The Cricket Thread

[Who Needs Mourinho]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/32741813

Adam Lyth, England's number 666 cap, will open the batting with Alastair Cook in the first test against New Zealand. Mark Wood also makes the 12 man squad.

Hoping Wood gets in the team as well.

 

[Skinner]

http://the-ecb.co.uk/BlastFantasy

Anyone fancy doing fantasy cricket for the T20?

Just done my team, some good and shit involved, Wright, Hales, Roy, Nash, Ansari, Wagg, Billings, Plunkett, Wood, Patel, Overton

 

[JonBCFC]

Just done mine.

Jason Roy (capt)
James hildreth
Jimmy Adams
Laurie Evans
Jesse Ryder (vice capt)
Lewis Gregory
Paul collingwood
Steve Davis
Peter Siddle
Danny Briggs
Harry Gueney

12th Man - Chris Rushworth

Got a couple of Somerset guys that are priced really low imo, considering their form at the start of the season

 

[hodge]

James Taylor, Jason Roy (vc), Karl Brown, Lewis Gregory, Glenn Maxwell (c), Matt Coles, Sam Billings, Harry Gurney, James Harris, Matt Dunn, George Dockrell

12th Man: Chesney Hughes

 

[RavenBish]

Roy (c), Adams, J. Taylor, Pettini, Ryder, Mullaney, Billings, Dunn, Briggs, Rankin, Rushworth. - 12th Man - Raine.

No Idea when Westley is back but I'm sure he'll be transferred straight back in. A lot of the Notts players are over-priced for me given their form - ahem, Wessels and Patel, which is a shame - and it's hard to predict which seamers they'll go with considering how many they've got - I'd fancy Jake Ball to have a great year, just not sure how often he'll get in with Philander, Hilfenhaus, Gurney, Fletcher (who's going to be loaned out but still, he's a great T20 bowler) etc...

 

[Murphy]

Can't wait for Essex to reach the Quarters and then cock it up as per every year. Our problem last season was setting a target, won 10 out of 11 or something when chasing but the other way around we just couldn't get the knack.

 

[LeoRahi]

KP

 

[George Reilly's Hairpiece]

Alex Hales going mental in the 2020. Hit 6 balls he faced in a row for 6. 7 6's in 8 balls.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Alex Hales, lol. Match winner. CLUELESS ECB.

 

[RavenBish]

Superb stuff from Hales. I can't remember him starting a season as well as this, he's on fire with red and white ball. He definitely looks better playing spin than he ever has too, so fair play to him for obviously working on that side of things.

One-sided and a half that. Decent bowling and plenty in reserve with the bat even if Hales would've got caught on 2 - With Sammy and Hilfenhaus still to arrive and of course the gorgeous Michael Lumb will be back in a couple of weeks to open the batting with Hales in T20.

Still won't win it because we're massive bottlers but hey, at least we're exciting. In tremendous shape to win the 50-over trophy too.

 

[Skinner]

Hales <3

As I said on the last page, he's started superbly this year. Should be in the England side in every format

 

[Skinner]

Kent win

 

[Pyeman]

Alex Hales

There can be no argument that he deserves a chance with England now. Get him in both the T20 and ODI teams, and then depending on how Lyth goes over the summer [or Cook for that matter] look to draft Hales into the test team.

 

[Aber gas]

Hales has got to be a certainty for the limited overs stuff and must have been close to the test side . Absolute gem of a player .

 

[hodge]

Hales HAS to be in any limited overs team and will be next in line after Lyth should he not perform. Being honest its fair to Lyth that he should be next in line considering the season he had last season and being the back up to Trott. Hales definitely now the next in line though.

 

[lordofthepies]

It says a lot when great players of the game are baffled why our management are refusing to play KP (Smith, warne, sanga, Vaughan etc)

Strauss obviously only came on the condition he wasn't pressured to let KP back, he's hugely gone down in my estimation now because of this. It's been mentioned already but how the fuck can you not trust someone to play in the team, but offer them an advisory role? Absolute fuck up.

I want KP in the side but you can't take Vaughan or Warne's opinions seriously. Professional gobshites.

 

[Bobbin']

Kent win

Just!

Good start though. Looking at the South Division results though, I can't see Kent having much chance of progressing. Great knock from Glamorgan.

 

[JonBCFC]

I want KP in the side but you can't take Vaughan or Warne's opinions seriously. Professional gobshites.

It's not just them though, it's a lot of former players that have said it. Even Siddle said he'd much rather face the likes of bell/ballance etc. no one understands it. The point is whether you like him or not no player of his ability is unmanageable, but the likes of Strauss and cook are letting their personal feelings towards him stop him playing for England.

 

[hodge]

The fact he's just a massive bellend has nothing to do with it of course...

 

[JonBCFC]

The fact he's just a massive bellend has nothing to do with it of course...

What does it have to do with it? If ofcourse he actually is a 'bellend' as plenty of players former and current have come out saying he isnt.

Players should be in a team based on ability.

 

[lordofthepies]

I love that he's a bit of a dick. He was our dick.

 

[Skinner]

Joe Root's younger brother hit 218* today

 

[hodge]

What does it have to do with it? If ofcourse he actually is a 'bellend' as plenty of players former and current have come out saying he isnt.

Players should be in a team based on ability.

The amount of shit he's done whilst in the England set up would often see other players not considered for England. IMO there should have been no way back after the SA texting stuff.

 

[Pyeman]

I wonder if KP regrets writing that book?

The ECB certainly deserve a significant portion of the blame for this fiasco of a situation, but KP isn't entirely blameless. In fact, I actually think he's been a bit naive.

Considering the nature of his autobiography, and the timing of its release, you can't help but think he's contributed to his own situation.

I know people will argue that he deserved the chance to tell his side of the story, and I totally agree that he did. But if in doing that he harms his chances of playing for England again, then was it really worth it?

 

[DarkSithLord]

He is really freak !

Who is?

 

[hodge]

I wonder if KP regrets writing that book?

The ECB certainly deserve a significant portion of the blame for this fiasco of a situation, but KP isn't entirely blameless. In fact, I actually think he's been a bit naive.

Considering the nature of his autobiography, and the timing of its release, you can't help but think he's contributed to his own situation.

I know people will argue that he deserved the chance to tell his side of the story, and I totally agree that he did. But if in doing that he harms his chances of playing for England again, then was it really worth it?

Personally I think its stupid of any player to release an autobiography before the end of their playing career, as evidenced with KP.

 

[Pyeman]

Personally I think its stupid of any player to release an autobiography before the end of their playing career, as evidenced with KP.

In his defence, he needs some source of income whilst he's turning down all these lucrative IPL contracts...

 

[hodge]

Yeah its not like he could play in the big bash or the god forbid county cricket regularly.

 

[Super_horns]

So will Mark Wood get a start tomorrow or will we stick with the usual bowling attack.

Think the Series will end in a draw.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Lyth and Wood in for Trott and Jordan. Good calls for me. They've won the toss and are bowling. Green wicket, but it's sunny. Can see them blowing us all out today with that attack in English conditions.

Predictions.
Eng 171 all out.
NZ 52-1.