England v Ireland, Only Test, Lord’s, 24-27 July, 2019

Hmmm. Bit of an anti-climax.


Horrie will be calling Ireland "they" again ...

Well, that's either a brilliant bowling effort or a very woeful batting effort.

I'm guessing a bit of column A & bit of column B.

Congrats England in what could be a stellar summer of results.

Doesn’t mask the batting failings, which Root was quick to blame on the pitch.

How about blaming yourselves for once, you’re 40-4 every sodding innings, whether it’s a road or a minefield.

And while there’s concerns about the bat dominating the ball in one-day cricket, in Tests it’s going the other way. Batting is becoming a thankless task, certainly when there’s any movement at least.

beamer wrote:Doesn’t mask the batting failings, which Root was quick to blame on the pitch.

How about blaming yourselves for once, you’re 40-4 every sodding innings, whether it’s a road or a minefield.

Absolute shitheel of a captain. Won't bat where the team needs him. "This is fine" as Rome burns. Throws his wicket away when set, runs another batsman out: "Something wrong with the pitch." Bellend.

No alternative, though, as he's the only batsman in the team (country?) who is remotely close to Test match level.

Seems astonishing that we're about to go into an Ashes two years in the planning without a 1, 2, 3, followed by about four number 7s. No spinner. Couple of ancient medium pacers.

And things seem to have calmed down a bit with Iran now, so the chances of them blowing us up as mercy have shrunk too. And people thought things couldn't possibly get worse under Boris... (they didn't)

Where does the team need him? He’s no use as a number 3 so the team doesn’t need him there. I’d bat him at 5 to recover some form, he averages 70 there.

Root was dubbed “craptain” when he first took charge of Yorkshire and allowed a 400-plus fourth innings run chase against them. He’s doing his best to further that nickname. As I’ve said many times, the captaincy turns Australian batsmen into Don Bradman and English batsmen into Chris Martin. As I’ve also repeatedly said, I would bring Morgan in as specialist captain. Invoke the spirit of... well, 2019. Already feels like decades ago, in cricketing terms!

PeterCS wrote:Hmmm. Bit of an anti-climax.


Horrie will be calling Ireland "they" again ...

No I will not. The blokes let themselves down today. Still there is plenty still to draw from this game.

On the other hand the English simply confirmed its inevitable "Out hit Brexit ' future.

I thought Boris’s deal was “we’ll let you beat us at cricket, if you drop the backstop”. Proved wrong on that one...

The Irish backstop managed a pair. As did the English one.

beamer wrote:Where does the team need him? He’s no use as a number 3 so the team doesn’t need him there. I’d bat him at 5 to recover some form, he averages 70 there.

Root was dubbed “craptain” when he first took charge of Yorkshire and allowed a 400-plus fourth innings run chase against them. He’s doing his best to further that nickname. As I’ve said many times, the captaincy turns Australian batsmen into Don Bradman and English batsmen into Chris Martin. As I’ve also repeatedly said, I would bring Morgan in as specialist captain. Invoke the spirit of... well, 2019. Already feels like decades ago, in cricketing terms!

He's a number three. He's got the perfect game for it in all formats. His only problem is his mindset - he's convinced it's not for him. In Tests. Given a long run, he'd smash it. Well, stroke it pleasingly.

It seems terribly unfair to keep shoe-horning people into the three who aren't suited to the role as sacrificial lambs on behalf of captain chickenshit.

And it's utterly bizarre to have drafted in a 33 year old county journeyman of no real pedigree as a stop gap.

Well, we’ve tried everyone else. The alternatives are Vince and Ballance, enough said.

What are your thoughts on permanent nightwatchman-openers? I think picking specialists who still average 20 is pointless.

Tudor and Leech to open? It's just so crazy it might work...

If the only alternatives are Vince and Ballance, what is the point of having 18 county teams?

Personally, I'd draft in Dominic Sibley and Sam Hain and invest in two young batsmen who aren't dashers and actually grind their runs out. You know, like how Test cricket used to be.

I doubt it'll be enough to counteract the best fast bowling attack in the world, but you've got to start somewhere - and I'd like the selectors to show some kind of joined up thinking, as if there's an actual plan in mind.

Roy (madness, won't work, but here we are)
Sibley
Root
Hain
Stokes
Bairstow
Buttler +

(Bairstow shouldn't even be in the team - averaging about 25 for the last 18 months, but he will be.)

If we're going to have unreliable ODI whackers in the middle order, then 1-4 are going to have to set up innings by seeing off the new ball and laying a platform. Doesn't matter how fast they do it. A s/r in the 40s is fine.

Reminds me of when Michael Clarke was hiding down at 5 for Australia

The other option, of course, is just to play the one-day line-up and tell them to play as if it’s a 50-over game. Whack the slips out of the game early doors and force the opposing captain to put them in the deep when we’re scoring at 6 an over. May as well get 300 off 50 overs as... 150 off 50 overs?

Ireland,....... oh dear

Dello wrote:If the only alternatives are Vince and Ballance, what is the point of having 18 county teams?

You tell me... Div 2 is completely pointless, it should lose FC status and merge with minor counties.

Div 1 has itself gone soft with the scheduling of recent seasons, playing at times of year where 75mph seamers dominate, and the reduction in Kolpaks (who could disappear completely with Brexit).

One good thing to come out of the hundred-ball crap could be a rethink of the whole structure. We only need say 6 FC teams, playing tough, competitive games at the right times of year.

Dello wrote:

beamer wrote:Doesn’t mask the batting failings, which Root was quick to blame on the pitch.

How about blaming yourselves for once, you’re 40-4 every sodding innings, whether it’s a road or a minefield.

Absolute shitheel of a captain. Won't bat where the team needs him. "This is fine" as Rome burns. Throws his wicket away when set, runs another batsman out: "Something wrong with the pitch." Bellend.

No alternative, though, as he's the only batsman in the team (country?) who is remotely close to Test match level.

Seems astonishing that we're about to go into an Ashes two years in the planning without a 1, 2, 3, followed by about four number 7s. No spinner. Couple of ancient medium pacers.

And things seem to have calmed down a bit with Iran now, so the chances of them blowing us up as mercy have shrunk too. And people thought things couldn't possibly get worse under Boris... (they didn't)

The only alternative I can think of as captain is a Middlesex left hander, who wasn’t born in England...... And no I’m not talking about Eoin Morgan. I’m talking about Dawid Malan, who seems to have a similar calm, mature toughness to him in the Morgan/du Plessis mould. Obviously his batting went off the boil for England, but in form, I think he’s got game as well. He’s been in the runs this season and could bat at four or five with Root able to go up to three whilst at the same time going back to his natural role as cheeky, loveable nephew, rather than leader of men.

Edit- apparently Malan WAS born in England. But he’s as Southern African as a piece of chewy biltong.......

He's a little bit tougher than that.

More like a length of biltong that's been left out for three days ...

Dello wrote:Tudor and Leech to open? It's just so crazy it might work...

If the only alternatives are Vince and Ballance, what is the point of having 18 county teams?

Personally, I'd draft in Dominic Sibley and Sam Hain and invest in two young batsmen who aren't dashers and actually grind their runs out. You know, like how Test cricket used to be.

I doubt it'll be enough to counteract the best fast bowling attack in the world, but you've got to start somewhere - and I'd like the selectors to show some kind of joined up thinking, as if there's an actual plan in mind.

Roy (madness, won't work, but here we are)
Sibley
Root
Hain
Stokes
Bairstow
Buttler +

(Bairstow shouldn't even be in the team - averaging about 25 for the last 18 months, but he will be.)

If we're going to have unreliable ODI whackers in the middle order, then 1-4 are going to have to set up innings by seeing off the new ball and laying a platform. Doesn't matter how fast they do it. A s/r in the 40s is fine.

Ha! I was thinking Bairstow and Curran (S) to open.

That we're driven to such insanities brings home the point in one of your other posts. The one wondering how it got to this. ...