Cricket

[stantheman]

The exciting England of a few years ago are a finished busted flush sadly . Root is patently not for this format . Malian is too slow . Bairstiow Buttler and Stokes are near the end of their careers . Nobody frightens the opposition any more .

 

[Harvester]

England have won the toss and are going to bat first in the crunch match against Sri Lanka. Brook, Atkinson and the injured Topley are out, with Livingstone, Moeen Ali and Woakes returning.

 

[75A]

Not looking that good @ 89-5 after 20 overs.

 

[GS250]

This is an abject surrender as I can remember.

Agreed the fear factor of this team has been utterly obliterated. The big guns are starting to wane and we need to start planning for the future.

Out of every major sporting tournament that I follow...this WC appears to have just silently crept up on us.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

After 28 overs, England now 131-7.

 

[SteveM70]

Just awful. I don't think a single wicket was lost to an unplayable ball, just rank bad batting for 8 of them, bad running in Root's case and utter stupidity and lack of awareness from Rashid.

Still, you never know what the wicket is truly like until both teams have batted, as Lord Boycott of Fitzwilliam would say

 

[Busaholic]

Just awful. I don't think a single wicket was lost to an unplayable ball, just rank bad batting for 8 of them, bad running in Root's case and utter stupidity and lack of awareness from Rashid.

Still, you never know what the wicket is truly like until both teams have batted, as Lord Boycott of Fitzwilliam would say

Malan got a good ball from Angelo Mathews (nice to see him back in their side) and, to be fair, Root had to get back to his crease because Bairstow turned down the run.

This is the first ODI England have ever played where all the XI are over 30, most by several years.

England brought Woakes back because he's done such a good job so far , rewarded Atkinson for his spirited batting performance in the last game by omitting him, likewise Brook, and kept Wood at no.11 as Willey and Rashid are obviously the better batters. Oh, and they won the toss again.

Brydon Carse may as well fly back to England on the next flight.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

England all out for 156 in 33.2 overs. Nearly 17 overs wasted that could have been used to make a half-decent innings total.

 

[Howardh]

England all out for 156 in 33.2 overs. Nearly 17 overs wasted that could have been used to make a half-decent innings total.

The poor things batted well over the normal 100 balls so must have been exhausted.

 

[SteveM70]

Root had to get back to his crease because Bairstow turned down the run

A run that was never there

 

[75A]

Lost by 8 wickets with 24.2 overs to spare, oh dear.

 

[DelW]

Just awful. I don't think a single wicket was lost to an unplayable ball, just rank bad batting for 8 of them, bad running in Root's case and utter stupidity and lack of awareness from Rashid.

Still, you never know what the wicket is truly like until both teams have batted, as Lord Boycott of Fitzwilliam would say

Well, we know the answer to that one now - Sri Lanka could probably have chased twice our score.

 

[SteveM70]

Well, we know the answer to that one now - Sri Lanka could probably have chased twice our score.

Indeed. England were abject from start to finish

 

[Harvester]

Just awful. I don't think a single wicket was lost to an unplayable ball, just rank bad batting for 8 of them, bad running in Root's case and utter stupidity and lack of awareness from Rashid.

Rashid’s dismissal was bizarre! He was caught day dreaming; it just ‘sums it all up’ for England.

 

[JD2168]

A dreadful performance from England who were rightly beaten by Sri Lanka. Poor batting & decision making, Ben Stokes plugged away but it was slow going.

England need to play more 50 over one-day Cricket both at International & County level & less of the Hundred & Twenty20 style cricket.

 

[SteveM70]

A dreadful performance from England who were rightly beaten by Sri Lanka. Poor batting & decision making, Ben Stokes plugged away but it was slow going.

England need to play more 50 over one-day Cricket both at International & County level & less of the Hundred & Twenty20 style cricket.

There is plenty of county-level 50 over cricket. The problem is the ECB decided in their infinite wisdom that it would be a great idea to invent an entirely unnecessary additional format, magic up 8 franchises coincidentally based at test grounds, pay players fortunes for it, and schedule it bang on top of the 50 over competition.

 

[dangie]

England need to play more 50 over one-day Cricket….

I’m sure Sir Geoffrey Boycott would have something to say about that

 

[75A]

I'm sure he would & Freddie Truman.

 

[Howardh]

I’m sure Sir Geoffrey Boycott would have something to say about that

He played 65 over Gillette cricket back in the day, wonder what his top score was? Later on 65 overs became 60, with 55 overs cup as well, and the 40 overs Sunday league. 60 overs was my fave format but struggled with light late on.

 

[Peterthegreat]

He played 65 over Gillette cricket back in the day, wonder what his top score was? Later on 65 overs became 60, with 55 overs cup as well, and the 40 overs Sunday league. 60 overs was my fave format but struggled with light late on.

He scored 146 in the 1965 Gillette cup final - 15 fours and 3 sixes.

 

[Howardh]

He scored 146 in the 1965 Gillette cup final - 15 fours and 3 sixes.

Thanks, that would have done Stokes and Buttler proud!

 

[Busaholic]

At last some competitive games in the World Cup!

Pakistan v South Africa was a pretty good one, but today's Australia v New Zealand beat it imo. I thought that if Travis Head could recover from his injury in time his presence would make a huge difference, and so it proved, to add to David Warner's prolonged swansong. Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa are class acts as well, what a shame we currently have nobody to match them. New Zealand have surprised some (but not me) by doing so well, even without their captain Kane Williamson for most of the time. Rachin Ravindra has blossomed, aided by his experiences in England, and the unpredictable Jimmy Neesham almost won the game for them.

Now for tomorrow's one-sided game...

 

[DelW]

Channel 5 is making it clear what it thinks of England's performance so far. The highlights of today's England vs India match were supposed to be shown at 7pm according to my TV magazine. The EPG now shows that as having been replaced by "30 ways to reduce your Christmas spend", with the cricket highlights moved to 01:10 tomorrow.

Ironically it looks as though today might be their first decent performance (though even as I typed that, Malan and Root's wickets have just been taken )

 

[Harvester]

Ironically it looks as though today might be their first decent performance (though even as I typed that, Malan and Root's wickets have just been taken )

Decent performance by the bowlers, but the batting is woeful. 81/6 last time I checked, chasing a mere 230.

 

[DelW]

Decent performance by the bowlers, but the batting is woeful. 81/6 last time I checked, chasing a mere 230.

Yes, I was tempting fate a bit there. I don't think I'll be staying up to 01:10 to watch this dross!

 

[75A]

Just come back from Sunday lunch, TV on asleep in 10 minutes? - 95-6

 

[Busaholic]

Just come back from Sunday lunch, TV on asleep in 10 minutes? - 95-6

None of England's top six reached twenty runs, for the second time in three matches, and for only the second time in World Cup history too, Talk about plumbing the depths, and makes a mockery of that exceptionally ill-timed decision re central contracts for players going forward. At least four of this team will never play a 50 over game again I predict after this series, and at least five will never play another one in England colours.

 

[75A]

Unfortunately stayed awake, England 129 all out, England lost by 100 runs - oh dear

 

[Whistler40145]

With England's shambolic performance in the World Cup, what changes are invisaged for the near future?

 

[ian1944]

Nice quote from somewhere - they folded faster than the contestants in a speed-origami competition. I take it that it's no longer "mathematically possible" for England to proceed. Even the Australians must be feeling pity.