jackthegas
David Pritchard
Joined: May 2014
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 9, 2019 15:21:59 GMT
I went to this game. First time I have seen Gloucestershire play in Bristol for a couple of years. I have been a few times post redevelopment but not often. It has improved the ground markedly and I think it's added to both the atmosphere and character of the place. The new mural on the back of the club shop is nice and epitomizes Bristol. Gloucester have a good team and I would not bet against them reaching finals day this year. The only thing I think they lack is a wrist spinner, or an unorthodox finger spinner. Nothing against Smith who is reliable but the best sides seem to have two spinners one of whom bowls some wrist spin. Jack Taylor remains one of my favourite cricketers. I love watching him bat and his inconsistency adds to the allure. I was disappointed with Kent though. I expected more given how well they have gone this season. Their top order just couldn't get going and they never really threatened to post a competitive total. Oddly despite Smudge going for 7.5 an over I think he bowled pretty tight, Glos tend to win or lose games in the middle overs when he and Howell are bowling. Between them during those 8 overs they went for 6.25 which, is pretty tight when teams are looking to accelerate. I do agree though, on the whole we do miss some different options. We've basically got a squad of 15 without much depth. Hopefully we can make Finals Day and get promotion, that would be an outstanding season. Yes, that kind of containing off-spin is really effective when sides have lost early wickets or on slow pitches. Wednesday was taylor made for Smith really. You need a bit of variety on pitches that have good bounce and carry.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 9, 2019 12:45:45 GMT
A much needed win for shire in the Blast last night, great tight bowling performance that built pressure and a steady batting performance got us over the line. A big weekend in London will make or break the T20 season, hopefully we'll come away with 4 points. I went to this game. First time I have seen Gloucestershire play in Bristol for a couple of years. I have been a few times post redevelopment but not often. It has improved the ground markedly and I think it's added to both the atmosphere and character of the place. The new mural on the back of the club shop is nice and epitomizes Bristol. Gloucester have a good team and I would not bet against them reaching finals day this year. The only thing I think they lack is a wrist spinner, or an unorthodox finger spinner. Nothing against Smith who is reliable but the best sides seem to have two spinners one of whom bowls some wrist spin. Jack Taylor remains one of my favourite cricketers. I love watching him bat and his inconsistency adds to the allure. I was disappointed with Kent though. I expected more given how well they have gone this season. Their top order just couldn't get going and they never really threatened to post a competitive total.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 7, 2019 13:50:17 GMT
If we need a bit of pace then Jamie Overton is next in line I would have thought. Then who knows. Tom Helm?
Fingers crossed Archer can stay fit and perform.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 5, 2019 14:58:07 GMT
Well that was all very predictable. Hopefully my obituary is premature and Buttler and Stokes can dig us out of a huge hole! The pitch hasn't done England any favours. We always struggle on slow wickets and that is what this one turned into after 3pm on day 1. We don't have the pace in our bowling attack to create chances, we don't score enough runs to create scoreboard pressure and Moeen has demonstrated again that he is better when he is supported by another spinner (I'd forgotten that Rashid played all last summer). We are going to find it very difficult to win 3 test matches from here. Leach for Moeen is an obvious change. In the past we have brought in a second spinner when Mo has been struggling with the ball and he has kept his place because of his ability with the bat. That clearly can't happen this time. It's a shame because I think Moeen at his best is a better bowler than Leach. He gets more spin on the ball and more dip and drift. Leach is steadier and has experience of playing on turning tracks with the weight of expectation on his shoulders, but I haven't seen the level of consistency from him yet that I think he will need to really thrive at the highest level. Bairstow's place must be up for discussion too given that we have an obvious replacement in Foakes. Two things work for Bairstow. The first is that Counties are playing T20 cricket. It would be a big ask to throw Foakes in given a lack of red ball practice. I also think the management owe Bairstow a bit. I was an advocate of Bairstow moving up the order but his loss of form has coincided with him being shunted around the batting order. I think I got that wrong. Unless the selectors feel that he is mentally shot (and his keeping has stood up so I think that is probably not an issue) I would keep him in the side for now. Archer for Anderson is a no-brainer assuming he comes through the second team game for Sussex. Roy's dismissal today was predictable and he will be lambasted, but I think it's expected given his background. You have to hope he can transcend the questionable coaching set up and actually develop his game over the next 10 tests or so. No one expected him to be the finished article, but he is a huge talent so let's see if he can learn from his mistake. I would be in favour of picking Crawley or Sibley instead of Denley, who is older than Roy and Burns and so less likely to improve with game time. I would then move Roy down the order to 4 where he seems more suited at the moment. Longer term, the proliferation of batters who have come in to the side as good County players in good form, who start reasonably well, only to lose form and confidence within the space of 5 tests, before returning to County cricket and seem diminished has to be looked at. You want players to improve in the test environment. Even if they aren't quite good enough for test cricket, why have so many come in to the side at the top of the batting averages only to return to county cricket and look mediocre? Is the coaching set up right? We really need Root to rediscover his form too. Of the "golden four" his record is now comfortably the worst in test cricket. My view is that, now Cook has retired, he is too important to England to be captain. His form seems to be suffering and he is not leading a team that is more than the sum of it's parts. I am not advocating a change at this stage but I feel that after this series, it might be in the best interests of the team. Buttler is the man I would look to (bowled the second I submitted this). He is not our best player, and if he has a poor series his place could be under threat, but he seems to have the right demeanor, they say he has a good tactical brain and he is probably one of the best 6 batters in the Country. The captain doesn't always have to be your best player. We lost it when we let Peter Siddle knock 40 odd in the first innings. From then on the Aussies had a spring in their step. We should have had a 200+ first innings lead - you can't afford to blow chances like that. When the Aussies had us on the ropes they kept us there. It made it a good competitive test match but one in which the Aussies emerge stronger and we come out of it looking like damaged goods. We will have to go some to wrestle back that momentum of them I think. It's an uphill struggle from here. Credit where it's due though - the best 2 performers in the game (Smith and Lyon) won the Test Match and that is how it should be. Smith's performance is a redemption story for the ages and he was something else. If we don't find some way of getting to him then he will dominate us as badly as he did in Aus last time around.
Quite glad the 'fortress Edgbaston' gubbins bubble has been punctured. It's a daft concept really and if England really do think that they have some kind of secret advantage playing in Birmingham compared with other English grounds then they need to have their professionalism questioned. You hear it from Swann and Vaughan all the time on TMS and it reminds you that no matter how many layers of coaching, support and preparation work you put in and no matter how talented they are cricketers as a species (and at all levels) remain the most ridiculously superstitious sportsmen normally to their own detriment! I do think we are in trouble going to Lords though - our record there is bad and it's not because of some obtuse nonsense about 'atmosphere' or 'the feeling you get when you drive into through the gate' (spare me!), it's just (as you say) Lords doesn't suit us because since they relaed a decade or so ago its become flat and slow. Archer must play in that one.
Despite tempations we really can't make wholesale changes now though. You have to back the squad you've gone with at this point I think. So apart from Archer it would just be Leach for Moen I think. The bottom line is our main issue for a while now has been failing to get big enough first innings scores. I can't see any set of changes which is going to address that so I can't really see the point of wholesale changes.
I take your point on players regressing rather than pushing on. I think it's a vicious cycle that comes with having such an unsettled batting order. No one feels particularly comfortable. Bairstow looks to me like a man who needs a rest - he has played a hell of a lot of cricket and I think he might be a bit mentally shot. I can't see England dropping him though - he's clearly seen as a key man.
Hats off to the Aussies - their bowling was excellent all game. We have to match that level if we don't this series will drift away from us very quicky.
If Bairstow (or any of the others) are mentally shot then you have to leave them out. You only have to look at the Trott and Trescothick situations to see what might happen if he isn't looked after. If he's up for the fight then I would pick him too, but you can't know that without asking him some questions and looking him in the eye. Looks foolish to have picked him for the Ireland test in hindsight (or foresight in your case). Agreed on the wholesale changes. Having picked this top 4 we probably have to stick with them for the next couple of tests but I just cannot see Denley making enough runs to justify his place. The only caveat with Lords is that the pitches over the last couple of years have been greener so that offers some hope for England. The square looked dreadful during the World Cup final. I think their bowlers will be a handful if the surface is anything like the one prepared for the Ireland test though. Let's face it, Bayliss was hired to win England the world cup, whilst keeping us competitive in test cricket. He's just about managed that, but I would expect to see an upturn in our Test form following his departure. We basically haven't progressed as a team over the last 4 years which is a real shame given the talent that we have, coupled with two of the best bowlers of all time.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 5, 2019 12:45:12 GMT
Well that was all very predictable. Hopefully my obituary is premature and Buttler and Stokes can dig us out of a huge hole!
The pitch hasn't done England any favours. We always struggle on slow wickets and that is what this one turned into after 3pm on day 1. We don't have the pace in our bowling attack to create chances, we don't score enough runs to create scoreboard pressure and Moeen has demonstrated again that he is better when he is supported by another spinner (I'd forgotten that Rashid played all last summer).
We are going to find it very difficult to win 3 test matches from here.
Leach for Moeen is an obvious change. In the past we have brought in a second spinner when Mo has been struggling with the ball and he has kept his place because of his ability with the bat. That clearly can't happen this time. It's a shame because I think Moeen at his best is a better bowler than Leach. He gets more spin on the ball and more dip and drift. Leach is steadier and has experience of playing on turning tracks with the weight of expectation on his shoulders, but I haven't seen the level of consistency from him yet that I think he will need to really thrive at the highest level.
Bairstow's place must be up for discussion too given that we have an obvious replacement in Foakes. Two things work for Bairstow. The first is that Counties are playing T20 cricket. It would be a big ask to throw Foakes in given a lack of red ball practice. I also think the management owe Bairstow a bit. I was an advocate of Bairstow moving up the order but his loss of form has coincided with him being shunted around the batting order. I think I got that wrong. Unless the selectors feel that he is mentally shot (and his keeping has stood up so I think that is probably not an issue) I would keep him in the side for now.
Archer for Anderson is a no-brainer assuming he comes through the second team game for Sussex.
Roy's dismissal today was predictable and he will be lambasted, but I think it's expected given his background. You have to hope he can transcend the questionable coaching set up and actually develop his game over the next 10 tests or so. No one expected him to be the finished article, but he is a huge talent so let's see if he can learn from his mistake.
I would be in favour of picking Crawley or Sibley instead of Denley, who is older than Roy and Burns and so less likely to improve with game time. I would then move Roy down the order to 4 where he seems more suited at the moment.
Longer term, the proliferation of batters who have come in to the side as good County players in good form, who start reasonably well, only to lose form and confidence within the space of 5 tests, before returning to County cricket and seem diminished has to be looked at. You want players to improve in the test environment. Even if they aren't quite good enough for test cricket, why have so many come in to the side at the top of the batting averages only to return to county cricket and look mediocre? Is the coaching set up right?
We really need Root to rediscover his form too. Of the "golden four" his record is now comfortably the worst in test cricket. My view is that, now Cook has retired, he is too important to England to be captain. His form seems to be suffering and he is not leading a team that is more than the sum of it's parts. I am not advocating a change at this stage but I feel that after this series, it might be in the best interests of the team. Buttler is the man I would look to (bowled the second I submitted this). He is not our best player, and if he has a poor series his place could be under threat, but he seems to have the right demeanor, they say he has a good tactical brain and he is probably one of the best 6 batters in the Country. The captain doesn't always have to be your best player.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 4, 2019 13:07:19 GMT
Get Smith, win the match. Yeah that's not working out so well right now.... We do not look like getting him out, nor do our bowlers look like they believe they can get him out. Even the Captain is setting unorthodox fields from ball one. I think the bowlers who couldn't get him out in Australia are carrying a bit of baggage. If he's fit archer is a certainly for the next test and I think, with reluctance, leach should come in for moeen. We could do with Stokes or Root having a similar type of series too!
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 1, 2019 17:37:32 GMT
Well this is a disaster. I'm not sure today could have gone much worse, but brace yourselves for 10/2 at the close!
We have to ensure we always have some pace in the team. If archer wasn't fit, stone should have played. I know they've been unlucky with Anderson's injury but I just feel that more often than not, express pace stops sides recovering from 120/8 to post the best part of 300.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 1, 2019 12:19:26 GMT
Well we have well and truly given up the initiative there. Either Anderson has picked up a niggle, or he wasn't fit enough for selection, or Root has had a terrible morning and has completely failed to see that the game was up for grabs with Australia 35/3 and Smith under all kinds of pressure. It's not unsalvageable but who knows what was possible if Jimmy had bowled 7 overs in that session. He's injured. Bugger. Rotten luck but given Anderson, Broad, Stokes and Woakes have all had niggles over the last 12 months we could have mitigated that risk by picking an extra bowler.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Posts: 313
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Post by jackthegas on Aug 1, 2019 12:07:41 GMT
Well we have well and truly given up the initiative there. Either Anderson has picked up a niggle, or he wasn't fit enough for selection, or Root has had a terrible morning and has completely failed to see that the game was up for grabs with Australia 35/3 and Smith under all kinds of pressure.
It's not unsalvageable but who knows what was possible if Jimmy had bowled 7 overs in that session.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jul 30, 2019 10:01:33 GMT
It sounds like a top 4 of Roy, Burns, Root and Denley which I think is bizarre. Picking Denley to bat at 3 given that we have a shortage of top order batsmen is understandable but surely we have better options for the middle order? I would be more supportive of Roy and Denley opening with Root at 3 and Roy at 4. I do think Ed Smith's Kent connections are the primary reason that Denley has been around the England side.
I think the Australian's have some big decisions to make too. I think they will pick Bancroft, but I think Burns is a better batsman. I would also pick Pattinson, Cummins, Siddle and Lyon as their 4 bowlers. I suspect they will go with Starc over Siddle, but the latter is a fabulous bowler in English conditions and is a bit of a point of difference. He could offer the captain some control and I think he finds a fuller length more naturally than Hazelwood.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jul 29, 2019 20:02:33 GMT
Same team as both chewie and Irish but a different batting line up to both. 3. Root 4. Stokes 5. Buttler 6. Bairstow 7. Woakes 8. Moeen.
If we play 6 bowlers then stokes won't have to bowl much so I think 4 is doable. I wouldn't mind him having a go at 3 though.
If Anderson isn't fit then I'd play Curran. Decent bowler given the likely conditions and we'll probably need his batting.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jul 27, 2019 19:05:48 GMT
I want England to win but I also want to see a contest and so with that in mind I'm all for the Australians playing county cricket.
I think Irish is a bit harsh on Moeen. He is out of form with the bat but his bowling has been very good since he came back into the side. He had a quiet world cup but so did almost every spinner.
I like Bairstow but this is a big series for him. I think he's developed a tenancy to stay leg side of the ball which has helped his one day game but means he's getting bowled a lot in test cricket. Foakes has already shown what he's capable of.
Given that England have clearly prioritised the world cup and that Australia's preparation looks good and the uncertainty around England's top 3 (the selectors have asked root to bat at 3 again) I think Australia have their best chance of an away ashes win in a generation.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jul 26, 2019 16:14:41 GMT
I thought Root's post match comments were delusional. The pitch was not substandard nor was it impossible to post a score in excess of 300 (if not 400) in those conditions. If it was an aberration then you could put it down to a World Cup hangover, but it's not. If the captain is delivering the same message behind closed doors then I am worried.
Bayliss was more accurate with his surmisation. He's right that Roy showed promise but you need an opener who has made 70 to go on and make 170. He also said that the players seem to have an issue motivating themselves for games against sides that aren't Australia or India. That is also a fair point, but also a damning indictment of the coaching team who's remit must include motivation.
I thought the selectors got it wrong this test as well. There is very little chance that the top 3 are going to make it through the Ashes. We didn't need 6 bowlers this test match. They should have picked Sibley or Zak Crawley or whoever they think is next in line and batted them at 5. Making your debut in a relatively low pressure match against a weaker attack must be preferable to being thrown into the 4th Ashes test.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jul 26, 2019 15:34:24 GMT
It sounds like they had some really good crowds at Cheltenham this year. They had 4,000 for the Sunday of the Championship fixture and last night was a sell out. Possibly World Cup linked but I do think a relatively intimate town centre location is more appealing than an out of the way relatively large venue. Higgins was an absolutely fabulous signing. I thought he'd make a positive impact on the limited overs team but I have been surprised by the impact he has had on the Championship team. He's like two players at the moment. I hope Gloucester have the ambition and resources to keep hold of him because I would have thought the likes of Warwickshire and Notts will be sniffing around next season once he is in the last year of his contract. Some of Gloucester's young batsmen are really starting to flourish too. It's great that they have started producing some quality young players. They are right in the promotion mix, but I think the bowling attack looks a little bit vulnerable to injury / loss of form when compared to some other sides in the division. The only thing that is holding us back is the bowling attack, we keep having to rely on loans with Josh Shaw and Son of Hitler Ethan Bamber and then the matches where Chadd Sayers was drafted in. All have done excellent jobs but now losing Matt Taylor for "up to six weeks" it'll be interesting to see where we go from here... Yeah losing Miles and to a lesser extent (given his injury record) Norwell at the end of last season really was crappy timing.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jul 26, 2019 13:39:36 GMT
It sounds like they had some really good crowds at Cheltenham this year. They had 4,000 for the Sunday of the Championship fixture and last night was a sell out. Possibly World Cup linked but I do think a relatively intimate town centre location is more appealing than an out of the way relatively large venue.
Higgins was an absolutely fabulous signing. I thought he'd make a positive impact on the limited overs team but I have been surprised by the impact he has had on the Championship team. He's like two players at the moment. I hope Gloucester have the ambition and resources to keep hold of him because I would have thought the likes of Warwickshire and Notts will be sniffing around next season once he is in the last year of his contract.
Some of Gloucester's young batsmen are really starting to flourish too. It's great that they have started producing some quality young players. They are right in the promotion mix, but I think the bowling attack looks a little bit vulnerable to injury / loss of form when compared to some other sides in the division.
Worcester's bowling attack is close to first division quality in my opinion and has plenty of strength in depth, but the batting line up has been underwhelming for 18 months. The top order (Mitchell, Wessels and Ferguson) looks good on paper but has really not delivered this season. Wessels is the kind of signing that rarely seems to work. Big Counties don't let players leave if that have something significant left to offer.
They then have a plethora of high potential batmen that are currently good number 7 or 8s but are not yet consistent enough to bat in the top 5. Barnard batted at 4 this week and he has a first class average less than 30. The likes of Barnard, D'Olivera, Cox and Fell just haven't kicked on with the bat since Steve Rhodes left.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jul 24, 2019 12:30:07 GMT
I'd ban betting advertising in the UK, unlike drink and drugs you can feed your addiction while sat on your sofa through your phone. I can't imagine how difficult it would be for a recovering addict to watch football on the TV now. Every second advert is for a betting company, 12/20 Premier League teams are sponsored by betting companies this season and it's even worse in the, wait for it... Sky Bet Championship. The betting industry is here to stay but personally I'd like to see a blanket ban on them being able to advertise. I think pre-watershed betting adverts during sporting events are being discontinued later this year, which I think is a step in the right direction.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jul 24, 2019 12:25:25 GMT
Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician
Sums it up really.
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jul 21, 2019 17:23:20 GMT
istr that they decided a tied match by going into the indoor school and each side bowling an over at the wickets. There was no batsman and at the end of the over each the winning team was the team who had hit the wickets the most times in the six balls. Without checking I think there were one or two such matches in the 60s and 70s with the Gillette Cup. But no one saw it happening! We’ve come a long way since then. Yes we still do that for abandoned cup ties in club cricket. No can ever hit the stumps under that pressure! In my experience, the batsmen who end up bowling nail it and the bowlers are the ones who struggle!
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jul 18, 2019 15:54:48 GMT
Now that the dust has settled can we agree deciding the final on boundaries is just odd? Surely something else needs to be done? Another Super Over potentially? It kind of seems pointless having a Super Over if there's already something in place that could see a side win... Yes - a deeply unsatisfactory tie breaker for all kind of reasons. I can't see the problem with just having another Super Over if you've decided to go down that route. But overall I would favour scrapping the Super Over idea completely and going with whoever came higher in the round robin table. If you have a structure like that where everyone plays everyone that seems a fair enough way of doing it and, in the event of a tie, rewards the team who performed better over the whole tournament. Has the added advantage of everyone knowing exactly where they stand at the start of the game as well. I think the super over is great concept and I would not be in favour of separating sides based on league placing or group head to head record instead. An additional super over is probably a bit too much as they take forever but I would not be adverse to head to head or league placings separating sides once a super over has been tied. I do think though that the umpires clearly did a good job of communicating the rules before the super over started. Yes, boundaries is arbitrary but both sides knew what they needed to do. Ultimately, this is probably a bit academic though as the chances of another tied super over must be really remote!
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Jul 15, 2019 20:24:17 GMT
Obviously the drama yesterday was incredible. I don't think you will ever see a more dramatic game of cricket than that. To win the game like that was exhilarating.
I thought we were goners a number of times. When Morgan and Root got out having chewed up a number of balls I thought the rate would become a problem.
Buttler did well to keep us in touch but he got out just when he looked like he might be able to take the game away from New Zealand.
I said to my friend, this is done after stokes played out those two dot balls at the start of the last over. The overthrows were a once in a lifetime stroke of good fortune. I'm not a big believer in fate but I mean, that's as close to something being written in the stars as you can get.
The game continued to ebb and flow throughout the super over. It looked both won and lost didn't it. Kudos to Roy and Buttler for instigating the run out under enormous pressure.
Great that the game was on free to air TV but without more regular exposure I find it hard to believe that this can sustain cricket long term. Probably means the hundred has a better chance of succeeding though. Maybe that will provide the longer term sustenance to keep recent converts on board.
I know the game was a classic and I am probably going against the grain here but I thought the pitch was very disappointing. Yes you want a balance between bat and ball but do we really want to go back to playing on pitches where bowlers like de Grandhomme are almost impossible to play? You could squint and almost see Ian Austin waddling in to bowl (a reference for crickets new fans there!) The best thing about playing cricket on good pitches is that it has promoted bowlers that can bowl wrist spin or with raw pace or have fabulous knuckle balls. Benny Howell would have been unplayable on that yesterday. I am all for developing the ball so it swings a bit more but that kind of nibbling, nagging line and length bowler just doesn't do it for me.
To end on a positive this side are the embodiment of multiculturalism and if you'll forgive me for becoming a touch politicised that's probably no bad thing given the current climate. Morgan's comment when asked whether he had the luck of the Irish with them referenced the diversity of the team. Pretty representative of the population with a spectrum of backgrounds and cultures across the team. Moreover, I think they've turned their public persona around. It's not necessarily their job to be good role models but I think they've developed into them.
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