that double duff decision to bat on winning the toss bit Stokes (if it was really his decision) squarely in the balls All Silverwood's spirit crushing dreary horseshit about "we've got plans for each batter" and "we want to play a certain type of test cricket" just so much predictable empty bollocks "Plan for each batter" evidently bowl both sides of the wicket throughout and when WIndies are chasing a small target push the field back early doors giving them easy singles on both sides cos we're cacking it already and setting fields for all the bad balls we're expecting- gobbledegook wank. Add to that missing 4 routine chances in WIndies 2nd innings alone and we have the tame defeat to a very moderate opposition in under 4 days play. WIndies have some pace in their attack but only Holder has real control of lateral movement so opting to bat on a warm dark damp day with more of the same forecast for day 2 then followed by 3 fine days was just moronic. Always set out to do the last thing your opponent wants you to, nope Stokes/Silverwood rolled out the red carpet and offered up precisely what Holder/Simmons wanted at almost every turn. With Captain Cretin back in harness this week I'm expecting more of the same. The 1st test should have been in the bag by c.o.p Friday with England well on their way to an unassailable first innings lead, having shot out WIndies for 80 or 90. Hopefully the skill and determination of the likes of Crawley, Anderson and Burns might provide a bigger obstacle to WINdies success.
You forget the other point of making thebl Windies bat 2nd.......the fact they would be batting last on a wearing pitch. Then forgetting to bowl a spinner in the last 2 sessions.
that double duff decision to bat on winning the toss bit Stokes (if it was really his decision) squarely in the balls All Silverwood's spirit crushing dreary horseshit about "we've got plans for each batter" and "we want to play a certain type of test cricket" just so much predictable empty bollocks "Plan for each batter" evidently bowl both sides of the wicket throughout and when WIndies are chasing a small target push the field back early doors giving them easy singles on both sides cos we're cacking it already and setting fields for all the bad balls we're expecting- gobbledegook wank. Add to that missing 4 routine chances in WIndies 2nd innings alone and we have the tame defeat to a very moderate opposition in under 4 days play. WIndies have some pace in their attack but only Holder has real control of lateral movement so opting to bat on a warm dark damp day with more of the same forecast for day 2 then followed by 3 fine days was just moronic. Always set out to do the last thing your opponent wants you to, nope Stokes/Silverwood rolled out the red carpet and offered up precisely what Holder/Simmons wanted at almost every turn. With Captain Cretin back in harness this week I'm expecting more of the same. The 1st test should have been in the bag by c.o.p Friday with England well on their way to an unassailable first innings lead, having shot out WIndies for 80 or 90. Hopefully the skill and determination of the likes of Crawley, Anderson and Burns might provide a bigger obstacle to WINdies success.
You forget the other point of making thebl Windies bat 2nd.......the fact they would be batting last on a wearing pitch. Then forgetting to bowl a spinner in the last 2 sessions.
I was really amazed Denly wasn't given a couple of overs too, seeing that his leggies would be spinning away from the right handers AND might have lured Blackwood into a false shot
I couldn't believe that we pushed the fielders so far back, so early in their 2nd innings. The only way to win was to get wickets. Yet we had one slip fielder, quite early on.
Proves the point that great players don't always make great captains. I would have thought the Botham/Brearley showed that in 1981
But then with central contracts, most England players will never get to captain their counties before/while playing for England. It's a bizarre scenario where somebody like Stokes gets to captain England in a match having NEVER captained a side before.
Proves the point that great players don't always make great captains. I would have thought the Botham/Brearley showed that in 1981
But then with central contracts, most England players will never get to captain their counties before/while playing for England. It's a bizarre scenario where somebody like Stokes gets to captain England in a match having NEVER captained a side before.
Iirc Strauss was captain of Middlesex before he got picked for England. Cook always had the temperament for it, it’s something you either pick up naturally or not at all. Of the current lot I think only burns has experience of being skipper.
Proves the point that great players don't always make great captains. I would have thought the Botham/Brearley showed that in 1981
But then with central contracts, most England players will never get to captain their counties before/while playing for England. It's a bizarre scenario where somebody like Stokes gets to captain England in a match having NEVER captained a side before.
Iirc Strauss was captain of Middlesex before he got picked for England. Cook always had the temperament for it, it’s something you either pick up naturally or not at all. Of the current lot I think only burns has experience of being skipper.
Well it can't be a fast bowler because we will be rotating them apart from possibly Bess who can't do it anyway and most of our batsmen aren't certain of their places so it really is Root or Stokes. Burns would be an option but even he is only a poor series or two away from being dropped.
There is one person who England have, somewhat deliberately not picked (more I believe due to a fall out at some point with the England management) but who has captained at County level and on the balance of form probably deserved an opportunity before now to prove himself as a Test batsman - Sam Northeast.
He averaged 51 in the County Championship last season and went on the Lions Tour but that is as near to playing for England he may possibly be. He is still only 30 and will probably have to start batting at 3 for Hampshire (rather than Root's 4) if he is to force his way in. And still wouldn't be captain 'til he had proved himself at international level.
Sam northeast should’ve got a crack at playing for England a long time ago. He can also bat 3.
As I intimated the answer for why he hasn't is the same as Buttler and Bairstow continue to swap keeping duties for England to the detriment of the best bloke at doing the job. It's all about who the management like.
We need to find an opener and a number 3 before the next Ashes. Crawley might be one of those things. I know Sibley got a ton in SA but I think Cummins et al would have that technique on toast
No obviously I'm not blaming Slow Joe for this defeat. My astonishment at Root's minuscule intellect is well documented in these pages. The chance of him having learned anything in the last 3 or 4 months is nil. His defensive technique remains flawed but his powers of concentration have usually been stronger than Denly's. Anderson, Archer and Wood bowling first in those conditions Wednesday & Thursday would have been unplayable by any current batting side. The constant off and on for the well-forecast weather interruptions would have seen them bowl at full chat in perfect atmospherics throughout the innings. A score of 100+ against that would have been remarkable.
that double duff decision to bat on winning the toss bit Stokes (if it was really his decision) squarely in the balls All Silverwood's spirit crushing dreary horseshit about "we've got plans for each batter" and "we want to play a certain type of test cricket" just so much predictable empty bollocks "Plan for each batter" evidently bowl both sides of the wicket throughout and when WIndies are chasing a small target push the field back early doors giving them easy singles on both sides cos we're cacking it already and setting fields for all the bad balls we're expecting- gobbledegook wank. Add to that missing 4 routine chances in WIndies 2nd innings alone and we have the tame defeat to a very moderate opposition in under 4 days play. WIndies have some pace in their attack but only Holder has real control of lateral movement so opting to bat on a warm dark damp day with more of the same forecast for day 2 then followed by 3 fine days was just moronic. Always set out to do the last thing your opponent wants you to, nope Stokes/Silverwood rolled out the red carpet and offered up precisely what Holder/Simmons wanted at almost every turn. With Captain Cretin back in harness this week I'm expecting more of the same. The 1st test should have been in the bag by c.o.p Friday with England well on their way to an unassailable first innings lead, having shot out WIndies for 80 or 90. Hopefully the skill and determination of the likes of Crawley, Anderson and Burns might provide a bigger obstacle to WINdies success.
You forget the other point of making thebl Windies bat 2nd.......the fact they would be batting last on a wearing pitch. Then forgetting to bowl a spinner in the last 2 sessions.
Except after 300 odd overs the pitch wasn't that worn was it? Never going to be with a day's play lost under dark skies with frequent drizzle. The bat first decision fails by any reasoned assessment.
We need to find an opener and a number 3 before the next Ashes. Crawley might be one of those things. I know Sibley got a ton in SA but I think Cummins et al would have that technique on toast
Yes, Sibley looks awkward. Obviously there are exceptions like Steve Smith, but most players with wonky technique get found out eventually
Leach looked nothing like an 11 yesterday, repelling Wood and Archer with absolute ease. Bess looked very good but I do question whether he gets the rip that scares batsmen. Maybe a wily holding-job is the ticket. You'd hope the days of just choosing a spinner for their batting ability are over, though.
Watching all the videos of the world cup final and it's like why didnt Stokes just smash that last ball out the ground. Waist high full toss. Just smack it.
Watching all the videos of the world cup final and it's like why didnt Stokes just smash that last ball out the ground. Waist high full toss. Just smack it.
Like I know the logic.
But WHYYYYY?!?!??!
He said it was because he felt that if it was airborne there was a chance of getting out. He new if he played it safe, along the floor, then he knew that they would get one & tie the match.....maybe get 2 and win, but definitely backed them to at least take it to a super over.
I wouldn’t even say denly has been dropped, simply put, if you’re 23 years old and scored 70+ in your most recent innings you’d be livid to be left out the team. Denly was always just occupying a space in the team and out on the crease until a better player appeared to take over. I doubt we’ll see Denly play for England again.
I wouldn’t even say denly has been dropped, simply put, if you’re 23 years old and scored 70+ in your most recent innings you’d be livid to be left out the team. Denly was always just occupying a space in the team and out on the crease until a better player appeared to take over. I doubt we’ll see Denly play for England again.
Denly deserves to be backup for that top 3 at the moment. He has done a role of occupying the crease and played his part in the top order being more solid. Seems like Bracey is in line to take that role in the not too distant future but would benefit from a good county season. Lawrence as yet looks more like a 4/5/6 than a top 3 player but he may be able to adapt longer term.
Right decision to keep Crawley for this test though. Shame about Buttler but hopefully this is his last chance and if he doesn't get a score surely they have to pick Foakes for the Pakistan series
I wouldn’t even say denly has been dropped, simply put, if you’re 23 years old and scored 70+ in your most recent innings you’d be livid to be left out the team. Denly was always just occupying a space in the team and out on the crease until a better player appeared to take over. I doubt we’ll see Denly play for England again.
Although I agree, I bet he plays in the third test after one of the other batsmen gets injured in a stupid way
Watching all the videos of the world cup final and it's like why didnt Stokes just smash that last ball out the ground. Waist high full toss. Just smack it.
Like I know the logic.
But WHYYYYY?!?!??!
He said it was because he felt that if it was airborne there was a chance of getting out. He new if he played it safe, along the floor, then he knew that they would get one & tie the match.....maybe get 2 and win, but definitely backed them to at least take it to a super over.
Thats the logic and I get it. But still - WHYYYYYYY?!?!
I wouldn’t even say denly has been dropped, simply put, if you’re 23 years old and scored 70+ in your most recent innings you’d be livid to be left out the team. Denly was always just occupying a space in the team and out on the crease until a better player appeared to take over. I doubt we’ll see Denly play for England again.
Although I agree, I bet he plays in the third test after one of the other batsmen gets injured in a stupid way
Yes, as only the players in the 19(?) man squad are available for selection, he could still get another chance if Root or Burns injure themselves playing football again
I wouldn’t even say denly has been dropped, simply put, if you’re 23 years old and scored 70+ in your most recent innings you’d be livid to be left out the team. Denly was always just occupying a space in the team and out on the crease until a better player appeared to take over. I doubt we’ll see Denly play for England again.
Although I agree, I bet he plays in the third test after one of the other batsmen gets injured in a stupid way
Yes, as only the players in the 19(?) man squad are available for selection, he could still get another chance if Root or Burns injure themselves playing football again
Burns has said that he will never play football again before a game. Ivan Thomas did his cruciate in the same way in September 2018 and hasn't played a first team game since.
There is one aspect about Denly that leaves me scratching my head - the planting of that front foot regardless of the line of the ball.
This wouldn't be an overnight issue. So, is it something that has only been exposed at international level and is it so ingrained that he can't change it?
Ballance had a similar issue that only became prevalent when playing Test cricket. So he was told to go away and sort it but he came back and nothing had changed. And yet he continues to be one of the top scorers in the County Championship. Presumably because he isn't facing the sort of pace and intelligent bowler that is likely to find him out.
The one thing that is certain is that with all the analysts at the top level studying every single shot, if a batsman has a fundamental flaw they will find it.
Ballance made himself unselectable by the fact he went away and did zero work on his technique and just came back and got out exactly how everyone got him out before. Complete waste of time for everyone. I think that really fucked off the selectors that he’s fucked up his chances now.
Watching all the videos of the world cup final and it's like why didnt Stokes just smash that last ball out the ground. Waist high full toss. Just smack it.
Like I know the logic.
But WHYYYYY?!?!??!
He said it was because he felt that if it was airborne there was a chance of getting out. He new if he played it safe, along the floor, then he knew that they would get one & tie the match.....maybe get 2 and win, but definitely backed them to at least take it to a super over.
Thats the logic and I get it. But still - WHYYYYYYY?!?!
Comments
The only way to win was to get wickets.
Yet we had one slip fielder, quite early on.
There is one person who England have, somewhat deliberately not picked (more I believe due to a fall out at some point with the England management) but who has captained at County level and on the balance of form probably deserved an opportunity before now to prove himself as a Test batsman - Sam Northeast.
He averaged 51 in the County Championship last season and went on the Lions Tour but that is as near to playing for England he may possibly be. He is still only 30 and will probably have to start batting at 3 for Hampshire (rather than Root's 4) if he is to force his way in. And still wouldn't be captain 'til he had proved himself at international level.
My astonishment at Root's minuscule intellect is well documented in these pages. The chance of him having learned anything in the last 3 or 4 months is nil. His defensive technique remains flawed but his powers of concentration have usually been stronger than Denly's.
Anderson, Archer and Wood bowling first in those conditions Wednesday & Thursday would have been unplayable by any current batting side. The constant off and on for the well-forecast weather interruptions would have seen them bowl at full chat in perfect atmospherics throughout the innings. A score of 100+ against that would have been remarkable.
Like I know the logic.
But WHYYYYY?!?!??!
Bairstow stays in the team until Buttler replaces him.
Rince and repeat.
Right decision to keep Crawley for this test though. Shame about Buttler but hopefully this is his last chance and if he doesn't get a score surely they have to pick Foakes for the Pakistan series
This wouldn't be an overnight issue. So, is it something that has only been exposed at international level and is it so ingrained that he can't change it?
Ballance had a similar issue that only became prevalent when playing Test cricket. So he was told to go away and sort it but he came back and nothing had changed. And yet he continues to be one of the top scorers in the County Championship. Presumably because he isn't facing the sort of pace and intelligent bowler that is likely to find him out.
The one thing that is certain is that with all the analysts at the top level studying every single shot, if a batsman has a fundamental flaw they will find it.