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Post by flashblade on Jan 29, 2015 17:45:46 GMT
Looking at the England World Cup 15, there are several who probably won't be in the Test party to the Windies - Bopara and Hales, possibly James Taylor and now no Morgan, as he appears to have made himself unavailable. So that could be up to four batsmen to come in. Cook will be one of them. But who are the other candidates - Robson? Trott?? Bairstow if they want a second keeper ? (although surely not on such a short tour). Taylor has a golden opportunity to stake his claim , but Morgan may have had a better chance than he appears to think to leapfrog other contenders and force his way back into the party. I know the world cup is white ball stuff, but England have always played the 50 over game more like a Test than a T20 and if Morgan uses the platform well and makes big runs, he could probably have made a very strong case for inclusion. I don't blame him for opting for the IPL, because even if he made the tour party he would almost certainly be a drinks carrier. But I'm just intrigued that he will probably escape censure when KP would have been hung, drawn and quartered for uttering the same words. I think Lyth has enhanced his chances after the South African run-riot, while Robson has dropped back. I hope we don't go back to Trott because it's retrograde, and because its putting a damaged man back in the line of fire. I think Taylor's star could be rising, and a good run in the World Cup would do him no harm - though I think that " England have always played the 50 over game more like a Test than a T20" is one of the main reasons why England have been so poor at the format. I wouldn't agree with you about Morgan's chances, because I think that his fallibilities in first-class cricket are much to well-known to take chances with. For that reason I don't think there's a direct relationship with the Pietersen case - Morgan has already been told his services aren't required in Tests and he isn't contesting it.Spot on, HHS. It doesn't sound as if there's any conflict between Morgan and the ECB - unlike with KP. Maybe KP can learn from the way Morgan has negotiated his position behind closed doors - doubt if he will, though. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2015 17:54:33 GMT
But fb, it's a very odd sort of negotiation in which the ECB says to England's 50 overs captain: "We don't care if you score a century in every game in the World Cup. You can pee off to the IPL with our blessing because there is no way we want you in the Test tour party, even though we're two or three batsmen light..."
Not sure what you think KP or anyone else can learn from that sort of kiss-off!
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Post by flashblade on Jan 29, 2015 18:28:45 GMT
But fb, it's a very odd sort of negotiation in which the ECB says to England's 50 overs captain: "We don't care if you score a century in every game in the World Cup. You can pee off to the IPL with our blessing because there is no way we want you in the Test tour party, even though we're two or three batsmen light..." Not sure what you think KP or anyone else can learn from that sort of kiss-off! BM, in your unrelenting defense of KP, and your unrelenting attacks on the ECB, you're deliberately mis-stating the position - deliberately or inadvertently? Either way, it doesn't make for objective journalism! My own, unbiased interpretation (right or wrong) is that Morgan knows his 1 day skills, have not, and do not, work in test cricket. He has technical flaws, and I suspect he doesn't enjoy the grind of 4 and 5 day matches. I think he's reached an understanding with the ECB, and it really doesn't matter who broached the subject first. If the ECB made the first move, I'm sure it wasn't couched in the aggressive and insensitive manner that you have suggested. Just for once, can't we accept that the ECB has an amicable arrangement with an employee - Morgan gets to play in the IPL, and captains the 1 day side. That suits everyone,surely. Sorry if I've been forthright, but I couldn't take your comments seriously, I'm afraid.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2015 18:58:03 GMT
It's only - what- three years ago that Morgan battered Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India in Test matches at Trent Bridge,Lords and Edgbaston taking centuries off a couple of the best attacks in the world. He then had a poor series in Abu Dhabi v Pakistan and on the basis of the "technical flaws" which you have detected and your psychoanalysis that he "doesn't enjoy" 4/5 day cricket (even though he actually said today that he wants to get back in the Test team), he is discarded forever as a Test prospect? So we now have a captain in the World Cup who even if he averages 100 and is voted player of the tournament will not be considered for the England Test tour. You can call it an "amicable arrangement... that suits everyone." I find it genuinely bizarre. That said, I have no problem with any player prefering the IPL if they can make more money there. It's a career and it's a short one. But my point remains: if KP had done that, you would be leading the lynch mob. Your blind and irrational hatred of KP has clouded your judgement. Sorry if I've been forthright, but I couldn't take your comments seriously, I'm afraid. |
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Post by flashblade on Jan 29, 2015 19:25:32 GMT
It's only - what- three years ago that Morgan battered Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India in Test matches at Trent Bridge,Lords and Edgbaston taking centuries off a couple of the best attacks in the world. He then had a poor series in Abu Dhabi v Pakistan and on the basis of the "technical flaws" which you have detected and your psychoanalysis that he "doesn't enjoy" 4/5 day cricket (even though he actually said today that he wants to get back in the Test team), he is discarded forever as a Test prospect? The Sky pundits disagree with you re the technical flaws. I didn't detect them personally, of course. I have heard Morgan in an interview say that he prefers T20 to the long form of the game
So we now have a captain in the World Cup who even if he averages 100 and is voted player of the tournament will not be considered for the England Test tour. You can call it an "amicable arrangement... that suits everyone." I find it genuinely bizarre. That said, I have no problem with any player prefering the IPL if they can make more money there. It's a career and it's a short one. But my point remains: if KP had done that, you would be leading the lynch mob. Your blind and irrational hatred of KP has clouded your judgement. I don't hate KP. He is irrelevant to Morgan's position. You brought KP into this debate.Sorry if I've been forthright, but I couldn't take your comments seriously, I'm afraid. That's blatant plagiarism! |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2015 20:14:50 GMT
This is all blather.
Morgan didn't put himself up for the IPL last year because there were places up for grabs in the Test team after the Ashes fallout and he wanted one of them. If you listen to the interview he gave today, he specifically says that.
He failed to secure one of those Test places and so feels he sacrificed a pot of money for nothing and he wasn't going to make the same mistake this year. Hence he is unavailable for the England Test tour because it clashes with the IPL.
Yet when Pietersen tried to 'pick and choose' games and tournaments for England like that, you and the other KP-haters wanted him banned for life!
I'm sure you are right about the "technical flaws" exposed in the UAE series v Pakistan. But he was hardly the only one as Cook,Trott, Bell and Pietersen all failed in a 3-0 drubbing as Saeed Ajmal took 24 wkts in the three Tests and England only passed 200 twice in six innings. But despite that. I think it is unfair to write him off as a Test batsman, and Morgan himself must feel the same, or else he wouldn't have eschewed a lucrative contract in the IPL last year in order to try to get his Test place back.
Perhaps he will fail in the world cup and so his availability for the West Indies will not be an issue. But if he is an enormous success with the bat and proves to be a better captain and leader of men than Cook, I can guarantee that there will be plenty of voices saying 'why isn't he going to the West Indies?'
The answer will be that he's opted for the IPL instead.Good luck to him. As I keep saying, I don't blame him one iota.
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Post by leedsgull on Jan 30, 2015 11:26:16 GMT
I would still like to hear Angus Fraser's view on Morgan going off to the IPL and missing a great chunk of County cricket.
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Post by hhsussex on Jan 30, 2015 11:30:32 GMT
I would still like to hear Angus Fraser's view on Morgan going off to the IPL and missing a great chunk of County cricket. Angus Fraser's view as an England selector or as Middlesex MD of cricket? There may be differences of opinion there.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2015 21:54:02 GMT
I'll leave you to guess which over-excitable young scribbler, having spent the last year damning England and all who sail under her flag as clueless no-hopers, has just arrived in Australia and, after witnessing one victory over India on Friday, has undergone an overnight Damascene conversion and got quite carried away with the 'new' spirit he claims to have detected around Morgan's 'new' England, gushing of our 'new' fresh-faced heroes such as Root, Taylor, Buttler, Woakes and Moeen that : "They're living their dreams. These are their wonder years."
It's all rather Blairite circa 1997. New England. New hope. New cricket. Things can only get better. Let's see if it still feels like that in the morning, after we've renewed acquaitance with Mitchell Johnson for the first time in a year!
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Post by flashblade on Feb 1, 2015 8:51:11 GMT
I'll leave you to guess which over-excitable young scribbler, having spent the last year damning England and all who sail under her flag as clueless no-hopers, has just arrived in Australia and, after witnessing one victory over India on Friday, has undergone an overnight Damascene conversion and got quite carried away with the 'new' spirit he claims to have detected around Morgan's 'new' England, gushing of our 'new' fresh-faced heroes such as Root, Taylor, Buttler, Woakes and Moeen that : "They're living their dreams. These are their wonder years." It's all rather Blairite circa 1997. New England. New hope. New cricket. Things can only get better. Let's see if it still feels like that in the morning, after we've renewed acquaitance with Mitchell Johnson for the first time in a year! Not quite sure about this, but here goes: is it Jonathan Agnew? It can't be George Dobell, because you make it a rule never to expend bile on him, in case you're accused of carrying on a vendetta. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 9:05:44 GMT
I'll grant you Agnew can be over-excitable but he's hardly a young scribbler.
"They're living their dreams. These are their wonder years" must surely qualify as the ultimate goatmouth...Johnson's first bowl at England in a year produces three wickets in his first 16 deliveries, which was entirely predictable.
No doubt tonight's report will announce that 'new' England's wonder years are over and will demand the return of Trott to steady the listing ship!
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Post by hhsussex on Feb 1, 2015 9:13:14 GMT
At least we don't have to worry about double standards being applied to the mighty Morgan. One hundred, and three innings for 2 runs won't have created any kind of dilemma for the selectors. It is on a par with his Test performances. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 9:24:51 GMT
Bring back Cook!
I think not. Nor Trott. But definitely Jordan for Woakes , whose dream has been well and truly gatemouthed with 0-89 and a golden duck.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 9:42:33 GMT
Taylor is a bit hit and miss,too, with two half centuries surrounded by 10, 2,0, 5 and 4.
Moeen Ali has gone off the boil and is in a Cook-like sequence in which he has only passed 40 once in the last nine ODIs.
Buttler has one half century in the last nine ODIs.
Bopara's top score in the last nine ODIs is 28 (hopefully that will gatemouth him into a big score today).
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Post by leedsgull on Feb 1, 2015 11:02:15 GMT
Hales was supposed to be the saviour but has not had a look in. It seems that you get better by not actually playing! Jordan and Tredwell will surely be reinstated soon but the basic fact that we are inept remains.
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