The cricket thread

scrumhalf

Three things conspired against SA today:

1) Steyn's injury.

2) Ngidi's injury during the game

3) The last few overs of Bangladesh's batting. They carted the SA bowling all over the place.

Heartfeltdawn

RandallFlagg said:

Ref England, do you think Jofra Archer could be selected for The Ashes if he goes well during the World Cup? If so who would be dropped?

I could see him being really useful on the Aussie pitches but not sure I would want to drop Stuart Broad for him at home with the Duke ball.

I wonder how Jofra Archer feels playing for England when they face the West Indies?

If they take a horses for courses approach, then he will play. Sam Curran has obviously had a great start of his career but he looked underpaced in the West Indies. A dry summer with a lack of green in the wickets won't enhance his chances. If we're going to have a Jimmy-Broad-Archer-Stokes attack then Leach in as someone who contains and attacks. Also decent against left handers(his dismissal of Burns stumped at Taunton in the CC this year was one of the smartest bits of flighted spin bowling I've seen in ages). 




C'mon then, pick yer 1st Ashes Test side. 

Burns
? - ANYONE. Fuck it, send Sam Curran in to open. 
Ballance (on the form he's shown in the CC and a lack of anyone else saying YEAH). 
Root
Buttler
Stokes
Bairstow
Archer
Broad
Anderson
Leach

Wood, Woakes, Ali in reserve. If it's going to be a spinning track, easy to switch Curran for Ali. 

crunchman

Ashes XI:

Burns

Vince might be the best of a bad lot (unless someone can talk Cook out of retirement)

Root

Stokes

Bairstow

Buttler

Foakes

Archer

Broad

Leach

Anderson

Foakes is the best keeper, and is likely to make considerably more runs than whatever batsman they would otherwise pick at 3.  That does necessitate moving Root up to 3, but Root at 3 and Foakes at 7 is likely to generate more runs than Root at 4, and a walking wicket at 3.  You also get the best keeper in the team, which is important.

In the unlikely event of a total greentop, I'd swap Leach for Ali to stiffen batting a bit.

If a second spinner is required, then leave out Broad for Ali.

I'm still not convinced by Buttler at test level.  He's likely to come unstuck against good bowling on non-flat pitches, but until he does they probably have to stick with him.  It's not like there are any other batsman banging the door down.  I know Balance is making runs at county level, but he has repeatedly been found out at test level.  Unless he has fundamentally changed his technique, I'd look elsewhere.

Heartfeltdawn

Foakes in undoubtedly the best keeper out there but do we need the best keeper playing in England? Overseas in India or Sri Lanka where you might get one stumping chance to get Kohli, we do. Out here, I don't think we do. 

Vince versus Ballance: JV's been found out at Test level an awful lot more than GB has. So it's one perceived Test failure with an average approaching 40 versus one averaging under mid 20s with no centuries to his name yet. Had Joe Clarke not been a fucking idiot when still at Worcestershire, he'd be in there but there's nobody else I think is good enough. Plenty of decent looking young players but nobody's pushing. I'd rather have a guy with Test centuries to his name than go back to a guy with none. 

crunchman

Foakes will probably make more runs than Ballance (or any other top order option you could pick) anyway.  That's why it's stupid it to leave him out.  If there were good top order options, then it might make sense to play Bairstow as keeper, but there aren't.

I picked Vince as opener because he's been opening for Hampshire.  It's not ideal, but he has ability if he can stop flirting with balls outside off stump.  I'm not sure he can tighten up his game, but the cupboard is bare when it comes to openers.  After all, you picked Curran there.  Vince has the potential to do a better job than Curran or Ali.

RandallFlagg

England vs Pakistan - Pakistan batting well 156-2 after 26 overs, England's body language is a bit heads down after Jason Roy dropped a pearler of a catch.

Heads up boys you like a chase, we've got a game on here.

crunchman

Talking of picking your best keeper, why is Buttler keeping in the one day side ahead of Bairstow?  Bairstow is a better keeper than Buttler.

SouthpawMark

Blimey. Has Chris Woakes got a brain? That was some woeful death bowling. 

RandallFlagg

England look all at sea hear, 61-2 need a durable partnership to get this chased down, will be tough as Pakistan are bowling well.

SouthpawMark

No chance England win this today. 

iseverynamegone

SouthpawMark said:

No chance England win this today. 

Not so sure. 

RandallFlagg

iseverynamegone said:

SouthpawMark said:

No chance England win this today. 

Not so sure. 

Good knock from Root & Buttler but odds in Pakistan's favour at 261-5 I would say, especially with Moeen Ali in, he seems reckless a lot of the time but occasionally puts together a good knock...but....you never know with 5 wickets in hand and only 80 or so needed. Could come down to the death bowling and be a nail biter or they could blow out 3 wickets next few overs.

Required run rate is 10 an over, tough one.

Nitefly

Needing 2 off every ball now... 

RandallFlagg

Nitefly said:

Needing 2 off every ball now... 

If England can pull this off then they deserve to win the World Cup...

...I don't think they can.

RandallFlagg

I'm getting a bit twitchy 38 needed from 18, need a super over with a couple of 6s and a 4...

RandallFlagg

Close but can't be done

SouthpawMark

Moeen should bat at 11 for the rest of the tournament. 

RandallFlagg

SouthpawMark said:

Moeen should bat at 11 for the rest of the tournament. 

He's a complete cock with the bat, no brains.

England need this, will focus them for the tests to come in the rest of the competition, barring disaster they should get into the semi finals but this loss will sharpen them up. Fielding was poor and Archer wasn't the magic difference everyone was hailing...

The competition rolls on...cricket every day I'm loving it!

SouthpawMark

RandallFlagg said:

SouthpawMark said:

Moeen should bat at 11 for the rest of the tournament. 

He's a complete cock with the bat, no brains.

England need this, will focus them for the tests to come in the rest of the competition, barring disaster they should get into the semi finals but this loss will sharpen them up. Fielding was poor and Archer wasn't the magic difference everyone was hailing...

The competition rolls on...cricket every day I'm loving it!

Naive tactics from England. They saw the WI bowlers got the Pakistan batters hopping around, and thought they could do the same. England’s bowlers have the pace, but they don’t have the height, and therefore the bounce. Plunkett should have played instead of Woakes, who bowled with a comical lack of control.

Anyway, the defeat will do them good. A bit of a reality check, and will hopefully make them realise they can’t cruise through to the semi’s on autopilot. 

crunchman

England are very dependent on the openers getting a decent start and on Buttler.

England didn't take wickets early on in the Pakistan innings either.  That always makes things difficult.