The Official Cricket Thread

[Vincent Vega]

I'd leave Cook as captain, the team is performing well enough, and the pressure of captaincy could have a negative effect on Root's batting.

 

The Roses match looks well poised, Lancashire twice in very strong positions before Yorkshire fought back. We need to see how Lancashire bat before we can say who is on top.

[Dan Vito Corleone]

Don't fix what isn't broken. Cook isn't the greatest captain but he sure isn't the worst either.

 

Sri Lanka will collapse like a house of cards when the next wicket goes down. They might make us bat again but I get the feeling they won't. If they do it will be a negligible total to chase.

[Guest Pistonbroke]

Cook may just pass that 10.000 run mark yet in this test, although I doubt we'll have to bat again. Those poor fans will pay for a day of Test match Cricket on a bank Holiday and they'll be back home at Lunch time twiddling their fingers. 

 

Sets up Cook nicely to get his milestone at Lords in front of all the suits and wankers of the sport. 

[Jairzinho]

Don't fix what isn't broken. Cook isn't the greatest captain but he sure isn't the worst either.

 

Sri Lanka will collapse like a house of cards when the next wicket goes down. They might make us bat again but I get the feeling they won't. If they do it will be a negligible total to chase.

 

Sticking your neck out there. Personally I reckon they'll get 700.

[Jairzinho]

Sets up Cook nicely to get his milestone at Lords in front of all the suits and wankers of the sport. 

 

The paedo gang -

 

[Guest Pistonbroke]

The paedo gang -

 

 

Indeed, Lords needs burning to the ground, preferably with the suits still in it. 

[Jairzinho]

Great knock from Chandimal, buffet bowling from Ali, and utterly clueless from Cook.

 

If Anderson and Broad don't skittle the top order with the new ball Cook basically just waits for the next one. 

[Son of L8]

So Cook is going to pass 10,000 runs in front of a few hundred people in Durham.

 

Unless he gets out...

[Spy Bee]

Youngest ever player to 10,000 runs. Some achievement that!

[Guest Pistonbroke]

So Cook is going to pass 10,000 runs in front of a few hundred people in Durham.

 

Unless he gets out...

 

The suits at Lords are going to be gutted that they didn't get to revel in it live.

 

Fair play to Cook on getting 10.000 runs, some achievement and he has time on his side to push on from here. 

[lifetime fan]

Fantastic opening batsman - fucking awful captain.

[Brownie]

Yesterday was boss, absolutely loved sitting off getting ballooned watching cricket. Great way to spend a day!

[George Costanza]

Yesterday was boss, absolutely loved sitting off getting ballooned watching cricket. Great way to spend a day!

 

As long as it doesn't piss it down it's one of if not the best day of sport to watch.  Seen a few good England games at Old Trafford. Last two days of the Ashes test in 2005 were up there in terms of live Sporting 'experiences'. That not too long after a certain footy team won a trophy as well.

[A_S]

Fair play to Cook, 10,000 runs is a brilliant effort, no matter which way you look at it. I reckon he'll be sizing up everyone bar Tendulkar too. He's only 31. 

[alles ist gut]

Even Tendulkar isn't out of range, if he can stay healthy; it's not like he'll be packing in Tests for the IPL money...

[lifetime fan]

Fair play to Cook, 10,000 runs is a brilliant effort, no matter which way you look at it. I reckon he'll be sizing up everyone bar Tendulkar too. He's only 31.

I was only just thinking at what point does he need to be considered for the Lara/Ponting/Tendulker thread on here?

 

Regardless of captaincy his batting has been supreme.

[Jairzinho]

All of those above Cook, bar Tendulkar, have only played, at the most, 40 tests more than him. So if he plays for another 5-6 years he's got a great chance, especially as an opener (there aren't actually any players above him that have played as an opener for their entire career). I think he'll get to 2nd on the list, having played probably 20/30 tests more than most of those he's overtaken. We're probably at about the peak for the amount of tests being played (sadly 20/20 will probably dictate as much). The records seem to reflect this, with only Gavaskar in the top 15 or so test run scorers to have played much before the 80s (Border possibly a few years?).

 

A model of consistency and definitely one of the best openers of all time.

 

I personally wouldn't have him anywhere near Lara/Tendulkar level, but then it's extremely difficult to compare players of different eras, even more so when comparing openers with number 3s/4s. Is he a better opener than Boycott? Probably not, but opinions, etc.

 

I don't want to take anything away from Cook and, as I said, I think he's one of the best openers of all time, but I think several factors have given him the perfect opportunity to get near the top of the all time test run scorers list. The previous decade we fucked about trying to find Atherton a partner, so the mindset, thankfully, was we really need to stick with someone with talent. This era plays the most tests (Cook 128 in 10 years compared with Boycott 108 tests in 18 years, for example). A paucity of top quality bowlers (much better in 2006, at the start of Cook's career, than now, but still much worse than 1996, 1986, or 1976). 

 

Looking at his runs by opponent is quite interesting. It shows he's probably one of the best players of spin ever. His record against Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa is okay at best (averaging 39, 44, and 35 respectively). Excellent against Bangladesh (although a small sample) - 66, and West Indies - 57, and admittedly these two sides have been shit for the last decade. But it's his record against India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan (54, 51, and 47 respectively) that really stands out  I don't think we've ever had a player for England so capable of grinding sub continental opponents into submission quite so consistently.

 

It's a shame he's captain, and that the next captain is probably Root, because they're our best two batsman and ideally you'd like neither to be captain, and to be able to concentrate purely on batting. I expect the transition between the two to happen within the next 12-18 months, and hopefully it doesn't have a negative impact on Root. I don't think it will, he looks the sort of character to relish the extra responsibility.

[Brownie]

I don't think Cook is a great Captain but I reckon he's better than most give him credit for.

 

We're all great Captains from our armchairs.

[Jairzinho]

I don't think Cook is a great Captain but I reckon he's better than most give him credit for.

 

We're all great Captains from our armchairs.

 

I am going to blow my own trumpet here, I was a great captain on the pitch as well.

 

Although I'd happily have taken an armchair on to the pitch.

[Brownie]

I am going to blow my own trumpet here, I was a great captain on the pitch as well.

 

Although I'd happily have taken an armchair on to the pitch.

I've never played cricket in my life mate, Liverpool isn't a hotbed for the game surprisingly.

 

I'd love to have a go in the nets.

[Jairzinho]

I've never played cricket in my life mate, Liverpool isn't a hotbed for the game surprisingly.

 

I'd love to have a go in the nets.

 

I'd don't know who your local club will be, but it won't be far away. The Liverpool and District League has got three divisions.

 

Get yourself down to a net, just don't look too keen or you'll soon find yourself playing Saturday and Sunday, plus a mid week game, nets another week day, and coaching the kids on another!

[Brownie]

I'd don't know who your local club will be, but it won't be far away. The Liverpool and District League has got three divisions.

 

Get yourself down to a net, just don't look too keen or you'll soon find yourself playing Saturday and Sunday, plus a mid week game, nets another week day, and coaching the kids on another!

Haha speaking from experience there mate?

 

I live in the North East now. One of the lads in work plays and he said I should go down one day. My lad likes playing cricket in the garden so if he starts getting involved properly i'll try to sneak some time in the nets myself.

[Jairzinho]

Haha speaking from experience there mate?

 

I live in the North East now. One of the lads in work plays and he said I should go down one day. My lad likes playing cricket in the garden so if he starts getting involved properly i'll try to sneak some time in the nets myself.

 

I was playing 50 over games on Saturday and Sunday (so all day basically), Wednesday night 20 over games, nets on Tuesday, and trying to run a coaching session (as the only level 2 qualified coach) for about 70 kids on a Friday. It took over my life! I had to knock it on the head, whole summers would go by without me once being able to just go to the beach with my mates, etc.

 

You might enjoy a mid week league (if that's feasible with your work?) best if it's your first go at the sport. 45/50 overs in the field, especially in shite weather, can quickly put someone off the sport. It's what I'm considering doing this summer, find a club that plays 20 over games in the evenings, quick slog, followed by a couple of pints.

 

Get your lad bowling spin!

[Edward.]

Haha speaking from experience there mate?

 

I live in the North East now. One of the lads in work plays and he said I should go down one day. My lad likes playing cricket in the garden so if he starts getting involved properly i'll try to sneak some time in the nets myself.

Where in the North East I know a few teams up here.

[Brownie]

Where in the North East I know a few teams up here.

Living in Stockton mate but moving to Eaglescliffe once my house is built...