The cricket thread

iseverynamegone

Really hope this doesn't mean he is out of the ashes, but a bit silly being in a nightclub in Brizzle at that sort of time- bound to be pissed idiots looking for trouble. 

scrumhalf

Can you get demerit points for off-field activities?

And since we're on that topic, which bright spark
a) came up with the idea of demerit points, and
b) decided to callthem demerit points (presumably because everything else on the list of stupid names had been taken).

earwighoney

scrumhalf said:

Can you get demerit points for off-field activities?

No.  Demerit points are issued by ICC umpires for on field behaviour. 

crunchman

Need to give Demerit points to the selectors.  Vince and Ballance.  Why?  Are the selectors being bribed by the Aussies.

earwighoney

crunchman said:

Need to give Demerit points to the selectors.  Vince and Ballance.  

There's a joke in there in somewhere.  

Overton is a really odd selection too.  He's a Mark Ealham all rounder.  Not a very batsman and a slightly above average trundling pace bowler with no pace; a poor man's Paul Collingwood. 

crunchman

earwighoney said:

crunchman said:

Need to give Demerit points to the selectors.  Vince and Ballance.  

There's a joke in there in somewhere.  

Overton is a really odd selection too.  He's a Mark Ealham all rounder.  Not a very batsman and a slightly above average trundling pace bowler with no pace; a poor man's Paul Collingwood. 

From what I've read, Overton has upped his pace this season. At 6'5" comparing him with Mark Ealham isn't valid.  If nothing else, he will generate decent bounce on Aussie pitches.

scrumhalf

There was an interview with Stokes in the Times magazine on Saturday. Among the things he said:
- "There is adrenaline but I'd never punch someone"
- "Of course I can have a few beers in the evening, I'm 26 not 14"

Heartfeltdawn

earwighoney said:

There's a joke in there in somewhere.  

Overton is a really odd selection too.  He's a Mark Ealham all rounder.  Not a very batsman and a slightly above average trundling pace bowler with no pace; a poor man's Paul Collingwood. 

Try facing him. He's not trundly medium pace. Not quite as quick as his brother, mind... 

Heartfeltdawn

The reports I was getting from sources in Bristol was that it was a bit more than a tiff in the street. The video currently on display on the Sun website is not pretty at all. Reports were that a member of the public was swinging a bottle. 

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/cricket/4563431/ben-stokes-faces-england-axe-after-shocking-video-shows-him-punching-two-people-in-the-street/#

earwighoney

Heartfeltdawn said:

earwighoney said:

There's a joke in there in somewhere.  

Overton is a really odd selection too.  He's a Mark Ealham all rounder.  Not a very batsman and a slightly above average trundling pace bowler with no pace; a poor man's Paul Collingwood. 

Try facing him. He's not trundly medium pace. Not quite as quick as his brother, mind... 

When I've seen Craig Overton bowl his deliveries were generally in the mid 70's.  Jamie occasionally hit over 90mph but with erratic control.
  
Craig Overton I imagine will be back up for Chris Woakes/Ben Stokes, as a batting all rounder.  I'm not saying he's a bad player by any stretch of the imagination, he's a very good player for sure, but I'm unsure whether his batting or bowling will not be exposed on the flat Australian pitches for a tough Ashes series. 

RandallFlagg

Ben Stokes could be fucked here:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4563420/england-cricket-ace-ben-stokes-nightclub-brawl-video/

Teetonetal

RandallFlagg said:

Ben Stokes could be fucked here:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4563420/england-cricket-ace-ben-stokes-nightclub-brawl-video/

To be fair.... This needs a proper investigation before he can be judged. At the end of that article is this:

The row appeared to start as Stokes leapt to the defence of Hales and another friend. It is thought the unknown reveller swung a bottle at Stokes’s group, hitting one on the back.

If that is true, then it looks to me, that 3 guys picked on the wrong guy to pick a fight with.

RandallFlagg

Teetonetal said:

RandallFlagg said:

Ben Stokes could be fucked here:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4563420/england-cricket-ace-ben-stokes-nightclub-brawl-video/

To be fair.... This needs a proper investigation before he can be judged. At the end of that article is this:

The row appeared to start as Stokes leapt to the defence of Hales and another friend. It is thought the unknown reveller swung a bottle at Stokes’s group, hitting one on the back.

If that is true, then it looks to me, that 3 guys picked on the wrong guy to pick a fight with.

He still assaulted them way beyond self defence, regardless of the criminal aspect the issue the ECB will have is their reputation and being seen not to condone violence. He could end up being dropped from England.

crunchman

From what I can see he has initially jumped in to defend his mates.  The last bit looks over the top, but it's an understandable reaction if someone has hit your mate with a bottle.

The fundamental problem is that he ought to know better than being out like that at 2:30 in the morning - and if someone does start an argument, then walk away before the point where someone gets hit with a bottle.

I don't think they can keep him as vice captain whatever happens.  You have to look at what the punishment would be for a less key player.  If this was someone like Dawid Malan, I suspect he would be suspended or dropped.  If they don't do something to Stokes it will reek of double standards.

Given that he has a broken finger, the other issue is that it's going to be touch and go whether he gets fit in time for the first test.  They could always "suspend" him for the first test.

Heartfeltdawn

Teetonetal said:

RandallFlagg said:

Ben Stokes could be fucked here:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4563420/england-cricket-ace-ben-stokes-nightclub-brawl-video/

To be fair.... This needs a proper investigation before he can be judged. At the end of that article is this:

The row appeared to start as Stokes leapt to the defence of Hales and another friend. It is thought the unknown reveller swung a bottle at Stokes’s group, hitting one on the back.

If that is true, then it looks to me, that 3 guys picked on the wrong guy to pick a fight with.

That's why I'm not judging him on whether he started the fight. It does appear that he prolonged it. This incident then gets placed alongside previous history, most notably getting sent home from Australia in 2013. 

Heartfeltdawn

earwighoney said:

Heartfeltdawn said:

earwighoney said:

There's a joke in there in somewhere.  

Overton is a really odd selection too.  He's a Mark Ealham all rounder.  Not a very batsman and a slightly above average trundling pace bowler with no pace; a poor man's Paul Collingwood. 

Try facing him. He's not trundly medium pace. Not quite as quick as his brother, mind... 

When I've seen Craig Overton bowl his deliveries were generally in the mid 70's.  Jamie occasionally hit over 90mph but with erratic control.
  
Craig Overton I imagine will be back up for Chris Woakes/Ben Stokes, as a batting all rounder.  I'm not saying he's a bad player by any stretch of the imagination, he's a very good player for sure, but I'm unsure whether his batting or bowling will not be exposed on the flat Australian pitches for a tough Ashes series. 

In the last year, Craig has gotten quicker more consistently in a similar way to how Woakes ramped it up. Before his back injury this season, Jamie was also a little quicker and a lot more consistent with it compared to 2016. Craig can be rated as fast-medium now, no worries. Jamie definitely an outright quick. 

Overton will be the Woakes backup principally. Perhaps he will get exposed: so was Woakes at the start of his international career and now he's close to being an instant pick in two formats of the game. 

Teetonetal

RandallFlagg said:

Teetonetal said:

RandallFlagg said:

Ben Stokes could be fucked here:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4563420/england-cricket-ace-ben-stokes-nightclub-brawl-video/

To be fair.... This needs a proper investigation before he can be judged. At the end of that article is this:

The row appeared to start as Stokes leapt to the defence of Hales and another friend. It is thought the unknown reveller swung a bottle at Stokes’s group, hitting one on the back.

If that is true, then it looks to me, that 3 guys picked on the wrong guy to pick a fight with.

He still assaulted them way beyond self defence, regardless of the criminal aspect the issue the ECB will have is their reputation and being seen not to condone violence. He could end up being dropped from England.

I would argue that he is defending himself and friends from a group of 3, that were armed (with a bottle) that had been used once. 

Heartfeltdawn said:

That's why I'm not judging him on whether he started the fight. It does appear that he prolonged it. This incident then gets placed alongside previous history, most notably getting sent home from Australia in 2013. 

True, but clearly the ECB have to wait to see what the police report finds then act accordingly taking previous history into account. I suspect this one is going to rumble on for a while.

Heartfeltdawn

Rumours had been going around for a bit that there was a bit of a drinking late hours thing going on after other matches and even Ian Ward, not someone who courts controversy, mentioned it yesterday on Sky, the first time I've heard it mentioned publicly and not as part of the rumour mill. 

Hearing Ian Botham yesterday waffle on about how Stokes needs to take himself out of the action was glorious hypocrisy at its finest. 

In other news, Matt Maynard is leaving Somerset. Hooo-bloody-ray!

57Deluxe

great to see some fighting spirit from our cricketers at long last...!

iseverynamegone

Ashes 2017: England sending one of 'worst ever batting line-ups' to Australia

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/41421067

I tended to agree with this before , and it now looks like we will be missing Stokes.