The Official Cricket Thread

[Jairzinho]

You're a fucking awful captain, and a world class batsman, just resign the captaincy. 

[s(k)aturation]

 

I'd say Cummins will be Man of the Series too.

 

But I hope it's Boland.

 

Edit:  Travis Head.  Fair enough.

[s(k)aturation]

 

Cummins using the term "unprecedented times" dextrously too.

[Preston Red]

Take the shackles of the captaincy from Root and build the batting line up around him again. Great batsman before he was given the captaincy.

 

Question is, who would be suitable captain material out of this lot?

[gkmacca]

They don't seem to have any proper connection with the counties. There should be links to each county at every level. At the moment they just seem to send a couple of twits around to watch the odd game, or maybe just read the scorecards in the paper. How else does someone like Burns get a run in the Test team? Mr Burns would bat with better technique. Root's a wonderful batsman but he's broken almost every fast bowler he's captained, and failed to anticipate rather than just react to most key moments in games. It's a shambles.

[s(k)aturation]

 

There's certainly no one among this lot who should be captain in front of Root.

 

Stokes perhaps.

 

I'd give Bairstow a run at No 6 for a while too.

 

Wood is good.

 

[Jairzinho]

10 minutes ago, s(k)aturation said:

 

There's certainly no one among this lot who should be captain in front of Root.

 

I'd say all of them should. Not because they'd make great captains, they'd all make fucking dreadful captains as there isn't a cricket brain between them, but Root's importance with the bat means he is the last person who should be captain.

 

But, as everyone knows, this is far, far deeper than who is captain. The coach is shit. The people above them are shit. Having The Hundred in the middle of the season is a joke. What they've done to the Championship (and the 50 over comp as well) in terms of when the games are is pathetic. We have too many teams. At the least, they should be in three leagues of six so they only play ten games a season and games actually start to mean something. 

 

The whole lot is a fucking mess and it won't be getting sorted out because the game is run by and for a small collection of rich wankers. None of whom give even a slither of a fuck about the England test side.

[Josef Svejk]

One batsman averaging over 30 across series. No score of 300 or above in ten innings.

 

Absolutely pathetic. 

[s(k)aturation]

3 minutes ago, Jairzinho said:

I'd say all of them should. Not because they'd make great captains, they'd all make fucking dreadful captains as there isn't a cricket brain between them, but Root's importance with the bat means he is the last person who should be captain.

 

But, as everyone knows, this is far, far deeper than who is captain. The coach is shit. The people above them are shit. Having The Hundred in the middle of the season is a joke. What they've done to the Championship (and the 50 over comp as well) in terms of when the games are is pathetic. We have too many teams and. At the least, they should be in three leagues of six so they only play ten games a season and games actually start to mean something. 

 

The whole lot is a fucking mess and it won't be getting sorted out because the game is run by and for a small collection of rich wankers. None of whom give even a slither of a fuck about the England test side.

 

yes

 

 

[Jairzinho]

Anderson, Robinson, Broad and Wood all averaged under 27 with the ball. Leach, Woakes, and Stokes hugely underperformed.

 

Batting averages (of the batsman) -

 

Bairstow - 49 (one shit game, one good one).

Root - 32

Crawley - 28

Malan - 24

Stokes - 24

Buttler - 15

Billings - 15

Burns - 13

Pope - 11

Hameed - 10

 

One hundred, and eight fifties in five fucking games.

 

[gkmacca]

They may as well try Abell at Somerset. Even if he fails, he's not doing worse than most of this lot, and he seems like a promising captain. There's something rotten, and cliquish, about the Test set up - for example, Bairstow appears not to be deemed clubbable by many of the others, so even though he's one of the better players he's been messed around so much it seems like a provocation. Good cricket teams find a way to accommodate 'difficult' personalities when the talent is there. This bunch just seem way too distracted by irrelevant things.

[s(k)aturation]

2 minutes ago, Jairzinho said:

Anderson, Robinson, Broad and Wood all averaged under 27 with the ball. Leach, Woakes, and Stokes hugely underperformed.

 

Batting averages (of the batsman) -

 

Bairstow - 49 (one shit game, one good one).

Root - 32

Crawley - 28

Malan - 24

Stokes - 24

Buttler - 15

Billings - 15

Burns - 13

Pope - 11

Hameed - 10

 

One hundred, and eight fifties in five fucking games.

 

 

Couldn't ask for more from the 4 frontline bowlers.

 

Except for maybe Broad and Anderson being played more often...

 

Neither playing in Brisbane, inexplicable.

 

As was Broad not playing in Melbourne.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jairzinho]

2 minutes ago, s(k)aturation said:

 

Couldn't ask for more from the 4 frontline bowlers.

 

Except for maybe Broad and Anderson being played more often...

 

Neither playing in Brisbane, inexplicable.

 

As was Broad not playing in Melbourne.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, we might have made some errors with the selection of seamers but as Broad said, it hardly matters if you get rolled over for 150 every innings.

[Scooby Dudek]

Got to admit I am impressed, even I didn't think they could go from 68-0 to losing so quickly. A special team indeed 

[Jarvinja Ilnow]

Same old same old.

 

Massive rebuild needed including, if not most importantly, a change of captain. Who the fuck that is I don't know, given so few players are worthy of a regular place.  Stokes has his mental health to consider. A proper wicketkeeper - just give Ben Foakes the gloves now, you twats, having wasted his last few years.

 

Malan is made for Aussie pitches, and was ok this tour, but is not one for the future (or even this summer). Buttler should just be allowed to focus on white ball, ditto Bairstow. Burns is a bit meh, and should be allowed to focus on growing his mane of hair, and cultivating his beards. Sibley needs to make massive strides to show he can score runs under pressure, and should not be rushed back just because it's his turn on the selection roundabout. Broad isn't finished, and still seems hungry and motivated. I think his mental strength will be vital. 

 

I'd go with a load of young lads who haven't been associated with abject failure after abject failure. There is no functioning opening partnership so fuck it, try some new lads. I watch Sussex more often than other counties, having lived there for a few years. I was always impressed by Oliie Robinson, and get the feeling Tom Haines could also make the step-up. I wouldn't cast aside Pope, Lawrence and Hameed, but they probably have PTSD right now, and need to regain confidence. Archer back would be great, but this injury might be an indication of future breakdowns. Brydon Carse may never stay fit enough to be another fast-bowling option.

 

The County Championship is shit - a higher level of 5 day cricket is required. Jonathan Agnew was scathing about the relegation set system's effect on how matches are approached. Maybe a combined regional/ divisional competition set up that draws the best English players from each county:

1. Durham, Yorks, Lancs

2. Derbyshire, Notts, Leicestershire

3. Worces, Warwicks, Northants

4. Gloucestershire, Glamorgan, Somerset

5. Hants, Sussex, Kent

6. Surrey. Middlesex, Essex

 

Fuck The Hundred. Reduce the 50 overs and T20s matches.

 

Summer tests, something along the lines of:

1. Tom Haines

2. Rob Yates

3. Zak Crawley (there's great potential - if, as Hartley and Agnew said, he improves his concentration and footwork)

4. Root (just focus on your batting)

5. Stokes (finding his way back to form, and not contributing much with bat or ball at present)

6. Tom Lammonby

7. Ben Foakes (WK)

8. Ollie Robinson

9. Wood

10. Broad

11. Anderson

 

Others:

 

Pace: Archer (if fit)/ Carse (if fit)

Spin: Matt Parkinson/ Mason Crane/ Dom Bess

Bat: Dan Lawrence/ James Bracey/ Hameed/ Pope/ Phil Salt/ Tom Abell

 

Sorry for the rambling post.

 

[George Costanza]

County cricket needs ripping up & going again.  It was a great thing when the best in the world would rock up and play season after season but with the international calendar so busy & financial riches elsewhere they don't bother.  The Hundred is a terrible competition but at least it does one thing right and reduce the number of teams therefore increase the quality pool of players.  Australia continaully produce good players becuase of the Sheffield Shiled format - to make it you need to be very good and you play against a better quality of opponent every game because of the smalll pool.

 

 

[Jairzinho]

If the Hundred has to exist it should be in September after all the proper cricket has finished. 

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

1 hour ago, Jarvinja Ilnow said:

Same old same old.

 

Massive rebuild needed including, if not most importantly, a change of captain. Who the fuck that is I don't know, given so few players are worthy of a regular place.  Stokes has his mental health to consider. A proper wicketkeeper - just give Ben Foakes the gloves now, you twats, having wasted his last few years.

 

Malan is made for Aussie pitches, and was ok this tour, but is not one for the future (or even this summer). Buttler should just be allowed to focus on white ball, ditto Bairstow. Burns is a bit meh, and should be allowed to focus on growing his mane of hair, and cultivating his beards. Sibley needs to make massive strides to show he can score runs under pressure, and should not be rushed back just because it's his turn on the selection roundabout. Broad isn't finished, and still seems hungry and motivated. I think his mental strength will be vital. 

 

I'd go with a load of young lads who haven't been associated with abject failure after abject failure. There is no functioning opening partnership so fuck it, try some new lads. I watch Sussex more often than other counties, having lived there for a few years. I was always impressed by Oliie Robinson, and get the feeling Tom Haines could also make the step-up. I wouldn't cast aside Pope, Lawrence and Hameed, but they probably have PTSD right now, and need to regain confidence. Archer back would be great, but this injury might be an indication of future breakdowns. Brydon Carse may never stay fit enough to be another fast-bowling option.

 

The County Championship is shit - a higher level of 5 day cricket is required. Jonathan Agnew was scathing about the relegation set system's effect on how matches are approached. Maybe a combined regional/ divisional competition set up that draws the best English players from each county:

1. Durham, Yorks, Lancs

2. Derbyshire, Notts, Leicestershire

3. Worces, Warwicks, Northants

4. Gloucestershire, Glamorgan, Somerset

5. Hants, Sussex, Kent

6. Surrey. Middlesex, Essex

 

Fuck The Hundred. Reduce the 50 overs and T20s matches.

 

Summer tests, something along the lines of:

1. Tom Haines

2. Rob Yates

3. Zak Crawley (there's great potential - if, as Hartley and Agnew said, he improves his concentration and footwork)

4. Root (just focus on your batting)

5. Stokes (finding his way back to form, and not contributing much with bat or ball at present)

6. Tom Lammonby

7. Ben Foakes (WK)

8. Ollie Robinson

9. Wood

10. Broad

11. Anderson

 

Others:

 

Pace: Archer (if fit)/ Carse (if fit)

Spin: Matt Parkinson/ Mason Crane/ Dom Bess

Bat: Dan Lawrence/ James Bracey/ Hameed/ Pope/ Phil Salt/ Tom Abell

 

Sorry for the rambling post.

 

Agreed. We need a good coach too.

[Jarvinja Ilnow]

2 minutes ago, VERBAL DIARRHEA said:

Agreed. We need a good coach too.

Agnew was scathing about the coaching set-up, but not Silverwood himself. He and Steve Finn said it was madness to have just one 'supremo', and the lack of diverse input (just Root and Silverwood) might have been responsible for the poor selection decisions in Brisbane and Melbourne. Ashley Giles has already done the 'baby and the bathwater' speech, protecting his own role. One of the Guardian writers made a point last summer, when this new no selectors decision was made, that the schedule is too busy for a coach to coach, as well as get about to see new prospects. Someone on here echoed that earlier, saying that it just means the supremo is left just trawling through stats.

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

8 minutes ago, Jarvinja Ilnow said:

Agnew was scathing about the coaching set-up, but not Silverwood himself. He and Steve Finn said it was madness to have just one 'supremo', and the lack of diverse input (just Root and Silverwood) might have been responsible for the poor selection decisions in Brisbane and Melbourne. Ashley Giles has already done the 'baby and the bathwater' speech, protecting his own role. One of the Guardian writers made a point last summer, when this new no selectors decision was made, that the schedule is too busy for a coach to coach, as well as get about to see new prospects. Someone on here echoed that earlier, saying that it just means the supremo is left just trawling through stats.

It was a mistake. Get Flower back in or Kirsten, maybe one of the Aussies.

[sir roger]

This tour has had more 'firsts' than an Everton calendar.

[A_S]

Ponting to coach? He can be ruthless and a cunt. England need both. 

[gkmacca]

Yep, they need a really good, tough coach.

 

I loathed Ed Smith - one of the most arrogant and self-adoring preening pricks in sport. But it was a mistake to abandon an independent selector. Just don't make it him again.

 

I liked Gower's rant but it's no good complaining so much about players going off to the IPL etc - all Test countries have the same issues but it hasn't made most of their teams seemingly incapable of batting, bowling and fielding to at least a fairly high standard. One of the things they need to do now is pick players who at least have a decent technique. Our opening batsmen move across the crease like bloody windscreen wipers.

[sir roger]

Looking on the bright side , our heroes have given me two extra nights where I don't have to worry about turning BBC Sport on in the morning.

[Scooby Dudek]

Thorpe will be sacked. 

Problem solved, all good move along.

 

England investigate after police break up post-Ashes party - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/60035895