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Post by hhsussex on Feb 10, 2016 11:27:53 GMT
There are few certainties about this tournament: locations have not been confirmed, the Delhi ground may or may not be ready in time and the Pakistan team may or may not participate or have to play their matches at some neutral venue. However, things are as they are and a new England squad is always a talking-point, especially after the grisly fate of their Moore-led predecessors of a year ago.
The squad is:
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) (capt), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Sam Billings (Kent), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), Reece Topley (Hampshire), James Vince (Hampshire), David Willey (Yorkshire).
That all seems to make sense, showing continuity with teams picked recently for T20s, some of the one-day internationals, and in the case of Liam Dawson, with the England A team. Malan of that side may have been an outsider for selection, but would probably not have got the job unless Hales or Roy had seriously underperformed in South Africa. Dawson in this context is probably the equivalent to Samit Patel in the South African one-day squad but with a slightly better chance of actuaully being a preferred choice. As for the fast bowlers Finn is there because, if fit, he is the true fast bowler whop might make a difference, Willey and Topley can be more effective in T20 than 50 over, and Jordan has the edge over Woakes because of his fielding. How long he can rely on that is doubtful.
Despite Pietersen's histrionics on Twitter there was never likely to be a place for Luke Wright, however well he performs in franchise tournaments. Like Pietersen his time as an England player has come and gone and whatever his current form is the selectors rightly need to work with the younger players and build their teams for all formats.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2016 12:58:33 GMT
there was never likely to be a place for Luke Wright, however well he performs in franchise tournaments. Like Pietersen his time as an England player has come and gone and whatever his current form is the selectors rightly need to work with the younger players and build their teams for all formats. The wheel of fortune in modern cricket seems to turn very fast. Dawson's form was so bad at Hants last season that he lost his place to Sean Terrry and was sent on loan to Essex. Six months later, Hants have sacked Terry and Dawson is in an England squad. Maybe Luke Wright's time has been and gone. But he should never say never. Say he proves an inspirational captain of Sussex and leads the team to white ball glory and red ball promotion this summer. And say Morgan totally loses form. Wright could conceivably find himself England one day or T20 captain next winter. I'm not saying it's going to happen. Far too many ifs and buts to predict anything. But that's the point : there seems to be a lot of glorious uncertainty around in cricket at the moment and it's rather exciting. |
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Post by hhsussex on Feb 10, 2016 13:02:28 GMT
there was never likely to be a place for Luke Wright, however well he performs in franchise tournaments. Like Pietersen his time as an England player has come and gone and whatever his current form is the selectors rightly need to work with the younger players and build their teams for all formats. The wheel of fortune in modern cricket seems to turn very fast. Dawson's form was so bad at Hants last season that he lost his place to Sean Terrry and was sent on loan to Essex. Six months later, Hants have sacked Terry and Dawson is in an England squad. Maybe Luke Wright's time has been and gone. But he should never say never. Say he proves an inspirational captain of Sussex and leads the team to white ball glory and red ball promotion this summer. And say Morgan totally loses form. Wright could conceivably find himself England one day or T20 captain next winter. I'm not saying it's going to happen. Far too many ifs and buts to predict anything. But that's the point : there seems to be a lot of glorious uncertainty around in cricket at the moment and it's rather exciting. I agree about the uncertainty - but he is too old to build a team around, and I think Morgan is too. Far better to rejoice in the fact that he is in form and enriches all the formats he plays in. |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Feb 10, 2016 13:42:16 GMT
Bm,
Maybe Luke Wright's time has been and gone. But he should never say never.Given Luke is in the form of his life, if Dawson, Vince and Billings are above him in the England T20 pecking order it suggests Luke's England days are well and truly over. Perhaps, a sigh of relief for Sussex supporters but, IMHO, unjust and unfair for Luke, who deserves a second chance. He wrote a magnanimous tweet today:  Whereas Kevin Pietersen was far more upfront:  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2016 18:50:27 GMT
Total folly not to have picked Wright and Pietersen, for their experience alone. Apart from Morgan, is there anyone in the England squad who has even played T20 in India before?
I think Jason Roy's comments says it all : "I don't know how we prepare for World T20 to be honest. We'll speak to the coaches and the players who've toured there a bit, and see what they know. It's not the sort of place where you can just have a few nets sessions and go out and have a slog."
If that's the level of the prep. I expect England to get absolutely slaughtered, just as they did in the 50 over world cup last winter.
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Post by hhsussex on Feb 10, 2016 21:35:08 GMT
Total folly not to have picked Wright and Pietersen, for their experience alone. Apart from Morgan, is there anyone in the England squad who has even played T20 in India before? I think Jason Roy's comments says it all : "I don't know how we prepare for World T20 to be honest. We'll speak to the coaches and the players who've toured there a bit, and see what they know. It's not the sort of place where you can just have a few nets sessions and go out and have a slog." If that's the level of the prep. I expect England to get absolutely slaughtered, just as they did in the 50 over world cup last winter. OK, let's see. Want double or quits on that bottle of wine you owe me from the Worcestershire match Sussex had no chance of winning?  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2016 21:59:40 GMT
If the picture Roy paints of England's prep is accurate then yes, there is absolutely no doubt we will get slaughtered. But hopefully Bayliss and Farbrace have something a little more organised up their sleeves. May be they just haven't told Roy about it yet.
And perhaps Roy isn't a deep thinker out of the Mike Brearley school in the way that, say, Ben Stokes is.
Stokes? Well according to Richard Hobson in The Times, yes indeed: "The common perception is that 20-over cricket has breathed life into the 50-over game. But Stokes thinks that the truth is more nuanced."
I did wonder if perhaps Hobson had misheard. As in Cook asks Ben for a bit more nuance in his bowling, and he replies, "Aye, skip, I'll show them I can be a right ruddy nuisance" and delivers a series of rip-snorting bouncers to the batsman's rib cage.
Same paper has a great quote from that other Brain of Cricket, Mark Robinson, explaining his new strategy for the England women's team: "We need to play the way we want to play". Drat. If only he'd told Joyce, Wright, Magoffin et al last summer, then perhaps Sussex wouldn't have been relegated.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2016 17:51:35 GMT
Despite Pietersen's histrionics on Twitter there was never likely to be a place for Luke Wright, however well he performs in franchise tournaments. Like Pietersen his time as an England player has come and gone Wright reportedly on standby as first batting reserve. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2016 15:39:07 GMT
Despite being in the weakest group and not having to face Australia, NZ, India or Pakistan, it's hard to see England making it past the group stage.
Going in to a world cup on the back of five consecutive white ball defeats is demoralising. The batting , the bowling and the fielding all leave a lot to be desired.
There are options in the squad and I'd make at least three changes from today's team - Willey back in for Billings, Vince for Roy and Finn for Topley (who looks like the new Jade Dernbach/Harry Gurney). Given Moeen Ali's disastrous form with the bat (60 runs in last seven innings) I'd be tempted to draft in Dawson in his place , but don't suppose it will happen. Jordan should also be looking over his shoulder because on today's form it is only the awfulness of Topley that will keep him in the side.
Pathetic post match interview by Morgan complaining about 'bad luck' when the reality is that they were outplayed in all three departments. The only thing England will win is a head-shaking contest. They were all doing it throughout the game today and combined with Morgan's 'bad luck' claim, does nothing to suggest that mentally they are in the right place for a successful tournament.
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Post by leedsgull on Feb 21, 2016 15:47:48 GMT
I agree that Topley is the new Gurney. There is no place for a one dimensional player in today's era unless he is a genius. Topley is not. Also agree that it is time to rest Moin and Roy.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2016 19:07:12 GMT
Morgan: "The first point of reference is our basics - they have let us down."
Good to know it wasn't the players who lost England's last five white ball matches.
As Cook's once platitudinous post-match comments scripted by the ECB's spin dept have grown increasingly candid and therefore credible (his honesty after losing the fourth Test was a model of how to front up the media), Morgan seems to be moving in the opposite direction.
Arguably post-match words are a small thing compared to doing your 'talking' on the pitch. But in a media-obsessed age, it is now a vital part of the job. I may have said this before, but by far the best interview anywhere in the England set-up right now is Finn - genuinely sharp analysis, intelligently expressed and with a very appealing personality.
Everyone says Root will be the next England captain. But if he can stay fit, I'd throw Finn's name into the ring.
Regardless of that he definitely needs to be bowling in the power play in the T20 world cup, probably with Willey at the other end, followed by Jordan and Stokes with Reece Flopley - who is also a weak fielder - nowhere in sight.
Is it too late to change the squad? Plunkett, Wood, Footit, Shahzad, Mills, Coles, a Curran or an Overton - preferably not the potty-mouthed racist but the other one- would all surely be less of a liability.
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Post by christo23symes on Feb 21, 2016 21:54:21 GMT
Although I don't think his t20 performances have sunk to the level of Dernbach's (and his ODI figures are actually decent so far), Topley needs to buck his ideas up, or else he'll be usurped by Finn (if the latter of the two returns from injury).
P.S. Considering that the England squad, according to the Sky commentators, has a large quantity of "batting depth", collapses anywhere near the magnitude of the one that took place today are unacceptable, to say the very least.
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Post by joe on Feb 22, 2016 6:36:01 GMT
I'd have Wright opening with Hales, Willey in for Billings, Finn in for Topley and I'd teach Morgan our national anthem.
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Post by hhsussex on Feb 27, 2016 7:22:48 GMT
This is definitely a blow for England's chances and worrying that Finn seems to be turning into Bob Willis at the same stage of his career with one strain followed by another. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/35673761Plunkett is a better option than Topley or Willey but I would have fancied Finn to show more variation. Time will tell. |
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Post by hhsussex on Mar 1, 2016 12:13:17 GMT
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