jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Apr 19, 2015 9:27:59 GMT
The Windies hung on. Well don't to them. Holder and Ramdin batted really well. I know the pitch was flat but I there are areas for concern. Broad looked better in this test but our opening bowlers were out bowled by Jerome Taylor. I thought Stokes was a bit unlucky with the ball but England's support bowlers just struggle to take wickets. For all Tredwells plaudits in the first innings he was out bowled by Root in the second. I still think it was a mistake to leave out Rashid. He will go for a few runs but you don't need someone to block up an end when you have 5 bowlers and Root who is capable of bowling a few overs too. The selection is indicative of the conservatism that bedevils English cricket at the moment. I would have given Lyth a go but I guess we have to stick with Trott for this series. One test isn't enough to judge whether his selection was a good one but England's top order continue to cause concern. The Middle order is looking more secure although both Root and Ballance get a bit stuck on the crease sometimes. I think we'll know more about them this time next year. If they can both get runs against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Pakistan then we really can consider them the real deal. Finally kudos to Anderson. He is a real menace, especially to left handers. His methodology (going round the wicket and trying to take the ball away from the lefty rather than trying to get him out LBW) is quite a new phenomenon. He knows his own game inside out and while I think his powers are waning he's still our go to bowler. Firstly, absolutely hats off to the Windies. It's really good to see them play competitively like that again. They've never been as terrible talent wise as their performances over the last decade or so have suggested but for whatever reason the desire to dig in when the going gets tough has not been there which is the complete opposite to the previous 80 years of Windies cricket. So it's good to see - it was also good to see the atmosphere at the ground seemed decent from the home fans for the first time in a while which is good to see because the game really needs more decent Test nations. One of the problems with England is the utter obsession with the Ashes; arguably neither team in that contest has really been number 1 in the World now for 5 years. I think Holder might really be something if he's allowed to develop into a proper test player; seems like a leader too. I felt Windies deserved the draw because I think they actually played the better cricket of the 2 sides. England should beat them but were in a kind of cruise control for the whole game. There was not a single performance with bat or ball that pushed over the edge into winning the game so I think it would have been a bit of an injustice if we'd ground our way to victory. We weren't terrible but it was a bit uninspiring. Ultimately I think the game highlighted the limitation of Tredwell. He's a solid, reliable defensive offspinner spinner who does a good job but he's never going to be a consistent match winner; he just doesn't do enough with the ball. It showed the value of Graeme Swann to England - we'd have comfortably won that match with Swann in the side. An attacking spinner wins you Test Matches consistently anywhere in the World; in my entire time watching England we've only ever produced 2 I can think of; Swann and Tufnell and Tufnell was dreadfully treated by incompetent England selectors who didn't realise what they had. The rest of the time we've relied on doing the damage with the new ball and attritional, disciplined bowling. But on a flat wicket you need a bit more than that. We just didn't have the bowling attack to turn the screw. I'm not absolutely convinced we have that bowler really. Rashid might have done but it's a bit hypothetical; he might equally have been trashed. Slow wickets aren't normally great for leggies either. I'd have liked to have seen them pick him but I don't think he'd have been the difference. Moeen might have been more of a threat but that's not a guarantee either. Without Swann I think it's just harder for England to win tests away from home, simply as that. I think a secondary reason we didn't win was scoring too slowly in the second innings. The Windies bowling is their weakest suit and we should have been in a position to stick them in for an extra session. The reason we weren't is that top order failed which meant we had to make sure we secured the game first and then really we didn't attack as early as we should have done once that happened. It was just a bit flat from England. Dead pitch, you have to try things. Just following the standard strategy and expecting that to do it for you was a bit disappointing. Don't think they'll change much for the next test. Possibly Moeen in for Stokes. But they've pretty much just confirmed that Trott's in the for the rest of the series so expect to hear lots of griping from the Yorkshire commentary contingent about Rashid and Lyth carrying the drinks while Yorkshire are playing key Championship games. Anderson is terrific and the secret was that he learned to take wickets by boring bowling when the ball wasn't doing much for him; that's proper craft. Broad doesn't have that. I'm pretty confident in the middle order but as ever with England you wonder what would happen if they had to face a decent spinner. Lucky for them there aren't too many around right now but Nathan Lyon of 2015 is a totally different proposition from what he was a few years back. Agree with almost all of that with the exception of Moeen for Stokes. Surely we wouldn't be daft enough to select two off spinners and Root? If we want to pick two spinners we need someone who can spin it the other way. Tredwell's picked up a knock too so there's a convenient excuse!
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Apr 17, 2015 22:08:54 GMT
The Windies hung on. Well don't to them. Holder and Ramdin batted really well.
I know the pitch was flat but I there are areas for concern. Broad looked better in this test but our opening bowlers were out bowled by Jerome Taylor. I thought Stokes was a bit unlucky with the ball but England's support bowlers just struggle to take wickets. For all Tredwells plaudits in the first innings he was out bowled by Root in the second. I still think it was a mistake to leave out Rashid. He will go for a few runs but you don't need someone to block up an end when you have 5 bowlers and Root who is capable of bowling a few overs too. The selection is indicative of the conservatism that bedevils English cricket at the moment.
I would have given Lyth a go but I guess we have to stick with Trott for this series. One test isn't enough to judge whether his selection was a good one but England's top order continue to cause concern. The Middle order is looking more secure although both Root and Ballance get a bit stuck on the crease sometimes. I think we'll know more about them this time next year. If they can both get runs against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Pakistan then we really can consider them the real deal.
Finally kudos to Anderson. He is a real menace, especially to left handers. His methodology (going round the wicket and trying to take the ball away from the lefty rather than trying to get him out LBW) is quite a new phenomenon. He knows his own game inside out and while I think his powers are waning he's still our go to bowler.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Apr 15, 2015 15:47:51 GMT
Yes I was bloody cold by 6pm but it was a good competitive day. Haven't seen Fell bat before but he looked pretty compact once he got through the first hour and is very strong through the on side. Bit suspect outside his off stump but then who isn't!
Somerset have some good young players and I guess they are trying to bring them through. Whether that is due to financial constraints or because the coaches genuinely believe in their ability I don't know. Not the start they would have wanted against Durham but I guess given the young players they have there must be an acceptance that they will have off days. The hope must be that they have enough days where it clicks for their young squad to keep them up.
Middlesex have a decent bowling attack on paper. I think Rowland Jones is a nice bowler if he can stay fit and Tim Murtagh holds it all together and I thought Ravi Patel looked a decent prospect last season too but I wouldn't bank on their lower middle order scoring them enough runs. You are right, something just seems off there at the moment.
Sussex have quietly gone about building a good seem bowling attack. I think Shazhad still has something to offer and Mills is a good capture too. They got the best out of Jordan after Surrey released him and I wouldn't bet against them doing the same with those two.
I'm in denial regarding Notts. They have a good team but they're not one of my favourite counties. Can't remember the last player they produced who played for England on a regular basis. Too much over reliance on flashing the cash and seeking quick fixes.
I thought Glos were going to have a dart too but they have definitely settled for a draw. Still good to see Dent get off to a good start in what I think is a make or break season for him. He was rubbish in the championship last year but always looks like he's got time when he's batting. Hopefully he can start to fulfill his potential this season. Not surprised to see Miles starting the season well too.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Apr 13, 2015 20:22:08 GMT
It's the least inspiring team I've ever seen England take to the field with. There is no one in the top order with the capacity to take the game to the opposition, the spinner can't even get in his county side and the pace attack are very one dimensional. It's at least £70 to go and watch test cricket in this country. Who on Earth would pay that much money to watch such a bland team? The captain, coach and selectors need to remember that cricket is an entertainment business and start selecting a more balanced side. A decade ago we had Trescothick, Vaughan, KP, Flintoff, Jones and Harmison who were all aggressive cricketers who nicely complimented the likes of Strauss, Bell, Hoggard and Giles. When did we become a team of off the shelf cricketers? it's bland for sure.
Surely it was Stokes or Jordan, not both. As Boycott says why not Plunkett? Do we not have any aggressive (or fast) bowlers anymore
The batting line up doesn't exactly inspire any aggression either. Fair enough you have Cook and Root (whom I both like) but why go back to the Boycottesque Trott?
Cricket has evolved in the past few years, yet we seem to be harking back to some bygone age
Not sure I agree with regard to Stokes / Jordan. Stokes is capable of batting at 6 but is very much a fifth bowler. Jordan could play as part of a 4 man bowling attack but I don't think he could bat higher than 8. Personally I'd have left Broad back at Notts. He's clearly lacking in confidence and I think he'd benefit from having a chance to regain some form with both bat and ball away from the spotlight. Would have given us a chance to have a look at Mark Wood too who is a good bowler if he can stay fit. Good to see England batting with a bit of purpose after lunch and setting a reasonable platform for their middle order players who are actually capable of taking the game away from the opposition.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Apr 13, 2015 16:18:02 GMT
It's the least inspiring team I've ever seen England take to the field with. There is no one in the top order with the capacity to take the game to the opposition, the spinner can't even get in his county side and the pace attack are very one dimensional.
It's at least £70 to go and watch test cricket in this country. Who on Earth would pay that much money to watch such a bland team? The captain, coach and selectors need to remember that cricket is an entertainment business and start selecting a more balanced side. A decade ago we had Trescothick, Vaughan, KP, Flintoff, Jones and Harmison who were all aggressive cricketers who nicely complimented the likes of Strauss, Bell, Hoggard and Giles. When did we become a team of off the shelf cricketers?
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Apr 12, 2015 12:49:22 GMT
So the cricket season starts today. In my opinion he championship is a really underrated competition despite the contempt the authorities treat it with. I'm at Worcester complete with wooly hat and gloves watching Worcester v Yorkshire. Absolutely amazed Worcester decided to bat first but after a ropey start they've recovered well. Fell has ridden his luck and has edged a few through third man but has looked increasingly composed and Moeen is one of my favourite batsmen to watch. You wouldn't bet your mortgage on him scoring runs but he makes batting look effortless.
Jack Brooks has been the stand out bowler. He looks a yard quicker than the rest and he has a knack of making things happen. Brennan's radar has been a bit off but Yorkshire clearly have a good attack with exceptional strength in depth.
Despite the howling wind, there's a good crowd here today, certainly not one man and his dog stuff. New Road is one of my favourite places to watch first class cricket.
Tips for the season: Warwickshire to capitalise on Yorkshires England absentees, Kent to win division two and Hampshire to win one of the one day cups.
My team are Gloucester and their main chance of success is in the championship I think. If they can keep some bowlers fit they could finish in the top 4 but more likely is that we'll lose players to injury again. Leicester are in a sorry state though so we should avoid the wooden spoon.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Mar 9, 2015 18:12:08 GMT
No offence taken. I knew what you meant.
The Ashes could be horrific. I don't think there is much between the batting units but their bowling attack is so far ahead of ours. Starc seems to be fulfilling his potential, Pattinson is fit again, Johnson has the same kind of mental hold on us that Warne used to have and Harris could have been one of the best of all time if his body had allowed him to play more. Even Lyon is under rated.
If don't think Anderson is the force he was and unless we can find some bowlers to support him he will be flogged. We need an opener (Trott or Lyth would be my guess) and three quicks. Could be anyone from 10 but Mark Wood will be unlucky if he doesn't represent England this summer.
I've almost written off the Ashes. Im not even sure we'll beat New Zealand who have a very decent bowling attack.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Mar 9, 2015 15:48:29 GMT
I know Rashid isn't young anymore and I’m not totally convinced either but spinners develop later than other bowlers. He took a lot of wickets in the Royal London cup last season and he is a good lower order batsman. With Moeen in the team it’s not worth picking another off spinner unless you have someone World Class, which we don’t. With 4 quick’s and Moeen in the side too you wouldn't need to get 10 overs out of him every week so I think he’s worth a shot.
I completely agree that picking a hands off coach is the right way to go. I don’t want England to play cricket by numbers and percentages. I want us to be expressive and learn to seize the moment. Part of the reason we didn't bat first today I suspect is that we are so formulaic that we struggle to work out what a good score is. We either end up feeling smugly satisfied with an under par score or we are all out chasing an overly ambitious target.
I think the selection panel must be under review too. That is an important role as you have to get the balance right between sticking with players who class and experiencing a temporary blimp and giving players a chance to work on their confidence and technique while out of the limelight. This is something Whitaker and co have failed to do and while he has only been chairman of selectors for a while he was part of Miller’s panel which completely lost the plot at the end and landed us with a dreadful Ashes squad last year. Notwithstanding the fact we had a group of players who all became unavailable at the same time which is bad succession planning, we picked Panesar, Tremlett, Bresnan and Finn despite the fact that anyone who’d even loosely followed County Cricket that year could have told you that all four were way short of international quality that season.
I think I would move Moeen down to three (where I think he bats for Worcester) but I would keep him in the top 3. Granted, the hundred he scored in this World Cup was only against Scotland and he does struggle with the short ball but he’s already scored a couple of One Day hundreds which is not a bad return in 20 odd innings. He’s a bit wafty and infuriating at times but we don’t have someone like Sangakara or Amla to bat at three who are masters of pacing an innings so I would following the Australian route and pick three big hitters and hope one of them comes off with a couple of adaptable players in the middle order who can hold it together the one game in 10 that none of the top 3 come off.
Stokes clearly has potential. I saw him win Durham a game with the bat in a semi-final last season. He was magnificent. Other countries manage to get the best out of their troublesome players and we need to do the same. He has too much talent to sit out of the one day side.
Whilst one day cricket in this country is a bit of a mess, we should be capable of winning one match in four against test playing sides (excluding Bangladesh and Zimbabwe) which is potentially enough to get you to a semi-final.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Mar 9, 2015 14:05:02 GMT
Good read as always Irish.
We really needed to have a clean sweep after the Ashes last year. The culture seemed to be sucking the fun out of playing for England. I'm not sure why anyone thought reappointing Moores was likely to solve this.
I think there must be a fair chance that Gillespie will be offered (note the word offered) the England job and I think he's the kind of coach we need. Someone who will basically encourage the players to work it out for themselves. He fixed Plunkett by basically telling him to forget everything and bowl fast which is what some of our bowlers need at the moment.
When England got to the Cup Final in England (the one that isn't the World Cup - I've forgotten what it's called) they were pioneers of the new format - certainly with the batting. They realised scoring at the end was easier due to the new regulations and Cook and Trott laid a solid base for the likes of Buttler, Morgan and Bopara to capitalise on. Since Cook and Trott lost form we have consistently failed to bat 50 overs.
The one day careers of at least three of the squad should definitely be over and I think another two senior players should be dropped too.
Bell has had enough chances. 4 hundreds in 160 ODIs is not good enough for a top order batsman. He struggles for tempo. If he starts slowly he struggles to accelerate. He either tries to whack it for 4 or defends. Good players push good balls into a gap for a single which puts pressure on bowlers who inevitably bowl a bad ball.
I've never rated Anderson's ability as a ODI bowler. Our success in the World T20 came without him in the side and I don't think that's a coincidence.
Bopara is another one who has flattered to deceive and I don't think he will play for England again.
Broad and Morgan are the other two who are in trouble. Broad was bowling at 128kph this morning. That's less than 80mph. He would struggle to get into a decent county side at the moment. I fear injuries have caught up with him but hopefully it's just a confidence thing.
Irish has covered Morgan. He's been found out and bowlers aren't giving him the opportunity to hit over midwicket anymore. He has had long enough to adapt and should be left out. He could come back though if he scores some runs for Middlesex (something he shows no signs of doing).
There are some positives. The younger players like Root, Moeeen, Buttler, Taylor and to an extent Woakes have been our better players at this World Cup. We have to build a side around these players and stick with them for a bit. Some will inevitably not make the grade but they need time and the right culture in which to develop. We cannot afford to go into another World Cup not knowing our best XI on the eve of a tournament.
I do think there are players around who have potential and are cut from the same cloth as the more modern one day players. Something like:
Hayles Roy Moeen Root Taylor Stokes Buttler Rashid Woakes Jordan Gurney
has plenty of power, some players who can score hundreds, some variety in the bowling attack (6 bowlers, a left armer who can bowl at the death and two spinners who turn the ball in opposite ways) and plenty of depth to the batting. We would still lack a genuinely quick bowler but you can only pick what you've got. You also have players like Vince and Ballance who I think are decent reserve batsmen. The issue is with the dearth of seam bowlers we have. I'm not saying that side would win the World Cup but it's pointless keeping on down the same path. We might as well try some of the players who have excelled in 40 over domestic cricket.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Mar 1, 2015 13:56:41 GMT
Not hindsight I promise you but I feared Anderson would be ineffective in this World Cup especially if he couldn't get the ball to swing. I think he's lost a bit of nip recently too and I think he is past his best. Broad has had a lot of injuries. He definitely isn't back to his best yet and I don't think he'll ever fully fulfil his potential. Ultimately, they're both in the side because we've got no one better. With the batting you could argue that the likes of Stokes and Roy are better than Bopara or Ballance but none of our promising bowlers have kicked on. They've completely ruined Finn. He's still way down on pace. He had all the tools to be one of England's all time greats but he's nowhere near that level at the moment. We are crying out for a bit of variety in our attack. The left armer Gurney would have played more if he wasn't hopeless with the bat and we need someone who's quick but the two quickest bowlers I've seen in recent years, Mills and Meaker, can't get into their county sides on a regular basis. I'd have liked to see them give Gurney a go. For some reason, and this I really don't have an answer to, England does not seem to ever produce left-arm seamers. In my lifetime I can remember 3; Ryan Sidebottom, Alan Mullaly (who was actually Australian) and Mark Illot. Of that lot only Sidebottom had any kind of decent career with England and arguably that came too late. Seems odd to me but if you look back in history we actually never have produced one. Peter Lever would count at a push. It's strange. Mills and Meaker are very eratic. You are right that there is not much in the cupboard at the moment. The thing is we can argue about the relative merits of Stokes and Roy over Bopara and Ballance but I don't think we can make any kind of convincing case that it would make much of a difference. We're getting smashed - it's about more than just fiddling with a few selections round the fringes; it's clearly our whole approach which is flawed. I don't have a clue what is wrong with Broad - he looks awful at the moment. I'm not sure Anderson has ever been as effective an ODI bowler really. Why on earth hasn't Jordan been given a shot? If he can't get in this side at this time why is he there. The only bowler to come out that game with any credit is Moeen who went for a very credible 5 an over while the ball was being wanged round the park. Jeff - don't give up. England are still a good Test team, we're just utterly crap at this format and have been for ages now. Believe it or not due to this silly tournament if England beat Afghanistan (not a walkover) and Bangladesh (who are better than they have played and have 3 genuine match-winners on their day) they still get to the Quarters and that actually represents some progress! At least you got to see one of the all-time greats show England how it's done in what will probably be his final matches. Sangakarra is a genius. It would be justice if it rained for the Afghan or Bangladesh match - England have been destroyed by the 3 decent teams in this group and they really deserve to go out; there should be no get of our jail free card here. I have this fear where we sneak into the quarters win a rain effected match, get to the semi's and everything is suddenly declared hunky dory. Yeah just to clarify, I don't think Roy or Stokes would win England matches but there are at least English batsmen who win their counties matches. I can't think of a single English seamer who regularly wins matches for his county. Even Gurney has a better T20 than list A record. in terms of English left armers...how could you forget Mike Smith! I've never forgiven Graham Thorpe for dropping Matthew Elliott.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Mar 1, 2015 11:09:02 GMT
Why you have two totally ineffective bowlers in Broad and Anderson in the squad let alone the team is beyond me. I've just left the same stadium England were humiliated in 10 days ago once again embarrassed to be an England supporter. There is no way the establishment that run the English game are going to change or modernise so that's it for me. I have the luxury of having a second team in the Kiwis so from here on in they will become my #1 team. Call it treason or treachery if you want but I am not willing to endure the emotional torture England cricket put its supporters through. Not hindsight I promise you but I feared Anderson would be ineffective in this World Cup especially if he couldn't get the ball to swing. I think he's lost a bit of nip recently too and I think he is past his best. Broad has had a lot of injuries. He definitely isn't back to his best yet and I don't think he'll ever fully fulfil his potential. Ultimately, they're both in the side because we've got no one better. With the batting you could argue that the likes of Stokes and Roy are better than Bopara or Ballance but none of our promising bowlers have kicked on. They've completely ruined Finn. He's still way down on pace. He had all the tools to be one of England's all time greats but he's nowhere near that level at the moment. We are crying out for a bit of variety in our attack. The left armer Gurney would have played more if he wasn't hopeless with the bat and we need someone who's quick but the two quickest bowlers I've seen in recent years, Mills and Meaker, can't get into their county sides on a regular basis.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Feb 20, 2015 14:04:52 GMT
I checked the score in the middle of the night and England were 90-3. Not great at that stage but not an unmitigated disaster. When I next woke up a few hours later it was all over.
The World Cup campaign isn't all over but if we have one wash out in our remaining games we will be in trouble.
We aren't very good but we should be better than this. There is no excuse for the number of times we have failed to bat 50 overs recently.
There is no excuse for bowlers with over 10 years experience in ODIs to not be able to deliver a yorker at the end of the innings. It's staggering how stubborn they are. Even when we're getting carted for 15 an over we still bowl short. Surely it's better to be hit trying to do the right thing? Where is the confidence to back your skills?
There is no excuse for failing to pick a balanced squad. We have too many top order batsmen in the squad and so when Bopara lost form we had to completely reshuffle the batting order to accommodate Ballance. If they didn't want to pick Stokes then Bairstow or Roy would have been better options (not just hindsight, I said as much when the squad was announced).
There is no excuse for changing your opening bowling combination on the eve of the World Cup.
I would think that Moores, Downton and Whitaker will come under pressure soon. On the whole, our players are not improving when they come into the international set up. Who was the last English bowler to fulfill his potential? James Anderson I reckon.
It's a mess and I don't see any improvement on the horizon.
I think the domestic game needs to be looked at. I would consider playing fewer first class matches. Maybe have three divisions of 6 with one up from each league. Ten first class games a season would be enough I think. We certainly need to play more first class cricket in August so that our spinners are able to learn how to win matches on dry pitches rather than learning how to bowl defensively in unfriendly conditions. We should also stop the pitch inspectors punishing teams every time a track turns on Day one.
I'm not sure the young player quota rewards that the counties are offered work. Decent players drift out of the game as counties can't afford to keep them. They are replaced with substandard youngsters so counties can maximize their revenue, which is great on paper but I think it dilutes the standard. Some sort of incentive scheme is a good idea but I'm not sure the balance is right at the moment.
I think I would play a 20 over knockout competition including club sides, minor counties and first class sides if possible. The first class sides could join with no more than 5 matches left to play.
I hate myself for saying this but I think we should also look at a franchised T20 competition. To attract the best players and the maximum audience I would schedule it for four weeks at the end of July and start of August. The money made should be given back to counties / grass routes and counties would still have the knockout competition to compete in.
I think the number of 50 over games played is about right. Personally I prefer the 40 over format but it makes no sense to play 40 overs domestically and 50 internationally.
I think the franchised T20 event should be shown on terrestrial TV and highlights of the other two one day competitions should be on free to air TV too. I'd like to see at least three tests a year on free to air TV too. I know the ECB would lose money on this but it's pointless having money to invest if no one has the means to become interested in the game. The balance is wrong at the moment.
It's a big five years for cricket in this country and domestically. It's becoming irrelevant in too many places in the World and the ICC aren't doing enough to grown the game in places like Ireland. I'm not sure what else they have to do to get full member status?
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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KP
Feb 14, 2015 13:45:58 GMT
Post by jackthegas on Feb 14, 2015 13:45:58 GMT
As I said you are never going to please everyone because broadcasting is subjective but I just think the balance is wrong at the moment. Without CMJ they have no one who really watches any domestic cricket, other then Boycott and his knowledge is limited to Yorkshire and anyone who has done well against Yorkshire.
For all its faults though TMS is infinitely better than Sky whose only good commentator is Mike Atherton. Do they employ anyone who hasn't captained England?
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Feb 14, 2015 13:38:58 GMT
Yes I think we could have picked a squad of batsmen who, with the right mentality could have got us close to 300. If not Stokes then Bairstow or Roy could have been given a chance. However to do it consistently I think you need more depth to your batting and the best sides have hitters all the way down to number 10. England have Woakes who is reasonable but often undone by genuine pace and spin and then Broad who is pretty much a number 11 now as his batting has regressed so much.
I can see us getting it together batting wise over the next few years but our lack of death bowling is scary. I can't see anyone in county cricket who is really pushing for selection. None of our prospects have really kicked on over the last 5 years. We've produced a clutch of bowlers who seemed to have the right attributes (Meaker,, Shazhad, Mills, Finn, Woakes, Jordan and even Dernbach) and not one of them has kicked on and fully fulfilled their potential. How can Anderson and Broad have spent 10 years in international cricket and not learnt how to bowl competently at the death in ODIs? They've developed skills in test cricket so they are capable of learning. Maybe it's a priority thing.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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KP
Feb 14, 2015 12:11:40 GMT
Post by jackthegas on Feb 14, 2015 12:11:40 GMT
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/31129033 this will give the egotist a chance to say who is not worthy while "on air" interestingly dangerous appointment could ruffle a few feathers, spec' if England are on the regular hiding schedule Yep says everything about modern broadcasting - it's all about getting in a few more listeners and dragging in the 'casual' fan through cheap tricks like this rather than providing high quality coverage that interests genuine fans. So you get the Robbie Savage's and Alan Shearer's of this world when presumably there are some ex-pro's who have a lot of genuine insight into the game. The best pundits are never the superstars; they are the journeyman and hard workers because to be successful they had to learn every facet of the game. I can completely understand why Gary Neville is a good pundit - to be the type of player he was for as long as he was at the highest level then he needed to completely understand what was going on in front of him. A cricket equivalent would be Jack Bannister, Ray Illingworth, Mike Selvey etc; not greats but very good players who worked very hard. I mean I find Strauss remorselesly tedious because he's not removed enough from the team to be able to say anything interesting (whereas Vaughan appears to be auditioning to be the replacement Boycott when he shuffles off or says something unforgiveable on air which is bound to happen eventually) but KP will be even worse. The thing is if you ever listen to KP speak you realise he doesn't really have anything very much to say about anything that doesn't relate to him and his various grudges; and he's never said anything about cricket that I've found remotely enlightening. The fact that he thought James Taylor was a poor player speaks volumes about the guy's wider lack of understanding; if it's not flashy he's not interested. Contrast that with someone like Shane Warne - who has all the same deeply annoying personality traits but also has a staggering cricket mind; if you listen to Warne talk cricket (and please not on anything else) for any length of time you really learn something if you listen to KP for any length of time you lose the will to live. You can be a World Class cricketer but not really get the game and that's him. John Arlott will be turning in his grave. Still he may confound expectations I suppose. One of Adam Moutfords first decisions when he took over the role of TMS producer from Peter Baxter was to replace Mike Selvey With the likes of Alec Stewart and Michael Vaughan. All of the summarisers he has introduced have been superstars and with the exception of Swann and Tuffnell I find them dull and a bit borish. I know Things like this are always subjective but I think he's also struggled to replace Blofeld and CMJ. I quite like Ed Smith but the likes of Alison Mitchell, Charles Dagnall, Simon Hughes and before that Arlo White and Mark Pougatch either struggle to describe the game accurately or lack the charisma to fill the void between balls. I think part of the issue is that newspapers almost exclusively use ex players as writers these days so the likelihood of finding someone like CMJ has decreased unless there are capable broadcasters writing for Cricinfo or a cricket specific magazine. I wonder if someone will eventually find there way to TMS from something like Test Match Sofa?
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Feb 14, 2015 9:16:22 GMT
Firstly I disagree that England have taken their best squad. They have too many top order batsmen in the squad, hence today's ridiculous decision to send Taylor in at 6. Stokes should have gone instead of Ballance or Taylor as England's reserve lower order batsman. Given Bopara's form Stokes should have played today.
England aren't going to win the World Cup so you're looking for improvement and a clear strategy. Picking a top order batsman who needs time to play himself in at 6, and our bowlers continual reluctance to even try to bowl yorkers at the death is not encouraging. We also continue to be woefully inept at scoring singles. We either try to bash it for 4 or block it. The best players look to knock a good ball for a single and then whack it when it's in their area.
I accept that you can't expect miracles overnight but we have some good young players who have some good attributes and with some good coaching and a sensible strategy I'd expect to see some improvement from the likes of Woakes, Moeen, Taylor, Buttler, Finn and even some of the more experienced players continuing to develop but I see no evidence of this. I'd have more sympathy with the coaches if we were trying to implement a sensible strategy and simply failing to execute it.
We are 73-5. This is the worst start we could possibly have made.
Edit: Speaking of minnows, thank goodness Ireland aren't in our group because I would not be confident at the moment
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Dec 19, 2014 22:01:44 GMT
Bringing Ollie Clarke on helped us win the battle in midfield. Darrell Clarke has just suggested the change was at least in part tactical. Credit to him if it was.The first 30 minutes were as bad as I've ever seen us play but we were a lot better in the second half and I think we just about deserved the win in the end.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 313
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Easter
Nov 14, 2014 18:32:19 GMT
Post by jackthegas on Nov 14, 2014 18:32:19 GMT
If we can't afford him then they've done the right thing in my opinion. Our income should be more than enough to make us very competitive in this league and the one above. It's not like we're sitting on massive cash reserves.and whose fault is that? That wasn't a criticism. As someone else said, maybe we are learning from our mistakes with regard to managing our finances.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Nov 13, 2014 23:30:16 GMT
If we can't afford him then they've done the right thing in my opinion. Our income should be more than enough to make us very competitive in this league and the one above. It's not like we're sitting on massive cash reserves.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 13, 2014 18:04:10 GMT
Because it wasn't really on the agenda we (Wellie Group) had been leading since relegation and this was still our focus on Thursday night. We were worried that Rick coming along MIGHT put the focus on the KS issue. My personal view is that it is incredibly silly/petty to have this hanging around the club but I don't know KS and I don't know the ins and outs. I think KS has also asked BRISA and other groups to not get involved anyway. It's clearly an issue for a number of supporters though and given that the meeting was designed to answer questions posed by supporters I assume the issue was raised by someone?
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