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Post by flashblade on Feb 25, 2015 14:23:25 GMT
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Post by hhsussex on Feb 25, 2015 15:36:14 GMT
Not quite, but there is this remarkable delivery from Mushy that deserved a wicket |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2015 19:50:56 GMT
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Post by hhsussex on Feb 25, 2015 21:18:12 GMT
Nice article, but it lost its way a little in reconciling Gay Talese's obsession with the "loser" Patterson and the twin streaks of spite and masochism in the English mentality. I don't think either of those latter concepts really relate to the sympathy one feels sometimes for the heroic failure - which was the point of Patterson, at least as Talese portrayed him. The heroic failure is Brando in On the Waterfront, the guy who could been a contender, who is knocked back by the system, by the world he lives in, by his brother, but is still possessed of the spirit to try, even though bound to fail. To what extent can we say this of the England cricket team? Is there anything in Eoin Morgan's character, at least as much as has been revealed so far, that suggests he is the doomed leader of a tribe of noble failures? Not to me, anything more than Cook displayed, nor can I believe in Ian Bell as the great strokemaker and creative force of the team, forever doomed to undertake a sisyphean task. To the contrary, he gives the impression of a man who has nonchalantly unlocked the tailboard of a truck, only to become steadily and ignominiously spattered and inundated with a load of pea gravel, neither threatening nor immense. I don't have any great expectations for the match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh itself, though naturally one would prefer the lesser to prevail. What would be interesting would be to see a triumphant Bangladesh with a real chance of advancement head to head with an England team smarting from criticism, determined to prove itself and led with conviction, fire and imagination by its captain and key senior players. If the World Cup can't produce this level of performance then either the tournament is a failure - and not an heroic one - or the participants are of unworthy stature. |
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Post by hhsussex on Feb 26, 2015 7:29:42 GMT
Waking up this morning to the intensification of the struggle for one place in Group A. Sri Lanka have set a pretty massive total for Bangladesh, and while I'm sure they will have a go at it I would guess that would bring Sri Lanka second to NZ after 3 played, with 4 points. Then there's Australia (3 from 2 games) due to face off against New Zealand on Saturday with no comfort for the chasing pack, Bangladesh will be 3 from 3, Afghanistan 2 from 3 with a better runrate than England's 2 from 3, and Scotland the Pakistan of this group.
For once the group stages have some interest with fewer predetermined "big team wins" and some interesting lapses. South Africa v West Indies tomorrow morning could be a big upsetter.
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Post by hhsussex on Feb 27, 2015 9:18:21 GMT
West Indies have a new World Cup song
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Post by flashblade on Feb 27, 2015 10:04:15 GMT
West Indies have a new World Cup song
wow, that takes me back . . .  |
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Post by coverpoint on Feb 28, 2015 2:44:03 GMT
I can piss for longer than the Aussies can bat! 80-1 to 106-9. Are you England in disguise? New Zealand superb.
He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right, that Mitchell Johnson his bowling is s**t.
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Post by hhsussex on Feb 28, 2015 7:49:36 GMT
I can piss for longer than the Aussies can bat! 80-1 to 106-9. Are you England in disguise? New Zealand superb. He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right, that Mitchell Johnson his bowling is s**t. Good to see you enjoyed the match coverpoint - and a glass or two as well, it seems  |
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Post by hhsussex on Feb 28, 2015 8:20:59 GMT
Signs, portents, straws in the wind.....cricinfo has a jumble of "inspiring" stats about England performances v Sri Lanka here www.espncricinfo.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2015/content/story/840217.html, including this rather nice item about CJ: 24.00 Chris Jordan's strike rate in ODIs against Sri Lanka. He's taken 22 wickets against them at an average of 22.36. Against Sri Lanka's top order, he has taken 18 wickets at 22.17 and has bowled at an economy of 5.26. Jordan has dismissed Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews four times each in ten ODIs. Let's hope that Moores and whoever selects the team (Andy Flower by a system of wires and pulleys?) have also read that. Seriously, we have to experiment a little in order to find a better, winning combination. The win against Scotland has done no more than save us from the complete humiliation of Pakistan, pointless and bereft of inspiration. The fightback has to start by playing Jordan in place of Broad - better batting, outstanding fielding and catching, and at present much more likely to take wickets when it matters - restorring Taylor to No 3, and perhaps playing Hales as opener with Bell going down to 5 or 6. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2015 10:18:12 GMT
I agree and Tredwell should also play. But I fear England will select exactly the same XI. Having left it far too late in the day to install a new captain, they have now decided that 'stability' is to be pursued above all else.
Watching NZ v Australia (I've had two and a half hours sleep!), what struck me is that both sides have cleverly managed to coach pairs of top class opening bowlers to their absolute pinnacle at exactly the right time.
England, by contrast, have Anderson and Broad, who are over the hill. Yes, they're still capable of decent performances but they are undeniably past their zenith and destined to become less and less effective.
I'm not blaming England's sorry state solely on the two opening bowlers; Bell and Ballance are higher on my list of what's wrong, as is the gratuitous sacking of Pietersen. But Broad & Anderson are now miles behind Boult & Southee and Starc & Johnson.
On another matter, there is a campaign to get the ICC to reverse its decision to limit the presence of the affiliate nations in the next World Cup. Ed Joyce is one of those who has been vocal in the campaign and fair play to him. But Scotland and UAE are fatally undermining the campaign. Both would struggle to beat a half-decent county side and really shouldn't be there.
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Post by coverpoint on Feb 28, 2015 12:03:13 GMT
I agree and Tredwell should also play. But I fear England will select exactly the same XI. Having left it far too late in the day to install a new captain, they have now decided that 'stability' is to be pursued above all else. Watching NZ v Australia (I've had two and a half hours sleep!), what struck me is that both sides have cleverly managed to coach pairs of top class opening bowlers to their absolute pinnacle at exactly the right time. England, by contrast, have Anderson and Broad, who are over the hill. Yes, they're still capable of decent performances but they are undeniably past their zenith and destined to become less and less effective. I'm not blaming England's sorry state solely on the two opening bowlers; Bell and Ballance are higher on my list of what's wrong, as is the gratuitous sacking of Pietersen. But Broad & Anderson are now miles behind Boult & Southee and Starc & Johnson. On another matter, there is a campaign to get the ICC to reverse its decision to limit the presence of the affiliate nations in the next World Cup. Ed Joyce is one of those who has been vocal in the campaign and fair play to him. But Scotland and UAE are fatally undermining the campaign. Both would struggle to beat a half-decent county side and really shouldn't be there. Two less associates in the next World Cup. Scotland and UAE have been poor and would fail to beat most county sides. |
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Post by hhsussex on Feb 28, 2015 12:42:08 GMT
I agree and Tredwell should also play. But I fear England will select exactly the same XI. Having left it far too late in the day to install a new captain, they have now decided that 'stability' is to be pursued above all else. Watching NZ v Australia (I've had two and a half hours sleep!), what struck me is that both sides have cleverly managed to coach pairs of top class opening bowlers to their absolute pinnacle at exactly the right time. England, by contrast, have Anderson and Broad, who are over the hill. Yes, they're still capable of decent performances but they are undeniably past their zenith and destined to become less and less effective. I'm not blaming England's sorry state solely on the two opening bowlers; Bell and Ballance are higher on my list of what's wrong, as is the gratuitous sacking of Pietersen. But Broad & Anderson are now miles behind Boult & Southee and Starc & Johnson. On another matter, there is a campaign to get the ICC to reverse its decision to limit the presence of the affiliate nations in the next World Cup. Ed Joyce is one of those who has been vocal in the campaign and fair play to him. But Scotland and UAE are fatally undermining the campaign. Both would struggle to beat a half-decent county side and really shouldn't be there.The fact that Scotland and UAE have so far failed and not enhanced their reputation shouldn't detract from the case that Joyce supports so well. Ireland and Afghanistan have made a considerable impression on this World Cup, and have shown an advance on the form they have both been developing for several years. Without the opportunity to compete at this level, how could they ever generate the public enthusiasm, the case for governmental and other funding, and the sheer self-belief that every team finds necessary to improve? Of course there will be those who, because the talent-pool is small without established leagues on the principle of the big boys, will go through lean periods when there is no group whose collective charisma is such as to stir up stronger performances from the minnows (think Joyce, O'Brien, Dockrell, even Porterfield), but if it is accepted that there should be other sides than the cosy ICC troika plus their current chums and political allies, then there should be a competition in which they can test themselves against the very best. The early World Cups had great charm because of the opportunity for teams like East Africa, the as-yet-unTested Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe to play a brand of cricket that was capable of disconcerting the then rigid orthodoxy of the "traditional" sides. Since then the pool has expanded politically to include a very different kind of Zimbabwe team and also Bangladesh, and now all of these seek to shut the door on any possibility of change. Everything we have seen in this tournament - the confirmation of a new strength within New Zealand, the fallibilities of Australia and India, the sweeping peaks and troughs of West Indies form - show that, for all the inflated worth that media buyers like to place on their very special relationships with a tiny cadre of elite teams, the real spirit of the game is mutability. |
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Post by mrsdoyle on Feb 28, 2015 16:47:22 GMT
Signs, portents, straws in the wind.....cricinfo has a jumble of "inspiring" stats about England performances v Sri Lanka here www.espncricinfo.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2015/content/story/840217.html, including this rather nice item about CJ: 24.00 Chris Jordan's strike rate in ODIs against Sri Lanka. He's taken 22 wickets against them at an average of 22.36. Against Sri Lanka's top order, he has taken 18 wickets at 22.17 and has bowled at an economy of 5.26. Jordan has dismissed Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews four times each in ten ODIs. Let's hope that Moores and whoever selects the team (Andy Flower by a system of wires and pulleys?) have also read that. Seriously, we have to experiment a little in order to find a better, winning combination. The win against Scotland has done no more than save us from the complete humiliation of Pakistan, pointless and bereft of inspiration. The fightback has to start by playing Jordan in place of Broad - better batting, outstanding fielding and catching, and at present much more likely to take wickets when it matters - restorring Taylor to No 3, and perhaps playing Hales as opener with Bell going down to 5 or 6. I wish I could give this comment a thousand likes, I am convinced that the appointment of Moores means that Andy Flowers is now the power behind the throne and that the win against Scotland has just hidden how awful we are. |
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Post by hhsussex on Feb 28, 2015 19:02:45 GMT
Signs, portents, straws in the wind.....cricinfo has a jumble of "inspiring" stats about England performances v Sri Lanka here www.espncricinfo.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2015/content/story/840217.html, including this rather nice item about CJ: 24.00 Chris Jordan's strike rate in ODIs against Sri Lanka. He's taken 22 wickets against them at an average of 22.36. Against Sri Lanka's top order, he has taken 18 wickets at 22.17 and has bowled at an economy of 5.26. Jordan has dismissed Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews four times each in ten ODIs. Let's hope that Moores and whoever selects the team (Andy Flower by a system of wires and pulleys?) have also read that. Seriously, we have to experiment a little in order to find a better, winning combination. The win against Scotland has done no more than save us from the complete humiliation of Pakistan, pointless and bereft of inspiration. The fightback has to start by playing Jordan in place of Broad - better batting, outstanding fielding and catching, and at present much more likely to take wickets when it matters - restorring Taylor to No 3, and perhaps playing Hales as opener with Bell going down to 5 or 6. , I am convinced that the appointment of Moores means that Andy Flowers is now the power behind the throne and that the win against Scotland has just hidden how awful we are. One would have been sufficient, Mrs D, and I should have been content. |
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