Well done to everybody, I have been a big critic of Cook but he had a fantastic game as a batsman and Captain. Everybody did the business with the exception of the snail and Lyth. But I am sure that Lyth will come good.
A great day, I joined the queue at 9:40 which went on forever but moved very quickly and it took less than 30 minutes to get in. Lots of families and young children there, and a really good atmosphere inside the ground. NZ played their part, a shame the series couldn't be longer really
Arrived just after 11, didn't have to queue and found seats on the front row directly behind the bowlers arm at the nursery end ... nice!
I have seen some special stuff at Lord's live, such as the Freddie Flintoff destruction of the Aussies in 2009, but today was still amazing.
England were fabulous today, real intent in the field which is great to see.
What a Test Match though, so many ebbs and flows that make Test Cricket the best format of the game. Credit must go to New Zealand for their part in a great game.
#ENGvNZ was the most spoken about thing on Twitter today, who said Test Cricket was dead ...
Also, I met and got a photo with Michael Vaughan, I completely forgot to remind him of Simon Church's Hand Of God in the FA Cup though ...
Well done to everybody, I have been a big critic of Cook but he had a fantastic game as a batsman and Captain. Everybody did the business with the exception of the snail and Lyth. But I am sure that Lyth will come good.
Dick, by 'snail', you mean Ballance dont you ? - you know, that bloke who has an average of 55, approx 10 more than Cook and Bell, and marginally lower than Root (56)?
Well done to everybody, I have been a big critic of Cook but he had a fantastic game as a batsman and Captain. Everybody did the business with the exception of the snail and Lyth. But I am sure that Lyth will come good.
I think you need to add Bell to your list of exceptions. His form worries me more than any other of our top batsmen. Maybe a seventh Ashes series will be one too many for him.
Well done to everybody, I have been a big critic of Cook but he had a fantastic game as a batsman and Captain. Everybody did the business with the exception of the snail and Lyth. But I am sure that Lyth will come good.
Dick, by 'snail', you mean Ballance dont you ? - you know, that bloke who has an average of 55, approx 10 more than Cook and Bell, and marginally lower than Root (56)?
You can't apply an average comparison to Cook and Bell who have played ten times the number of Test Matches than Ballance. I just think there are better options in Taylor or Vince at number three. Ballance is being found out by bowlers, he plays back to everything and is a prime candidate for LBW or bowled. I like his temperament. But good judges like Botham and Hussain have said that in certain conditions he needs to get forward a lot more.
Well done to everybody, I have been a big critic of Cook but he had a fantastic game as a batsman and Captain. Everybody did the business with the exception of the snail and Lyth. But I am sure that Lyth will come good.
Dick, by 'snail', you mean Ballance dont you ? - you know, that bloke who has an average of 55, approx 10 more than Cook and Bell, and marginally lower than Root (56)?
You can't apply an average comparison to Cook and Bell who have played ten times the number of Test Matches than Ballance. I just think there are better options in Taylor or Vince at number three. Ballance is being found out by bowlers, he plays back to everything and is a prime candidate for LBW or bowled. I like his temperament. But good judges like Botham and Hussain have said that in certain conditions he needs to get forward a lot more.
He's had 21 Test innings for gawds sake - how many do you want him to have ? 121 ? If 'being found out by bowlers' means an average of 55, then id like to see his average once he's sorted it out ! I'm quite gobsmacked that you want to replace a player with an average of 55 with a player who has never played Test cricket before !
I previously expressed two concerns - one that we can't have Cook, Trott and Ballance at the top of the order and two that I worried about Ballance's technique.
Trott has now gone and if Lyth doesn't succeed then hopefully Hales will step up.
I think the truth about Ballance is that he has proven himself as a solid batsman who, once he does get in, becomes an immovable object. The issue is that a lot of his runs have been against what I would describe as "soft" opening attacks - his average against Sri Lanka, India and the West Indies from 17 innings is 69 but his average from a limited four innings sample is just 6.5. He's also only scored 42 runs in his last four innings.
Ballance does play the ball so late that he invites swing to take full effect and against the type of bowler we are likely to face this summer that won't be good so he needs to go away and sort that out.
As Riviera has said the form of Bell is also a worry and despite the form of Cook, Root, Stokes, Buttler and Ali, we can't have three of our top six going into an Ashes series out of form. Sometimes it pays to throw someone in at the deep end from left field and who the opposition don't know too much about. If Bell or Ballance has to go at some point in the Ashes then I would really like to see Steven Davies given a chance.
Davies is the type of player that is so easy on the eye when he bats that he makes things look incredibly simple. He has had some real mental issues to deal with - "coming out" must have be incredibly hard for him, then being discarded by England and finally the death of his friend Tom Maynard.
In isolation, his first class average of a fraction over 40 isn't good enough. But, funnily enough, David Gower's was just that and it never stopped him being a superb Test batsmen. And this season he has scored in all competitions 623 runs from nine innings at an average of 89 with scores of 200*, 21, 81, 6, 115*, 58, 53, 44 and 45.
I previously expressed two concerns - one that we can't have Cook, Trott and Ballance at the top of the order and two that I worried about Ballance's technique.
Trott has now gone and if Lyth doesn't succeed then hopefully Hales will step up.
I think the truth about Ballance is that he has proven himself as a solid batsman who, once he does get in, becomes an immovable object. The issue is that a lot of his runs have been against what I would describe as "soft" opening attacks - his average against Sri Lanka, India and the West Indies from 17 innings is 69 but his average from a limited four innings sample is just 6.5. He's also only scored 42 runs in his last four innings.
Ballance does play the ball so late that he invites swing to take full effect and against the type of bowler we are likely to face this summer that won't be good so he needs to go away and sort that out.
As Riviera has said the form of Bell is also a worry and despite the form of Cook, Root, Stokes, Buttler and Ali, we can't have three of our top six going into an Ashes series out of form. Sometimes it pays to throw someone in at the deep end from left field and who the opposition don't know too much about. If Bell or Ballance has to go at some point in the Ashes then I would really like to see Steven Davies given a chance.
Davies is the type of player that is so easy on the eye when he bats that he makes things look incredibly simple. He has had some real mental issues to deal with - "coming out" must have be incredibly hard for him, then being discarded by England and finally the death of his friend Tom Maynard.
In isolation, his first class average of a fraction over 40 isn't good enough. But, funnily enough, David Gower's was just that and it never stopped him being a superb Test batsmen. And this season he has scored in all competitions 623 runs from nine innings at an average of 89 with scores of 200*, 21, 81, 6, 115*, 58, 53, 44 and 45.
Granted AA. However, I also cant now believe that you are even thinking about dropping Bell ! - from what I've seen this season so far, he has been getting worldy balls - it happens sometimes that way - if he's getting them all out of the way before the Ashes then great - but his recent record v Oz is the best of all (including KP). Davies, hmmm, no way, in my eye quite clearly doesnt have the mental toughness required at Test level. You watch, either Bell or Balance will make a big score in next Test, or both. Not sure about Lyth, but it is only one Test so far. Thought Wood looked decent and maybe just the type of bowler we need - shame he's not a lefty, but cant have everything. The one bowler who does worry me is Ali - don't think we can keep him as main spinner, however his batting certainly makes up for it - and with him coming in at 8 is quite a batting line-up !
Thins though looking a bit better than a week ago !
I don't think that you can drop Bell at the moment. Form is temporary, class is permanent.
It's not permanent or Gower would still be playing. Everyone has a shelf life, remember we dropped Thorpe just before the 2005 Ashes. I didn't say drop Bell but he has to realise he isn't guaranteed to play for England on past performances. Bell has been around a very long time and the intensity of Test cricket eventually has an effect on everyone.
I don't think that you can drop Bell at the moment. Form is temporary, class is permanent.
It's not permanent or Gower would still be playing. Everyone has a shelf life, remember we dropped Thorpe just before the 2005 Ashes. I didn't say drop Bell but he has to realise he isn't guaranteed to play for England on past performances. Bell has been around a very long time and the intensity of Test cricket eventually has an effect on everyone.
Thorpe wasn't 'dropped' per se before the 2005 Ashes - because KP had had a cracking winter in SA in 2004/05, KP was picked ahead of Thorpey(who also had been nursing a back injury) , and Thorpe childishly decided to retire before the first test was played.
I previously expressed two concerns - one that we can't have Cook, Trott and Ballance at the top of the order and two that I worried about Ballance's technique.
Trott has now gone and if Lyth doesn't succeed then hopefully Hales will step up.
I think the truth about Ballance is that he has proven himself as a solid batsman who, once he does get in, becomes an immovable object. The issue is that a lot of his runs have been against what I would describe as "soft" opening attacks - his average against Sri Lanka, India and the West Indies from 17 innings is 69 but his average from a limited four innings sample is just 6.5. He's also only scored 42 runs in his last four innings.
Ballance does play the ball so late that he invites swing to take full effect and against the type of bowler we are likely to face this summer that won't be good so he needs to go away and sort that out.
As Riviera has said the form of Bell is also a worry and despite the form of Cook, Root, Stokes, Buttler and Ali, we can't have three of our top six going into an Ashes series out of form. Sometimes it pays to throw someone in at the deep end from left field and who the opposition don't know too much about. If Bell or Ballance has to go at some point in the Ashes then I would really like to see Steven Davies given a chance.
Davies is the type of player that is so easy on the eye when he bats that he makes things look incredibly simple. He has had some real mental issues to deal with - "coming out" must have be incredibly hard for him, then being discarded by England and finally the death of his friend Tom Maynard.
In isolation, his first class average of a fraction over 40 isn't good enough. But, funnily enough, David Gower's was just that and it never stopped him being a superb Test batsmen. And this season he has scored in all competitions 623 runs from nine innings at an average of 89 with scores of 200*, 21, 81, 6, 115*, 58, 53, 44 and 45.
Granted AA. However, I also cant now believe that you are even thinking about dropping Bell ! - from what I've seen this season so far, he has been getting worldy balls - it happens sometimes that way - if he's getting them all out of the way before the Ashes then great - but his recent record v Oz is the best of all (including KP). Davies, hmmm, no way, in my eye quite clearly doesnt have the mental toughness required at Test level. You watch, either Bell or Balance will make a big score in next Test, or both. Not sure about Lyth, but it is only one Test so far. Thought Wood looked decent and maybe just the type of bowler we need - shame he's not a lefty, but cant have everything. The one bowler who does worry me is Ali - don't think we can keep him as main spinner, however his batting certainly makes up for it - and with him coming in at 8 is quite a batting line-up !
Thins though looking a bit better than a week ago !
Re Davies and mental toughness - There can't be many things tougher mentally than to announce that you are gay. You can count on the fingers of one hand professional sportsmen who have been prepared to face the consequences of doing so whilst playing. He was immediately dropped by England in favour of Kieswetter (not suggesting the two are connected) and then had his mate, Tom Maynard, killed. He also made the very bold decision a couple of years ago to give up the gloves and if anything his batting has become more consistent as a result. So yes he might have not been very strong mentally when he first got into the England side but we really don't know how much the fact that he was "different" actually affected him.
I did say if "Bell or Ballance has to go at some point in the Ashes" so I'm not suggesting dropping either before that series starts. But Bell has only averaged 33 in his last 16 Tests (28 innings), scoring just two hundreds in that time with the most recent one against the West Indies when, if I recall correctly, he was dropped on zero. The last five innings have amassed just 31 runs of which 29 were scored in one of them.
Re Ali I'm really not sure that we have a realistic alternative for the Ashes. We've seen the Aussies target newcomers and Cook is not renowned for patience when it comes to persevering with one in those circumstances. Just ask Simon Keerigan. He went for 53 off 8 overs in the first innings of the Oval Test two years ago, didn't get another bowl in the 2nd innings and hasn't been seen since.
The top order batting is still a worry, without Stokes we would not have won this test even given Cook's superb return to form. The problem is that, so far as I can tell, there is not a long queue of English batsmen hammering down the selection door demanding a place in the team. The time for experiment was last winter in the Windies. Other than the failed Trott as opener trials, this chance was wasted.
The top order batting is still a worry, without Stokes we would not have won this test even given Cook's superb return to form. The problem is that, so far as I can tell, there is not a long queue of English batsmen hammering down the selection door demanding a place in the team. The time for experiment was last winter in the Windies. Other than the failed Trott as opener trials, this chance was wasted.
I didnt see any of the Test, as i was in Monaco (i know, but someone has to do it!), but *has* Cook recovered his form ? i know the scores suggest so, but has he eradicated his 'issues'? It just seems too many times in the past that he will score a century then get nothing for about 20 innings, then when he's on the verge, scores another hundred to keep himself in the side.
The top order batting is still a worry, without Stokes we would not have won this test even given Cook's superb return to form. The problem is that, so far as I can tell, there is not a long queue of English batsmen hammering down the selection door demanding a place in the team. The time for experiment was last winter in the Windies. Other than the failed Trott as opener trials, this chance was wasted.
I didnt see any of the Test, as i was in Monaco (i know, but someone has to do it!), but *has* Cook recovered his form ? i know the scores suggest so, but has he eradicated his 'issues'?
I think so, I certainly hope so. His captaincy needs a bit of work but hopefully the new coaching/managerial crew can have good input into that aspect of his game. Nasser Hussain summed up his batting situation quite nicely. Cook has wiped any notions of one day shots from his repertoire, is leaving the ball like he used to when in his real pomp, is not over eager to score too quickly or rashly and/or to prove what an entertainer he is. The down side ? .. his opening partner may be forced into being too aggressive to compensate for Cook's (relative) 'slowness' .. while this might have suited a Trescothick, a Haden or a Gooch or Slater, it might be asking too much of Lyth, naturally a stroke maker but by no means a 'dasher' .. we will see
TBH, i dont think Cook will ever become an instinctive captain, he'a always going to play the numbers game - its just not in him. Drives me crazy when you see obvious things yourself and yet it seems he cant.
The top order batting is still a worry, without Stokes we would not have won this test even given Cook's superb return to form. The problem is that, so far as I can tell, there is not a long queue of English batsmen hammering down the selection door demanding a place in the team. The time for experiment was last winter in the Windies. Other than the failed Trott as opener trials, this chance was wasted.
I didnt see any of the Test, as i was in Monaco (i know, but someone has to do it!), but *has* Cook recovered his form ? i know the scores suggest so, but has he eradicated his 'issues'? It just seems too many times in the past that he will score a century then get nothing for about 20 innings, then when he's on the verge, scores another hundred to keep himself in the side.
Yes, the commentators have all noted that he's playing now like he used to, much straighter, and that this started in the West Indies after many training sessions with Gooch. That 162 he looked like a rock, even when conditions were tricky, and even Root was playing and missing a lot more
Suggestions are that England will be (surprise,surprise) unchanged for 2 nd Test starting on Friday at Headingley, NZ may bring in Ronchi for injured Watling as keeper.
Suggestions are that England will be (surprise,surprise) unchanged for 2 nd Test starting on Friday at Headingley, NZ may bring in Ronchi for injured Watling as keeper.
Still need to have a go with another spinner whether that is rashid ansari or someone else... need to have a go before the ashes!
Comments
The three wickets last night were crucial and really set the tone for day five.
Arrived just after 11, didn't have to queue and found seats on the front row directly behind the bowlers arm at the nursery end ... nice!
I have seen some special stuff at Lord's live, such as the Freddie Flintoff destruction of the Aussies in 2009, but today was still amazing.
England were fabulous today, real intent in the field which is great to see.
What a Test Match though, so many ebbs and flows that make Test Cricket the best format of the game. Credit must go to New Zealand for their part in a great game.
#ENGvNZ was the most spoken about thing on Twitter today, who said Test Cricket was dead ...
Also, I met and got a photo with Michael Vaughan, I completely forgot to remind him of Simon Church's Hand Of God in the FA Cup though ...
If 'being found out by bowlers' means an average of 55, then id like to see his average once he's sorted it out !
I'm quite gobsmacked that you want to replace a player with an average of 55 with a player who has never played Test cricket before !
I'm off to Leeds on Saturday, can't wait.
Trott has now gone and if Lyth doesn't succeed then hopefully Hales will step up.
I think the truth about Ballance is that he has proven himself as a solid batsman who, once he does get in, becomes an immovable object. The issue is that a lot of his runs have been against what I would describe as "soft" opening attacks - his average against Sri Lanka, India and the West Indies from 17 innings is 69 but his average from a limited four innings sample is just 6.5. He's also only scored 42 runs in his last four innings.
Ballance does play the ball so late that he invites swing to take full effect and against the type of bowler we are likely to face this summer that won't be good so he needs to go away and sort that out.
As Riviera has said the form of Bell is also a worry and despite the form of Cook, Root, Stokes, Buttler and Ali, we can't have three of our top six going into an Ashes series out of form. Sometimes it pays to throw someone in at the deep end from left field and who the opposition don't know too much about. If Bell or Ballance has to go at some point in the Ashes then I would really like to see Steven Davies given a chance.
Davies is the type of player that is so easy on the eye when he bats that he makes things look incredibly simple. He has had some real mental issues to deal with - "coming out" must have be incredibly hard for him, then being discarded by England and finally the death of his friend Tom Maynard.
In isolation, his first class average of a fraction over 40 isn't good enough. But, funnily enough, David Gower's was just that and it never stopped him being a superb Test batsmen. And this season he has scored in all competitions 623 runs from nine innings at an average of 89 with scores of 200*, 21, 81, 6, 115*, 58, 53, 44 and 45.
You watch, either Bell or Balance will make a big score in next Test, or both.
Not sure about Lyth, but it is only one Test so far.
Thought Wood looked decent and maybe just the type of bowler we need - shame he's not a lefty, but cant have everything.
The one bowler who does worry me is Ali - don't think we can keep him as main spinner, however his batting certainly makes up for it - and with him coming in at 8 is quite a batting line-up !
Thins though looking a bit better than a week ago !
Blimey, you'll have to stop doing this Dick, I agree with you - that's not right !!
I did say if "Bell or Ballance has to go at some point in the Ashes" so I'm not suggesting dropping either before that series starts. But Bell has only averaged 33 in his last 16 Tests (28 innings), scoring just two hundreds in that time with the most recent one against the West Indies when, if I recall correctly, he was dropped on zero. The last five innings have amassed just 31 runs of which 29 were scored in one of them.
Re Ali I'm really not sure that we have a realistic alternative for the Ashes. We've seen the Aussies target newcomers and Cook is not renowned for patience when it comes to persevering with one in those circumstances. Just ask Simon Keerigan. He went for 53 off 8 overs in the first innings of the Oval Test two years ago, didn't get another bowl in the 2nd innings and hasn't been seen since.
Nasser Hussain summed up his batting situation quite nicely. Cook has wiped any notions of one day shots from his repertoire, is leaving the ball like he used to when in his real pomp, is not over eager to score too quickly or rashly and/or to prove what an entertainer he is. The down side ? .. his opening partner may be forced into being too aggressive to compensate for Cook's (relative) 'slowness' .. while this might have suited a Trescothick, a Haden or a Gooch or Slater, it might be asking too much of Lyth, naturally a stroke maker but by no means a 'dasher' .. we will see