jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 25, 2017 20:46:19 GMT
The Times were reporting that Vince has "earned" a recall earlier on today.
Ultimately there are 8 players nailed on to play if they are fit and Stoneman is as good as too. As for the last two batsmen and reserves well it's a names out of a hat job isn't it?
Based on what I've seen this year (and cricket is one of the few sports where judging a player is easier on TV than it is live in my opinion) I would like Robson to bat at 3 and Ballance at 5. Robson has had a decent season and was bought up in Australia and Ballance offers us a bit of solidity in the middle order. Not expecting anyone to be a world beater but two players who could average mid 30s would make a big difference. I'd have Malan and Hales in the squad but you really could pick four from 15 and just cross everything. Rashid should be the backup spinner with Crane and Leach playing for the lions. Buttler has barely scored a run for Lancs so I think I'd take Foakes as the reserve keeper. If TRJ is injured then Ball and probably two from Finn, Wood or Overton I guess depending on fitness.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 30, 2017 9:23:28 GMT
I wrote the West Indies obituary after the last test so I am both flabbergasted and really pleased for them. I can't believe how composed they were during the run chase yesterday. If they come out of this series with a core of players they can build a side around over the next 5 to 10 years then that is progress for them. If they could reconcile their differences with Bravo and add him to Hope and Brathwaite then they have the makings of a decent batting line up. Holder is a decent 3rd seamer and lower order batsman and of they can keep Gabriel and Roach fit then maybe they can become a bit more competitive.
Well done to the umpires too as it looked far darker yesterday that it did when the umpires took England off for bad light at the Oval against the Aussies a few years ago. England bowled their overs very slowly yesterday and had they been pressing for victory I don't think it would have been unreasonable for the umpires to take them off. As it was, the West Indies were not complicit in the slow over rate so I think it was reasonable that they stayed on. I hope the ICC fine Root too. Slow over rates are more of an issue than swearing in the proximity of a stump-mic in my opinion.
Moeen had a bad day yesterday and I think he tends to bowl better when the pressure is off. He has the ability he just has to learn to deal with the pressure. I think in Saqlain they seem to have the right mentor but it might be worth playing a second spinner in the interim when conditions dictate. I thought the interview the coach gave afterwards was interesting. He basically confirmed that the reason they picked him as the second spinner at the start of the summer is that they don't feel he is mentally tough enough to bowl England to victory. Truthful perhaps but can't do much for Moeen's confidence.
Still questions over 2, 3 and 5 but Stoneman and Malan (despite my reservations) both showed signs that they are getting to grips with test cricket. Westley looks terrified of getting out in the same way again but the coach suggested he'd get another couple of tests. There aren't many other options for the top 3 so that is probably wise although I wonder if they will consider going back to Sam Robson. He's in decent form, was very young when he was picked last time and was bought up in Australia.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 23, 2017 17:15:25 GMT
Thanks for that - nice to get a report from someone who was there. And it is that opening line that is critical right? Day-Night Test, City based T20. All of these held up as potential salvations for English cricket and yet all rather reliant on people being willing to sit out in the cold en masse! My own feeling is that there will be a quick buzz for this and the franchise thing coming in the next year - it will produce a boost in crowd number and self-interested organisers will no doubt proclaim it all a great success. However, there will then be a steady decline from an early peak and it will then end up attracting the same kind of crowds we currently get for lesser Test nations and T20 Blast games. I went to the first ever T20 and Bristol when they weren't even sure what they were doing with it. In a few years it was a roaring success and everyone was saying how it had saved county cricket. But, as time has gone on, and the novelty worn off and it has failed to really grab a noticeable slot in the national sporting calender all that has really occurred is that the crowds that used to go to 40/50 Over county one day games now go to T20 ones plus a few additional corporate hangers on. That's it - the end result is that instead of developing a new audience all I think they have really done is move an old audience around. I can see the same thing happening again. Maybe we need to stop the 'woe and alas' English cricket narratives that have been in existence ever since I've been following the game. English cricket seems unique in its constant insecurity and existential angst. There's actually never been more money in the game and it's never been better supported at matches. The classic line of 'look at the crowds from cricket highlights from the 80s' makes you realise that we've actually gone forward in that respect hugely. That's not to say there aren't issues but I often think people at the top of organisations exaggerate the current state of things in order to justify short term change. As for the series itself - hard to disagree with any of that. Windies are a poor side - I think you're right that they would struggle against most county teams. But we have to keep in mind that this is isn't close to their real best XI - that's what is tragic. I think the point about ICC is bang on - some kind of system of redistribution is going to have to come in or Test Cricket is just going to die. Windies, New Zealand, South Africa all struggle to keep their players playing internationally because they pay them very little - it's not even IPL teams stealing these players, English counties have been able to outmuscle those boards financially. I think we have gotten to the point with the holes in the batting order that we don't really know what we are doing anymore. I believe we are just throwing things at the board now and hoping they stick while waiting for Hameed to mature into the international class batsmen he should become. The good news is that it doesn't seem to hurt us all that often as we've traded off top end quality for lower order depth which against most seems to work pretty well. Australia in Australia is a different kettle of fish entirely though. I hate the idea of a T20 franchise but, based on Friday, one day cricket works better under lights than test cricket. It just felt much later than it actually was on Friday by the time the rain came. We got home at about 9.30 and it felt like the middle of the night! T20s start later and you have more excitement. Test cricket can be attritional and that is less likely to keep your average punter warm compared to shorter, more explosive formats. I suspect you're right about the initial excitement and subsequent decline to the mean though when it comes to the new tournament. The planned exposure on terestrial tv and massive marketing budget may even have lead to an even bigger increase in attendance for the Blast had they invested in the existing structure.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 21, 2017 16:07:26 GMT
I went to Edgbaston on Friday. It was pretty miserable all round. The weather was awful and there was just no suspense to the days play. It was obvious to everyone that, weather depending, we’d score 550 and they’d be 60/3 at best by the close.
The pink duke ball played pretty well I thought, although I found it harder to see from 3rd man than the red one. I couldn’t even see it when the spinners were on. There is definitely a case for replacing the white ball with it with immediate effect though as it holds its colour much better than the white one and would mean that you could use one ball per innings. There was even a hint of reverse swing under the lights on day one. I was pleasantly surprised in that regard. Of course, in Australia we’ll be using the Kookaburra which has a much smaller seem and swings less so I doubt it helped us acclimatize much.
The ICC need to do something to help the Windies I think. Either their board need to be allocated more money so players can actually make a decent living out of test cricket or they need to bring in two tier test cricket so they can learn by playing against teams like Ireland, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. Both might be needed and both would take time to have an impact.
I have seen a lot of Worcestershire this season and their bowling attack is better than the West Indies. I don’t think the batting is far behind either, in fact Clarke and Mitchell are better than anything the Windies had on display. I genuinely think they would be contenders for the wooden spoon if they were a first class county. It’s very sad.
We went into this summer with 4 issues and one has been resolved. Moeen has proven me wrong. He has bowled beautifully. Much more loop to his action, his pace and control is better and he is threatening both edges. The 3 batting positions though continue to worry. I think I’d give Ballance a run at 5 on the basis that we need someone with some grit to balance the stroke-makers we have.
I know others will disagree, but to me Root looks a natural number 3 and we have a better chance of finding a number 4. If he doesn’t want to move though I see no option other than to stick with Westley. He has a technical flaw for sure but there is no one else putting their hand up that bats in that position. We need to find the best coach we can and work with him between now and the first Ashes test.
I do think we’ve discarded players too quickly. Once it becomes apparent that there are no better options then why not stick with them and find a coach to improve technique and mentality? Moeen is a good example of this approach working. Someone like Compton may have flourished if he hadn’t been crippled by fear with our revolving door policy.
Personally, I prefer Rory Burns of the two Surrey openers but having picked Stoneman he is a shoe-in for the first test isn’t he? How can you drop someone after 3 innings – which is all he is likely to get this summer.
As a footnote, I did laugh a lot when Sibley moved to Warwickshire last month. Surrey had no right to complain after they signed two players last winter to block up 2 of the top 3 batting spots.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jul 17, 2017 12:29:28 GMT
Evening irish! Absolutely!! Bad for my ego but great for the series right? This sets up the Old Trafford test well. I honestly didn't think SA had it in them to make a real fight of this but England have flat out played badly in this game and they have done very well. This is more like what you've expect from a series between these 2 sides. We've all been there! Easy to be wise after the event but I am surprised South Africa we're written off so quickly. I guess it was the way they capitulated in the first test after a relatively long tour but, on paper there is little between the sides. Rabada, Philander, Morkel and Morris are a match for our quicks. In fact, with Woakes out, I think I'd go for their attack. Woods first class record this season is nothing to write home about. I don't think he can sustain 88mph+ over a long period and when he's slower than that he looks ineffective. I think Maharaj is better than anything we can offer spin bowling wise and our top order is terrible. Either the selectors have no eye for a player or, more worryingly, we don't even have an opener who is capable of doing a semi decent job. They all seem to struggle to rotate the strike. Even Jennings, who is a blocker, seems to pick up a high percentage of his runs in boundaries. Same with Hales, Compton, Robson etc. Either way, you can't pick a blocker who has a very average defensive technique as looks increasingly likely with Jennings. England just cannot win ugly and are 4 or 5 players short of a good team I think. A genuine quick, a good spinner are imperative if we're going to win abroad but even to consistently beat the better sides in England we need two top order batsmen with technique and application. I love test cricket, but I take relatively little joy in it at the moment. It just feels like all of the top sides have massive flaws that make victories feel a bit hollow.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jul 15, 2017 21:34:23 GMT
I don't think this is a very good SA team really and we should be looking to win the series comfortably. They have a strong seam bowling unit but their backup bowling is average - non-existent and that will hurt them even more as the series progresses (I think they will really struggle in the Trent Bridge Test - let's see if that one comes back to bite me!). Evening irish!
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jul 10, 2017 15:21:46 GMT
If JB can keep and bat at 5 then I think Moeen at 7 makes a fair amount of sense. Baylis confirmed that they'd picked him as a second spinner and that primarily, he was in the side for his batting. A bit of kidology perhaps, but it does mean that we can play 4 quicks and our best spinner with Moeen as more than decent support. I think on that basis you want to pick the spinner who is most likely to develop into a match winner away from home. Makes the Dawson pick even more left field I think. Even if you picked someone very raw like Crane, you don't actually have to bowl him more than a handful of overs. Playing as part of a 6 man attack in England is a fantastic way to learn your trade isn't it? It's not like the spinners have to bowl more than 20 overs and innings between them if we don't want them to.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jul 9, 2017 16:40:01 GMT
Heh. Shows what I know. Moeen bowled beautifully in this test and Dawson was a good foil too. Good drift from both of them too which is usually a good sign. It is often said that Mo struggles under the weight of expectation on a turning track in the 4th innings. Not today though and hopefully this will stand him in good stead next time he plays in the sub-continent although it's flat pitches we seem to struggle on rather than turners. I'm still unconvinced that either will have much impact on a flat track.
Bairstow kept really well too. Moved his feet better than I've seen him do in the past.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jul 1, 2017 9:58:26 GMT
Well I don't think much of the squad they've picked. Dawson isn't good enough as either a batsman or a bowler. Leach, Rayner, Rashid and Parry are all better spinners. We could have TRJ or Broad batting at 8 which leaves our tail looking very weak. Our lower order have kept us competitive over the last few years. I like TRJ but he is another right arm fast medium. Surely we don't need 5 quicks even if a couple have questionable fitness records.
I feel like the selectors keep making the same mistakes and we are no further on in terms of answering the big questions we set out to answer after the 5-0 ashes series. We have 2 inked in to our top 5 and the rest have huge question marks against their names, our bowling attack looks bang average outside of England and we have a premier spinner who we've invested a lot of time in but has barely taken a wicket in the last 18 months. He's regressing. James Whittaker lucky to still have a job I reckon.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jun 30, 2017 12:33:11 GMT
Hard squad to pick isn't it?
I think the selectors have a number of questions to answer, namely:
Does Root bat at 3 or 4? Is Moeen Ali the best spinner in the country and if he isn't, who is? Is Moeen Ali one of the 5 best batsmen in the Country? Are Jonny Bairstow's runs so important that they should take the gloves off him? Can we pick 4 seamers who all have questionable fitness records of late? Has Garry Ballance done enough to earn a recall or should they move on?
To attempt to answer my own questions; I do not think Moeen is the best spinner in the Country nor do I think he is going to get better. He's a 30 year old who has played 40 odd tests. He'd be cannon-fodder in Australia this winter. I don't know if he's one of our best batsmen, I suspect not, but I think he has done enough to earn a run at number 5.
Bairstow on the other hand is one of our best along with Cook and Root. I think we need him to bat in the top 5 (4 if Moeen bat's at 5) and I don't think you can do that for a long period and keep. I've seen quite a lot of Surrey's Ben Foakes over the last couple of years and he is a terrific keeper. He can also bat. I think he's ready.
I think that means Root at 3 and no place for Ballance. I suspect long term Moeen won't make it and Root will drop to 4 with someone else coming in to the top 3.
I also think it's time to give Rashid a run. He is someone who grew into his role in the one day side. Under the right leadership I think he could succeed. Not a given but time to find out (how is Jack Leach getting on - seems to have regained some form after this winter. I was surprised to see Crane, who has barely played any red ball cricket. picked ahead of him for the Lions game).
Cook Jennings (another question mark but deserves a go. Can't pick Hameed give his start to the season) Root Bairstow Moeen Stokes Foakes Woakes (Wood assuming he isn't fit) Rashid Broad Anderson
Last point, our seam attack in Australia would not fill me with any confidence.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jun 22, 2017 11:43:44 GMT
The sort of hastily-and-easily-arranged "good news" story released to mask the fact that there's nothing else to say, in my opinion. Didn't he sign a big contract last year? You might be right but I am not sure there is any evidence to suggest this is how the current board of directors operate. It has been a pretty good couple of years. I reckon this is more good news.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on May 5, 2017 14:03:21 GMT
Hello Irish. I think I fall somewhere into your Venn diagram.
I have seen some cricket live this season. I went to my local ground, New Road for day 2 of Worcester Northants a few weekends ago. It was fantastic. I watched something like 25 wickets fall during the day in a 20 run win for the home side in a game that finished at around 7.30pm.
The wicket was pretty up and down, well mainly down actually, as you can imagine given the number of wickets that fell. Joe Leach the Worcester captain promoted both himself and the massive Australian John Hastings to 4 and 5 in a move that felt more befitting of a Sunday XI than a first class fixture. I am still perplexed. Leach scored at more than a run a ball and gave his wicket softly by trying to score quickly but Hastings was really circumspect. It was all very odd and I think Worcester won despite the move not because of it.
My personal highlight was watching Andy Carter bat in the first innings. There aren't may proper number 11s left in the country but his batting has regressed to the point that he is very nearly a number 12. Still a decent bowler mind, although his approach to the crease isn’t as fluid as it was before his injury problems.
Worcester have a good batting line up and in Ben Cox have something of a throwback behind the stumps. He's a terrific keeper and moderate batsman. Leach is good leader of men and of the bowling attack but the key to their success or otherwise this season will be their support bowling. Nathan Lyon is a good signing as Brett D’Oliviera is a bits and pieces cricketer really. If the youngsters Tounge and Barndard can find some consistency then Worcester could finish in the top 3, but I suspect they will finish mid-table.
I’ve backed Kent for promotion for the last 2 seasons I think so I will stick with them on the basis that a stopped clock is right twice a day. Notts should win the league. First division is wide open. Any of them could win it I think and there are lots of home grown players which is good. On the other hand the numbers of Kolpaks has increased which is less good.
The ECB is in the process of destroying the First class game in England. By 2020 50 over cricket will be played at the same time as the new 20 over monstrosity. The blast will be pushed to the margins and I would imagine we will be playing 3 divisions of 6 in the County Championship. You can already see Division 3 developing – Leicester, Glamorgan, Derby, Gloucester and Northants weaker than Kent, Notts, Durham, Sussex and Worcester this season I would think.
It’s a shame because the BBC and Cricinfo have done a great job of promoting the Championship and the ECB and clubs seem to be getting better at using social media to share highlights and even fixed camera live coverage online. Look at the number of hits that the BBC website had over the opening weeks of the season and it makes you think that there is a clear demand for a weekly highlights package on terrestrial TV along the lines of a low budget Match of the Day.
And then you get daft scheduling like having only 2 fixtures over the May bank holiday….
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Nov 25, 2016 23:04:58 GMT
On the other points - the pace of Cook and Hameed as a partnership could be an issue and I think is the reason that England went with Duckett before trying Hameed. They are both rock solid opening batsmen but can be tied down. Hameed is getting a baptism of fire and what is impressive is the way he is playing and adapting to the spin barrage - that can only stand him in good stead for the future. The thing that impressed me most with Hameed was his ability to rotate the strike. Without exception, all of the post Strauss openers have blocked it or whacked it. Fine in County cricket where you get enough bad balls to score quickly but it's left even fluent openers like Hales and Lyth struggling for tempo in test cricket. I think Cook and Hameed did the right thing second time round. First innings was the killer.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Nov 23, 2016 13:21:21 GMT
Really impressed with both Hameed's temperament and technique. I also like the balance of the side. I think Moeen is one of the 6 best batsmen in the Country and he has earned a run at 5. This would also give us the opportunity to keep 6 picking bowlers even in home series. Rashid is developing and the number of all-rounders we have allows us to pick a player who let's face it is a bit of a luxury.
Ansari on the other hand was an odd pick. I don't see that he has had any real experience of winning matches on turning pitches. He has never operated as the primary spinner. He's basically a batsman who bowls a bit of non turning slow left arm. I know there were reservations about Leach and I know the selectors are terrified of another Kerrigan situation but he is someone who has performed on turning pitches and has won Somerset matches. I think we're in danger of picking bits and pieces cricketers.
I think they should have changed the touring party after the Bangladesh series as soon as it became obvious that Ballance couldn't continue in the side. We've not got another middle order batsman in the squad and it was pretty clear after watching Duckett against the spinners in Bangladesh that he needs o work on his technique against spin.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 27, 2016 12:07:32 GMT
On reflection, and I don't just mean mine but also those incredible writers on Cricinfo, the quality of cricket this season has been extremely high. I have attended all matches at Taunton and most for 2/3 days and the quality from Somerset and their opponents has been very high. Fast bowlers at Somerset always have to earn their wickets and the Durham, Lancashire bowlers in the first match, Warwickshire bowlers and Jake Ball all performed really well. Groenwald, both Overtons for us and our spinners have done equally well and for the first time in a long while the feats of the bowlers outweigh what the batsmen have achieved overall at Taunton. Some innings will remain in the memory, Rogers two centuries in the last match and his, what was in the end a match-winning innings of 59 against Warwickshire are notable as were Trescothicks knocks all season. I thought he would achieve his record century in one of the last three matches and that he failed to do so shouldn't detract from his wonderful record. I am sure he would have got it if we hadn't been chasing the championship because every time he went in we seemed to be chasing quick runs and Tres always played for the team not individual records. He will have a long time to consider that record in the months ahead and hopefully it will happen and warm all Somerset fans in April! Hildreth again produced the goods when needed and to have batted so long with a broken bone in his ankle was a heroic effort and will give all Somerset fans an even bigger excuse to support his testimonial season in 2017. I hope the ECB will have a re-think over the 8/10 split of teams because if they are wanting English players to develop, increasing the number of matches in the much poorer 2nd Division (other people's opinions not just mine) and decreasing them in the far more competitive first division is just plain bonkers. For any other major changes that they intend I hope they will go to the members of the counties and people who go to cricket and get the views of real cricket fans, those who go and see it not just those who follow Sky or emerge from their armchairs occasionally to watch a 20/20 match. However, I am not confident that they will do that. And finally congratulations to Middlesex, deserved winners of the county championship. I didn't like the way it happened but I've seen enough cricket and third and fourth day declarations to know it was always likely to happen this way. They were the best team overall from April to September, they were unbeaten and they finished with more points than anyone else and that usually means they are better than anyone else. ps Thanks to everyone who has joined in with this thread over the cricket season. I have enjoyed reading all opinions and it has been good to have people prepared to spend time writing and sharing their views. There have been some really high quality posts so thank you. I agree with most that you say Wareham, just a couple of points I wanted to pick up on. The first is that I think the number of games are reducing in both divisions not just Division One. Sides in Division two won't play each side twice which will damage the integrity of the league and two down from 8 in division one will make it too hard to plan too I think. Sides can stay up when they are in transition at the moment. I think that might become too hard in future leading to short term-ism. It's a crap idea and I hope they go back to two equal divisions too. I completely agree that members need to be consulted but I also think it's really important that arm chair fans who go occasionally are canvased too. People work and going to Championship matches regularly is hard for this reason. Getting these people to attend more often is key to growing the game. Last time everyone was canvased the current set-up was agreed on and I think it's been successful. T20 attendances are up and England have improved in both formats. The quality in division 1 is also really high. What they need is to get some kind of cricket back on free to air TV. I'm not naive enough to think that we'll ever go back to pre 2005 levels of coverage but even a T20 highlights programme on a Saturday morning would be a step forward. The Championship needs more televised cricket too although that could be achieved through low budget, single camera online only coverage in conjunction with the BBC commentary. If that means losing some money through decreased broadcasting deals then so be it. The ECB have reserves of £70m anyway. I do not agree that city based T20 competitions are the way to go. Who in Bristol or Somerset is going to support a team called Cardiff and no one from my neck of the woods in Worcester is going to support Birmingham (no one from Birmingham supports Birmingham anyway)! It's a terrible idea.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 23, 2016 16:37:05 GMT
Wow. What a finish! Middlesex were third favourites an hour ago. Somerset certainly left cursing their luck again but I agree that Middlesex probably just about deserve it. They've had a good set of bowlers for a few years not but their batsmen have really stepped it up this year.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 23, 2016 16:26:59 GMT
I wonder whether Yorkshire fancy watching Middlesex lift the trophy? Somerset better hope they don't. I think the only hope Somerset have is that Yorkshire start to block.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 23, 2016 16:12:10 GMT
Looks like Middlesex know the MCC's pitch better than most as the declaration was about right in hindsight. Yorkshire look like they might almost be out of it here. 10 an over is a massive ask but they will have to keep going.
I reckon my money is now Middlesex, Somerset then Yorkshire. But I've changed my mind several times in the last half hour. Great stuff!
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 23, 2016 13:46:12 GMT
240 in 40 overs is a pretty generous declaration but that kind of unedifying scenario was always on the cards unfortunately. Both sides will have to attack and keep attacking so a draw is probably the least likely outcome now. If Middlesex can pick up early wickets though Yorkshire might be forced to rebuild which might bring the draw back into the equation.
In terms of the favourites for the title now I reckon it's probably Yorkshire, then Middlesex then Somerset.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 23, 2016 9:46:05 GMT
It's a fantastic finish and as Irish rightly states, it's such a shame that Sky hold the rights to Championship cricket and show two games a season at most. The ECB seem prepared to sell the rights to a new monstrosity of a T20 competition to broadcasters so maybe they will consider doing something similar with he First Class game (assuming they haven't ruinined it by changing the number of sides in each division next season).
Unless Middlesex find themselves in trouble early on and decide they are not prepared to watch Yorkshire win the trophy on their own patch then a result has to be the favourite outcome I think. I hope I'm wrong though. The way Somerset have rebuilt over the last few years has been terrific. They'd be worthy winners.
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