Absolutely ridiculous that the ECB wouldn't let Ollie Robinson play this week vs Leicestershire. Hasn't played a competitive game since the start of July!
The concept of getting fit for playing cricket by actually playing cricket doesn't seem to apply nowadays...
Surely the ECB can have an intense fitness programme for him during the off season? It's months until the India tour, so why not play now?
Absolutely ridiculous that the ECB wouldn't let Ollie Robinson play this week vs Leicestershire. Hasn't played a competitive game since the start of July!
The ECB are happy to be used as the fall guy/decision maker for a cricketer not playing for a county because they are the player's employer. They have the player's wishes and desires at heart not that of the county. If the ECB feel that a player needs to play for fitness purposes or he makes a representation that he would like to play for the county and the ECB see no reason why he shouldn't then he will. Equally, if that same player says that he doesn't fancy playing then he won't and doesn't need to financially given he is being paid between £500K and £1m not to play for "his" county.
The classic example of that was Root last season when he didn't play for Yorkshire in their vital relegation match but instead he chose to travel from his home in Yorkshire to play four Scottish golf courses instead. The ECB were the ones that carried the can for that but there is no way on earth that, with representations from Yorkshire, they would not have had that conversation.
In the case of Ollie Robinson there appears to be an element of politics going on. Paul Farbrace, the Sussex head coach, proclaims that he doesn't know what the situation is with Robinson and whether he has been under a fitness regime or not. Paul Farbrace, stepfather to Robinson, will know the truth but therein lies a conflict of interest. In fact, Robinson was at the PGA Pro-Am yesterday caddying for his new girlfriend. If fitness were truly the issue then I'm sure that he wouldn't be lumping a bag of clubs around for 18 holes.
Robinson, I understand, has been offered a one year extension at Sussex but, unlike Archer, no announcement has been made that he has signed one. He's moved on in his love life and he might well be moving counties too (for what worth that is).
Would be disappointed to lose Robinson after Sussex threw him a lifeline but that's just being a small county really , lost Phil Salt , Laurie Evans and Chris Jordan in recent years too. When he has played he's looked a cut above Div 2 but perhaps the signings of Chris Wright and Danny Lamb earlier and tying Ari Karvelas to a long term deal were signals that maybe Ollie wasn't hanging around.
With regards to Jason Roy. When Stokes scored his 182 the other day, Sky put up a list of the ten highest scores in 50 overs cricket. Roy had three of those including a 180. He has in the past been one of the very best at the top of the order and ideally he would have featured in this series against New Zealand to see if he had recaptured his best form. If he misses out again today with back spasms he will have missed every game. As good as he's been in the past I don't think we can take a risk in including him in the world Cup squad with the amount of flying that is involved. If he misses out today then that should be it.
Roy isn't playing but Buttler says "he's getting there" and yet he was playing rugby on the outfield today. Is this more politics at play (they'd rather that he didn't play and fail thus making his selection even more the subject of criticism) or has the decision already been made that he isn't in the final squad?
Unconvincing innings by Bairstow. Today he really should have been more selfish, and played more cautiously. Root also needs to knuckle down, a patient 100 would be much better going forward than a frantic 15.
Unconvincing innings by Bairstow. Today he really should have been more selfish, and played more cautiously. Root also needs to knuckle down, a patient 100 would be much better going forward than a frantic 15.
Especially as Bairstow would have known that Jamieson, Lister and Ravindra are likely to be far less of a threat than Southee and Henry. Root seems to have far more moving parts when he's batting these days.
Unconvincing innings by Bairstow. Today he really should have been more selfish, and played more cautiously. Root also needs to knuckle down, a patient 100 would be much better going forward than a frantic 15.
Especially as Bairstow would have known that Jamieson, Lister and Ravindra are likely to be far less of a threat than Southee and Henry. Root seems to have far more moving parts when he's batting these days.
Root is world class when he plays his normal game. He seems to want to improvise and play unorthodox shots too much for my liking. He really doesn't need to.
Root is world class when he plays his normal game. He seems to want to improvise and play unorthodox shots too much for my liking. He really doesn't need to.
Irony is, under his own captaincy he was one of the quicker scorers, since bazball he’s been trying to play a game that isn’t really his.
Root is world class when he plays his normal game. He seems to want to improvise and play unorthodox shots too much for my liking. He really doesn't need to.
Irony is, under his own captaincy he was one of the quicker scorers, since bazball he’s been trying to play a game that isn’t really his.
Needs to play his usual game where he potters around and suddenly has 65 off 55 balls without anyone noticing
Root is world class when he plays his normal game. He seems to want to improvise and play unorthodox shots too much for my liking. He really doesn't need to.
Irony is, under his own captaincy he was one of the quicker scorers, since bazball he’s been trying to play a game that isn’t really his.
Needs to play his usual game where he potters around and suddenly has 65 off 55 balls without anyone noticing
He’s the best in the world at manoeuvring the ball around the field, which is why he goes so quickly to 50 odd without anyone noticing and arguably even playing well (which is also why his conversion rate isn’t very good either) which shows just how good he is.
Sounds like Southee has dislocated or even fractured his thumb and if that is the case he will be fortunate to make our game opening game against NZ in the WC
Sounds like Southee has dislocated or even fractured his thumb and if that is the case he will be fortunate to make our game opening game against NZ in the WC
His bowling has been ordinary in this tour, he looks a bit over the hill
Comments
Surely the ECB can have an intense fitness programme for him during the off season? It's months until the India tour, so why not play now?
The classic example of that was Root last season when he didn't play for Yorkshire in their vital relegation match but instead he chose to travel from his home in Yorkshire to play four Scottish golf courses instead. The ECB were the ones that carried the can for that but there is no way on earth that, with representations from Yorkshire, they would not have had that conversation.
In the case of Ollie Robinson there appears to be an element of politics going on. Paul Farbrace, the Sussex head coach, proclaims that he doesn't know what the situation is with Robinson and whether he has been under a fitness regime or not. Paul Farbrace, stepfather to Robinson, will know the truth but therein lies a conflict of interest. In fact, Robinson was at the PGA Pro-Am yesterday caddying for his new girlfriend. If fitness were truly the issue then I'm sure that he wouldn't be lumping a bag of clubs around for 18 holes.
Robinson, I understand, has been offered a one year extension at Sussex but, unlike Archer, no announcement has been made that he has signed one. He's moved on in his love life and he might well be moving counties too (for what worth that is).
When Stokes scored his 182 the other day, Sky put up a list of the ten highest scores in 50 overs cricket.
Roy had three of those including a 180.
He has in the past been one of the very best at the top of the order and ideally he would have featured in this series against New Zealand to see if he had recaptured his best form.
If he misses out again today with back spasms he will have missed every game.
As good as he's been in the past I don't think we can take a risk in including him in the world Cup squad with the amount of flying that is involved.
If he misses out today then that should be it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-66816892
The one to the second ball was better.
He seems to want to improvise and play unorthodox shots too much for my liking.
He really doesn't need to.
It's a painful watch at the moment
His bowling has been ordinary in this tour, he looks a bit over the hill