The Cricket Thread

[Jimmy Floyd]

They've brought Quinton de Kock and Chris Morris into the squad. de Kock (keeper/will bat 7) I have seen a lot of and he is very talented but flighty, a fit Jimmy will have him for breakfast. Morris is a mentalhead seamer who is a better batsman than their usual grubby tail, and also in decent form, which will no doubt be annoying. He's also a decent seamer, though no world beater. Think Peter Siddle crossed with Andre Nel.

I'd guess Duminy will probably swing, leaving them with this:

van Zyl
Elgar
Amla
de Villiers
'Faf'
Bavuma
de Kock
Morris / Abbott
Rabada
Piedt
Morkel

We'll be the same plus Jimmy.

[Max Power]

Jimmy is back. Rabada, De Kock and comedy legend Chris Morris in for the hosts.

England bat first. Rack em up lads

[Max Power]

Quite looking forward to seeing Rabada actually. Haven't watched him since he routed Austrailia in the under 19 World Cup. Seems a special talent.

[Byron]

If ever there was a ground for a Hales hundred...

[Max Power]

I count only one loose waft so far from him so good signs.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Rabada is next level. Well, he's no Sam Curran, but that aside.

[Byron]

5 off of 34 balls. Compdog

[Max Power]

Dare I say, Misbahesque from Compton. Plodding along with everyone (wrongly) moaning about strike rates and he just hops out the bunker to launch the spinner into the stands

[Jimmy Floyd]

This is such a fucking good platform. 400+ please. Moeen taking us up to 500 with a dashing fifty.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Dare I say, Misbahesque from Compton. Plodding along with everyone (wrongly) moaning about strike rates and he just hops out the bunker to launch the spinner into the stands

I saw the other day that the most Test sixes in 2015 was Misbah with 20, and the next man down had 13. The man really needs more awards.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Rabada just has this rare ability to bowl a fucking snorter and take a wicket out of nowhere. Finn-esque.

[Max Power]

Stokes assault on the second new ball was a bit special. Looked like a bit of turn later on. Could be another hard one to bat last on.

[Jimmy Floyd]

That five over burst from Stokes was the game for me. Even if we do our usual morning act and get bowled out for 350, that's too many I think. Our bowling attack will do damage on this.

People like Stokes you have to look far beyond the overall stats and look to passages like that when he's gone a long way to establishing our dominance in the game.

[Max Power]

The Stokes/Flintoff comparisons are a bit lazy but Freddie had fairly average stats. It was never about the stats, it was about that one counter attacking innings, that one nasty spell of bowling.

Stokes is already a better player than Freddie was at the same age and is frankly a miles better batsman. Having Moeen at 8 sort of makes it easier to survive a poor Stokes series like the last Ashes series

[Jimmy Floyd]

Stokes is actually perfect for us because we already have 3 seamers (and a ridiculous crop of new ones on the way up behind them) so it doesn't matter that he isn't a Flintoff-like attack leading bowler, but what we don't have is another destructive batsman like that. Well there is Buttler, but personally I don't think he's actually good enough in long form cricket.

Cook
x
x
Root
Taylor
Stokes
Bairstow if he can sort his keeping out
Moeen
x
Broad
Finn

There's no reason that lot can't largely be together for the next five years and that's being pessimistic about Hales. Let the good times roll.

[Max Power]

Quite a likeable bunch of #lads as well, Hales included.

Despair and failure is always just around the corner though. Bowled out for 350 and they rack up 550 (Smith 220, Kallis 180*)

[Blitz]

I was fairly happy with the team selection today, except for Faf being in. Either him and Duminy should both have been dropped(Rossouw and Quinny replacing them), or only Faf. Seems like he forgot how to make runs. It's either 100% block mode, or get out in any way possible.

I was not happy with the how Amla captained again, he really should not be the captain, and I fear the biggest reason for him being 1. Selected as captain, and 2. Stay captain for way too long, is racially motivated. In the past he has said that he isn't interested in captaining, and AB said he wants the job. What a pity.

I can't work out why Morkel didn't take the 2nd new ball, that was just shit.

Lastly, Rabada is such a talent, very excited about him. Seems to have a good head on his shoulder as well from interviews I've seen and read.

Jimmy, do you know about Ian Pont, the bowling coach?

[Jimmy Floyd]

I know he's some guy who cruises around the world with a mullet saying he can add 10mph to every fast bowler with his advanced methods. I don't doubt that he can, but seems too much of a maverick to attract work from major cricket boards, except Pakistan I think, god love them.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Sussex's Matt Hobden has died at 22.

[Byron]

We could have declared at 300 and I'd still be confident. How are this lot the No. 1 ranked Test side?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Because the rankings reflect things that have happened in the past.

[Ian]

This has been a bit mental from Stokes, especially the way he came charging out the gate this morning. I reckon he spent most of last night smeared in blood, shrieking at the moon and guzzling Sunny D.

Over 100 just this morning for him.

[Samadini]

This is an absolute piss take from Stokes.

[Luke Emia]

We haven't even got Moeen and Broady out for the 'counter-attack' yet.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Jesus fucking fuck.

Graam Smuts should really shut the fuck up about Amla being a shit captain.

[Ian]

Broadcasting Stokes doing this to them pre-watershed is questionable, I'd say.

[Luke Emia]

This is brutal. I don't think I've ever watched anything like it live.

[Cord]

This surely must be the best morning in the history of gingers. In a hot and sunny place as well.

Marvellous.

[Jimmy Floyd]

This Hashim Amla/Moeen Ali chant is right up there as well.

[Max Power]

Absolute carnage. Gutted I'm missing this

[Ian]

[Blitz]

I know he's some guy who cruises around the world with a mullet saying he can add 10mph to every fast bowler with his advanced methods. I don't doubt that he can, but seems too much of a maverick to attract work from major cricket boards, except Pakistan I think, god love them.

I've read enough about him for me to feel he knows what he's talking about. He said on twitter yesterday he want to work with Rabada, and if he is really as good as he claims, then it'll be pretty amazing. He's worked with Steyn, Lee and Akhtar amoungst some other player.

He works with the Bangladeshi bowlers if I'm not mistaken, and looking at the CWC, it seems he's done a good job on them.

[Blitz]

What an incredible morning, fuck. Utter shit bowling, but credit to the batsmen, they forced this.

Our cricket is broken a bit, and these gingers went a long way to make sure it stays that way for some while yet.

[Davgooner]

This is obscene.

[Davgooner]

That just tops it off.

[Samadini]

Fucking hell

[Samadini]

The scenes in the crowd too, everything about this is glorious.

[Davgooner]

Had Stokes just had enough then or what?

Moeen to smack a hundred.

[Ian]

Didn't expect that declaration. Presumably to have the bowlers as fresh as possible?

That start for the Saffers.

[Jimmy Floyd]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cri...e-iceberg.html

I literally can't imagine a more tiresome cunt than that one.

Michael Vaughan on Ben Stokes: 'I doubt if he knows who I am'.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Chris Gayle is in trouble for saying to a female TV interviewer in the Big Bash: 'Hopefully we win the game and we can have some drinks later. Don't blush, baby.'

Such a knobhead.

[Max Power]

Alex Hales is having a bowl. Hmm.

[Ian]

Get Cook in. He did remove Ishant Sharma that one time, after all.

[Queenslander]

Chris Gayle is in trouble for saying to a female TV interviewer in the Big Bash: 'Hopefully we win the game and we can have some drinks later. Don't blush, baby.'

Such a knobhead.

The Baby Boomers are out in force defending Rapey Gayle this morning.

It lieterally feels like a whole generation of men have had life pass them by.

[Mr. Malik]

Chris Gayle is in trouble for saying to a female TV interviewer in the Big Bash: 'Hopefully we win the game and we can have some drinks later. Don't blush, baby.'

Such a knobhead.

It's not the worst thing he could have said, it's just a man asking a woman out for a drink. Sure you could say it's wrong to proposition people at their place of employment but it's not like that stops people from chatting up bartenders or supermarket checkout operators.

I'm not defending his actions but it has certainly been overblown. If it didn't happen on TV nobody would care.

[Queenslander]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-0...erview/7068316

He's a serial offender.

Edit: This will be his last season in the BBL.

[ItalAussie]

It's a really dick move to make a pass at someone in a situation where they can't leave if it makes them uncomfortable. Let alone in a public setting when they're trying to do their job. What an ass.

Chris Rogers has had some really harsh things to say about his dressing room behaviour when they played together, as well.


EDIT: Queenslander got in before me. Rogers' comments are in the article.

[Jimmy Floyd]

It's not the worst thing he could have said, it's just a man asking a woman out for a drink. Sure you could say it's wrong to proposition people at their place of employment but it's not like that stops people from chatting up bartenders or supermarket checkout operators.

I'm not defending his actions but it has certainly been overblown. If it didn't happen on TV nobody would care.

What you're basically saying is that if any women want to work in cricket, they should accept that being leered at and publicly humiliated by Chris Gayle is part of the job.

[igor_balis]

Where's good to watch cricket highlights online? Obviously I don't have a sky subscription. By highlights I mean ~1-2 hours per day's play, not those shitty youtube videos with a day's play condensed into 5 minutes of wickets and the occasional boundary.

[Queenslander]

Indian teen scores 1,000 in school match.

http://www.cricket.com.au/news/india...ade/2016-01-05

Well that's just bloody gross.