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Post by liquidskin on Jul 6, 2017 20:35:57 GMT
Showing the character of a very good side on the first day of the first test, England. Some strange selections for me, none more so than Dawson, another part time spinner but there you are. Stoneman was a must for me too but I'm only an ordinary sub human.
I think we're gonna batter them in this first test. Not a brave call at this stage I know. |
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Post by philh on Jul 6, 2017 21:40:32 GMT
Showing the character of a very good side on the first day of the first test, England. Some strange selections for me, none more so than Dawson, another part time spinner but there you are. Stoneman was a must for me too but I'm only an ordinary sub human.
I think we're gonna batter them in this first test. Not a brave call at this stage I know. When you say, we're gonna batter them, do you mean that South Africa have had their chips. |
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Post by liquidskin on Jul 7, 2017 15:43:47 GMT
Showing the character of a very good side on the first day of the first test, England. Some strange selections for me, none more so than Dawson, another part time spinner but there you are. Stoneman was a must for me too but I'm only an ordinary sub human.
I think we're gonna batter them in this first test. Not a brave call at this stage I know. When you say, we're gonna batter them, do you mean that South Africa have had their chips. Yeah why not Phil.
Away from dodgy English food, is anyone else as astonished as I about Dawson over Rashid. Rashid has come on well in one day cricket in the last year and as a leggie who can bat I'm baffled by his exclusion over a man who has done very little as a bowler for anyone, as far as I'm aware. Because of Stoke, Bairstow and Ali this side of all sides can afford to play proper bowlers from eight down.
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Post by liquidskin on Jul 14, 2017 17:13:43 GMT
Dawson's playing again. Yeah I'm as amazed as all of you are.
SA showing better application today. 286-6, think they have a half decent score already.
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Post by coverpoint on Jul 17, 2017 22:09:02 GMT
My XI for the third test:
Cook
Stoneman
Jennings
Root (c)
Ballance
Stokes
Bairstow (+)
Ali
Broad
Wood
Anderson
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Post by hhsussex on Jul 18, 2017 5:58:26 GMT
My XI for the third test: Cook Stoneman Jennings Root (c) Ballance Stokes Bairstow (+) Ali Broad Wood Anderson I don't think that substituting a county batsman for a county bits and pieces player is much of a talisman. Surely Wood's lack of subtlety and variation is one of the problems to be faced up to, and pushing Ali down yet again to number 8 is to ignore the value that he provides at 7. At the moment we have a team that has some obvious passengers in Jennings, Ballance and Wood, and some underperforming but class players: Bairstow, Stokes, Ali. The central bowling unit of Broad and Anderson is still strong and on its day as good as anything, but it needs a cutting edge and none of Finn, Ball or Wood seem to be able to provide that. All of this adds up to an unblalanced side playing largely to one gameplan of aggressive, inspirational cricket, based on fast scoring and the momentum of wicket-taking.When it works, as at Lord's, it is a delight to see, unless you look closely and note that Ballance still routinely walks a groove before the ball is delivered, leaving him always vulnerable; that Jennings is trying hard to understand why Test match bowlers don't give him the half-volleys and leg-side strayers that his game is built on; and that Wood is game but one-dimensional in his delivery. There is little point in talking about Dawson in this context, in the same way as Ansari and Borthwick were, he is the answer to a question that nobody would ever bother asking. It isn't a question of T20 ruining the quality of Championship cricket for Tests, as Dobell and Vaughan would have us beliveve. There are plenty of players in the South African side who have played much more T20 and their own first-class competition is of dubious and uncertain class, when you consider that Duanne Olivier has been the leading wicket-taker for the past two years. One look at the scenes on the England balcony as the last wicket fell said it all for me: the grim handshake and withering look that Farbrace gave to Bayliss. It more or less said "another fine mess your theories have got us into". It won't be solved quickly, for some of the obvious replacements are injred and others out of form, but a start could be made by picking essentially the same core and allowing Farbrace to work with them, building up confidence and willingness to consider alternatives. Root has to learn his job and may have to adjust his own game to provide leadership. In the meantime let's look at alternatives to Ballance: Foakes has come on a long way in the last couple of years and is probably ready now. |
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Post by joe on Jul 18, 2017 7:57:04 GMT
A lot of considered thinking there hh and I agree with most of it. We still have a core of fine test cricketers but are lacking one batsman who can grind it out like a Bell or a Trott and one bowler who offers something different such as a left arm quick or even a medium pacer who bowls stump to stump consistently.
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Post by coverpoint on Jul 18, 2017 19:43:03 GMT
My XI for the third test: Cook Stoneman Jennings Root (c) Ballance Stokes Bairstow (+) Ali Broad Wood Anderson I don't think that substituting a county batsman for a county bits and pieces player is much of a talisman. Surely Wood's lack of subtlety and variation is one of the problems to be faced up to, and pushing Ali down yet again to number 8 is to ignore the value that he provides at 7. At the moment we have a team that has some obvious passengers in Jennings, Ballance and Wood, and some underperforming but class players: Bairstow, Stokes, Ali. The central bowling unit of Broad and Anderson is still strong and on its day as good as anything, but it needs a cutting edge and none of Finn, Ball or Wood seem to be able to provide that. All of this adds up to an unblalanced side playing largely to one gameplan of aggressive, inspirational cricket, based on fast scoring and the momentum of wicket-taking.When it works, as at Lord's, it is a delight to see, unless you look closely and note that Ballance still routinely walks a groove before the ball is delivered, leaving him always vulnerable; that Jennings is trying hard to understand why Test match bowlers don't give him the half-volleys and leg-side strayers that his game is built on; and that Wood is game but one-dimensional in his delivery. There is little point in talking about Dawson in this context, in the same way as Ansari and Borthwick were, he is the answer to a question that nobody would ever bother asking. It isn't a question of T20 ruining the quality of Championship cricket for Tests, as Dobell and Vaughan would have us beliveve. There are plenty of players in the South African side who have played much more T20 and their own first-class competition is of dubious and uncertain class, when you consider that Duanne Olivier has been the leading wicket-taker for the past two years. One look at the scenes on the England balcony as the last wicket fell said it all for me: the grim handshake and withering look that Farbrace gave to Bayliss. It more or less said "another fine mess your theories have got us into". It won't be solved quickly, for some of the obvious replacements are injred and others out of form, but a start could be made by picking essentially the same core and allowing Farbrace to work with them, building up confidence and willingness to consider alternatives. Root has to learn his job and may have to adjust his own game to provide leadership. In the meantime let's look at alternatives to Ballance: Foakes has come on a long way in the last couple of years and is probably ready now. We don't have the batting quality to be able to afford Bairstow at 5 or Moeen at 7. Ballance has a broken finger. So replace with him at 5 with Westley. |
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Post by flashblade on Jul 19, 2017 7:39:59 GMT
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Post by liquidskin on Jul 26, 2017 20:10:21 GMT
Looked like a studio to me Flash. Wherever he is, he's right.
Coms on Sky as baffled as I about Rashid's England exclusion. Glad to hear it because after watching him bowl tonight, frankly, Dawson ain't fit to lace his boots. It's up there with the most bewildering selections ever, for me.
Anyway, I only want to help you Roland-Jones and Westley on for debuts tomorrow, maybe Malan too. Wood out, no surprises there. All I've heard is he's proper fast but he's been a regular 87mph man over the first two tests. I think it's England. I can think of quite a few 'quicks' who seem to lose 5/10mph in an England top.
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Post by liquidskin on Jul 30, 2017 18:13:47 GMT
Shouldn't cost us but thought we were very defensive with our batting and declaration today. Despite our massive lead we played out the first session at under three runs per over with the loss of one wicket. We were blocking out maidens 300 ahead with eight wickets in hand. Serves us right if it chucks it down tomorrow.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 31, 2017 13:44:50 GMT
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Post by flashblade on Jul 31, 2017 14:24:58 GMT
Fantastic to watch. I think they said that the last time a test match was finished with a hat trick was in 1902!! Test cricket really is superior to the other formats. Roll on Friday! |
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Post by joe on Jul 31, 2017 14:27:30 GMT
Roland-Jones has booked his flight to Oz in the winter that's for sure, not sure about the other debutantes.
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Post by hhsussex on Jul 31, 2017 14:36:53 GMT
Roland-Jones has booked his flight to Oz in the winter that's for sure, not sure about the other debutantes. He certainly seems to be able to bring his county form and application to the Test environment. I'd like to see him sustain this on other wickets and weather conditions, not necessarily 8 wickets in every match and I'd like to see how he bowls on a very bouncy wicket and when England have not made a big first innings score. I think Westley looked good in both innings, not superlative but very compact, and it was revealing and heartening that he worked on his technique in the nets during the match to try to counter the over-reliance on the bottom hand that tended to put him too square on and vulnerable to the ball leaving him. You can't always rely on picking great natural cricketers, but intelligent ones who apply themselves are worth their weight in gold. |
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