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Ollie Pope as a backup keeper's a very dodgy decision.
-Apparently England are now OK with picking players from a Division 2 county if they play at a Test ground.
-Mahmood above Lewis Gregory: GTFO.
-No Foakes. Duh.
The slap and tickle selections:
-Who cares
And here's Ed Smith:
"I wouldn't want to reduce his options, I want to expand them," insisted Smith.
"With Jonny, someone who averages 50 in first=class cricket, non-Test match cricket, they are exceptional numbers. But I think what we've seen recently in an England shirt is not a reflection of what he can do."
His ODI and FC numbers are very good to exceptional. His numbers in Test cricket so average practically everywhere? Pull out that not out boosted average in South Africa and the big average from one Test in SL and his figures are really poor. So why is there this mantra that his options must be expanded? How exactly do you expand the options of a guy batting in the England Test top order and keeping wicket? Make him captain, tell him to learn how to bowl off breaks, perhaps ask himn to be team driver at the same time? And if YJB needs to expand his options, then what message does that send to the like of Sibley and Crawley?
If they're picking purely on pace, then Jamie Overton's quicker than Mahmood and has been playing better this season. If they're picking on form, then you pick Gregory above Mahmood, as 21 wickets in 9 Div 2 matches at 31 is not Test material. I agree on some of those trundlers you mention with the exception of Ollie Robinson who's got a bit more to him. Craig Overton isn't quicker than Lewis Gregory and didn't look any more harmless against Australia on a flattish track in that first innings than Archer. His selection was mystifying and typical of the Bayliss era approach: mental Gleeson's a decent bowler but I do think age is against him now. Hopefully Lancs can sort out how to develop Josh Bohannon as I really like the way he approaches the game.
The ECB pace bowling programme: generally it's a mix of older players and the young uns. It's success rate is very mixed. George Garton is a good example: toured with the Lions, is now being constructed as an all-rounder, and has been free enough on Saturdays this year to play league cricket for Horsham. There are doubts on him being a first-class bowler, let alone a Test bowler. Zak Chappell has been playing 2nd XI most of the year despite Notts being absolute dogshit.
Go back to Feb 2018 and this news release. Some of the names mentioned you'll know well. Out of them, only Toby Roland-Jones has actually played Test cricket and succeeded despite not being outright pace and being as English trundler as they come. Of the others?
Jamie Porter - selected for tours, drinks waiter, unlikely to ever play for England. Reece Topley - injury after injury to the point of being released and playing league cricket for East Molesey. Coming back into county cricket again tentatively with Sussex.
Tom Barber - is a genuinely quick mofo but ain't anywhere near the Middlesex first team and has still to take a first-class wicket. Tom Helm - getting on a bit now and is more in the TR-J mould than Archer.
Jamie Overton - finally fulfilling some of the potential everyone at Taunton knew he had. I think he's a good outside chance for the SA trip as he hits the bat hard and he will get bounce there. George Scrimshaw - quick. Injured. Hasn't played at even 2nd XI level since August 2017. Paul Walter - as medium pace as they come.
For all the efforts of the pace academy, they're not turning out a mass of cricketers who are doing that well at county level, let alone international level. You don't breed Test bowlers through net sessions and academy work and a Lions tour.
Hopefully not as there has been a lot of behind the scenes work to prevent the injuries occurring through changing his action. Stuff like that takes time. Back in my uni days, we had a Worcs CC player joining us for nets and practice in the close season. The notion back then was that it took around 20,000 deliveries to get the body used to the new action and that is why he was joining in with our sessions. It's been a long process with Jove and it's good to see him doing well this year.
The Northants loan was very good for him even if it didn't bring a load of wickets as the overs under the belt in the middle meant he came back to Taunton and hit his straps. Overton has actually been consistent this season once he started playing. A strike rate of 33 demonstrates consistency when you compare him to people who have taken wickets all season like Gregory (32) and Kyle Abbott (30). At the minute he's not playing because it's the arse end of the season and we're on green seaming tracks where the like of Josh Davey are more effective or they're going for the two spin option. When it's damp and warm and the wickets are green, you don't need a lot of pace to be effective. Sam Cook as you say is perfect for this type of weather. His performance against Kent last month was superb.
Sod the courts, this is the best story of the day.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/49811878
Kent also sign Qadri. Have you seen him play? I can't remember whether I've seen him bowl or not.
Only seen streamed footage of him. He bowls at a decent pace and does get some revs on the ball. High arm, bit of the Swann about him.
T20 slow stuff was more than well served by Nabi and Qayyum yet the slow bowling in the CC was a mix of Denly, DB-D, Ollie Rayner and Riley and not a great amount either. The slow bowlers before the season finale had bowled 350 overs between them in the CC: Stevo, Milnes, and Podmore have bowled over 1200 overs between them this season. So it's not obvious where Qadri would slot in.
The greatest question to ask would be if it's the right geographical area for him. Kent released Adam Riley this year: five years ago he was being tipped for England. A sad little note in the Cricinfo article about Qadri's signing:
"Riley was briefly considered to be the natural successor to Graeme Swann as England's best offspinner after a brilliant 2014 season, but lost his action after being encouraged to try and bowl quicker by the England set-up. He never really recovered, and was released in June."
https://twitter.com/TheBarmyArmy/status/1175067699883520000
https://i.imgur.com/diqFxyV.png
People get dropped, don't get jobs, don't get acting roles, don't get that record deal, get made redundant and don't know how they will pay the mortgage whatever...all the time. I'm not sure what your point is.
4 lads and a few beers
It seems Andy Flower coach of the Lions at the time. I genuinely can't believe he's still so highly rated in English cricket.