West Indies v England, 2nd Test, Grenada, 21-25 April, 2015

I don't mind proper Test match batting - letting half volleys sail by is a crime though - especially on this sort of dead pitch

I really don't know that to say. Is it a sort of anti KP statement by England? I can't see any of the England top five batting quickly at any stage of a test.

Can't blame England for their low run-rate. They're a poor team cluttered up with ageing players fighting for their careers. On a wicket like this, even the best of teams would struggle to get the game moving. The worst part of England's cricket was their bowling to the 10th wicket partnership. If they had dealt with that earlier, they'd be looking at erasing the deficit 20 overs earlier than they are now likely to, which may prove to be critical in determining England's chances of forcing a victory.

What this tour has shown us already is that England are in no danger of emerging from their malaise in the near-future. In fact, the continued efforts to retain the status quo, while refusing to select any player with talent, unorthodoxy, or youthful vigour, is strangling the team and preventing a new era from beginning. I believe that the likes of Lyth, Rashid and Wood should be in this team already so that we can nurture them into future international players. There are another 2 or 3 players currently playing county cricket who I would add to them.

The only senior player I would retain (not including the likes of Ali, Buttler and Root among the senior players) is Ian Bell.

Aging players ?

Root is 24 and Ballance 25. They both average well over 50 in tests and they are crabbing up the joint.

Well, we've had nobody average over 50 since the 60s so we'll take it if they continue this way for the next few years...

Root's definitely got the ability to get on with it, even though his overall Test strike rate is pretty pedestrian, usually busy at the crease and looking to do something. Ballance, so far in his career, has tended to move up through the gears once past 50, even if it's never pretty in terms of style. What we do need though is a serious momentum changer, and that's why the KP issue won't go away even without an obvious middle order fall guy to drop.

Taips, they are crabbing up right at the moment. But if I were to pick a test most similar to these conditions, it would be this
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/565809.html

The conditions just seem similar with a slower outfield. Even KP struggled there (to score quickly, was very comfortable). From what I've seen, it's slow and hard to get runs on. This lot don't really have much of a chance. I would say that anything but cautious could cost wickets in these conditions.

And now Bishoo offers a half tracker for Root to pull.

The lower middle order of this line-up is anything but pedestrian, on the other hand... numbers 6 to 9 will certainly get on with it or get out.

I think Root is showing a bit of industry after playing himself in and how you can play on a pitch like this

beamer wrote:The lower middle order of this line-up is anything but pedestrian, on the other hand... numbers 6 to 9 will certainly get on with it or get out.

that's what they said in Durban in 1938.

So WI briefly back in it at 3-164 but Cullinan & Neph have taken it away again.

Gary Ballance's bat looks like he's beaten a zombie to death with it.

Mo "Yo" Ali runs himself out... another ton for Root though, pushing 2000 Test runs already @ nearly 55.

Needs someone in the lower order to stick with him or tee off for an hour or so, to get to the position of not needing a meaningful second innings chase to win this.

Marlon Samuels bowling action is horrible.

I know he's banned from bowling his quicker ball, but he's blatantly still pinging his stock delivery too.

Neil D wrote:Gary Ballance's bat looks like he's beaten a zombie to death with it.

Really?, Mooresy looked well enough the last time the cameras panned round to him.

Brass Monkey wrote:I think Root is showing a bit of industry after playing himself in and how you can play on a pitch like this

And the only one who's shown he's capable of picking up the tempo effectively without brainfading on a SLOW PITCH (do you know what a SLOW PITCH is, lads?) and either playing on or lobbing it up.

Samuels gives Stokes the big send-off... the ginger one should have Clarksoned him.

If you take out 2013, Root's average is in the Bradman league... admittedly he played just over half his Tests to date in that year! Well, maybe if he hadn't opened against the Aussies...

one of my favourite sends off, that, was Samuels to Stokes

Chivalry Augustus wrote:Can't blame England for their low run-rate. They're a poor team cluttered up with ageing players fighting for their careers. On a wicket like this, even the best of teams would struggle to get the game moving. The worst part of England's cricket was their bowling to the 10th wicket partnership. If they had dealt with that earlier, they'd be looking at erasing the deficit 20 overs earlier than they are now likely to, which may prove to be critical in determining England's chances of forcing a victory.

What this tour has shown us already is that England are in no danger of emerging from their malaise in the near-future. In fact, the continued efforts to retain the status quo, while refusing to select any player with talent, unorthodoxy, or youthful vigour, is strangling the team and preventing a new era from beginning. I believe that the likes of Lyth, Rashid and Wood should be in this team already so that we can nurture them into future international players. There are another 2 or 3 players currently playing county cricket who I would add to them.

The only senior player I would retain (not including the likes of Ali, Buttler and Root among the senior players) is Ian Bell.

Yep - you're right we're nowhere near making progress. It seems as though Moores and Cook have been allowed to subvert the tour to their own personal agendas of career salvation rather than looking to make the team any better. Proper short-termism. Surely the board should have set the mandate for this tour to be - blood Lyth, Rashid, Wood. We need to try them out and see where they are in terms of their ability.

beamer wrote:Well, we've had nobody average over 50 since the 60s so we'll take it if they continue this way for the next few years...

Root's definitely got the ability to get on with it, even though his overall Test strike rate is pretty pedestrian, usually busy at the crease and looking to do something. Ballance, so far in his career, has tended to move up through the gears once past 50, even if it's never pretty in terms of style. What we do need though is a serious momentum changer, and that's why the KP issue won't go away even without an obvious middle order fall guy to drop.

Root has had a really good day and scored at a very decent rate. However, let's not forget that this is a pretty straightforward attack on a flat, albeit slow pitch. When he was up against Mitch and co in Aus and prior to that at home, he was barely able to get it off the square for long periods and I'd guess his s/r was down in the 30s. If he reverts to that rate and timidity - and if Ballance continues to crawl at a run every 10 balls until he's faced 60+ balls then we'll be in big trouble against good attacks. If you've got no shots to offer against the likes of Mitch, Ryan Harris, Hazlewood (plus NZ's boys too) then they'll just home in on you and create a lot more chances to take your wicket than this WI unit. If Ballance does what he did today in each of his innings in the upcoming summer series then he''ll offer up 3 or more decent chances each time I'd reckon.

Cook Reveals His KPI’s
Written by Dennis Freedman


After yet another innings where he failed to make a century, English captain Alastair Cook has revealed how the ECB will rate his performances going forward.

I appreciate that that it is essentially two years since I have made a Test match hundred.

However, after looking at the data with coach Peter Moores, we have agreed on a better set of measures that will more accurately judge my performances as English skipper.

Cook went on to explain how it all works.

After Stuart Broad’s sister showed me video of my batting being relatively crap, it was evident that hundreds would be a poor way to help me look good in the eyes of the public.

So the ECB and I have agreed some new KPI’s that should make it easier for us both to save face.

These KPI’s are:

– How many times I pass 30 and someone from the Telegraph writes that my ‘shape’ has returned.
– Only dropping one catch per match
– How often I bowl Joe Root when I have four seamers in the side
– A ‘Kevin Pietersen selection question deflection quotient’ of greater than 0.63
– Losing the Ashes no worse than 0-5
– Maintaining the quality of the plumb in spoken words
– Whether I can remain in the right kind of family
– Spending more than £100 per week on groceries at Waitrose
– Maintaining a batting average over the preceding two years in the 30’s

Cook went on further to explain that there was a multitude of non cricketing targets in an effort to give him a chance to succeed.

As a professional sportsman, who in their right mind would want to be judged soley on how they perform in the field.

That’s madness

"Losing the Ashes no worse than 0-5"

good thing it's not a 90s home Ashes series.

Bloody good batting by Root.

Samuels send off for Stokes - Classic, the best I have ever seen!

Played Root ... on top of his game right now.
Moeen - daft as a brush verging on suicidal.
Stokes - headstrong ... but his puce face at Samuels' send-off was priceless.
Ballance - slow, methodical, good solid one-end support pillar.
Bell - enough said... time he was waved off into the sunset.
Trott - meh ... clinging on to a spot he is not familiar with because Balance has grabbed #3.
Cook - still falls over in his first stride ... always juicy for a lbw, but played well (ish) for his 76. Still been 2 years and 24 innings since his last ton. Captains within himself ... sh*t at slip ....sack him.

Merlin wrote:Samuels send off for Stokes - Classic, the best I have ever seen!

Yeah! Glad someone else mentioned it - still bringing a smile to my face. Outstanding.

Ben St Oaks seems to have some anger management issues. I blame his Mum.