Cricket fred

[Banquo]

Cupboard looking bare, could be in for a rough decade or so...

[Digby]

True, looking ahead maybe 3-5 years and the only players that look sure of a role are Root, Bairstow and Stokes. But 2-3 players can emerge very quickly in a way that changes a side very quickly, and test cricket does look weaker than 20 years ago

[Banquo]

True, looking ahead maybe 3-5 years and the only players that look sure of a role are Root, Bairstow and Stokes. But 2-3 players can emerge very quickly in a way that changes a side very quickly, and test cricket does look weaker than 20 years ago

....we may not have to worry about having a test team much longer, its true.

[Digby]

True, looking ahead maybe 3-5 years and the only players that look sure of a role are Root, Bairstow and Stokes. But 2-3 players can emerge very quickly in a way that changes a side very quickly, and test cricket does look weaker than 20 years ago

....we may not have to worry about having a test team much longer, its true.

Perhaps just as well, putting it behind the paywall seems to have done a decent job of killing off the game. One almost never sees kids playing cricket now, and not just 'cause it's January and you wouldn't expect to for a few months.

[Mellsblue]

Pop up to Yorkshire this summer - or what passes for summer up here - and check out the cricket clubs. Kids everywhere. It may be the exception that proves the rule.

[WaspInWales]

Did we win?

Moral victors?

Best way to greet a member of the opposing team in a bar?

Best way to waste your drink and finish your tour hopes in one fell swoop?

Best dressed at the very least I hope.

[Mellsblue]

Given the amount of time we’ve spent in the field I’d hope we’d best tan.

[Digby]

Pop up to Yorkshire this summer - or what passes for summer up here - and check out the cricket clubs. Kids everywhere. It may be the exception that proves the rule.

I can go to clubs here and see kids play, I was thinking more local parks and whatnot. There were often games of cricket being played when I were a lad, now there's barely any sport going on, though I'd say rugby has had a slight upturn (rugby has increased off a very low bordering on non existent base)

[canta_brian]

Just to balance things a tiny bit. But isn't 2001 the last time the strayans won the Ashes in England?

[Mellsblue]

Just to balance things a tiny bit. But isn't 2001 the last time the strayans won the Ashes in England?

It's the manner of the defeats - whitewashes, 4 v 0, wins by an innings and 112 runs etc rather than the number of series won/lost. Oz very rarely come over here and take such pastings, other than if there are over cast conditions at Trent Bridge.

[Digby]

Just to balance things a tiny bit. But isn't 2001 the last time the strayans won the Ashes in England?

It's the manner of the defeats - whitewashes, 4 v 0, wins by an innings and 112 runs etc rather than the number of series won/lost. Oz very rarely come over here and take such pastings, other than if there are over cast conditions at Trent Bridge.

And to take those posting with the team commenting they were right in many sessions and not far away from Aus

[Digby]

England owe a few beers to whichever genius in the Aussie selection team decided Nathan Lyon shouldn't play

[Galfon]

Eng. sneak home with over to spare in 1-dayer..over 600 runs, 99 overs and a result at the MCG.
180 is an impressive effort in any circumstances.(Roy).

[Banquo]

Its been dismissed on messageboards, but I can't help agreeing that the one day squad (and chuck in Stokes) looks a better bet than the test squad for all forms of the game.

[Digby]

Where would Roy bat in test cricket? I don't know where he plays his county cricket in the order of play other than he's not an opener, so would he be chasing a spot Vs Root, Stokes, Ali and Bairstow in the middle order, or can he adapt his game to say being a No.3

Hales is more middle order at county level now too

[Banquo]

Where would Roy bat in test cricket? I don't know where he plays his county cricket in the order of play other than he's not an opener, so would he be chasing a spot Vs Root, Stokes, Ali and Bairstow in the middle order, or can he adapt his game to say being a No.3

Hales is more middle order at county level now too

You'd pick Ali in the middle order?....and I wasn't simply referring to the batting,

[Digby]

Where would Roy bat in test cricket? I don't know where he plays his county cricket in the order of play other than he's not an opener, so would he be chasing a spot Vs Root, Stokes, Ali and Bairstow in the middle order, or can he adapt his game to say being a No.3

Hales is more middle order at county level now too

You'd pick Ali in the middle order?....and I wasn't simply referring to the batting,

If he's at #8 I'd just consider we've a long middle order. Others may just think we'd have a strong tail. He shouldn't be higher than 7th, and 8th is better as he'd have more licence to attack

[Banquo]

Where would Roy bat in test cricket? I don't know where he plays his county cricket in the order of play other than he's not an opener, so would he be chasing a spot Vs Root, Stokes, Ali and Bairstow in the middle order, or can he adapt his game to say being a No.3

Hales is more middle order at county level now too

You'd pick Ali in the middle order?....and I wasn't simply referring to the batting,

If he's at #8 I'd just consider we've a long middle order. Others may just think we'd have a strong tail. He shouldn't be higher than 7th, and 8th is better as he'd have more licence to attack

putting the lower into middle .

[Digby]

You'd pick Ali in the middle order?....and I wasn't simply referring to the batting,

If he's at #8 I'd just consider we've a long middle order. Others may just think we'd have a strong tail. He shouldn't be higher than 7th, and 8th is better as he'd have more licence to attack

putting the lower into middle .

I'd have to assume he's in the team for his batting. If he's in the team for his bowling I don't know what one should say at that point. So when it was Ashley Giles at 8 that was part of the lower order, Ali has a different role, so for me I'd think him part of an elongated middle order, though I'm not remotely fussed to see others think on it and express it differently

Ideally I wouldn't have Ali in the team as he's just not a good enough spinner. I take Swann's point he's England's best spinner, and I don't assume I know better, I'd just rather keep trying other options until we did find a better alternative. Swann is likely to cite that'd cause too much disruption and again he'd know better, but as with Hartley I don't like placeholder selections and I'd pretty much always want to try the next option and risk losing to be better

[WaspInWales]

Stokes is going down.

What a bellend and what a waste. At 26 he still has many years of first class and test cricket left in him, but if he cops a conviction, he may not get his test place back.

I just hope that there are some mitigating factors involved, but the video released so far show he was just being a drunk dickhead.

[Mellsblue]

Shall we see what happens before deciding he’s going to jail.
Having said that, I haven’t seen the video - I’ve no inclination to see someone getting a kicking - but I am affrayed you could be right.
On a serious note, at what point does he revert back to being a Kiwi?

[Digby]

I don't know if he'll do down for that. Maybe he should, but with vastly overcrowded jails I can't imagine everyone doing as Stokes did well serve jail time, even before Stokes can very clearly show he has good reason not to offend again and live a more productive life

[Banquo]

Serious charge, carries up to 3 years.

[WaspInWales]

Shall we see what happens before deciding he’s going to jail.
Having said that, I haven’t seen the video - I’ve no inclination to see someone getting a kicking - but I am affrayed you could be right.
On a serious note, at what point does he revert back to being a Kiwi?

That's why my post included some 'ifs' and 'mays'.

The 'Stokes is going down' was just to get everyone's attention

[Mellsblue]

Shall we see what happens before deciding he’s going to jail.
Having said that, I haven’t seen the video - I’ve no inclination to see someone getting a kicking - but I am affrayed you could be right.
On a serious note, at what point does he revert back to being a Kiwi?

That's why my post included some 'ifs' and 'mays'.

The 'Stokes is going down' was just to get everyone's attention

It worked!!