The Cricket Thread

[Saddlerrad]

Sun is out, wicket is flat, attack is modest.

550+ please England with an entertaining knock from Root and a hundred for Cook.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Not the best shot by Hales, he will be kicking himself as there's big runs to be had on this outfield and wicket.

56-1 - run rate has dropped from a nudge over 4, to 2.56.

Compton and Cook at the crease, let the entertainment commence....

 

[hodge]

Let Cook and Compton go about building the foundations and then Root, Vince, Bairstow etc can accelerate the innings.

 

[hodge]

Or not, goodbye Compton.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Compton out, another tentative push at a 4 ball, negative mindset, negative player.

Hopefully that's the last we see of him in an England shirt, ever. Don't let the door slap you on the way out.

 

[Super_horns]

Cook showing he is head and shoulders above most of our other batsmen (apart from Root)?

Bairstow is in a rich vein of form though - he'll be moving up the order soon!!

(Now I have said this both will be out ASAP..)

 

[hodge]

Imagine everyone will shift up 1 in the order kicking Compton out and bringing Buttler back for Pakistan if Stokes isn't fit. Or if so he'd come in for Woakes (still playing this? Didn't check the teams).

 

[hodge]

Bairstow you lucky boy

 

[Super_horns]

Always need some luck when in form..

 

[Camborne Gills]

Good to beat the Hampshire all star international XI last night, even if it was a little nerve wracking.

 

[Super_horns]

Another young cricketer loses his life in tragic circumstances.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/36488232

 

[blademan89]

Well done jonny lad.

 

[Magic]

Yorkshire are terrible in the shorter format. Embarrassing really.

Great to see Bairstow continue his form. Bit of luck with the drop but doesn't look like he's going to drop out of form anytime soon.

 

[Skinner]

Compton is a decent short term option, he adds stability to an attacking order. Hales is an early wicket eight times out of ten, so Compton coming in after him steadies things.

He's been awful.

Got to be dropping him for Borthwick or DBD. Would prefer to see DBD open with Cook and drop Hales to #3

 

[hodge]

50 for Woakes, well batted that.

 

[hodge]

First ton partnership too.

 

[Destruction]

Imagine everyone will shift up 1 in the order kicking Compton out and bringing Buttler back for Pakistan if Stokes isn't fit. Or if so he'd come in for Woakes (still playing this? Didn't check the teams).

Buttler isn't a Test match cricketer.

 

[TheArtfulDodger]

Made up for Bairstow, always been capable. England look very good at the moment, best in a long time.

 

[hodge]

Buttler isn't a Test match cricketer.

No one is hammering the door down for a spot so I expect England to go with a player who has been in the system before rather than chucking someone in. Perhaps keeping Woakes in the side if he can have a few more knocks like this one and bringing Stokes back in.

 

[Skinner]

No one is hammering the door down for a spot so I expect England to go with a player who has been in the system before rather than chucking someone in. Perhaps keeping Woakes in the side if he can have a few more knocks like this one and bringing Stokes back in.

5 seamers... interesting...

 

[hodge]

5 seamers... interesting...

Was on the basis of IF Woakes has a few more knocks like today, if he could then perfectly capable of having Stokes slot in at 6/7 and Woakes at 8 would leave us still strong enough in the batting department.

 

[Super_horns]

Sri Lanka showing our top order how it can be done...

 

[Saddlerrad]

Sri Lanka have played well, fair play to them.

England's top order was a failure though in these conditions, on this wicket, vs this attack.

 

[hodge]

Good win for Somerset again tonight, hopefully gaining some momentum now.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Superb morning for England on a flat track. Good fields from Cook, tight lines and pressure applied by the bowlers, bowling a nudge fuller.

Very good.

 

[Super_horns]

Here comes Bairstow to recuse the innings again - with Cook off injured.

 

[RavenBish]

Vince couldn't have hoped for a softer introduction into Test cricket and he's been miserable. Not sure what I'd do instead like as you already need a Compton replacement and he deserves another series but eh...

wonder about someone like Scott Borthwick, batting well this year and you've got his leg spin for the sub-continent (even though it's not the best and you could make the same argument for Ansari or D'Oliveira).

I don't see the need for 5 seamers either so you either pick Woakes instead of Finn or you just play Stokes.

 

[.V.]

I'm staying at a Heathrow hotel Thursday night, so if the weather is dry I'm going to head to Lords for Middlesex Sussex in the T20

 

[Ciderhead]

I don't see the need for 5 seamers either so you either pick Woakes instead of Finn or you just play Stokes.

I'm not so sure I agree, if they're the in form players then why not if that's the way it falls? It's not as if we're awash with batsman making a really big claim to get in the side at present. A few good young prospects but you'd think it'll be a year or 2 before the likes of Bell-Drummond and D'Oliveira are ready to be considered.

If you had a team of, say: Cook, Hales, Borthwick, Root, Bairstow, Stokes, Ali, Woakes, Broad, Finn, Anderson. I'd say you've got enough batting in there.

But I agree Vince should get the Pakistan series at least

 

[MJA]

Got to agree with Cider on that. The thing with the seamers cider mentions in the team above, is that Woakes and Stokes can definitely bat and score heavily on their day and Broad seems to be slowly getting his confidence back with the bat. Even Finn and Anderson have been known to wag the bat at the end and add 50+ runs to the total.

For the Pakistan series, the only change to consider is who replaces Compton