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English & Irish Cricket Summer 2018

NinjaFletch

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Ah well, I guess it makes sense to try and replace Cook before we finish replacing his partner.
 

ha_rooney

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Cook confirms he is retiring after the Oval game.

Fantastic player, but the right decision.

Will be fun to see who England bring in. Still to replace Strauss properly.
 

zing

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One of the greats. A player for the purists.

There was a great line on Cricinfo some years ago, about how if there was a nuclear holocaust, you'd wake up to see cockroaches and Alastair Cook taking guard.

There was an entire summer of India playing England where I felt like whenever I switched the TV on, he was batting.
 

kotha

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Do the English players get any pension after they retire? I know BCCI has some pension scheme based on number of games played from Ranji to tests..
 

NinjaFletch

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The fact that he was so impressive in his first tour shouldn't be forgotten. He definitely deserves another chance - the likes of Jennings, Pope, Vince, Westley etc. have all looked far worse than he did.
Nah. It really should. He's been absolutely wank since he broke his hand on that tour and he struggles to get in to the Lancashire side at times.

He's averaging 9 this season.
 

KM

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Alastair Cook is the perhaps the only player in the last five years or so who I thought could beat Sachin's record. Absolute legend and seems like a very decent guy too. Best of luck to him in his post English career

He was incredible for them when England won in India.
 

Di Maria's angel

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Nah. It really should. He's been absolutely wank since he broke his hand on that tour and he struggles to get in to the Lancashire side at times.

He's averaging 9 this season.
It's not as if those who've impressed in County Cricket have done any better in the International game. Jennings looks like he's won some sort of competition to get into the team.

Mentally, Hameed looks on another level to any of the other openers I've seen England use over the last few years. I know it was only three games but on a tour where England were super close to being hammered 5-0, he was a real bright spark and contrary to what you've said, I really don't think it should be forgotten.

There was an Indian player, maybe you've heard of him, Sub. Badrinath. An absolute monster in Ranji Trophy throughout the years. Finally got his call up after years of waiting in the wings - looked a pub player in his first game. Played a couple of test matches, got dropped, bullied the domestic circuit, but never came back into the India set up. My point is sometimes domestic cricket doesn't always shape a player for the future.
 

Di Maria's angel

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Alastair Cook is the perhaps the only player in the last five years or so who I thought could beat Sachin's record. Absolute legend and seems like a very decent guy too. Best of luck to him in his post English career

He was incredible for them when England won in India.
160 matches in 12 years compared to Tendulkars 200 in 24! He absolutely looked nailed on to destroy every test record a few years back.
 

NinjaFletch

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It's not as if those who've impressed in County Cricket have done any better in the International game. Jennings looks like he's won some sort of competition to get into the team.

Mentally, Hameed looks on another level to any of the other openers I've seen England use over the last few years. I know it was only three games but on a tour where England were super close to being hammered 5-0, he was a real bright spark and contrary to what you've said, I really don't think it should be forgotten.

There was an Indian player, maybe you've heard of him, Sub. Badrinath. An absolute monster in Ranji Trophy throughout the years. Finally got his call up after years of waiting in the wings - looked a pub player in his first game. Played a couple of test matches, got dropped, bullied the domestic circuit, but never came back into the India set up. My point is sometimes domestic cricket doesn't always shape a player for the future.
He's averaging 9.
 

Samid

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M Trescothick
M Vaughan
I Bell
P Collingwood
K Pietersen
A Flintoff
G Jones
S Udal
L Plunkett
M Hoggard
S Harmison

England's last test XI that didn't feature Cook :lol:
 

KM

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Hameed looks like a dead cert to score 10k runs in test cricket given his technique and ability. Dunno what the feck happened to him?
 

Di Maria's angel

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M Trescothick
M Vaughan
I Bell
P Collingwood
K Pietersen
A Flintoff
G Jones
S Udal
L Plunkett
M Hoggard
S Harmison

England's last test XI that didn't feature Cook :lol:
Remember when Udal almost ended Sachins career :nervous:.
 

NinjaFletch

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Like I said, those named previously look no better than he did. What'd be the harm in giving him another chance?
Failure, sending his career into terminal decline, and him never fulfilling his potential?

I'm going to keep saying it, but he's averaging 9 this year. I was going to start listing all the bowlers who can't bat who currently average more than that in the CC this year but the post got too long.

He's only 21 years old. Give him the chance to rediscover form in the environment he's supposed to rediscover form in and recall him if and when he does. If your argument is that Jennings did well in the CC and looks a poor player then what does it say for the man (well boy rather) who is being repeatedly found out by the same bowlers that Jennings isn't?

I'm sorry, but the idea we should be sticking him in the England side now is a terrible one.
 

TheGame

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Like I said, those named previously look no better than he did. What'd be the harm in giving him another chance?
Because he isn't even getting picked for his county, that's how bad he's been. He's in and out of the team. There are other batsmen who are scoring at county level. He may well have made a century for England but he has been woeful since and certainly does not deserve an England call. There are people like Burns, Hildreth, Pope etc who deserve a better shot.
 

KM

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Dropped by Lancashire, been woeful. Hasn't progressed at all.
Yeah its still surprising. You'll see many Indians vouching for him because he looked like a potential world class talent.
 

NinjaFletch

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Because he isn't even getting picked for his county, that's how bad he's been. He's in and out of the team. There are other batsmen who are scoring at county level. He may well have made a century for England but he has been woeful since and certainly does not deserve an England call. There are people like Burns, Hildreth, Pope etc who deserve a better shot.
He hasn't even done that which is kind of the irony of him being championed. He played 3 tests where he opened the batting for England and averaged 30 odd (his average is boosted by a not out batting at 8 in the match where he did break his hand). He definitely was impressive, he definitely was promising, but his actual record as an opener was in the same ball park as Robson, Hales, Carberry and Compton who all were discarded.
 

Di Maria's angel

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Failure, sending his career into terminal decline, and him never fulfilling his potential?

I'm going to keep saying it, but he's averaging 9 this year. I was going to start listing all the bowlers who can't bat who currently average more than that in the CC this year but the post got too long.

He's only 21 years old. Give him the chance to rediscover form in the environment he's supposed to rediscover form in and recall him if and when he does. If your argument is that Jennings did well in the CC and looks a poor player then what does it say for the man (well boy rather) who is being repeatedly found out by the same bowlers that Jennings isn't?

I'm sorry, but the idea we should be sticking him in the England side now is a terrible one.
Alternatively, it could be the push that he needs to find his feet again. I'd wager his issues are not so much technical as they are mental, right now. Maybe the boost of making it back into the England set up could help him overcome the issues he's faced for the past few seasons.
 

Di Maria's angel

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He hasn't even done that which is kind of the irony of him being championed. He played 3 tests where he opened the batting for England and averaged 30 odd (his average is boosted by a not out batting at 8 in the match where he did break his hand). He definitely was impressive, he definitely was promising, but his actual record as an opener was in the same ball park as Robson, Hales, Carberry and Compton who all were discarded.
He averaged 43 with two fifties and a not out. That, too, in a series in which most your batsmen looked clueless against the spinning ball.

Edit: the last two guys I remember impressing on their debuts in India turned out to be English captains and pretty good players, themselves.
 

NinjaFletch

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He averaged 43 with two fifties and a not out. That, too, in a series in which most your batsmen looked clueless against the spinning ball.
He averaged 43.

He averaged 30 opening the batting which is what I said. That not out came at 8.

But hey, let's ignore all evidence of anything that's happened since and select a kid who has done nothing of note with the bat for two years on the basis of 3 matches.

England should pick that Jennings lad too. He scored a good century on debut in that series so I'm sure he'll be a success in test cricket too.

Don't get me wrong, I do agree with your assessment that he looked promising in that series. You just can't select a person averaging less than Jade Dernbach and Jake Ball in first class cricket to open the batting and expect them to do well on the basis of 3 matches two summers ago.
 

Di Maria's angel

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He averaged 43.

He averaged 30 opening the batting which is what I said. That not out came at 8.

But hey, let's ignore all evidence of anything that's happened since and select a kid who has done nothing of note with the bat for two years on the basis of 3 matches.

England should pick that Jennings lad too. He scored a good century in that series so I'm sure he'll be a success in test cricket too.
I have nothing to gain. I'd rather England never find an opener to replace either Strauss or Cook :).

I'm just going off what I saw of the kid in that tour and he was extremely impressive.

WRT to Jennings, he has had his chances in this series and he's a walking wicket, at times.
 

Snowjoe

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Feel quite sad about Cook retiring, I think it’s probably the right time but it’s such a big part of the team going.

Great player and seems a good guy too.
 

NinjaFletch

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I have nothing to gain. I'd rather England never find an opener to replace either Strauss or Cook :).

I'm just going off what I saw of the kid in that tour and he was extremely impressive.

WRT to Jennings, he's had his chances in this series and he's a walking wicket, at times.
But Jennings averaged 41 with a century and a fifty in that series?! I thought our entire criteria for selecting England openers was what they had done in that series whilst ignoring anything that had happened since?

As I say, I do agree that Hameed had a promising series but that was it. He not only hasn't built on it, but he's gone backwards. Exposing him to the enhanced scrutiny and media glare of the England side is just setting him up to fail whilst he is where is with the bat. He's still young, if we want him to do well than he needs time to work his game back out.
 

ChrisNelson

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Going on Friday through work and really hope England bat first so I can see him bat for the last time! What a fantastic servant to English cricket.
 

Samid

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Hameed's FC average is barely making it to the thirties. You'd think he was the second coming of Bradman reading this thread.
 

Di Maria's angel

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But Jennings averaged 41 with a century and a fifty in that series?! I thought our entire criteria for selecting England openers was what they had done in that series whilst ignoring anything that had happened since?

As I say, I do agree that Hameed had a promising series but that was it. He not only hasn't built on it, but he's gone backwards. Exposing him to the enhanced scrutiny and media glare of the England side is just setting him up to fail whilst he is where is with the bat. He's still young, if we want him to do well than he needs time to work his game back out.
Nope, not what I said. Criteria would be their international careers. Im not completely dismissing CC - just stating that certain players can excel in the international forms whilst being poor at the domestic level.
 

Djemba-Djemba

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After years of waking up to see England all out for 150 or Australia 600-3 I'll never forget the 2010/2011 Ashes.

Cook was a huge part of that, he was sensational.

On a different note you can't be calling up a player who's averaging 9. That would be absurd.
 

NinjaFletch

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Nope, not what I said. Criteria would be their international careers. Im not completely dismissing CC - just stating that certain players can excel in the international forms whilst being poor at the domestic level.
And whilst that can be true, its a ridiculously flimsy justification for calling up a guy you haven't seen bat in 2 years on the assumption that his average of 9 might not be reflective of a technical issue.
 

Sassy Colin

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He's only 33, although he's been playing for 12 years.

Gooch was still playing at 40+, can't believe he hasn't got another 5 years in him, just needs to sort his head out, maybe. A sabbatical year in County cricket and then back in as opener when we see that, despite his recent poor form, he's actually irreplaceable at this time.
 

2mufc0

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He's still young for a batsman, maybe he's just mentality shot with the pressure and constant touring.
 

Di Maria's angel

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He's only 33, although he's been playing for 12 years.

Gooch was still playing at 40+, can't believe he hasn't got another 5 years in him, just needs to sort his head out, maybe. A sabbatical year in County cricket and then back in as opener when we see that, despite his recent poor form, he's actually irreplaceable at this time.
The only great player/s to retire whilst on the up was Sangakkara and maybe Kallis. The likes of Tendulkar, Ponting, Smith, Sehwag, Dravid, Clarke, Laxman, Strauss, were all on the wane when they retired. Each one could probably have retired a little earlier but tried to prolong a career that had no fuel. Same for Cook, yes he's 33, but he has played more test cricket than any other player in the history of the game (could well be a sweeping statement) - 160 matches in 12 years is insane.
 

JMack1234

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End of an era.

It seems pretty expected and in fact a little overdue whilst being a massive surprise at the same time. I thought he'd try and carry on and retire with Anderson (I presume) after the next ashes. A total gentleman who loved playing for England.

Good look Cookie!