jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 19, 2019 15:38:43 GMT
Jack, all the bowlers you’ve mentioned have played a couple of games with the exception of Onions who is a very different bowler to Kyle Abbott. They haven’t played three solid seasons of division 1 cricket as has Abbott. It would have been hit or miss if many players faced those bowlers. Off the top of my head, Anderson, Broad, Archer and Woakes have all played but a handful of games. I’ve said all along Somerset were one batsman short of a championship winning team and that has been the case for the past few years. Tres just ran out of steam and Azar Ali and now Vijay were not the answers. I think it cost Maynard his job and despite Andy Hurry’s attempts at recruitment we’ve not found a successful batsmen, hence we’ve turned to our own, Bartlett and Banton. I am disappointed but take some satisfaction that 7 yesterday came through our academy against only 4 of the Hampshire team. At times this season 9 or even 10 of our 11 have been our own developed players but that doesn’t necessarily win you the championship. Yes you are right, Hampshire did score probably 60/70 more than they should have. But I think, talking to the people there, Abell didn’t want to be batting Tuesday night and certainly didn’t want to bat from 10.30-11.30 on the Wednesday morning. He set very defensive fields to keep the score down. I think he was happier chasing 260 or more and avoiding batting on Tuesday night / Wednesday early morning than facing a total of 210/220 and having to bat at those times. And he was right the pitch changed very quickly and Somerset batted easily until Vijay’s error. At lunchtime on Wednesday we were sat talking to a group of Somerset and Hampshire fans and they thought Abell had pulled off a smart tactic. We were 86-0. That changed in the 20 minutes after lunch! As to why Jamie O wasn’t playing you’re right his pace would have been good. But there was a question mark over his foot I believe and we had enough good pace bowlers to do the job. I think he will play next week and Jack Brooks will come into contention as well. I think they would have prepared two pitches in readiness, one for if we were ahead and only needing a draw which would be a good batting pitch. The other which will spin if we need a results pitch. But Essex have good spin as well so I’m not sure it will be any more advantageous to us than Essex. Yes I agree, Essex have the more reliable batting line up but our pace attack is better and our spinners could do as much damage as Harmer. Will probably watch the weather decide after all this! I think Archer has played pretty consistently until his England call up this season and Broad and Anderson have played almost half the season in recent years as they aren't involved in the white ball team and half the seasons done by the middle of may. It's all semantics though as the standard of bowling is clearly more consistently better in division one.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 19, 2019 12:31:08 GMT
So, if Glamorgan can’t get 8 wickets tomorrow Glos are promoted. Quite the capitulation by Somerset losing 7 wickets for 14 runs. A great day at the office for Shire supporters! It was a capitulation. Silly thing was we looked at 86-0 comfortable until a silly slog by Vijay. I’m glad it made you so happy!😉 I’m glad Gloucestershire are promoted, that’s great news. For the last few years in Division 1 Kyle Abbott has been the best fast bowler, no team in Division 2 will have faced a fast bowler like him. I’m sure you’ll look forward to it. Abbott is a very good bowler but there have been some good ones in division two in recent years too. Off the top of my head; Anderson, Onions, Broad, Patterson, Archer and Woakes have all played in the second division over the last 3 or 4 years. Hard to see Gloucester or Glamorgan getting maximum batting points next week but a 20 point win for Glamorgan would need Gloucester needing 5 points I think. That's 300 runs and maximum bowling points if we lose. Not a foregone conclusion. I wondered if Somerset's batting might let them down at some point. 300 in the fourth innings is always hard work. I reckon Hampshire scored 50 too many in the first innings and Somerset would have wanted 200 first time round as well. Where was Jamie Overton? I thought Somerset would have benefited from his extra pace to try and run through the tail. Tricky one next week as well. There is plenty of time for the weather forecast to improve and 3 days might be enough to force a result. What kind of pitch do they prepare? A turner and it's leach vs harmer (I think harmer is the best bowler in the championship) or a green top and then you have to watch out for porter and cook. I reckon that without siddle, Somerset's seam attack is stronger but Essex have the better batsmen. Could be a cracker.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 9, 2019 12:02:20 GMT
Oh - or name an unchanged squad!
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 9, 2019 9:59:16 GMT
There are too many big name players in the team that have not fulfilled their potential or who are not in form at the moment. Bairstow, Buttler, Moeen and Stokes all average circa 35 with the bat and only one of those looks like the average is improving rather than heading South. Even Root has had a disappointing couple of years.
Burns has exceeded expectations and demonstrates the virtues of having some red ball experience to fall back on. His technique is limited but he has built a game to overcome that and he has the ability to defend on the front foot. He also seems to be improving with more exposure to Test cricket.
It also suggests that a good record in County Cricket over a long period of time should count of something. The issue with lots of the batsmen we've tried is that their first class record is not all that strong. Problem is, there aren't too many more batsmen in County cricket who have a first class average in excess of 40.
Denely has scored a couple of 50s but I thought he was lucky to get there both times. The question is, are the players who are next in line ready to make the step up? Crawley has a career average of 32 and has an average less than 40 this season. He seems to be in the reckoning based on Rob Key having a big mouth and a high media presence. He might be one for the future but I would want him to score more runs in First Class cricket before picking him. Sibley has a better record and has had a great season. He has patients and can apply himself. It's just about timing really. If the selectors and Paul Farbrace think he would benefit from having another season in County cricket then keep Denely in the side. If not, then I would pick Sibley.
Roy has had a go and it hasn't worked. The gap he left between bat and pad yesterday was enormous. He doesn't have the technique to play test cricket. I would move on. Sam Northeast deserves a chance. A bit like Burns, he has a wealth of experience behind him and is comfortable batting at number 4.
I also think Bairstow needs a kick up the arse. He has so much ability and should be a consistent run scorer at this level but his returns over the last couple of years have been really disappointing. We have a ready made replacement in Ben Foakes, all-be-it, Foakes hasn't had a great season with the bat.
Last one up for discussion is Jos Buttler. I would not have brought him back into the team last year, but, for a while it looked like a master stroke. I do feel that he is trying to adapt his game and find his tempo in test cricket and he could be an absolute superstar, but he has one hundred from 35 tests. Time is running out. I think that Ollie Pope would score more runs than him at number 6. I also feel that Pope could develop into a number 4. I don't think Buttler will ever bat higher than 5. The only thing that really counts in Buttler's favour is that I would want to know for sure that he won't make it in Test cricket before moving on once and for all. I think I would give him the winter and see where we are from there, but he has to go back up the order to 6.
For the next test then, I would pick;
Burns Sibley Root Northeast Stokes Buttler Foakes Woakes Archer Leach Broad
I suspect though that they will make one change to the batting line up with Pope coming in for Roy.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 6, 2019 9:08:26 GMT
Well Notts were brilliant and I was wrong about Middlesex but right about bowling a good over to change the match. But a couple of very good early Notts overs and suddenly Middlesex under pressure. Morgan nearly rescued them but a class act in Hales and Nash made it an easy win. The only consistent part of T20 is its inconsistency. Just goes to show how slowly churning wickets can win you matches, the fewer you pick up the more trouble you're in. Exactly - and that is why I thought Notts would win that one. I think Middlesex's bowlers are a bit predictable. The likes of Finn, TRJ and Helm are at their best when they are banging away back of a length at 85mph. On a flat deck like the one at Trent Bridge, you need a bit more than that.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Sept 5, 2019 9:46:06 GMT
Essex through last night, I wouldn't be too surprised to see an All Southern Finals Day. I thought Lancashire were nailed on certainties to beat Essex. 160 should have been more than enough at Chester le Street last night even if winning the toss was an advantage. Bowling Livingstone in the 19th over cost them the game I think. Tonight's game should be a cracker. Notts are a really good side. Middlesex have a terrific batting line up but I have been surprised at how well their bowling attack has done. I had Sussex down as favourites to win finals day last year and Worcester have a raft of injures and have lost both New Zealand oversea's batsmen. Guptil was called up for the T20 series in Sri Lanka, got injured, and then they have called up Rutherford as a replacement. I would be amazed if Sussex didn't win that one. Gloucester seem to have peaked at the right time, but I have not seen any of Derby this season so I don't really feel qualified to pass comment on that one.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 30, 2019 8:57:24 GMT
Gloucestershire did very well last night. When Higgins went for runs in those first three balls I thought it was over but one of the best comebacks to take 2 in 2 balls. But again if either of 5hose balls had gone slightly further or less distance Kent would have won. Now they need to get more support for Klinger in the batting as I thought Higgins and Payne bowled very well. Big night tonight for all teams in the south, Gloucestershire need to win to get home QF. Ken5 could still nick the home match, not that I think it makes much difference. The talk in the build up to the game was that Klinger had, perhaps, gone on one season too long but after yesterday he is Gloucester's top run scorer again. Some of the young players have had really good seasons too though, Higgins, Hammond and Bracey have all made valuable contributions. I must admit, I thought they would struggle when they lost Howell to injury but they have done well to reach the quarters without him. On paper, without Howell, I don't much fancy Gloucester's bowling attack. Payne is always reliable and a good left arm option and Tye is a top class T20 performer, but they don't have a wrist spinner or any express pace to turn to in the middle overs. It's a bit old fashioned really, they try and squeeze teams in the middle overs, especially if they have runs on the board. Seems to be working though.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 27, 2019 13:47:50 GMT
I am not sure how to sum up the last half an hour of Sunday's climax really. In contrast to the World Cup final that was agony for hours, this game built to a tight finish out of no where. I felt we would get 300 or there about but I never felt we would win the game, even when we needed 10 to win I felt that Australia would have another chance as the pressure swung back towards England. It was an incredible innings by a batsmen who has looked on the cusp of realizing his potential for a while now. What I admire about Stokes is that, in contrast to his peers, he has developed his game. He has clearly worked very hard to develop a defensive technique that he feels he can trust. The assault at the end was astonishing but, inevitably contained an element of good fortune and he is not the only player in the Country who is capable of destroying an attack. The difference is that Stokes had the ability to build an innings and wear the bowlers down. If his bowling wasn't so important, his versatility and defensive technique would make him a good number 3.
Leach did well to support him and showed up some of the others in that batting line up. Archer for example has too much talent to gift his wicket like that when the best player in the side is well set at the other end.
What do we do moving forward? I am still not convinced by Roy, Denley or Burns at this level. Denley got runs but continued to aim flashy drives to deliveries that were at best weighted 70:30 in the bowlers favour. Add to that a weakness against a short ball. I think we have better options at number 4. Roy hasn't looked like scoring a run so the options are, switch Denley and Roy or Denley opens and Pope or even Foakes comes into the side at 4. Pope is an exciting player and is in form so he may well get the nod.
Anderson will probably come in for Woakes, who has been horribly under - bowled by Root. Makes our tail look pretty long though, especially as it was meant to be an area of strength leading into the series.
The big question is, is that England's big collapse for this series, or do they have another one in them? I suspect Australia are yet to have theirs, but England will not get away with another one. I think another sub 100 score is not out of the question, and so for that reason, I still think the Ashes are Australia's to lose.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 23, 2019 18:17:40 GMT
Still very close in Division 2 and it looks like most teams can beat each other. At the moment it looks like only Worcestershire and Leicestershire are out of it. For the first time for a few years it looks like losing their top players has finally caught up with Worcestershire. Its Gloucestershire s promotion to lose but I bet they don’t get many such comfortable declarations as they go into the final month. But as they have the points and second place a draw might be ok sometimes. Just looking forward to Somerset v Essex in the last match of the season at Taunton. How we got away with beating Warwickshire by five wickets I don’t know. At one stage I thought we might have to follow on. Just goes to show when you bat so deep it always gives you a chance and in the end it was a comfortable win. Cricket is sometimes a fascinating game. Over a four day match matches swing for you and against you, it’s just a shame that people don’t have the time to do it. Not sure I agree entirely regarding Worcester. They've had a terrible season but they've only lost one player. Tom Kohler-kadmore left a couple of years ago and was not integral to our championship team. Joe Clarke left this winter but on paper Wessels and Fergusson are good replacements. I think the departure of the coach, Steve Rhodes is the one Worcester have struggled to overcome. I also think describing a declaration that left Gloucester chasing 270 off 50 overs as generous is a bit harsh. England set Australia a smaller target at lords and Australia got no where near it.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 23, 2019 18:17:08 GMT
Still very close in Division 2 and it looks like most teams can beat each other. At the moment it looks like only Worcestershire and Leicestershire are out of it. For the first time for a few years it looks like losing their top players has finally caught up with Worcestershire. Its Gloucestershire s promotion to lose but I bet they don’t get many such comfortable declarations as they go into the final month. But as they have the points and second place a draw might be ok sometimes. Just looking forward to Somerset v Essex in the last match of the season at Taunton. How we got away with beating Warwickshire by five wickets I don’t know. At one stage I thought we might have to follow on. Just goes to show when you bat so deep it always gives you a chance and in the end it was a comfortable win. Cricket is sometimes a fascinating game. Over a four day match matches swing for you and against you, it’s just a shame that people don’t have the time to do it. Not sure I agree entirely regarding Worcester. They've had a terrible season but they've only lost one player. Tom Kohler-kadmore left a couple of years ago and was not integral to our championship team. Joe Clarke left this winter but on paper Weasels and Fergusson are good replacements. I think the departure of the coach, Steve Rhodes is the one Worcester have struggled to overcome. I also think describing a declaration that left Gloucester chasing 270 off 50 overs as generous is a bit harsh. England set Australia a smaller target at lords and Australia got no where near it.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 23, 2019 14:19:15 GMT
Where are Pope and Foakes batting though? If they are batting 4-7 you have to leave Root at 3 and drop one of Stokes, Buttler or Bairstow. Buttler is captaining both our sides so we're dropping Baristow and leaving Root at 3? It's certainly possible. You could throw one of them in at 3 but I would want to speak to Alec Stewart first to understand why they were batting below Patel, Curran and Borthwick in their line up. I was also thinking of Chris Dent the other day. It's not impossible. Right now you'd take a top 3 who are capable of batting time and averaging 30. Nick Compton would walk into this side wouldn't he? If I was a county cricketer I'd be desperate to bat in the top 3 for my county. I’d be fine dropping Roy, Denley and Bairstow for Dent, Pope and Foakes. I by no means think Chris Dent is the answer to our problems but he’s averaging over 50 and Labuschagne has shown that Division 2 batsman at smaller counties can do a reasonable job. England seem to recycle the same names though so expect it to be Jennings, or Vince. Sibley and Pope were the concussion subs named during the Lord's test so I think they are next in line.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 23, 2019 13:46:12 GMT
Hmmm. Not so sure on the draw. It's the most likely result but If we get Smith early they might be all out by lunch. I would imagine England will not last 3 sessions with the bat. You don't lose overs on the last day. Australia could be left with 2 1/2 sessions and 280 to win. Australia could also get close to England's score and we are well capable of being dismissed in a session. There is still time. Well it was a draw then but much closer to the positive direction for England then either of us thought I think. Potentially a momentum swinger perhaps? If we do turn this series around that Archer barrage against Smith will be remembered for all-time by both sides. I thought Leach bowled himself into the team for the summer in this game. Generally it was a decent Test Match in the end despite weather. We could really do with a lively Headingley track on Thursday but recent history suggests this will be unlikely. I'm in France for that one so will not be able to follow it properly. But I have tickets for Day 1 of the 4th at Old Trafford and I'm hopefully that we will go into that still in with a shot of winning the thing. If we do I quite like our chances at Old Trafford and the Oval. Lucky you! I hope you are completely off - grid!
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 23, 2019 13:44:43 GMT
As you say, Bayliss is off. I think we need two coaches reporting into Giles. One a white ball specialist (like Bayliss) and the other a red ball specialist. It's up to Giles to manage any conflict that ensues. I would keep Ed Smith for now. Baring the Denley selection I am not sure the selectors have done that much wrong, assuming the selectors aren't influencing the batting order. There are some talented players in this side but we need a mentality shift. It feels like the majority of them have gone backwards since making their debut. Since Root came into the side, is there one player who has been picked who has really nailed down a spot in the side? Stokes is closest, and is a match winner, but a man with his talent should not average 35 with the bat. On this basis, I would also sack Root. He is not so important as captain that we can sacrifice a 15 run drop in his batting average. Let him focus on his batting and put him back at number 4. I am also sticking with a 5-7 of Stokes , Buttler and Bairstow. Let's see whether some stability over the next couple of summers and a change in leadership has any impact. They have the talent, but I think they need to accept their limitations and Giles should appoint a coach with a remit of improving the standard of coaching across the international set up. 15 years ago the likes of Strauss, Trott, Prior, Pieterson and Cook came into the side and looked at home from the outset. We didn't need coaches, we needed mentors. Now we have talented individuals but they clearly need to work on their mentality and technique. I would stick with those who have the talent and show the aptitude to work on their game for at least another 10 tests. If there isn't a willingness to adapt, or an acceptance that there is an issue then move on. I would drop Roy. It was worth trying him at the top of the order and if he was showing any sign that he could work it out then I'd give him an elongated run, but he is not. When we were crap at one day cricket, we picked good test players and hoped for the best. We are falling into the same trap in Test cricket. Just about fair enough with one or two players batting 5 or lower but we have to move away from this policy with our top order players. I'd stick with Burns for the want of better options, but I don't think he is the long term answer. He is fallible to short bowling and looks likely to nick off. I have seen a bit of Sibley. He is not flashy, but has a good mindset and is comfortable batting long periods of time. I'd like to get Pope into the side, but he hasn't batted higher than 4, ditto Sam Northeast and Ben Foakes. It would be really useful if one of those guys could move up to 3 for their county but as it stands, they will have to join Roy in waiting for a middle order space to open up. We have tried moving middle order players up to the top order and it hasn't worked. I have not seen Zak Crawley much but he's had a decent season. I also think we discarded Malan a bit too early in hindsight. I see Sam Curran batted at 3 for Surrey this week, but he has not hit a first class century yet. Captaincy wise, it would be nice to give it to someone who is guaranteed a space in the side, but that only leaves Root, Stokes or one of the bowlers. Not a big fan of Stokes taking the captaincy so you have to take a punt on someone. Buttler is hanging on to his place in the side, but could the added responsibility, as well as feeling secure in his place in the side help? He is clearly part of the leadership group. Probably too early for Burns, but he has captaincy experience. What a bloody mess. I know he's not in nick but I'd have Buttler as captain, best cricketing mind in the team. I think Foakes and Pope have to play the next test, as for an opener is it bonkers to suggest someone like Chris Dent? You know, an actual in form opener?
I certainly agree with having different coaches, it's become painfully obvious it's needed. This is woeful.
Where are Pope and Foakes batting though? If they are batting 4-7 you have to leave Root at 3 and drop one of Stokes, Buttler or Bairstow. Buttler is captaining both our sides so we're dropping Baristow and leaving Root at 3? It's certainly possible. You could throw one of them in at 3 but I would want to speak to Alec Stewart first to understand why they were batting below Patel, Curran and Borthwick in their line up. I was also thinking of Chris Dent the other day. It's not impossible. Right now you'd take a top 3 who are capable of batting time and averaging 30. Nick Compton would walk into this side wouldn't he? If I was a county cricketer I'd be desperate to bat in the top 3 for my county.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 23, 2019 13:11:35 GMT
Well this is going well isn't it! I think if we'd have really hit our stride yesterday Australia would have made less than 100. My belief that we should have batted first stems from England's fallibility when bowling first (borne out by the spells bowled after lunch by Woakes and Stokes) with both the bat and the ball. Clearly conditions were better for bowling yesterday than they are today, but I am not sure we are good enough to fully capitalise. Losing the Ashes would hurt, but longer term I do wonder whether a convincing defeat might force the ECB to ask some searching questions. The first class structure, coaching and leadership set up and pathway is not producing test quality batsmen and a convincing home series defeat has been on the cards for a few years. Joe Root is yet to win an Ashes Test Match, Bayliss will mooch off and Ed Smith won't get pied. What's the plan? Root clearly isn't a captain, in fact he's clearly not a batsman any more either. Take the captaincy off of him and actually build a team instead of chopping and changing every 3 minutes. Time to move past a lot of these players, they're clearly not doing it in test cricket despite white ball heroics. As you say, Bayliss is off. I think we need two coaches reporting into Giles. One a white ball specialist (like Bayliss) and the other a red ball specialist. It's up to Giles to manage any conflict that ensues. I would keep Ed Smith for now. Baring the Denley selection I am not sure the selectors have done that much wrong, assuming the selectors aren't influencing the batting order. There are some talented players in this side but we need a mentality shift. It feels like the majority of them have gone backwards since making their debut. Since Root came into the side, is there one player who has been picked who has really nailed down a spot in the side? Stokes is closest, and is a match winner, but a man with his talent should not average 35 with the bat. On this basis, I would also sack Root. He is not so important as captain that we can sacrifice a 15 run drop in his batting average. Let him focus on his batting and put him back at number 4. I am also sticking with a 5-7 of Stokes , Buttler and Bairstow. Let's see whether some stability over the next couple of summers and a change in leadership has any impact. They have the talent, but I think they need to accept their limitations and Giles should appoint a coach with a remit of improving the standard of coaching across the international set up. 15 years ago the likes of Strauss, Trott, Prior, Pieterson and Cook came into the side and looked at home from the outset. We didn't need coaches, we needed mentors. Now we have talented individuals but they clearly need to work on their mentality and technique. I would stick with those who have the talent and show the aptitude to work on their game for at least another 10 tests. If there isn't a willingness to adapt, or an acceptance that there is an issue then move on. I would drop Roy. It was worth trying him at the top of the order and if he was showing any sign that he could work it out then I'd give him an elongated run, but he is not. When we were crap at one day cricket, we picked good test players and hoped for the best. We are falling into the same trap in Test cricket. Just about fair enough with one or two players batting 5 or lower but we have to move away from this policy with our top order players. I'd stick with Burns for the want of better options, but I don't think he is the long term answer. He is fallible to short bowling and looks likely to nick off. I have seen a bit of Sibley. He is not flashy, but has a good mindset and is comfortable batting long periods of time. I'd like to get Pope into the side, but he hasn't batted higher than 4, ditto Sam Northeast and Ben Foakes. It would be really useful if one of those guys could move up to 3 for their county but as it stands, they will have to join Roy in waiting for a middle order space to open up. We have tried moving middle order players up to the top order and it hasn't worked. I have not seen Zak Crawley much but he's had a decent season. I also think we discarded Malan a bit too early in hindsight. I see Sam Curran batted at 3 for Surrey this week, but he has not hit a first class century yet. Captaincy wise, it would be nice to give it to someone who is guaranteed a space in the side, but that only leaves Root, Stokes or one of the bowlers. Not a big fan of Stokes taking the captaincy so you have to take a punt on someone. Buttler is hanging on to his place in the side, but could the added responsibility, as well as feeling secure in his place in the side help? He is clearly part of the leadership group. Probably too early for Burns, but he has captaincy experience. What a bloody mess.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 23, 2019 11:14:17 GMT
Well this is going well isn't it! I think if we'd have really hit our stride yesterday Australia would have made less than 100. My belief that we should have batted first stems from England's fallibility when bowling first (borne out by the spells bowled after lunch by Woakes and Stokes) with both the bat and the ball. Clearly conditions were better for bowling yesterday than they are today, but I am not sure we are good enough to fully capitalise.
Losing the Ashes would hurt, but longer term I do wonder whether a convincing defeat might force the ECB to ask some searching questions. The first class structure, coaching and leadership set up and pathway is not producing test quality batsmen and a convincing home series defeat has been on the cards for a few years.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 22, 2019 10:30:20 GMT
So England are unchanged and will bowl first if it ever stops raining.
I see they have switched the batting line up again with Buttler moving to 7 and Bairstow up to 6. It is a bloody shambles. Is it any wonder that Moeen Ali looks like he has forgotten which end to hold the bat and Bairstow and Stokes have struggled to find any consistency? You can't blame the selectors for this. The coach and the captain pick the batting order and they are muddying the waters. How can anyone have any clarity over their role in the side? As I said last time out, I have been in favour of moving various members of the batting line up up the order but that has clearly had a negative effect on peoples form. It has to stop. A settled 4-9 of Root, Stokes, Buttler, Bairstow, Woakes and Archer would give us a chance of developing a middle order that are destructive and capable of averaging more than 30 with the bat.
I also think bowling first is a big risk. We have won Test Matches in the UK over the last few years by batting first and scoring 280 / 300. When we bowl first we tend to miss our length and concede a first innings lead.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 21, 2019 17:37:40 GMT
Seems the pitch has flattened out in Derby, will be surprised if we get a result now. A real shame. I am surprised and delighted. That is an astonishing run chase! I'd stopped checking the score at tea and had given it up as a draw
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 19, 2019 9:54:42 GMT
Hmmm. Not so sure on the draw. It's the most likely result but If we get Smith early they might be all out by lunch. I would imagine England will not last 3 sessions with the bat. You don't lose overs on the last day. Australia could be left with 2 1/2 sessions and 280 to win. Australia could also get close to England's score and we are well capable of being dismissed in a session. There is still time. Well it was a draw then but much closer to the positive direction for England then either of us thought I think. Potentially a momentum swinger perhaps? If we do turn this series around that Archer barrage against Smith will be remembered for all-time by both sides. I thought Leach bowled himself into the team for the summer in this game. Generally it was a decent Test Match in the end despite weather. We could really do with a lively Headingley track on Thursday but recent history suggests this will be unlikely. I'm in France for that one so will not be able to follow it properly. But I have tickets for Day 1 of the 4th at Old Trafford and I'm hopefully that we will go into that still in with a shot of winning the thing. If we do I quite like our chances at Old Trafford and the Oval. It was a good Test Match with some high quality passages of play. I thought Stokes and Buttler did really well to survive the last hour on Saturday and the first hour on Sunday. We have regularly lost wickets during key passages of play so credit to them for that. It's definitely a plus that Buttler, Stokes and Bairstow all spent a good amount of time in the middle under pressure during this test. 5-8 is the part of the team that we should have the upper hand in. The lost hour in the morning probably scuppered England's chances of winning the test but they gave it a good go. Archer will get the plaudits but I agree that Leach has ensured he will get a run in the side (coupled with Moeen bowling a rubbish spell for Worcester yesterday). He offered more control than he has managed in an England shirt previously. Fitness and form notwithstanding, the addition of Archer and Leach gives us a bowling attack that looks capable of succeeding in all conditions. There is a caveat of course, which is that we will need to replace Anderson and Broad sooner or later. I have been a proponent of moving various members of our middle order up the order in the past, but I am now convinced that has been the wrong approach. You could make an argument that Root, Moeen, Stokes, Bairstow and Buttler have all suffered as a result of being shunted around the order. I hope we settle on a 4 - 7 of Root, Stokes, Buttler and Bairstow in that order for the foreseeable future. Let's actually see whether they are capable of averaging 40+ in test cricket. That leaves the top 3 (again). Burns has done enough for now, all be it, he has had a slice of luck in the last couple of innings. I think I would stick with Denley and Roy for another test. You can talk about Roy moving to 5 but we don't have a space there so it's top 3 or nothing. You could make an argument for opening with Denley and moving Roy to 3 but I don't really mind either way. I would be surprised if more than one of them make it as a test cricketer so we will need to look at other options (again) sooner or later. Does Foakes have the technique to bat in the top 3? It would be odd to have your best keeper in the side as a specialist batsmen but he does seem to have the right temperament to me, all be it I can't imagine he has ever batted at 3 for his County. We just go round in circles though don't we?! It will be interesting to see how Smith shapes up after the blow he took. I hope England don't start bowling short to him straight away in the next test but I am sure he will be tested again at some point. I have seen examples of batsmen not really finding their best form again after taking a serious blow. I still think we are up against it in the series though. If the weather holds I am not sure there will be another draw. Are England capable of winning 3 tests on the spin? I am not so sure personally. Edit: someone needs to talk to Root as well. The amount Archer bowled in this test was madness. Surely that kind of workload cannot be maintained?
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 16, 2019 18:51:38 GMT
With another Day seemingly lost to rain it looks highly likely this one will peeter out into a draw. I'm just not sure there's time left for a result to be fashioned.
I agree that Bairstow's shot was dissapointing. Leach looked OK - in fact in the circumstance I might have had him above Archer and Broad as he's more likely to survive for a reasonable amount of time. Could have eked another 30 runs out of the tail which woud have been psychologically important. I feel like we are consistently 50-70 runs short of where we need to be in the 1st innings which heaps pressure on the bowlers. Top order remains an unsettled mess. Burns seems to have a certain 'battle through' quality which the team definitely needs. Roy being picked represents muddled longer-term thinking. I've nothing particularly against them giving him a try as opener but we shouldn't be in a position where his first series is the Ashes against a top Aussie attack. That is setting him up to fail. It's quite possible he could have made the neccesary adaptations if he'd had a bit less of a baptism of fire. As it is there seems to be a massive learning curve for him and that's tough. I could buy into Sibley for Denly although in truth if the batting order was firing you'd be tempted to go with a 2nd spinner instead.
We have bowled very well so far though so there is some hope. I feel like Aussies still have a collapse or 2 in them especially if we can remove the talisman
Hmmm. Not so sure on the draw. It's the most likely result but If we get Smith early they might be all out by lunch. I would imagine England will not last 3 sessions with the bat. You don't lose overs on the last day. Australia could be left with 2 1/2 sessions and 280 to win. Australia could also get close to England's score and we are well capable of being dismissed in a session. There is still time.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 16, 2019 10:07:57 GMT
I went to Lord's yesterday. I think I picked the right day given the weather on Wednesday and the forecast today!
Not many positives for England, certainly from a batting perspective. It is good that Australia are well prepared but I would really like to see a test series between two sides that have batsmen with the mindset and skill to make life difficult for bowlers. England's batsmen either have the skill or the mindset, but I am not sure any of them have both. Burns top scored but was dropped twice. He looked really uncomfortable post lunch when Cummins bowled short at him. The spell of bowling was superb, but Burns has been out twice now fending off a ball that was dug into his rib cage. This was a really slow pitch. Added to his tendency to struggle when the ball is pitched up around off stump then I would question whether he is likely to have any longevity in test cricket. I certainly think Australia will keep testing him with the short ball.
I heard people say that Roy's dismissal was indicative of the way he plays but I think that is rubbish. In one day cricket, when conditions are tough, he at least has a couple of overs to have a look at the bowling. I accept that he will make mistakes, but England need him to learn quickly. He had a slow start to his ODI career so hopefully he can get there.
Denley is not a test cricketer. He got a good ball but he had a chanced life before his dismissal. I would move on next test. You could put Root down to 4, Roy to 3 and bring in Sibbley who at least looks like he has test temperament. Like Burns, he may have technical deficiencies but at least we'll have a couple of top order batsmen that will try and apply themselves.
Speaking of Root, we desperately need him to start to score some runs again. If the captaincy is affecting his game then we should find someone else to captain the side. If he was a brilliant captain who was helping the team to be more than the sum of it's parts then I would say it is a reasonable trade-off, but he is not getting the best out of this team. We desperately need his runs.
Stokes looks like he is on the cusp of finding the right tempo for test cricket, but his returns since coming back into the side are disappointing. His dismissal yesterday, LBW sweeping a full ball that pitched on off and straightened was daft.
Woakes looked really solid until they started bowling short to him and then his dismissal looked inevitable. It only took an over to work him over during which time he could have been caught at long leg and was hit on the helmet. I would not expect him to get much in his own half during the rest of the series.
It was good that Bairstow got a few runs but he is terrible at batting with the tail. I don't know how many times he has just hit one up in the air when batting with a number 11 but it feels like a lot. Leach looked solid enough yesterday. Bairstow hadn't faced much of Lyon, first ball of the over, head back, straight down deep mid wickets throat. Smith didn't really open his shoulders until he had 100 in the last test.
The pitch was very up and down. I actually think 300 would have been close to par. If England bowl well then they can still win the game. They will need to weather to hold off until lunch and try and bowl Australia out in a session (or have them 7 or 8 down).
However, the pitch is slow and is exactly the kind of track England have really struggled on in the past. It is not inconceivable that Australia could make 450 and put England under pressure on a turning, dry pitch with variable bounce on day 5. Any play they get today will be under cloud cover and England have to get it right with the ball.
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