Has the perfect technique to open against both seam and spin too.
Ian Bell's stock also on the rise, how we could have done here with an elegant 32 ending in a loose drive to cover.
Has the perfect technique to open against both seam and spin too.
Ian Bell's stock also on the rise, how we could have done here with an elegant 32 ending in a loose drive to cover.
That's "d'you-buy", Jimmy.
So I have no troubles acknowledging that Ashwin is a fantastic bowler, deserving of his #1 ranking in test cricket. He bowls thoughtfully, and can adjust his style to adapt to opposition and conditions. I'd have him in a World XI right now, for sure.
However, I'm still just not sold on Jadeja. His numbers are great, and he seems to come through when the chips are down. But I just can't bring myself to think of him as being a top (top) bowler. Thoughts?
They say bowling is about partnerships as much as batting and I think the are great foils for each other, especially when conditions and the game is in their favour. They spin it opposite ways, speed through their overs at like 18-20 per hour and the pressure seems to tell. He's accurate and doesn't bowl much rubbish but he isn't a great or even good bowler imo, no range of skills.
Not completely sold on Ashwin at No 1 either. He's improved in the past year but even in this series where India have been on top massively he's bowled rubbish when England have put him under pressure/the game has been against them. Would still take Herath and Shah over him tbh.
Didn't watch any of today's play. Surprised we made as many as we did second innings. Hameed unbeaten fifty with a broken finger confirms what we already knew about that lad. I said 3-1 pre series and that would be a result from this point.
They're both pie throwers made to look a lot better than they are by impatient modern batting. Trashwin has even put his carrom ball away these days and just waits for idiots to miss it.
We've played some fairly Australian-style bullshit cricket in that match. Woakes, Hameed, Root (second innings) and Bairstow the only ones to emerge with any credit. And I guess Stokes and Rashid with the ball. This is the problem, we are good enough and this has the foundations of a great side but we just piss it away at key moments.
I'd like to see us fly a proper batsman in now to bat at four, suspect they won't though. Also think they'll go four seamers in the next match. Please Ball and not Finn.
Can't agree with that. I used to think Ashwin was terrible, but he really isn't. Guy can bowl, and bowl well.
Also, "Australian-style"?
I watched cricket in the '90s. Let's not be starting with that.
Watch him bowl. He walks up like he has rheumatism, deposits it on a length and overpitches two an over. He is also quite impatient himself and if you get on top of him he gets frustrated and starts pissing around with his angles. His success comes from batsman error.
He does have more about him than Jadeja but the latter benefits from not getting bored and that helps Ashwin at the other end as Max says.
Herath shits on both of them.
That's a weird take, because one of the things that impressed me most about him when he toured Australia was specifically his patience. He was happy to try variations, but it really felt like he was confident in his stock ball, and he truly believed he'd get his man eventually.
I'm probably being a bit harsh on him but he definitely isn't the world's best bowler and I don't think he's even the world's best spinner. However, his record against England is significantly worse than that against other nations and that's obviously where I've seen most of him.
Hameed flying home. Replacement said to be between Jennings and Gubbins, but I'd go with Bell-Drummond.
If I were picking a World XI, it'd be a two spinner attack, with Herath and Ashwin both.
Herath is the better bowler, but Ashwin seems more consistently reliable, England trevails aside. Especially on tough pitches for spinners - Australia gave him nothing.
World XI playing at the inevitable venue of Dubai would definitely have both of them in it, Ashwin to bat seven (or eight if this is a World XI) and bowl.
Warner
erm, Cook (A)
Williamson
Root
Kohli
Smith
Bairstow
Ashwin
Rabada
Broad
Herath
There's actually a balance issue there. I might have to bin off Smith for Stokes. I've managed not to pick any Pakistanis as well.
Bairstow? That's a bit of an indictment. Aside from that, the batsmen pick themselves, really.
As for the bowlers, it's Hazelwood v Broad v Starc v Steyn v others. Rabada was good, but overshadowed against us by both of his compatriot fast bowlers, and may even find himself on the outer when Steyn gets back, because Abbott was sensational.
I'd have de Kock over Bairstow, although I feel like we should be able to do better. Chandimal, perhaps.
Bairstow is the top run scorer in Tests this year with 1,355 at 64.52, so...
Quinny will get there but not yet.
Hard to argue with that. Didn't see it coming.Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
Also, no chance Smith is the one to get binned. One of the first three names on the sheet.
Although most of the batting lineup is basically undroppable. Maybe Cook or Williamson if we're really reaching, but nobody else is even remotely putting up their hand to do so.
I'll put Starc in for Rabada. Second opener is the tricky one, Chef has been on cruise control for some time now but most of international cricket are intent on filling their opener spots with walking wickets so it's hard to find an alternative.
On the openers point, Sami Aslam will be there soon I reckon.
Who's skippering this team stacked full of big personalities? Might have to drop one of the young guns to bring in King Misbah at 6.
I still think Smith's a good captain. Cook could do it. Williamson's not quite there yet. But unless Misbah decides to have a crack at opening, he's not breaking into that batting lineup.
If you had to find a third opener to put pressure on Cook, it'd probably have to be Azhar Ali, I think. He's averaging quite well, although a not-out triple century will do that for you.
Pujara's averaging better than both of them, but I'm not totally sold.
Just wait until AB sorts all his injury shit out. And also for South Africa to play more than like 7 tests a year so that Quinny can have a fair shot at being top runscorer. Those two on top form will cruise into any World XI.
Might be slightly biased, but this has some merit.
EDIT: De Kock has a higher average, and at a better strike rate that Bairstow, South Africa just don't play as many games as England do.
Nice photo. Hameed apparently pleaded to open the batting second innings, was refused. Spent three net sessions working on a new grip so he wouldn't put pressure on his broken fingers, made an unbeaten fifty. Then pleaded again to stay on tour but has been sent home to have an op. What a geezer, love him already.
Jimmy (unusually) knew.Hales has been given the shove / given himself the shove, and I'll be surprised if Hameed's not in the squad named on Friday.
Also:
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Some people you can just tell from their face they are a hero.
I don't watch any club cricket (I don't have an allegiance, though I suppose I'm from Coventry and have been to a Warwickshire match so I guess it'd be them by default) but of the potential openers to come in Bell-Drummond is the only one I've seen mentioned. Has he had a few notable matches and that's how I've heard of him, have I heard him mentioned on Sky/TMS or does he just have a good enough rep that it's leaked through into my consciousness somehow?
Could be Cricinfo I suppose.
He's been around for two or three seasons. Gubbins and Jennings are more 2016 breakouts.
Not entirely sure of the point in bringing and opener out tbh. Just have Root open for two Tests and search for a number four.
The most popular opinion on the official England facebook page seems to be bringing Bell into the squad. Okay then.
Based on my Cricket Captain 2016 exploits I'd bring in Angus Robson.
Has Hales been binned because he wouldn't go to the Desh or for general shitness? Or is he injured? Stick him in somewhere down the order (despite the fact he's a bit of a useless pleb). He doesn't have to be an opener, the way of things in International cricket seems to be you rarely end up where you start out specialising. Strauss was a No.3 who opened on debut due to injury and never looked back. Root was an opener and now he's a 3/4. Maybe 'Halesey' (I want to call him Halo) coud be a counter-attacking revelation at 4. Erm, maybe. Better than bringing back the Ronald, mind.
Shitness. The fact he didnt fancy the travel just made it easier.
Did anyone make any money on that Black Caps win?
There's already a nice strain of twitter opinion developing which wants Billings selected. Sigh.
I thought yer man Jason Roy would be the twitter pick tbh.
Presumably you bump Root up to open and pick someone else in the middle order. Because if you pick someone to open and they do well, then you have a selection nightmare. But it's easier to find space lower down the order if needed.
That's what I would do but it seems the form players in the country are all openers. I guess Jennings could come in, and if he makes runs and looks the part could always move down to 4 in the summer when Hameed returns.
Or just keep picking one day shotmakers and hope one of them becomes David Warner.
Would be better than Buttler at the role Buttler is meant to be doing now, tbh.
Liam Dawson and Keaton Jennings it is. Unconvinced by both, to be honest. Dawson is like Ansari but worse at everything.
"Daddy hundred" is the only phrase in cricket that irks me even more than "tracer bullet".
There's no good reason for it, and it sounds juvenile.
It always sounds like the brewing of a sexual abuse in cricket furore to me.
Especially when spoken in Graham Gooch's voice.
I see the commonwealth calls for an ethnically pure England team have begun again with Jennings called up.
There ought to be strict elocution requirements for South Africans assimilating into other countries. Strauss and his ilk are fine, but I heard some Bakkies Van der Merwe type character who plays for the Ireland the other day and he was just taking the piss.
Hardus 'Nails' Viljoen off to Derby as a kolpak. Who will spearhead South Africa's summer attack now?
From Keaton Jennings' wiki:
Full name Have we given up on the game altogether?
Height Approximately 24 Hobbits stacked on top of each other.
On 89 though, good work, lad.
Century.After nearly being out for nowt he looked properly composed from the highlights I saw before I left the house this morning.
Quality stuff. If we get to 400 tomorrow we qualify as being BACK IN THE SERIES, at least until Kohli next bats.
Normally I don't pay too much attention to tour matches, but the Cricket Australia XI are playing Pakistan in Perth.
They knocked over Pakistan with enough time for three overs of batting. Four wickets and three runs later...
Mohammad Amir seems to reserve a special kind of rage for tour matches.
That said, the CA XI looks like it's a grade cricket rep side.
I'm going to assume that people are (justifiably) ignoring the bilateral ODI series between Australia and New Zealand. But Smith took two of the finest catches you'll ever see, and it's well worth digging up the highlights reel just for those.
The last one was amusingly wasted taking the tenth wicket in a rout, but an amazing catch is an amazing catch.
The first one where he landed on his face was unreal.
Bit of a weird pitch in Mumbai. Looks like the most unplayable snake pit at times but if you bat for a bit looks pretty benign. England have four seamers ofc. This one smells like a third innings collapse after India reach parity on first innings.
To me it smells like a draw. Of course fucking Root has bowled three pointless overs. Might as well have played Dawson so that they find out how shit he is.
I like Jake Ball though.
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