We play hardly any 50 over cricket leading up to the world cup. Meaning that we went in undercooked. World cup finishes and we have a 50 over competition lined up. Brilliant.
One man who might be grateful for Sam Curran's performance yesterday is Steve Harmison. Curran beat the record of Harmison (0-97) for conceding the most runs in an England ODI by one run.
Sadly Curran is suffering a real crisis of confidence with the ball. He has become somewhat expensively predictable and offers little or no threat as wicket taker - it is 14 games in an England shirt since he picked up more than one wicket in a match. He's also gone from being the most costly player in the IPL to being released by the Punjab Kings following, in 2023, just ten wickets in 14 matches at an average of nearly 49 and an economy of over ten. It's a pity because I saw him as a potential real asset for England with the white ball and ultimately Stokes' replacement in Test cricket - his batting has improved but it isn't good enough to be a stand alone discipline and he is at best a sixth bowling option currently in the highest level of white ball cricket.
Having said all of that Curran is better than he has shown. He might get it back in the same way as his skipper will do though for Buttler that is probably more likely to happen once he relinquishes or is relieved of the captaincy.
Curran and Buttler need a break. Both are completely out of form, and I suspect mentally burnt out too.
After this series I don't think that there is a white ball England match for five months now. Which rather goes to prove that it isn't international cricket that has caused the mental fatigue - 26 matches a year, as Buttler has played in the last 12 months for England, wouldn't cause that - it is the other 45 games on top. They are both highly paid as England players with Buttler on the most (plus endorsements) of any of them and they could both afford to take a substantial break. Somehow the lure of the IPL franchises will be too much but perhaps they could skip the lesser ones including, of course, that so called competition that takes place in our country in August. I'm sure the ECB won't mind.
beaten by a nation that failed to qualify for the World Cup .. VERY weak England team, bowling?, Livingstone ? (a player I used to have a lot of time for)
I wonder how many times it has happened in international cricket that the two established Test openers then bat at 3 and 4 in ODIs for their country as Crawley and Duckett did in the Ashes and now in their last three ODIs?
Comments
Meaning that we went in undercooked.
World cup finishes and we have a 50 over competition lined up.
Brilliant.
192-5, 34 overs
Brook on 42 needs to be the one to carry this through now.
Livingston out a few overs beforehand for 17.
246-7 after 42 overs. Curran and Carse at the crease. Curran batting in sunglasses!
Curran & Carse batting nicely together
305-7
guff England lose
Sadly Curran is suffering a real crisis of confidence with the ball. He has become somewhat expensively predictable and offers little or no threat as wicket taker - it is 14 games in an England shirt since he picked up more than one wicket in a match. He's also gone from being the most costly player in the IPL to being released by the Punjab Kings following, in 2023, just ten wickets in 14 matches at an average of nearly 49 and an economy of over ten. It's a pity because I saw him as a potential real asset for England with the white ball and ultimately Stokes' replacement in Test cricket - his batting has improved but it isn't good enough to be a stand alone discipline and he is at best a sixth bowling option currently in the highest level of white ball cricket.
Having said all of that Curran is better than he has shown. He might get it back in the same way as his skipper will do though for Buttler that is probably more likely to happen once he relinquishes or is relieved of the captaincy.