Cricket

[muddythefish]

Muddythefish got in before me! Apparently Tony Lewis was, of course, the right sort of chap, therefore he could play his debut test as Captain (went to Cambridge, I believe)

Tony Lewis was a fine batsman but as an administrator and commentator was very much the traditionalist; he hated the commercialism entering the game even all those years ago and would have been appalled at the razzmattaz and hype of T20.

Congrats to NZ and England on another good game today. This is the best NZ side I have seen I must say it's refreshing to see an antipodean team playing the game in the right spirit and none of the boorish behaviour and bad sportsmanship one normally associates with teams from that part of the world.

 

[ExRes]

This mornings report on BBC say that Henriques has broken his jaw in three places and, obviously, needs surgery with dental surgery to follow later, Burns required head and facial stitches, good to see that the medical response has been praised

 

[Busaholic]

Tony Lewis was England captain on the India tour in 1972-4, making his debut as captain !

How stupid of me to forget Lewis - my father would never have forgiven me, considering himself Welsh. Lewis was certainly a traditionalist, but then when it comes to the supremacy of test cricket and the wanton scrapping of free-to-air TV so am I, and so was the late Richie Benaud.
By the way, those were the days,eh, tours going into three calendar years?! Lewis must have been introducing all the team to his Maharajah friends, taking the chi up in the hill stations,etc. Wouldn't have quite been Botham's cup of tea.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Congrats to NZ and England on another good game today. This is the best NZ side I have seen I must say it's refreshing to see an antipodean team playing the game in the right spirit and none of the boorish behaviour and bad sportsmanship one normally associates with teams from that part of the world.

I agree. It is very difficult not to like this New Zealand side, and, in a funny sort of way, the result of each game doesn't seem as important (though it does help to see that England are trying to emulate the New Zealand ethos).
I have also been impressed with Eoin Morgan's comments. He must have had to frequently bite his tongue during the old regime!

 

[Busaholic]

Jamie and Craig Overton could become the first twins to play in the same England side. They have both been called into the one-day squad following injuries to Chris Jordan and Liam Plunkett - at this stage it is probably unlikely that more than one of them would play, and Craig was called up first, two days before Jamie, so that might indicate the order of preference: on the other hand, Jamie is both the quicker bowler and harder-hitting batsman apparently, so if a more Plunkett-like player was called for, maybe it would be him. A friend who saw the Overtons playing for Somerset told me he'd never seen a faster return from the boundary edge to the keeper than by one of them, but,frustratingly, he couldn't remember which! By the way, Eric Bedser never played for England, his test trial in Bradford (he was an off spin bowler) being rather upstaged by his Surrey colleague Jim Laker taking 8 wickets for 2 runs with his own brand of off spin.

Clouds have a silver lining time :- Burns of Surrey now recovering from his collision with Henriques in the field at Arundel last Sunday was replaced by Arinath for their championship match starting yesterday and scored 120.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Lancashire continue serenely ever onwards in the Second Tier of the County Championship, for after amassing a total of 483 all out in reply to the Leicestershire first innings, in the sultry heat at Old Trafford, they set their opponents a very large target to aim at to ensure a drawn match might ensue, which at 85-3, looked to have a launch basis for this to occur, but "England middle-order syndrome" that was so often seen in Australia struck with a vengeance and Leicestershire slumped most alarmingly to 119 all out, with Jarvis taking 5-44 and Lilley taking 4-28.

Lancashire won by an innings and 157 runs.

 

[Whistler40145]

Good old Lancashire, it's looking very rosy so far this season, keep fingers crossed for a return to Division One next year. I certainly think the later starting times have worked, but not popular with the traditionalists.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
What happened with the Worcestershire match yesterday, all over on day two? I think the ECB pitch inspectors will have had something to say!

 

[Buttsy]

Good old Lancashire, it's looking very rosy so far this season, keep fingers crossed for a return to Division One next year. I certainly think the later starting times have worked, but not popular with the traditionalists.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
What happened with the Worcestershire match yesterday, all over on day two? I think the ECB pitch inspectors will have had something to say!

I was at the Worcester game on Sunday and when you have batsmen of quality and distinction hitting balls straight at midwicket, it's b****r all to do with the pitch. Worcester are having difficulty in batting reasonably in both innings of a match at present (see results against Yorkshire, Sussex, both Warwickshire games, Durham) and the top order is letting them down (Cox, Leach, Andrew, Sennanyake, Morris and Shantry I believe have amassed more runs between them than Mitchell, Oliver, Fell, Kohler-Cadmore, Kervezee, Ali, Gidman and Clarke combined).

The pitch was a 400 pitch on first dibs and until Mitchell clipped one just before lunch, Worcester looked like getting a decent total at 104-1.

Worcester seem to have a bit of a belief problem with batting at present.

 

[Whistler40145]

Thanks Buttsy for clearing up this matter.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Another notable event occurred when Glamorgan, chasing a Surrey first innings total of 406 all out, were at one time reduced to 106-6 when Wagg came in to bat at number eight. Not being at all swayed by matters earlier in the innings, he took the attack to the Surrey bowlers with a vengeance and when he was finally out, he had scored 200, with no less than 11 x 6 and 21 x 4 (150 of these runs coming in boundaries) and this enabled Glamorgan to a first innings total of 437 all out.

 

[backontrack]

New Zealand have compiled a total of 349 for 7 after their full complement of 50 overs, with Rashid conceding 28 runs in the 48th over.

This leaves England with a target of 350 runs to win.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

New Zealand have compiled a total of 349 for 7 after their full complement of 50 overs, with Rashid conceding 28 runs in the 48th over.

This leaves England with a target of 350 runs to win.

The saying "buying wickets" is amply demonstrated by the following bowling returns:-
Rashid.....8 - 0 - 75 - 1
Willey.....10 - 0 - 89 - 2

Notwithstanding the fact that as many as 11 wides were also bowled in the innings..:roll:

 

[DownSouth]

Assuming that a full match is achieved without losing any overs, a successful chase would be:

• England's highest winning ODI chase (previous best of 306, 23 and 28 runs short of the best winning chases by Ireland and Australia which were both against England) and only their third over 300 - although there's a tied ODI chase of 338 in their past as well.
• The fifth-highest winning ODI chase by any team.
• The highest winning ODI chase not against Australia, which is a rather unexpected stat for the five-time World Champions.
• England's second-highest score in the second innings of an ODI (behind last week's loss).
• England's fourth-highest score in either innings of a 50 over ODI.
• The highest winning ODI chase by any team in a match held in England/Wales (current highest is 326, by India).

That shows just a bit of how tough it will be for the batsmen even if the Black Caps can't get it right with the ball. To get a score that high usually needs at least one player to get a score high enough that it could start testing their fitness and concentration towards the end of their innings.

It will be interesting to see if McCullum will bowl for quick wickets at the expense of some quick scoring to exploit the DLS system in the hope that further rain will shorten the match. Every time they take a wicket, the par score or reduced target after a delay will get higher - for example the par score at 20 overs (when the match becomes official with a DLS result instead of an abandonment) with no wickets lost was 112 but taking two wickets has raised it to 141.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

In the run chase, England after 34 overs have reached 259-2 with Root 74 not out and Morgan 75 not out.

Still need 91 more runs from the final 16 overs, but do have eight wickets in hand.

 

[muddythefish]

Easy, peasy England. Chasing 349 is child's play.

Seriously, these two sides have been serving up the best 5-day and 1-day cricket I have seen. Can someone persuade the Australians to stay away (a few cans of the finest English ale should be enough) and let NZ stay on for the rest of the summer ?

An added bonus is the excellent spirit in which the matches have been played. Contrast this to next month when the snarling, gum-chewing, humourless rock crunchers arrive.

Their recent form also shows how England let themselves down at the World Cup through poor team selection. And Morgan is a player reborn. I don't think I've ever seen him play so well. What chance a Test recall ?

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Easy, peasy England. Chasing 349 is child's play.

Seriously, these two sides have been serving up the best 5-day and 1-day cricket I have seen. Can someone persuade the Australians to stay away (a few cans of the finest English ale should be enough) and let NZ stay on for the rest of the summer ?

An added bonus is the excellent spirit in which the matches have been played. Contrast this to next month when the snarling, gum-chewing, humourless rock crunchers arrive.

Their recent form also shows how England let themselves down at the World Cup through poor team selection. And Morgan is a player reborn. I don't think I've ever seen him play so well. What chance a Test recall ?

Yep, I'm inclined to agree with you, it has been a remarkable visit by the New Zealanders, and I certainly won't be unhappy if they win at Chester-le-Street on Saturday. Love the way they play their Cricket. As for England, free of the shackles imposed on them by Flower and Moores, they have played some unbelievable cricket, considering where they were a few months ago.

 

[Busaholic]

Another notable event occurred when Glamorgan, chasing a Surrey first innings total of 406 all out, were at one time reduced to 106-6 when Wagg came in to bat at number eight. Not being at all swayed by matters earlier in the innings, he took the attack to the Surrey bowlers with a vengeance and when he was finally out, he had scored 200, with no less than 11 x 6 and 21 x 4 (150 of these runs coming in boundaries) and this enabled Glamorgan to a first innings total of 437 all out.

Highest ever score by a Glamorgan batsman batting at no 8 or lower, apparently. The ball had to be changed three times as on that number of occasions it couldn't be retrieved from the Woodbridge Road whence it had been lofted. Harinath, the Surrey batsman only playing because of the injury to Joe Burns in the field at Arundel, as per my earlier post, then proceeded to hit his second century of the game, and it was a lovely wristy innings from the account I've read. Clouds with silver linings indeed!

The young offspinner Carter of Notts finished up on the losing side at Taunton, though, despite the best debut figures in the county game since 1938.

 

[Phirstman]

No sign of a certain Aussie supporter on these boards after the successful England chase in the fourth ODI - cannot think why!

Ah well, good win and onto the decider...

 

[Cletus]

Kent had a good T20 win last night in front in the Sky cameras.

Must be unique nowadays to have a squad with no overseas or kolpak players?

 

[Busaholic]

Kent had a good T20 win last night in front in the Sky cameras.

Must be unique nowadays to have a squad with no overseas or kolpak players?

Unique amongst First Class counties now:even most Minor Counties these days have a kolpak or two.

 

[Whistler40145]

Well, once again, Lancashire Lightning fell short and produced another loss, something has to happen soon!

 

[Busaholic]

Well, once again, Lancashire Lightning fell short and produced another loss, something has to happen soon!

Thus proving Lightning does strike twice (or more) in the same place.

In the ODI it was encouraging to see Rashid only concede 45 runs, two boundaries, and take two wickets. Taylor never looked secure against him and his runs dried up. He MUST be included in the test side against Australia, starting with the Cardiff game.

 

[DownSouth]

No sign of a certain Aussie supporter on these boards after the successful England chase in the fourth ODI - cannot think why!

Because I didn't take my iPad with me for four days of mountain biking in the Flinders Ranges. It's an absolutely spectacular part of South Australia but not an area well served for charging facilities or 4G coverage

Looking at the results of the last two matches, I imagine that the new England team management will be pleased that their players managed to pace a big chase and a tricky D/L total. Improving to the point that they can put in a credible performance at the home World Cup (and more urgently, improve their ranking to get a seeding and avoid needing an embarrassing special exemption to bypass the qualifying tournament) will be a process which will be much more likely to succeed if it comes in small steps, so after this success they will certainly be far better placed to bat confidently next time they play an ODI against a full-strength attack.

As I've written many times on here, it's great to see Steven Finn performing well. He should be one of the players who will benefit the most from the no nonsense cricket brain of Trevor Bayliss, as Mitchell Starc has over the last couple of years.


But now we can count down to the Ashes with both sides having two Test Match wins under their belt from the last couple of months. His detailed knowledge of the NSW players (eight of them should be selected for Australia in two weeks' time) was clearly a factor in the ECB's hiring of the NSW head coach Trevor Bayliss to coach England, so I wonder if the first Test team under his leadership will contain a couple of surprise selections based on who they will be matched against?

I'm predicting that this series will be a 3-0 win to Australia - but that the next home series here will be England's great chance if some of their current younger players can make it through this one and out the other side as stronger players rather than scapegoats.

 

[andrew bell]

I'm predicting that this series will be a 3-0 win to Australia - but that the next home series here will be England's great chance if some of their current younger players can make it through this one and out the other side as stronger players rather than scapegoats.

I think you maybe surprised with the result. I do think Australia will retain the Ashes, but will be either 2-1 or 2-2

 

[Busaholic]

Because I didn't take my iPad with me for four days of mountain biking in the Flinders Ranges. It's an absolutely spectacular part of South Australia but not an area well served for charging facilities or 4G coverage

Looking at the results of the last two matches, I imagine that the new England team management will be pleased that their players managed to pace a big chase and a tricky D/L total. Improving to the point that they can put in a credible performance at the home World Cup (and more urgently, improve their ranking to get a seeding and avoid needing an embarrassing special exemption to bypass the qualifying tournament) will be a process which will be much more likely to succeed if it comes in small steps, so after this success they will certainly be far better placed to bat confidently next time they play an ODI against a full-strength attack.

As I've written many times on here, it's great to see Steven Finn performing well. He should be one of the players who will benefit the most from the no nonsense cricket brain of Trevor Bayliss, as Mitchell Starc has over the last couple of years.


But now we can count down to the Ashes with both sides having two Test Match wins under their belt from the last couple of months. His detailed knowledge of the NSW players (eight of them should be selected for Australia in two weeks' time) was clearly a factor in the ECB's hiring of the NSW head coach Trevor Bayliss to coach England, so I wonder if the first Test team under his leadership will contain a couple of surprise selections based on who they will be matched against?

I'm predicting that this series will be a 3-0 win to Australia - but that the next home series here will be England's great chance if some of their current younger players can make it through this one and out the other side as stronger players rather than scapegoats.

If it's prediction time, mine are that these will be the last tests played by Rogers, Voges, Watson, Haddin, Bell and one of Anderson/Broad. possibly both. I doubt Plunkett will get a look-in, but if he does, then the same applies. Will Clarke last the series? If he does and Aussies win then he may choose to go out on a high too.

A few days ago I read a newspaper article headlined 'Don't forget me, pleads Bairstow' and, although he's had his wish for the moment, will he ever return to the test team? he's arguably a better wicketkeeper than Buttler and much more likely to produce a matchsaving big hundred if it was needed. I'm not saying 'ditch Buttler' but his performance as wicketkeeper will probably come under much greater scrutiny this series. If Rashid is to play (and I sincerely hope he will) then he will need to have confidence that stumpings and close catches won't get missed.

P.S. If England win, then Cook may stand down as captain, in which case his days as a player would probably be up too : if they lose, then he may have no choice in the matter.

 

[DownSouth]

If it's prediction time, mine are that these will be the last tests played by Rogers, Voges, Watson, Haddin, Bell and one of Anderson/Broad. possibly both. I doubt Plunkett will get a look-in, but if he does, then the same applies. Will Clarke last the series? If he does and Aussies win then he may choose to go out on a high too.

On the players likely to either retire or have the decision made for them:

• Chris Rogers has already confirmed he will be retiring at the end of the series, no need to guess.
• Adam Voges? This is almost certain to be his only tour of England, but he would surely want to play at least one home Test series and the selectors will probably give it to him.
• I would expect Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin to play the home summer Tests against the sheep shaggers and the Windies (perhaps skipping the two Tests in Bangladesh in October) and finish their Test careers in the New Year Test at the SCG.
• I don't think we've heard the last of Shane Watson yet, even if he is being selected more for his bowling these days instead of being a true all-rounder. Mitchell Marsh will eventually take that position in the team, but his game still needs to mature a little - perhaps he would benefit from playing in Clarke's place in Bangladesh?
• I agree that it's time for Ian Bell to get a tap on the shoulder.
• James Anderson will probably make a mid-series announcement that he'll be retiring at the end of it, his ego makes even Kevin Pietersen look humble and he wouldn't stand the thought of going out in any circumstance other than with a huge farewell on home soil.
• Stuart Broad will not retire from Test cricket of his own will as he seems to have been replaced in the ODI side, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him getting dropped mid-series if his declining form doesn't turn around. He would still be in line to come back as a replacement when there's no better option (i.e. if even Plunkett is injured) but not as a first choice player.
• Some are saying it's almost time for Ryan Harris to finish up and that a series win against the team that rejected him would be a sweet way to do it, but I don't think he'll be happy with getting in just five Tests after such a long recovery from injury.

A few days ago I read a newspaper article headlined 'Don't forget me, pleads Bairstow' and, although he's had his wish for the moment, will he ever return to the test team? he's arguably a better wicketkeeper than Buttler and much more likely to produce a matchsaving big hundred if it was needed. I'm not saying 'ditch Buttler' but his performance as wicketkeeper will probably come under much greater scrutiny this series. If Rashid is to play (and I sincerely hope he will) then he will need to have confidence that stumpings and close catches won't get missed.

The general practice in Australian cricket is to leave the wicketkeeper in until there is a good reason to replace them, you don't do it over differences in performance small enough to be argued about. Buttler needs to be backed, not sacked.

You're right that the bowlers, especially Rashid, would need confidence in the keeper. But that can only come when the keeper has confidence in themselves, which is not really going to be the case if they are driven to distraction over whether the bye they conceded when the ball came off a crack will see them lose their spot in the next match.

P.S. If England win, then Cook may stand down as captain, in which case his days as a player would probably be up too : if they lose, then he may have no choice in the matter.

It would be rather surprising for Cook to resign the captaincy of his own will and still get selected as a batsman. He's a fairly average captain but still the least worst option by a considerable margin, while as a non-captain batsman his place would be significantly less secure.

And as we've seen with the ECB's amateurish handling of Kevin Pietersen, the personalities involved are a part of their selection process. In a sport where the team captain has a very significant leadership role, it is not good to have a former captain hanging around like a wet fart and undermining the incumbent.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

I would expect Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin to play the home summer Tests against the sheep shaggers
.

Wales are touring Australia next winter? Didn't know that!

 

[DownSouth]

Something that hasn't been mentioned on here yet - Bangladesh have achieved a historic first series win over India in any format, they are 2-0 up with one match to go in the ODI series.

The second win also secured their qualification for the 2017 Champions Trophy in England.

Wales are touring Australia next winter? Didn't know that!

I guess you could call NZ the Wales of the Southern Hemisphere


If NZC agree to it, that series will feature the first day/night Test using the pink Kookaburra ball. The venue will be Adelaide Oval, which I'm guessing was picked for its lack of dew and because a history-making day/night match may as well be played at a ground where you get this sort of view in the evening...

 

[Busaholic]

Australia should do better than on their last tour here, for three main reasons imo:-

1) They have the right manager from the start
2) They are not encumbered with duff players like Cowan, Khawaja and (despite his last wicket heroics at Trent Bridge) Agar this time
3) David Warner will presumably not have been suspended from playing the first couple of tests!
Also the result last time wasn't a true reflection of the run of play over the series. I predicted 2-2 and, if the nailbiter at Trent Bridge had gone the other way and rain hadn't prevented the Aussies winning at Old Trafford, then only at Lords could England have been said to be truly dominant. I'll go with 2-2 again, but I'm relying on Anderson and Broad to both fire together for one or two last times, and a spinner (not Kerrigan or Panesar!) to get among the wickets at least once, perhaps at the Oval. Hales must get into the side and be given at least three matches. Can Ballance do it, especially at no. 3, against the Aussies? I ha my doots. Oh, Joe Root to be the batsman of the series, naturally, as I think he is the most gifted and complete one on offer, including Michael Clarke of present vintage, although Steve Smith might not agree!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

James Anderson will probably make a mid-series announcement that he'll be retiring at the end of it, his ego makes even Kevin Pietersen look humble and he wouldn't stand the thought of going out in any circumstance other than with a huge farewell on home soil.

If any player in the England side deserves to have a large ego, it is James Anderson. I have now lost count of the number of times that it was he who ripped through the top three/four of the opposition in Test Matches leaving lesser mortals to then bowl at the middle order.

Unlike Pietersen, he is very much an England-born player.