The Cricket Thread

[Fuctifano]

Wonder if they'll be brave enough to change the composition of the side and play one extra bowler, either shifting Ali somewhere back up the order or batting him at 7 and moving everyone else up a place and then e.g. Woakes, Archer, Broad, Wood with the top 6 being the top 6 from the ODI team with Burns replacing Morgan and the order jigged around.

I can't see Woakes not playing if fit in England. Wood will probably get injured again and make the decision to play an extra batsman a bit easier.

The Aussies are playing with themselves (wahey) next week in an old style probables vs possibles match. Would think the first choice attack (Starc, Hazelwood, Cummins, Lyon), the keeper (Paine as he's the captain) and Smith & Warner are nailed on. Bancroft is back after his ban, Carey might get in as a specialist batsman if he plays like he did in the WC, and there's no Maxwell or Finch who are evidently just considered white ball specialists now. There's at least 3 guys I've absolutely never heard of as well. 

edit: one of them is called Chris Tremain which might upset a good chunk of the crowd if he was instead Christ Remain

Edited July 15, 2019 by Fuctifano

[Sir Tarmo Kink]

I’ve seen Tremain and that Neser guy in the Big Bash T20, decent enough bowlers. Never seen them in the Sheffield Shield or anything else so can’t comment on their Test credentials.

I’d agree that Woakes has a huge case to start for England.

[Eednud]

1 hour ago, Tarmo Kink said:

I’ve seen Tremain and that Neser guy in the Big Bash T20, decent enough bowlers. Never seen them in the Sheffield Shield or anything else so can’t comment on their Test credentials.

I’d agree that Woakes has a huge case to start for England.

Too lazy to do a cut and paste or type it out in full s0 their Shield averages (2018/19) are here http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/averages/batting.html?id=12452;type=tournament

Edited July 15, 2019 by Eednud

[Sir Tarmo Kink]

I see Kane Williamson won player of the tournament. Starc took the most wickets and Rohit Sharma made the most runs.

[jaggyness]

Yeah, and as much as I hate him as an individual, for Warner not to be in the team of the tournament is just nonsense.

I see Kane Williamson won player of the tournament. Starc took the most wickets and Rohit Sharma made the most runs.

[Savage Henry]

Just read the rule. Seems awful strange that the batsmen would have to cross at the time of the throw being released.
It is pretty refreshing that no one has moaned at the umpires for some poor decisions, they just get on with it. The coverage of cricket continues to be absolutely fantastic as well, not sure of a sport that comes close it in terms of analysis, expert onions etc. Really brilliant stuff. I guess most cricketers being educated helps this.

The expert onions really add some sharpness to the coverage, I feel. [emoji12]

[Savage Henry]

I'm no expert on cricket's laws & regulations. But as a punter viewing it on holiday, in a pub full of English, I just thought Stokes deflection of the throw was completely against the spirit of the game.
That the Kiwi's threw it away, conceding a 4 by stepping in the boundary being a prime example, paled into insignificance.
Why was the video ref not asked to rule on it, was beyond me.
It, however, stands alongside the world bagpiping championships, in terms of worldwide sports.

1. There’s no way on earth Stoke did that on purpose. No chance. I thought the spirit of that game was first class.

2. What precisely would the VRS be used for? Remember there are finite situations in which it can be used.

3. It absolutely doesn’t. Afghanistan playing the West Indies alone disproves that.

English cricket fans are, on the whole, great. Ignore Piers Morgan and the red tops and the reaction has been just fine.

[peasy23]

1. There’s no way on earth Stoke did that on purpose. No chance. I thought the spirit of that game was first class.

2. What precisely would the VRS be used for? Remember there are finite situations in which it can be used.

3. It absolutely doesn’t. Afghanistan playing the West Indies alone disproves that.

English cricket fans are, on the whole, great. Ignore Piers Morgan and the red tops and the reaction has been just fine.

Just a couple of things:

1. It definitely wasn't deliberate, but I've yet to hear anyone from the England camp acknowledge how fortunate it was and how much it changed the game.

2. If they can use the video to check if somebody has stepped on the boundary rope when fielding, surely it could have been used to check the correct number of runs scored? In defence of the onfield umpires, I doubt they would have given a thought to whether the batsmen had crossed before the throw.

[Sir Tarmo Kink]

Team of the Tournament

Rohit Sharma
Jason Roy
Kane Williamson ©
Joe Root
Shakib Al Hasan
Ben Stokes
Alex Carey (WK)
Mitchell Starc
Jofra Archer
Lockie Ferguson
Jasprit Bumrah

Overall I’d agree with the team. Warner probably should in ahead of Roy but Roy’s impact was tremendous despite missing a lot of games. England wouldn’t have won it without him.

[Jason King]

11 minutes ago, peasy23 said:

Just a couple of things:

1. It definitely wasn't deliberate, but I've yet to hear anyone from the England camp acknowledge how fortunate it was and how much it changed the game.
 

It was mentioned plenty of times in the immediate aftermath of the match during the onfield interviews by the England players.

[Savage Henry]

Just a couple of things:

1. It definitely wasn't deliberate, but I've yet to hear anyone from the England camp acknowledge how fortunate it was and how much it changed the game.

2. If they can use the video to check if somebody has stepped on the boundary rope when fielding, surely it could have been used to check the correct number of runs scored? In defence of the onfield umpires, I doubt they would have given a thought to whether the batsmen had crossed before the throw.

To be fair, Eoin Morgan talked about the luck of the Irish and “Allah’s will”. It’s fairly clear what he was talking about there, I’d say, as well as having a sly dig at the Gammony Brexit reactions to the win. I thought he was very magnanimous in victory.

I think I agree with you. If the umpires both thought the rule was correctly applied, they’d have no reason to refer it, even if they could. It’s like not referring a run-out, or a stumping when the umpire has an unrestricted view. They aren’t in a position to judge whether a fielder touched the rope.

[peasy23]

Team of the Tournament

Rohit Sharma
Jason Roy
Kane Williamson [emoji2398]
Joe Root
Shakib Al Hasan
Ben Stokes
Alex Carey (WK)
Mitchell Starc
Jofra Archer
Lockie Ferguson
Jasprit Bumrah

Overall I’d agree with the team. Warner probably should in ahead of Roy but Roy’s impact was tremendous despite missing a lot of games. England wouldn’t have won it without him.

They were prattling on about England turning their tourney around after the defeats they suffered thanks to the help of psychologists etc, it was nothing as complicated as that imo, it was largely down to Roy being fit again. Bairstow was a different player with Vince at the other end, which usually led to 2 early wickets as both of them tended not to last very long. Roy coming back was pivotal to them beating India and New Zealand in their last 2 group games, without Roy in the team Bairstow doesn't hit tons in those 2 games imo, as well as the 2 60 plus scores that Roy got which Vince almost certainly wouldn't have.

[Muzza81]

1 hour ago, Savage Henry said:

 

 

The expert onions really add some sharpness to the coverage, I feel.

 

I was on about Graham, obviously...

[Sir Tarmo Kink]

England Test squad versus Ireland

Joe Root (Yorkshire) captain, Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jimmy Anderson (Lancashire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Sam Curran (Surrey), Joe Denly (Kent), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Jack Leach (Somerset), Jason Roy (Surrey), Olly Stone (Warwickshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

Buttler and Stokes are rested and will return for the pre-Ashes training camp. Wood is injured and will do the same. Anderson is still a worry but is included in both and Roy gets his first call-up.

No Jofra Archer (yet) or Keaton Jennings.

[Fuctifano]

Wood is out for 4-6 weeks as I predicted above. Unlikely Leach will play. Can't see any real reason to play Anderson in this and risk him breaking down but since he's not been rested I assume he will play, which means it's a toss up between Stone and Gregory. 

 

Edited July 17, 2019 by Fuctifano

[peasy23]

Roy certainly isn't your regular style Test match opener, but I can't really see how he can do much worse than some of the recent openers. He might be able to score some quick early runs and put pressure on the bowlers.

 

 

[jaggyness]

Roy certainly isn't your regular style Test match opener, but I can't really see how he can do much worse than some of the recent openers. He might be able to score some quick early runs and put pressure on the bowlers.
 
 

I was listening to Michael Vaughan on the radio recently who suggested playing Roy at 3 in the test side. If you do that it really means you then have root, bairstow, Stokes and buttler likely after which looks a ridiculously deep batting line up.

[Savage Henry]

Roy certainly isn't your regular style Test match opener, but I can't really see how he can do much worse than some of the recent openers. He might be able to score some quick early runs and put pressure on the bowlers.
 
 

They said that about Warner at first too, lest we forget.

[Sir Tarmo Kink]

I was listening to Michael Vaughan on the radio recently who suggested playing Roy at 3 in the test side. If you do that it really means you then have root, bairstow, Stokes and buttler likely after which looks a ridiculously deep batting line up.

Who does Vaughan plan on opening with Burns? Denly?

[Savage Henry]

Who does Vaughan plan on opening with Burns? Denly?

Bairstow?