gone home (ludicrous decision to send the Lions home might I add)
It would have been nice to have kept them but it's completely unrealistic to keep almost an entire other squad on reserve in a bubble, away from their families for over 2 months.
 

phelans shorts

Full Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2009
Messages
27,217
Location
Gaz. Is a Mewling Quim.
It would have been nice to have kept them but it's completely unrealistic to keep almost an entire other squad on reserve in a bubble, away from their families for over 2 months.
They’re managing to do it with the womens side. Keep them on laying some Australian sides and then if necessary send whoever home that’s struggling
 

FlawlessThaw

most 'know it all' poster
Joined
Oct 26, 2005
Messages
29,599
Actually they’re going straight from Australia to the World Cup, so currently the last planned game of this trip is March 26th (likely to go further in the tournament looking at the teams strength) so it is actually a similar length of time
Are the England women's A side really staying until the end of March at a bare minimum :eek: I guess they men's play more matches in general but that would be insane

I think that amount of time is mental. The England Lion's team would have had to stick around in a bubble playing no one as the BBL was on so again I think that would have been too harsh. Fair play to the women if they are doing that for that amount of time.
 

phelans shorts

Full Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2009
Messages
27,217
Location
Gaz. Is a Mewling Quim.
Are the England women's A side really staying until the end of March :eek: I guess they men's play more matches in general but that would be insane
I know the full whack are definitely staying for the full month of the Ashes, but after that I’m not certain with the A side. I think a fair few are going because of New Zealand’s strict covid laws so they’re playing it safe taking excess players but they did rip up the plans and redo it all a few weeks ago. I believe they’re essentially going into full quarantine, not even mixing with each other outside training/matches quite soon after getting into Australia
 

TwoSheds

More sheds (and tiles) than you, probably
Joined
Feb 12, 2014
Messages
12,739
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...-leaf-blown-along-the-road-and-into-the-ashes


Smith was on 22 off 26 by now and cruising. There was a brief delay as Haseeb Hameed, who always seems to be tumbling out of the door with his school tie askew clutching a piece of toast, fiddled his way into a pair of shin-pads.

There were some other good things on the fourth day for England. Ollie Pope’s wicket-keeping was lithe and limber. There was even something refreshing in the sound of his eager, piping chat, a pleasant change from the silent sadness of Jos Buttler, who crouches for every ball with the look of a laudanum-addled poet splayed in his garret composing his latest ode to death.
Laudanum addled poet :lol:
 

JohnnyKills

Full Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2016
Messages
7,098
That is very unfair to Gilchrist since even without his batting he was a test match quality wicket keeper. What is happening today is that teams are picking barely competent keepers who can bat. I'm not sure Gilly is top 5 but I'd certainly put him in the top 10 pure test wicket keepers of my lifetime (sixty plus years). His foot movement was outstanding and the number of catches he took was outrageous. As a comparison, Alan Knott (who is possibly the best keeper I've ever seen) took 250 catches in 95 tests. Gilly took 379 catches in 96 tests
Agree Gilchrist was an excellent wicketkeeper. But he definitely raised the bar in terms of what is expected of keepers.

To be classed as a top wicketkeeper these days you need to be averaging 35+ in test cricket (which obviously rules out all of ours!)
 

JohnnyKills

Full Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2016
Messages
7,098
Head is playing Wood poorly here. Doesn't look confident at all (although tbf none of us would!)

Why are we playing Wood and not Anderson though? We're resting a 40-year-old who's lethal in these conditions instead of a guy who's ideally suited to the next series we play.
 
Last edited:

Dan_F

Full Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2012
Messages
10,317
This is utterly pointless. We all know England are going to get these wickets with half hour left, then end up 3 down by the end of the day.
 

JohnnyKills

Full Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2016
Messages
7,098
So, just to confirm, we've taken a 35-year-old and a 39-year-old to Australia because of their experience in seaming conditions.

We've had three green, seaming wickets in the series, but haven't played these two bowlers together in any of them.

The only time we've played them together is on flat pitches which are suited to a different kind of bowler.
 

IRN-BRUno

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2021
Messages
1,112
So, just to confirm, we've taken a 35-year-old and a 39-year-old to Australia because of their experience in seaming conditions.

We've had three green, seaming wickets in the series, but haven't played these two bowlers together in any of them.

The only time we've played them together is on flat pitches which are suited to a different kind of bowler.
Selection has been pretty poor for a while now but in this series it's sunk to a new low.

Don't even see the point in recalling Pope and Woakes. Why bother taking Lawrence and Overton there if dropped and unfit players still get another chance ahead of them?
 

JohnnyKills

Full Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2016
Messages
7,098
Selection has been pretty poor for a while now but in this series it's sunk to a new low.

Don't even see the point in recalling Pope and Woakes. Why bother taking Lawrence and Overton there if dropped and unfit players still get another chance ahead of them?
Yeah Overton should surely have played this match.