Always said that Jimmy should have played this teat match 
English cricket thread
- Thread starter Samid
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Leaving out Archer for Curran is such an English move. Got two guys who can bowl 90mph but pick an 80mph seamer because he can bat.Anderson strikes in first over
BTW - I agree with you
No wonder we always fail overseas FFS.
Another drop catch and again they are too close together
But we're not picking a team to win a test match overseas, and Curran has been lethal with the ball over here for a few summers now.
I also think it's a pretty obvious message to Archer, given what Root said yesterday, that he isn't bowling in a manner that they would like him to. A bit of tough love, I think.
Lethal? He's averaging two wickets a test. Which, given he only ever plays in conditions that suit him, makes him about as lethal as a super-soaker.
Surely we need to keep one eye on the future. The reason we get consistently hammered outside England is because we don't plan for overseas conditions and turn up with the wrong bowlers.
And it's not even like we need an extra swing bowler here. With Anderson, Broad and Woakes we've got three excellent swing bowlers. If we want to give Archer a kick up the backside (which is fair enough) surely Wood would be the better option.
Archer hasn't bowled consistent 90mph this whole Summer. If he is bowling mid 80's there are better options.
Burns & Sibley in the slips is killing us. Jesus.
Curran been under bowled especially in England, he’s played 8 tests at home only averaging 20 overs a test match but has a SR of 42.23. Archer has played 7 but averaging 38 overs a test and has a SR of over 50
How the feck can you drop that
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The problem is that our slips just aren't very good.
At an average of 22 and a SR of 42.5. That's a better average and SR than Archer and its far, far better than Wood whose record in England is absolutely dog shit. There's zero justification for picking Wood over Curran in a test in England.
The middle paragraph is a fair point, but you're playing a test in England where there's grass on the pitch and the ball is swinging. It doesn't matter who you pick, you're not getting close to replicating the conditions that England have struggled in. Unless you want groundsmen to create fast bouncy pitches (I'm not even sure you can do that mind) and want us to play with the Kookabura too, then you're just picking a team to lose a test match in England.
I actually think England are largely starting to figure it out. Wood was an automatic choice in the winter, but he's not here because the pitches don't suit him as much, whereas Woakes's record is so poor overseas he's going to drop out of contention. I'm not sure there's anything wrong with picking the pair in conditions that suit them and not flogging them on pitches that don't.
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Two dropped slipped catches
I'd like to know if Burns & Sibley are slip fielders at Surrey & Warks respectively.
Your best slip should be at 2nd.
Your best slip should be at 2nd.
England could be in for a long day if they can't get wickets with the new ball. Stokes and Archer are their best when the ball gets old.
Fair enough mate. We both want England to win and guess we just see the roadmap differently.
Personally I would be in favour of doing exactly what you suggest with the pitches and ball, so guess my own perspective flows from that.
Was Buttler any good when he fielded in the slips? If so, that might be another reason for picking him as a batsman-only.
If and when we move Pope up to three, whoever comes in at 6 needs to be a good slip fielder because we haven't got that right at all.
Slip fielders tend to be naturals, it's rare you learn the role. Either you are comfortable there or not. Since Cook retired we've missed a natural there, perhaps.
Don't think he hit that tbh.
Me neither, bet it would have been given though.
I just think you have to be careful not to chuck the baby out with the bathwater. We all want England to win in Australia, but we play there once every two years. Completely ripping up everything about what makes it hard to play in England in pursuit of that win is a folly, I think. And you still might get there and get pounded because Australia have some phenomenal players.
And more generally, Australia play a large number of really boring test matches where you have to post 500+ on a road to stand a chance. I'm not sure the English cricket watching public, who have got used to there being a real balance between bat and ball, would warm to those matches, especially if England are regularly losing them.
It's not an easy problem to solve, hardly anybody tours well these days, but I just don't think the solution to it is picking the wrong players in England, just like you wouldn't pick Leach Bess and Virdi for this test because you're due to tour India soon.
Players I've seen play (Rule: one from each current test nation). Was so hard!!!
Who wins: your team vs mine?
Cook Eng
Tendulkar Ind
Sangakara (WK) SL
Kohli Ind
Viv Richards WI
Shakib Al Hasan Bang
Imran Khan (captain) Pak
Hadlee NZ
Akram Pak
Warne Aus
Steyn SA
Do you think Archer is deliberately bowling at less than full speed: I thought it was an instruction from management to suit the conditions?
If not, why is he not capable of doing what he did last summer?
Deliberately, no. He's needs a fire in his belly imo, he needs to be angry to reach those speeds.
Tom Latham (NZ)
Tamim Iqbal (BAN)
Steve Smith (AUS)
Babar Azam (PAK)
Virat Kohli (IND)
Ben Stokes (ENG)
Niroshan Dickwella (SL)
Jason Holder (WIN)
Mankad Ashwin (IND)
Pat Cummins (AUS)
Kagiso Rabada (SA)
12th man Rahkeem the dream
Abid’s gone, no prizes for guessing who got the wicket
I haven't got to watch the action today, but looks like we’re struggling again with the bat. Hopefully Babar can get a big score, a lot of pressure on him.
What is the point of Fawad stance, when he gets into normal position by the time the ball arrives?
Fawad’s stance is, erm, interesting...
He will be a sad man getting out for only 5
I will get my coat
I will get my coat
Almost forgot about that Fawad stance! Good to see him back, curious to see how he does, many always talk about he's always woefully overlooked despite solid domestic numbers
Dont get it
solid review
Looked out in real time, good review. Richard has had a poor series.
We’re in deep trouble. Missed the chance to win the first Test, now batting is capitulating as usual.
We’re in deep trouble. Missed the chance to win the first Test, now batting is capitulating as usual.
Oh ok he hasn't played for 11 years because he's shite.
That looked so out didn't it. Umpire must have thought it pitched outside leg.
Should have enough time to work on that stance and technique until his next match in 2031.
Yeah that’s surely the only reason. Holding’s praising him for giving it NO but I’d prefer if the bowler got the benefit of the doubt on those close calls & the batting team had to review instead.
Michael Holding should be banned from talking about DRS. 
Genuinely think this should be the last summer he's on commentary. Feels like he's jumped the shark.Michael Holding should be banned from talking about DRS.
Hearing him rant about DRS, when the issue is he doesn't understand how it works, every single test is just annoying now.
His Name is Asad Shafiq
He is a proper old school. Anything new to the game he just hates it. The guy cannot stand T20s.Michael Holding should be banned from talking about DRS.