Cricket

[Busaholic]

Please note date and time of this observation. England have never lost a test match in which Joe Root has scored a century....

 

[birchesgreen]

England completely lost the plot before lunch, i couldn't believe what i was watching.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Please note date and time of this observation. England have never lost a test match in which Joe Root has scored a century....

Always a first time for everything.

 

[DarloRich]

England: FFS - abject performance

 

[OhNoAPacer]

I was wondering if they could move Extras up the batting order!

 

[birchesgreen]

I don't think there is a huge gap between the teams (though take away Root's batting and it would be a different story) but India won the mind games hands down. The game was won late on Saturday to be honest.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I don't think there is a huge gap between the teams (though take away Root's batting and it would be a different story) but India won the mind games hands down. The game was won late on Saturday to be honest.

One swallow does not a summer make.

 

[kje7812]

I was wondering if they could move Extras up the batting order!

They should open, it would solve the opener problem!

 

[Cletus]

Sibley will get dropped for the next test. It’s all very well playing defensively, but he has no run scoring shots.

 

[prod_pep]

Surely there can't have been many prior occasions in test cricket where a team declares after lunch on the final day and goes on to bowl out the opponent?

England were clear favourites to win at the close on Saturday. Only Pant left of the recognised India batsmen followed by their relentlessly mocked 'very long' tail. What lost it were the bizarre tactics against the tail-enders followed by yet another abject batting display. I feel for Root, who is carrying quite the weight on his shoulders with this team, but his tactics were well off yesterday morning.

However, what a superb match to watch. Compelling viewing to the end; exactly why I love test cricket.

 

[Bald Rick]

The men’s Hundred match between Yorkshire Northern Superchargers and Birmingham Phoenix at Headlingley tonight was superb. Liam Livingstone won it for the latter. He’s a cert for England in the T20 World Cup.

Also - crowd catch of the season. Sensational.

 

[backontrack]

Why is Root still test captain? We all expected a few odd decisions in his first couple of seasons but England have been in the doldrums for a decent while now and even after four years Root is still making tactical blunders. I get that Stokes has still to come in but this seems like a shadow of the England team we had even ten years ago. Root is our only world-class batsman and therefore shouldn't be captain - it compromises his talents (compare his strike rates pre-and-post-2017). We just shuffle the same pack of cards constantly - there's constant flux, an unsettled team, all of these young players with no time to gel, none of whom have really earned their places. This team is stagnating and out of ideas, there's no middle-order to speak of, it's all so shabby. Real leadership is needed to assert some kind of structure in there.

Please note date and time of this observation. England have never lost a test match in which Joe Root has scored a century....

This is your fault.

 

[75A]

However, what a superb match to watch. Compelling viewing to the end; exactly why I love test cricket.

Me too

 

[Bevan Price]

Why is Root still test captain? We all expected a few odd decisions in his first couple of seasons but England have been in the doldrums for a decent while now and even after four years Root is still making tactical blunders. I get that Stokes has still to come in but this seems like a shadow of the England team we had even ten years ago. Root is our only world-class batsman and therefore shouldn't be captain - it compromises his talents (compare his strike rates pre-and-post-2017). We just shuffle the same pack of cards constantly - there's constant flux, an unsettled team, all of these young players with no time to gel, none of whom have really earned their places. This team is stagnating and out of ideas, there's no middle-order to speak of, it's all so shabby. Real leadership is needed to assert some kind of structure in there.

This is your fault.

Yes - the best players do not always make the best team captains. But as for the rest of the batting - r*****h. They have forgotten how to build long innings. Is it time to have two totally separate squads, one for "short format" cricket where fast scoring in a short time is essential, and the other for "long format" cricket where ability to stay at the crease for several hours is often the best tactic?

 

[SteveM70]

Why is Root still test captain?

Because he’s the only one guaranteed to play ever match? (Given that they like to rotate the bowlers)

But, again, it’s the obsession with white ball cricket becoming our undoing. How often does Root (or anyone else in the England team) captain a team in red ball cricket? Never

 

[backontrack]

Yes - the best players do not always make the best team captains. But as for the rest of the batting - r*****h. They have forgotten how to build long innings. Is it time to have two totally separate squads, one for "short format" cricket where fast scoring in a short time is essential, and the other for "long format" cricket where ability to stay at the crease for several hours is often the best tactic?

There's got to be something in this to do with how limited-overs cricket has been pushed in England recently. We need to cultivate a team of test specialists rather than players who are demonstrably tempering their batting instincts at the crease.

Players like Bairstow, Buttler, Moeen - what do they actually bring to the side other than 'there's no-one better'?? And as for the others, it's a revolving door.

Because he’s the only one guaranteed to play ever match? (Given that they like to rotate the bowlers)

But, again, it’s the obsession with white ball cricket becoming our undoing. How often does Root (or anyone else in the England team) captain a team in red ball cricket? Never

Honestly, I'm starting to think they should parachute Morgan in to captain. (And his form's been rubbish lately.)

I'm all out of answers, except more Ben Foakes is clearly needed.

 

[Red Onion]

The men’s Hundred match between Yorkshire Northern Superchargers and Birmingham Phoenix at Headlingley tonight was superb. Liam Livingstone won it for the latter. He’s a cert for England in the T20 World Cup.

Also - crowd catch of the season. Sensational.

I will be honest and say that I tend to find cricket one of the most boring sports on earth (I think only baseball and American football trump it) but I’ve quite enjoyed watching The Hundred, seems much more fast paced and has a degree of excitement. I could be a sort of convert.

That catch…brilliant. And to do an even classier one with the phone at the same time was great. He wasn’t quite as slick with his drinking skills though…

 

[birchesgreen]

I agree Root shouldn't be captain, maybe Butler should take over, Bairstow taking over the gloves. Does any other team separate red and white ball teams to a great extent? KP and Gough were keen on Livingstone to be in the test team when he was blasting the ball all over the place last night, a champion mindset. Maybe thats what is important at the end of the day.

 

[Bevan Price]

Another aspect of red v. white ball cricket is the bowling. In white ball cricket, it is more important to control the scoring rate than to take wickets, since you can win just by stopping the other team scoring too quickly. In red ball cricket, it is vital to take as many wickets as possible, but some bowlers seem to find it hard to make the transition between white & red ball attitudes.

 

[Furryanimal]

As a Glamorgan member I an very happy.
Beat Durham by 58 runs.

 

[SteveM70]

As a lifelong fan of a “lesser” county (Leicestershire) I’m pleased that two of the less fashionable teams made the final. But it’s absolutely outrageous that the final of the 50 over competition is shunted to a Thursday at Trent Bridge (and only two days after the second semi final so basically making it as hard as possible for fans to plan).

 

[birchesgreen]

I suspect Glamorgan won't mind though eh

 

[ainsworth74]

I’m pleased that two of the less fashionable teams

We were top flight until the ECB got fed up of us showing up the big dogs regularly and decided to nuke us. Bitter? Moi? Of course not

But yes congratulations to Glamorgan and if it couldn't be us I'm glad it is someone like your good selves that won it!

 

[Whistler40145]

I wonder if Ben Stokes would be an alternative Test Captain?

 

[ainsworth74]

I wonder if Ben Stokes would be an alternative Test Captain?

No I don't think that'd be a good idea as he has enough on his plate as an all rounder. Botham and Flintoff were both pretty rubbish as captains. Make him the vice captain to fill in when the actual captain is off the field or for the odd game here and there (see the Pakistan ODI series for instance). But otherwise I'd not put even more on his shoulders whenever he is able to return to playing.

 

[SteveM70]

The fundamental issue is that test players play virtually zero 4 day county cricket, and therefore unless someone was already a county captain before being called up by England, there’s no real prospect of anyone having experience of leading a team, and managing the tactics, in the longer forms of the game

But it’s ok because one day cricket in it’s various forms earns everyone a boatload of cash

 

[Furryanimal]

As a lifelong fan of a “lesser” county (Leicestershire) I’m pleased that two of the less fashionable teams made the final. But it’s absolutely outrageous that the final of the 50 over competition is shunted to a Thursday at Trent Bridge (and only two days after the second semi final so basically making it as hard as possible for fans to plan).

I agree.
I think they are going to play it on a Saturday next year but the schedule was not fan friendly.
Neither was the 1pm start.
I’d have made the trip if it had started at eleven.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

As a lifelong fan of a “lesser” county (Leicestershire) I’m pleased that two of the less fashionable teams made the final. But it’s absolutely outrageous that the final of the 50 over competition is shunted to a Thursday at Trent Bridge (and only two days after the second semi final so basically making it as hard as possible for fans to plan).

I agree.
I think they are going to play it on a Saturday next year but the schedule was not fan friendly.
Neither was the 1pm start.
I’d have made the trip if it had started at eleven.

I suspect Glamorgan won't mind though eh

I think that much of the problem was caused by the full schedule, as Lord's is very busy this year. It's good to hear that it's possibly going to be there next year, but it does depend on a wicket being available, especially if they revert to a second day in the event of rain.

However, as birchesgreen says ... Glamorgan aren't worried at all!!

 

[Busaholic]

I think that much of the problem was caused by the full schedule, as Lord's is very busy this year. It's good to hear that it's possibly going to be there next year, but it does depend on a wicket being available, especially if they revert to a second day in the event of rain.

However, as birchesgreen says ... Glamorgan aren't worried at all!!

Is my memory playing tricks again? I could have sworn Glamorgan won the 40 over Sunday League back in the 1980s, coinciding with Viv Richards's swansong.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Is my memory playing tricks again? I could have sworn Glamorgan won the 40 over Sunday League back in the 1980s, coinciding with Viv Richards's swansong.

You're partially right, Glamorgan did will the Sunday League with Viv Richards, but it was in 1993. They also won the National League in 2002 and 2004. The difference is that they were all purely Leagues, whereas this is the first Cup competition that the County has won.