The cricket thread

NorthernGooner

A big problem going forward is that few youngsters even play the game. I live in a leafy Cheshire  village with a High School down the road with about 3 acres of grassed sports area. It even has an all weather cricket  wicket laid.  I've never seen it being used. All the kids seem to play is rounders in the summer and 5 a side soccer. The school seems to play no  competitive matches against other schools at any sport.  I think unless the kids parents are playing club cricket they either don't want to or have no exposure to the game.  

shrinkwrap

NorthernGooner said:

All the kids seem to play is rounders in the summer and 5 a side soccer.

I suppose that's why the ECB are so keen on the 100 - they are in a self fulfilling mindset.

At least Edgbaston looked packed.

RandallFlagg

I've been reading some of the articles and comments on the BBC cricket pages, there's panic on the streets, England written off, sweeping changes needed to the team selection, everyone is an expert selector now, Jimmy Anderson ruled out means we lose 0-5, deep rooted issues in the ECB's strategy etc...etc...etc.

Yes there are issues in the teams strengths and it appears that the current Aussie team are several percentage points better than the England team and may well retain the Ashes but I'm sure England will hold a good account of themselves overall.

Despite winning the CWC, England are not the best team in the world but they can win crucial games at crucial times and with a bit of scrappy luck with the weather, pitch conditions, umpire's decisions and just a little brilliance here and there may scrape some results.

There's time to turn this around and it's a little early to write them off just yet.

crunchman

RandallFlagg said:

There's time to turn this around and it's a little early to write them off just yet.

It will take something special to turn it around from here.  Looking at the frailties of the batting, it will take something special from Root and Stokes for us to get enough runs.

The worrying thing is that Starc didn't play.  Given how awful we normally are against left armers, that might saved us from a bigger humiliation, although Siddle's batting was important in the first innings.

The Aussie batting is fragile if Smith fails, so it's not impossible, but it's highly unlikely.  We do need to pick our best team though, which we didn't in this match.

RandallFlagg

crunchman said:

RandallFlagg said:

There's time to turn this around and it's a little early to write them off just yet.

It will take something special to turn it around from here.  Looking at the frailties of the batting, it will take something special from Root and Stokes for us to get enough runs.

The worrying thing is that Starc didn't play.  Given how awful we normally are against left armers, that might saved us from a bigger humiliation, although Siddle's batting was important in the first innings.

The Aussie batting is fragile if Smith fails, so it's not impossible, but it's highly unlikely.  We do need to pick our best team though, which we didn't in this match.

Just like it would take something special to avoid going out at the group stage of the world cup?

A little cup half full optimism goes a long way, probably in many aspects of UK life at the moment.

octatonic

Heartfeltdawn

RandallFlagg said:

crunchman said:

It will take something special to turn it around from here.  Looking at the frailties of the batting, it will take something special from Root and Stokes for us to get enough runs.

The worrying thing is that Starc didn't play.  Given how awful we normally are against left armers, that might saved us from a bigger humiliation, although Siddle's batting was important in the first innings.

The Aussie batting is fragile if Smith fails, so it's not impossible, but it's highly unlikely.  We do need to pick our best team though, which we didn't in this match.

Just like it would take something special to avoid going out at the group stage of the world cup?

A little cup half full optimism goes a long way, probably in many aspects of UK life at the moment.

You keep your sunny uplands and evidence-free optimism for the Brexit thread

The ECB tore up the FC schedule and made winning the World Cup the absolute number one objective. Test and T20 form didn't matter a toss. Had we gone out in the group stages, it would have represented perhaps the greatest concentrated English cricketing failure ever given the resources and scheduling and sacrifices made chasing that big ol' trophy. 

Australia right now:

Their wicketkeeper is better than ours
Their spinner is better than ours
Their opening partnership is better than ours
Their talisman batsman is better than ours and they've got two of them as opposed to our one. 
Their middle order is better than ours
Their pace battery, both selected and in reserve, is better than ours
Their coach is better than ours
Their domestic structure across both genders is better than ours

Their beer is still shit though. 

RandallFlagg

Heartfeltdawn said:

You keep your sunny uplands and evidence-free optimism for the Brexit thread

Optimism doesn't require evidence it's simply a mental attitude that improves your well being and health and makes for a happier life.

octatonic

Heartfeltdawn said:

RandallFlagg said:

crunchman said:

It will take something special to turn it around from here.  Looking at the frailties of the batting, it will take something special from Root and Stokes for us to get enough runs.

The worrying thing is that Starc didn't play.  Given how awful we normally are against left armers, that might saved us from a bigger humiliation, although Siddle's batting was important in the first innings.

The Aussie batting is fragile if Smith fails, so it's not impossible, but it's highly unlikely.  We do need to pick our best team though, which we didn't in this match.

Just like it would take something special to avoid going out at the group stage of the world cup?

A little cup half full optimism goes a long way, probably in many aspects of UK life at the moment.

You keep your sunny uplands and evidence-free optimism for the Brexit thread

The ECB tore up the FC schedule and made winning the World Cup the absolute number one objective. Test and T20 form didn't matter a toss. Had we gone out in the group stages, it would have represented perhaps the greatest concentrated English cricketing failure ever given the resources and scheduling and sacrifices made chasing that big ol' trophy. 

Australia right now:

Their wicketkeeper is better than ours
Their spinner is better than ours
Their opening partnership is better than ours
Their talisman batsman is better than ours and they've got two of them as opposed to our one. 
Their middle order is better than ours
Their pace battery, both selected and in reserve, is better than ours
Their coach is better than ours
Their domestic structure across both genders is better than ours

Their beer is still shit though. 

We have bigger dicks too.

Heartfeltdawn

octatonic said:

We have bigger dicks too.

http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Shane+Watson+2011+ICC+World+Cup+Australia+7JhRDud1S41l.jpg

Heartfeltdawn

RandallFlagg said:

Optimism doesn't require evidence it's simply a mental attitude that improves your well being and health and makes for a happier life.

That thin line between optimism and delusion explained perfectly then. 

Heartfeltdawn

Actually it's a shame Shane Watson wasn't playing in the last Test. You just know he'd be the only guy who'd get given out LBW in both innings by Joel Wilson, take it to review, and find Joel was right all along. 

RandallFlagg

Heartfeltdawn said:

RandallFlagg said:

Optimism doesn't require evidence it's simply a mental attitude that improves your well being and health and makes for a happier life.

That thin line between optimism and delusion explained perfectly then. 

I wonder where pessimism would have gotten us in the summer of 1940 in the face of the overwhelming evidence of an almost certain Nazi invasion.

But never mind, we'll see how the next couple of test go to see how England fare.

octatonic

Heartfeltdawn said:

RandallFlagg said:

Optimism doesn't require evidence it's simply a mental attitude that improves your well being and health and makes for a happier life.

That thin line between optimism and delusion explained perfectly then. 

Heartfeltdawn

RandallFlagg said:

I wonder where pessimism would have gotten us in the summer of 1940 in the face of the overwhelming evidence of an almost certain Nazi invasion.

The Ashes themselves were born from satirical pessimism... 

crunchman

Archer 6 for 27 for Sussex Second XI, followed by 108 batting.

Looks like he will play at Lords.  Going to be far too many expectations on him!

RandallFlagg

Heartfeltdawn said:

RandallFlagg said:

I wonder where pessimism would have gotten us in the summer of 1940 in the face of the overwhelming evidence of an almost certain Nazi invasion.

The Ashes themselves were born from satirical pessimism... 

but won with optimism, determination and passion.

scrumhalf

And now Olly Stone's crocked.

Anyone know how the liikes of Jake Ball and Toby Roland-Jones are doing?

RandallFlagg

scrumhalf said:

And now Olly Stone's crocked.

Anyone know how the liikes of Jake Ball and Toby Roland-Jones are doing?

Never mind Jofra Archer, England will be calling Jeffrey Archer at this rate

Heartfeltdawn

Jake Ball is out of the picture. 14 wickets in 7 CC matches at 46 in a season that has been good for seamers isn't the form to convince selectors you should be in a Test team when your international average is currently 114. Olly Stone and Lewis Gregory are injured so they are out. Archer is bowling well but I would feel somewhat worried about picking a guy who played a long tournament in agony for a five day match when we've just had Jimmy pull up lame during a game.  

TRJ is back to full fitness and has been bowling well. 19 wickets in his last 2 CC outings in July. Hat trick in the 20slog against Glamorgan. Lords is his home track and I'd have no worries about him going straight in there.  

Personally I'd go with this line up: 

Burns
Sam Curran
Root
Roy
Buttler (if he is absolutely blasted then give him a break. James Hildreth, Tom Banton, Sibley, Crawley, takes yer pick)
Stokes
Foakes
Woakes
Broad
TRJ
Leach

Only two of this side don't have first class tons: Curran and Leach. On paper, they can all bat. On a grass wicket in a Test match... 

Steve James advocated Roy at 4. Sure, I can go with that. There is an argument that Denly offers a 2nd spinner option: I don't think you'll need that at Lords. The weather is up and down over the next week and I'm of the mind that Lords will be a bit handy for the seamers. Sam Curran opening! Yes! I've touted this before and I'll do it again. The guy can bat. If he could do half the job the SA allrounder Andrew Hall did against India and Sri Lanka when he covered for Herschelle Gibbs, we'd be onto a winner. Curran opening wouldn't make our opening partnership any worse than it has been and his bowling would be a greater asset at Lords than Denly's legspin.