In white ball cricket, I'm not sure the rankings use strike rate as a consideration, so a player who's job is to play sensibly and anchor the innings will have an advantage over those expected to go out and smack sixes from the start
A boring 35 will gain more ranking points than an explosive 25 off 10 balls
Indeed. I mentioned that Morgan scored 129 runs from 14 innings at an average of 11.72 and Maxwell has scored 513 runs at an average of 42.75. Their respective strike rates are 98.47 and 144.10 respectably which only serves to demonstrate how poor Morgan's form is.
That said, the key is the power play. Stats have previously shown that 80% of teams lose matches if they are 3 or more down in the power play. The issue in the IPL is that unless you get off to a flyer in those six overs you are going to struggle to get a decent score and the majority of the time the team that gets the higher score in the PP wins the match.
Yesterday 6 wickets were lost in 23 balls for 7 runs at the end of the innings for the side chasing. As has been pointed out, later in the innings when the ball goes soft, it hits the deck and becomes the equivalent of an football that has been punctured - batsmen set themselves to pull the ball but find that it completely dies on them. Batsmen that have to come in late on have very little chance to adapt themselves to that which is why a side cannot afford someone who is just going to chew up balls early on and then get out.
And yet Eoin Morgan is ranked 14th on that list and Glenn Maxwell is ranked 26th.
And yet in the IPL Morgan has scored 129 runs from 14 innings at an average of 11.72 and Maxwell has scored 513 runs at an average of 42.75 for exactly the same number of innings
And yet George Munsey of Scotland is ranked a better batsman than Maxwell and yet he can only dream of securing a county contract let alone playing in the IPL. His ranking is based on scoring runs against the likes of Namibia, Papua New Guinea and Oman as opposed to the best bowlers in the world
And yet you would still believe, by virtue of your belief in the validity of these rankings, that Munsey is a batter batsman than Maxwell
Any yet that rather says it all
The IPL isn't international cricket. In the same way first class averages don't always count for much in Test cricket. And A List one day games are different from ODIs.
I am not saying that the only reason that Malan would be a better choice than Root is that Root isn't in the top 100 world rankings and Malan is top. It's for lots of reasons.
I think we're agreed that the England team should have one "anchor" player. My view is that Malan should have that role.
It's better than international cricket as reflected by the fact that Steve Smith is the habitual sub fielder
And yet Eoin Morgan is ranked 14th on that list and Glenn Maxwell is ranked 26th.
And yet in the IPL Morgan has scored 129 runs from 14 innings at an average of 11.72 and Maxwell has scored 513 runs at an average of 42.75 for exactly the same number of innings
And yet George Munsey of Scotland is ranked a better batsman than Maxwell and yet he can only dream of securing a county contract let alone playing in the IPL. His ranking is based on scoring runs against the likes of Namibia, Papua New Guinea and Oman as opposed to the best bowlers in the world
And yet you would still believe, by virtue of your belief in the validity of these rankings, that Munsey is a batter batsman than Maxwell
Any yet that rather says it all
The IPL isn't international cricket. In the same way first class averages don't always count for much in Test cricket. And A List one day games are different from ODIs.
I am not saying that the only reason that Malan would be a better choice than Root is that Root isn't in the top 100 world rankings and Malan is top. It's for lots of reasons.
I think we're agreed that the England team should have one "anchor" player. My view is that Malan should have that role.
It's better than international cricket as reflected by the fact that Steve Smith is the habitual sub fielder
Do you think Root would be a better selection in the England World Cup T20 XI than Malan, if you were only able to pick one of them?
BT Sport have bought the live TV rights for the five Tests, but are not planning to send a commentary team to Australia, and will instead rely on a feed provided by host broadcasters Fox and Channel Seven. Oh joy!
Looks like I wont be up in the middle of the night watching it then as I don't (currently) subscribe to BT Sport.
Sky losing their touch....?
could be that new owner comcast isn't especially interested in cricket
And yet Eoin Morgan is ranked 14th on that list and Glenn Maxwell is ranked 26th.
And yet in the IPL Morgan has scored 129 runs from 14 innings at an average of 11.72 and Maxwell has scored 513 runs at an average of 42.75 for exactly the same number of innings
And yet George Munsey of Scotland is ranked a better batsman than Maxwell and yet he can only dream of securing a county contract let alone playing in the IPL. His ranking is based on scoring runs against the likes of Namibia, Papua New Guinea and Oman as opposed to the best bowlers in the world
And yet you would still believe, by virtue of your belief in the validity of these rankings, that Munsey is a batter batsman than Maxwell
Any yet that rather says it all
The IPL isn't international cricket. In the same way first class averages don't always count for much in Test cricket. And A List one day games are different from ODIs.
I am not saying that the only reason that Malan would be a better choice than Root is that Root isn't in the top 100 world rankings and Malan is top. It's for lots of reasons.
I think we're agreed that the England team should have one "anchor" player. My view is that Malan should have that role.
It's better than international cricket as reflected by the fact that Steve Smith is the habitual sub fielder
Well that's not strictly true, You're only allowed to play 4 overseas in a team so its not the out and out strongest possible XI for each franchise
And yet Eoin Morgan is ranked 14th on that list and Glenn Maxwell is ranked 26th.
And yet in the IPL Morgan has scored 129 runs from 14 innings at an average of 11.72 and Maxwell has scored 513 runs at an average of 42.75 for exactly the same number of innings
And yet George Munsey of Scotland is ranked a better batsman than Maxwell and yet he can only dream of securing a county contract let alone playing in the IPL. His ranking is based on scoring runs against the likes of Namibia, Papua New Guinea and Oman as opposed to the best bowlers in the world
And yet you would still believe, by virtue of your belief in the validity of these rankings, that Munsey is a batter batsman than Maxwell
Any yet that rather says it all
The IPL isn't international cricket. In the same way first class averages don't always count for much in Test cricket. And A List one day games are different from ODIs.
I am not saying that the only reason that Malan would be a better choice than Root is that Root isn't in the top 100 world rankings and Malan is top. It's for lots of reasons.
I think we're agreed that the England team should have one "anchor" player. My view is that Malan should have that role.
It's better than international cricket as reflected by the fact that Steve Smith is the habitual sub fielder
Well that's not strictly true, You're only allowed to play 4 overseas in a team so its not the out and out strongest possible XI for each franchise
Correct but when one of the best batsmen in the world isn't one of those four overseas players it does rather suggest that all of these sides would be more than a match for most international teams. Not many have international teams have Kohli, ABV and Maxwell and/or Roy, Williamson, Holder and Rashid Khan in the same side after all.
By the same token, the IPL can't be any compared with first class cricket given that the CC only allows two overseas (and these aren't the best due to other international commitments) and England centrally contracted players rarely even play in the comp.
And yet Eoin Morgan is ranked 14th on that list and Glenn Maxwell is ranked 26th.
And yet in the IPL Morgan has scored 129 runs from 14 innings at an average of 11.72 and Maxwell has scored 513 runs at an average of 42.75 for exactly the same number of innings
And yet George Munsey of Scotland is ranked a better batsman than Maxwell and yet he can only dream of securing a county contract let alone playing in the IPL. His ranking is based on scoring runs against the likes of Namibia, Papua New Guinea and Oman as opposed to the best bowlers in the world
And yet you would still believe, by virtue of your belief in the validity of these rankings, that Munsey is a batter batsman than Maxwell
Any yet that rather says it all
The IPL isn't international cricket. In the same way first class averages don't always count for much in Test cricket. And A List one day games are different from ODIs.
I am not saying that the only reason that Malan would be a better choice than Root is that Root isn't in the top 100 world rankings and Malan is top. It's for lots of reasons.
I think we're agreed that the England team should have one "anchor" player. My view is that Malan should have that role.
It's better than international cricket as reflected by the fact that Steve Smith is the habitual sub fielder
Do you think Root would be a better selection in the England World Cup T20 XI than Malan, if you were only able to pick one of them?
Assuming these pitches are the same in nature then yes
And yet Eoin Morgan is ranked 14th on that list and Glenn Maxwell is ranked 26th.
And yet in the IPL Morgan has scored 129 runs from 14 innings at an average of 11.72 and Maxwell has scored 513 runs at an average of 42.75 for exactly the same number of innings
And yet George Munsey of Scotland is ranked a better batsman than Maxwell and yet he can only dream of securing a county contract let alone playing in the IPL. His ranking is based on scoring runs against the likes of Namibia, Papua New Guinea and Oman as opposed to the best bowlers in the world
And yet you would still believe, by virtue of your belief in the validity of these rankings, that Munsey is a batter batsman than Maxwell
Any yet that rather says it all
The IPL isn't international cricket. In the same way first class averages don't always count for much in Test cricket. And A List one day games are different from ODIs.
I am not saying that the only reason that Malan would be a better choice than Root is that Root isn't in the top 100 world rankings and Malan is top. It's for lots of reasons.
I think we're agreed that the England team should have one "anchor" player. My view is that Malan should have that role.
It's better than international cricket as reflected by the fact that Steve Smith is the habitual sub fielder
Do you think Root would be a better selection in the England World Cup T20 XI than Malan, if you were only able to pick one of them?
Assuming these pitches are the same in nature then yes
It’s casual clothes training on a Thursday… Generally my first ball back and this is what happened 🤣 Then a bit of making sure I don’t break my toe Then eventually hit a nice one
Opener Dom Sibley has been included in a 14-strong England Lions squad that will shadow the main touring party during the Ashes tour of Australia this winter.
Sibley was dropped during the India series this summer, and lost his central contract last week.
The 26-year-old is one of four players, along with wicketkeepers Ben Foakes and James Bracey and spinner Mason Crane, to have played Test cricket.
England Lions squad: Tom Abell (Somerset), Josh Bohannon (Lancashire), James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Mason Crane (Hampshire), Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Alex Lees (Durham), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Liam Norwell (Warwickshire), Matt Parkinson (Lancashire), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Rob Yates (Warwickshire).
It’s casual clothes training on a Thursday… Generally my first ball back and this is what happened 🤣 Then a bit of making sure I don’t break my toe Then eventually hit a nice one
Opener Dom Sibley has been included in a 14-strong England Lions squad that will shadow the main touring party during the Ashes tour of Australia this winter.
Sibley was dropped during the India series this summer, and lost his central contract last week.
The 26-year-old is one of four players, along with wicketkeepers Ben Foakes and James Bracey and spinner Mason Crane, to have played Test cricket.
England Lions squad: Tom Abell (Somerset), Josh Bohannon (Lancashire), James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Mason Crane (Hampshire), Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Alex Lees (Durham), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Liam Norwell (Warwickshire), Matt Parkinson (Lancashire), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Rob Yates (Warwickshire).
Tom Abell is announced this morning as playing for the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash. A couple of hours later it is confirmed that he will be with the Lions. But Liam Livingstone, who has expressed an interest in playing Test cricket, is told to go and play in the Big Bash.
Meanwhile Foakes is put under pressure as heir apparent to Buttler/Bairstow as England keeper not just from Bracey but also from Robinson Cox fellow Surrey player Smith
31 players selected for the Ashes and Lions squads
26 of the 31 come from just 7 counties The other 11 counties provide just 5 players between them The 5 non international hosting counties in Division 1 provide just 6 players between them The 3 international hosting counties in Division 2 provide 5 players whereas the other 5 counties in Division 2 provide just 1 player
List of counties and number of players with next season's CC Division in brackets. International hosting counties in bold
It's debatable whether Durham can be considered an international ground now, after their financial problems either they've stopped applying for international, or the ECB have stopped giving them matches
For those interested final details of Windes tour likely to be announced Monday. I am hearing that the venues will be Antigua Barbados and Grenada in that order with start dates of 8th 16th and 24th March rerspectively.
Yes - probably should have said "current Test hosting counties". Not specifying that also brings into the equation Somerset who provide 3 more players
We play Test matches at Cardiff too?
I might be incorrect again but I believe they've only ever hosted 2 Tests (both Ashes) in 2009 and 2015 which is why I said "current". The ECB would rather have a 30,000 a sell out at Lord's where they can charge top dollar, whoever is playing, than a half filled 8,000 watching at half that price at Sophia Gardens
It's debatable whether Durham can be considered an international ground now, after their financial problems either they've stopped applying for international, or the ECB have stopped giving them matches
Test matches yes agreed that they should be taken off the list given that. They did host an ODI this summer though
Yes - probably should have said "current Test hosting counties". Not specifying that also brings into the equation Somerset who provide 3 more players
We play Test matches at Cardiff too?
I might be incorrect again but I believe they've only ever hosted 2 Tests (both Ashes) in 2009 and 2015 which is why I said "current". The ECB would rather have a 30,000 a sell out at Lord's where they can charge top dollar, whoever is playing, than a half filled 8,000 watching at half that price at Sophia Gardens
It was ridiculous anyway. The Welsh government supporting Glamorgan (for tourism reasons), but only to host the big matches likes the Ashes. Durham by contrast would get a lot of unattractive matches, like the W Indies or Sri Lanka in June
Fair point, but we haven't played a test at Durham since about 2015/16ish either
Indeed see above. Durham and Glamorgan are on the same level in that respect - both will probably host the odd T20s/ODIs but unlikely to host Tests.
I suppose perhaps we should be comparing The Hundred hosting grounds which would include Glamorgan but I suspect that they got the gig over Somerset is that they have twice the capacity!
The anomaly is Middlesex. Something seriously is going wrong with their cricket given their wealth
Fair point, but we haven't played a test at Durham since about 2015/16ish either
Indeed see above. Durham and Glamorgan are on the same level in that respect - both will probably host the odd T20s/ODIs but unlikely to host Tests.
I suppose perhaps we should be comparing The Hundred hosting grounds which would include Glamorgan but I suspect that they got the gig over Somerset is that they have twice the capacity!
The anomaly is Middlesex. Something seriously is going wrong with their cricket given their wealth
Middlesex aren't wealthy
They might play at Lord's (sometimes) but don't own it. Indeed they don't have any grounds or training facilities of their own, hence sometimes they can train at Lord's, while other times they train at schools and out grounds.
Fair point, but we haven't played a test at Durham since about 2015/16ish either
Indeed see above. Durham and Glamorgan are on the same level in that respect - both will probably host the odd T20s/ODIs but unlikely to host Tests.
I suppose perhaps we should be comparing The Hundred hosting grounds which would include Glamorgan but I suspect that they got the gig over Somerset is that they have twice the capacity!
The anomaly is Middlesex. Something seriously is going wrong with their cricket given their wealth
Middlesex aren't wealthy
They might play at Lord's (sometimes) but don't own it. Indeed they don't have any grounds or training facilities of their own, hence sometimes they can train at Lord's, while other times they train at schools and out grounds.
Good point. They played most of their CC and some of their Blast matches at Lord's and their capacity must lend itself to bigger ticket sales particularly against the likes of Surrey and Kent. They also do not have the costs associated with the upkeep and upgrading of a home ground.
Fair point, but we haven't played a test at Durham since about 2015/16ish either
Indeed see above. Durham and Glamorgan are on the same level in that respect - both will probably host the odd T20s/ODIs but unlikely to host Tests.
I suppose perhaps we should be comparing The Hundred hosting grounds which would include Glamorgan but I suspect that they got the gig over Somerset is that they have twice the capacity!
The anomaly is Middlesex. Something seriously is going wrong with their cricket given their wealth
Middlesex aren't wealthy
They might play at Lord's (sometimes) but don't own it. Indeed they don't have any grounds or training facilities of their own, hence sometimes they can train at Lord's, while other times they train at schools and out grounds.
Good point. They played most of their CC and some of their Blast matches at Lord's and their capacity must lend itself to bigger ticket sales particularly against the likes of Surrey and Kent. They also do not have the costs associated with the upkeep and upgrading of a home ground.
The MCC members take up a fair chunk of the capacity, though public capacity must be 20k, so still very good. I've no idea how the revenue is split when Middlesex play there, whether for ticket sales, hospitality or catering
I know I keep banging on about the nature of the pitches in the UAE and how a low score can be defended. Today's game today was an illustration of how hard things might be for our batsmen in the WC.
KKR crawled to 135-5 off 20. Delhi were 96-0 off 12 and after 15.5 overs were 121-1 so needing just 15 runs off 25 balls with 9 wickets in hand. They then lost 6 wickets for 7 runs off 23 balls! They still needed 6 runs to win off the last 2 balls but got over the line courtesy of a maximum from Tripathi.
Captain Morgan will have taken Delhi into the final of the IPL. But (and there is a but) he has become the Mike Brearley of the IPL and has even dropped himself down the batting order to 6 and on occasions even 7 such has been his woeful form.
Morgan's overall average for the whole IPL this season is 11.72 at a strike rate of 98.47 - in 15 innings he has only three times reached double figures. As if that isn't bad enough it actually drops to 7.40 at 75.51 in the UAE where his top score has been 13*
I'm certainly not advocating dropping Morgan for the WC. But I am suggesting that, if the surfaces are the same, we desperately need someone like Root who the rest of the team can bat round. If he ends up 60 not out and we reach 150 we will have every chance of winning. The other person who has to play is Moeen Ali who has averaged 22.85 at 133.33. His economy rate with the ball is 6.35 too and his experience in the conditions will be invaluable
Moeen, batting at 4, has just hit 37* off 20 balls in the IPL Final
CSK reached 192-3 with FDP making 86* (59). An unusually high score but then this is only the second time this strip has been used and the last time was in the very first game at this ground
Comments
That said, the key is the power play. Stats have previously shown that 80% of teams lose matches if they are 3 or more down in the power play. The issue in the IPL is that unless you get off to a flyer in those six overs you are going to struggle to get a decent score and the majority of the time the team that gets the higher score in the PP wins the match.
Yesterday 6 wickets were lost in 23 balls for 7 runs at the end of the innings for the side chasing. As has been pointed out, later in the innings when the ball goes soft, it hits the deck and becomes the equivalent of an football that has been punctured - batsmen set themselves to pull the ball but find that it completely dies on them. Batsmen that have to come in late on have very little chance to adapt themselves to that which is why a side cannot afford someone who is just going to chew up balls early on and then get out.
By the same token, the IPL can't be any compared with first class cricket given that the CC only allows two overseas (and these aren't the best due to other international commitments) and England centrally contracted players rarely even play in the comp.
It’s casual clothes training on a Thursday…
https://t.co/58hnWrAEEK— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) October 14, 2021 " title="Link: ">Generally my first ball back and this is what happened 🤣
Then a bit of making sure I don’t break my toe
Then eventually hit a nice one
Great to be back hitting balls 👌
England Lions squad: Tom Abell (Somerset), Josh Bohannon (Lancashire), James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Mason Crane (Hampshire), Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Alex Lees (Durham), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Liam Norwell (Warwickshire), Matt Parkinson (Lancashire), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Rob Yates (Warwickshire).
I would want danger money before agreeing to do throw downs to Ben Stokes from that distance
Meanwhile Foakes is put under pressure as heir apparent to Buttler/Bairstow as England keeper not just from Bracey but also from Robinson Cox fellow Surrey player Smith
26 of the 31 come from just 7 counties
The other 11 counties provide just 5 players between them
The 5 non international hosting counties in Division 1 provide just 6 players between them
The 3 international hosting counties in Division 2 provide 5 players whereas the other 5 counties in Division 2 provide just 1 player
List of counties and number of players with next season's CC Division in brackets. International hosting counties in bold
Lancs (1) 5
Yorks (1) 5
Surrey (1) 4
Warwicks (1) 4
Durham (2) 3
Somerset (1) 3
Notts (2) 2
Gloucs (1) 1
Hants (1) 1
Kent (1) 1
Essex (1) 1
Northants (1) 0
Sussex (2) 1
Derbyshire (2) 0
Glamorgan (2) 0
Leicestershire (2) 0
Middlesex (2) 0
Worcestershire (2) 0
I might be incorrect again but I believe they've only ever hosted 2 Tests (both Ashes) in 2009 and 2015 which is why I said "current". The ECB would rather have a 30,000 a sell out at Lord's where they can charge top dollar, whoever is playing, than a half filled 8,000 watching at half that price at Sophia Gardens
I suppose perhaps we should be comparing The Hundred hosting grounds which would include Glamorgan but I suspect that they got the gig over Somerset is that they have twice the capacity!
The anomaly is Middlesex. Something seriously is going wrong with their cricket given their wealth
They might play at Lord's (sometimes) but don't own it. Indeed they don't have any grounds or training facilities of their own, hence sometimes they can train at Lord's, while other times they train at schools and out grounds.
CSK reached 192-3 with FDP making 86* (59). An unusually high score but then this is only the second time this strip has been used and the last time was in the very first game at this ground