I'd back Chris Woakes average higher with the bat than Dawid Malan or whoever. Just because you have six bowlers doesn't mean they all have to bowl every innings.
I'd back Chris Woakes average higher with the bat than Dawid Malan or whoever. Just because you have six bowlers doesn't mean they all have to bowl every innings.
For me, Woakes plays ahead of Ronald-Jones despite his excellent first two test matches.Originally Posted by Max Power
Cook
Stoneman (got to play ahead of Jennings surely)
Westley
Root
Bairstow
Stokes
Moeen
Woakes
Broad
Anderson
The last place in the team is between Ronald-Jones and Hales for me.
I reckon Hales would do well in Australia. Pace on the ball, little sideways movement, testosterone pumping from all angles.
If Hales played I'd want him absolutely no higher than 6, maybe even 7. The more licence he has, the better.
Also Martin it's Roland-Jones, not Ronald. Ronald's Test days seem alas behind him.
For WIndies and Aus away it's surely just 3 from Anderson, Broad, Woakes and TR-J depending on who is injured/out of form etc.
I don't care how shit our batting stocks are, Woakes isn't a good enough batman to justify coming in for Malan when we already have 5 bowlers.
One of Broad and Anderson will have broken down by then anyway. Didn't Chris Tremlett break Jimmy's ribs in the boxing ring in the build up to the last one? Maybe this time it'll be Liam Dawson poking his eye out with a snooker cue.
Sorry.(might call him TR-J from now on!)
re Bell, it would seem that way. In a way, he slots nicely into this discussion. He would be a decent shout for the no.5 position.
Toblerone-Jones will always be acceptable to me.
Bell isn't a decent shout for anything anymore. He is averaging 24 this season.
You still see a lot of calls on Idiotic Cricket Twitter (as distinct from Cricket Twitter) for Bell's return. Might as well take John Crawley on the same logic. For once, I think England called it a day at the right time there.
So. Mason Crane?
My sources say Mason Crane is a lovely bloke, so I'm all for it.
Probably slightly wishful thinking at this point but he's got 'it'.
The all rounders at 5,6,7 allows you to carry a young leggie if possible...
Good that Stoneman finally gets a go. Scenes when Jason Holder or some mug is all over him for the series and he averages 8.6.
The last couple of times I checked Warwickshire's scores, Bell has been in the runs. Bit of a surprise his average is that low.
Don't mind us picking Mason Crane but would prefer the extra batter. We definitely shouldn't go into matches with five seamers or a bits-and-pieces player like Dawson.
If two of the seamers are Stokes and Woakes and the spinner is Moeen Ali, I think you definitely can. People's ability to bowl does not diminish their ability to bat, and vice versa. We have three bona fide all rounders.
Caught the end of the roses match last night, just in time to see Bresilad steaming in through the driving rain, returning figures of 6-19, with a run out thrown in to boot.
I was thinking of nipping over as it's only less than a mile up the road, but apparently it was sold out.
That catch from Jack Leaning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44zRVNLJmf0
2:55 for the catch. That is outstanding.
The masterclass from Bresilad starts at about 4:00
I thought the India/Sri Lanka series was in India. This is a thumping of highest order.
I've just turned Sky on and been met with their coverage of Derbyshire vs Durham. The first thing I witnessed was a running commentary of the contents of the Indian they'd just had delivered to the comms box.
Top work, Sky.
Pfft, they're just ripping off Blowers describing cakes and pigeons on TMS.
One of the commentators dropped a poppadom and the man who'd received the takeaway immediately took the box away from him in case he dropped the rest.
The pink ball is AWESOME.
I'm a twit
In ten years I think whites and red balls may be a thing of the past (not necessarily a bad thing).
Stoneman cleaned up already, who's the next cab off the rank.
Sounds like Stoneman got a really good delivery. Is that fair or should he have dealt with it?
This is quite a fun spectacle apart from the fact I can barely see the ball.
West Indies are TERRIBLE.
I was going to say this day/night Test in England will never catch on but maybe it's not fair when it's such a mismatched game.
It's just so pointless though. The ball is ridiculous (looks like one of those orange practice balls in the daylight) and it must be fucking freezing by the time the last overs are being bowled. We have an inordinate amount of daylight in summer, we don't need this wank. What kind of idiot goes along for the final session of a days test cricket (as this is presumably what the after work crowd must be)? Do you have to pay for a full day ticket to do that? Just fuck off with it. Also, lol 'Windies' as I believe they are now officially called.
Eoin Morgan was doing oddly hard work on twitter earlier arguing in favour of it, when him and Buttler get on their marketing soap boxes I always raise an eyebrow.
I thought I'd hate day/night tests, but I'm 100% in favour now.
Do we want cricket to thrive? Make it easy to watch cricket. It's not a difficult calculus.
I saw someone arguing against it earlier on the basis that the floodlights would get in players eyes as they follow the path of the ball on a high bat. Watertight argument.
If you want to make it easy to watch you keep it on free to air tv. We're already way past that and, if anything, moving it into 'prime time' makes that an even more remote possibility. You can't just rock up after work with a slab of tinnies and watch it from the hill over here. I can sort of understand it in Adelaide where it's permanently hot and everyone has well and truly shat the bed about the AFL, but not in England, thanks.
I like them in some circumstances but I really don't think we need them here, having just listened to 'Don't take me home' on a two hour loop in last night's session.
The ECB are pushing it fucking hard though, including releasing random stats to the commentators about what percentage of that day's spectators are 'new to the game'. The ECB is absolutely ram-packed with Australians these days (it works back home, mate) so no surprise.
Also, did anybody ever 'watch' Test cricket live in huge numbers? When did this happen, the 1930s?
Forget all that. Adam Lyth
The mighty rey chased down 130 in the last over with Gareth Batty hitting the winning runs. Which reminds me, I saw Moises Henriques enjoying an expensive coffee with an attractive young lady outside a hipster café on Sunday morning. Being the salt of the earth, I had to settle for the greasy spoon next door.
Chef currently just 4,407 runs away from Tendulkar's record. Believe.
We should schedule some 5-Test series against Ireland just to get him to the record quicker, the little master himself would approve.
Could probably get them in this series tbh. Well this and another 10/11 type Ashes series this winter.
Anderson is back to playing like a cheat player. 3 wickets and a run out.
I don't understand the rationale here. People have jobs in the UK as well. Why play it when people are working, when you could just play it when they aren't?
I do agree regarding free-to-air, but that ship has basically sailed for you guys.
19 wickets taken in a day. Is that a record in tests or has 20 been managed?
I took 2 days holiday at work and went to Wales with a ladyfriend yesterday and Wednesday, with the bonus of two days of sitting on the sofa watching test match cricket to follow. So much for that. Obviously there isn't even gonna be a 4th day, but the gap in quality made today mostly depressing.
Is it sacrilege to admit, except for if we're playing tests against India/Australia, that I'm more of a fan of "test cricket" than of Team England? With the shortsightedness of the BCCI/ICC etc I can't see much future for the long game.
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/wi/con...ds/283080.html
Not even close.
England against WI at Lords in 2000 has some part of all innings in 1 day (21 wickets on that list)
http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/1...ndies-2nd-Test
Because it's still played when people are at work, and you can't just turn up for one session, even if you wanted to (the corollary of this would be the ground being empty for 2 sessions - what a great plan). Test cricket is just a game better suited to being played in the day, in England at least.
The tests are invariably scheduled to take place over a weekend so there is as much chance to watch it then as there is for any other sport, if you want the live experience (feckless opposition permitting).
One feature of this experiment that I have liked is the making up time at the start of the day (ie early start). I have long wondered why this isn't done more routinely - ICC diktat I imagine since it used to be a thing - starting at 10.30 always felt a bit of a bonus.
Test tickets in England normally sell pretty well anyway, don't they? Is the day-night thing geared toward that? Or is it better TV ratings?
Or neither?
I'm talking about getting people to watch it on TV. If you're going to the ground, then you'll probably go either way (although matches played elsewhere suggests that people do come after work to the match, but it's a drop in the ocean compared to television).
The more eyes, the better.
EDIT: Obviously free-to-air is vital as well, goes without saying.
I read a bit on this one this morning and now understand. The ludicrously named Mr Snowball, who is in charge of bean counting or somesuch at Egbaston, said they reckon they did 25% more revenue than they would normally expect. I thought this sounded impressive and wondered where it came from as I doubted whether it was purely down to selling more tickets or everyone getting more pissed than usual (although could be a factor) and sure enough there they were, the good old executive packages. That's the deal, isn't it? You can sell all your function venues (or that stupid balcony that faces the wrong way at the Oval) for much more than you would perhaps normally be able to even though, personally, I think a corporate jolly which requires attendance at night rather than the day sounds a bit horrifying.
The Ronald's tolling for Westley now. Christ knows what our top order is going to be like (or do) in Australia.
I still don't know what the West Indies ever saw in Kieran Powell. Appalling batsman and that drop has cost them a decent chance of being competitive in the match.
Bit riding on this for me. My club has made it to a T20 finals day on Monday but two of our fucking idiot key players have Headingley tickets for Monday. Ergo I desperately need a three day finish here. Mon the wickets.
Some people on the Cricinfo commentary saying that not only Ronald (who is finished), but Paul Collingwood should return for the Ashes. Why not go the whole hog and dig up WG Grace.
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