The Cricket Thread

[Matt_]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/34269919

Really chuffed the see Joe Clarke selected in the Lions squad as he looks a really good prospect. Also Ross Whiteley in the T20 squad as he is one of the cleanest hitters and most destructive batters around in this form of the game.

 

[hodge]

Samit Patel called up for Ansari... ffs. If you wanted a spinner who was an all rounder then go for Borthwick as he may have an England future, picking a guy who for years couldn't be bothered to follow a fitness regime to try and play for his country raises questions over his motivation for me. Or if just a spinner then Craine, Riley, Kerrigan etc to take on tour for experience.

 

[Aber gas]

Samit Patel called up for Ansari... ffs. If you wanted a spinner who was an all rounder then go for Borthwick as he may have an England future, picking a guy who for years couldn't be bothered to follow a fitness regime to try and play for his country raises questions over his motivation for me. Or if just a spinner then Craine, Riley, Kerrigan etc to take on tour for experience.

It's a daft selection, I personally would have taken Riley for the experience. Patel is a decent one day spinner/ banger but the future of English spin bowling ? Nah

 

[Matt_]

The England selectors don't get too much wrong, but this is a dreadful decision.

Patel is the epitome of a bits and pieces County journeyman, this season he scored 650 runs @ 24 and took 26 wickets @ 33. He shouldn't have even been considered so I can only conclude the selectors are obsessed with having a slow left armer in the squad even when there isn't a candidate worthy of selection now their original choice, Ansari, is injured.

They've really missed a trick here when they could have taken any one of a number of young spinners along for the experience.

 

[Super_horns]

Isn't he the one who has been warned about his fitness in the past?

 

[Aber gas]

Isn't he the one who has been warned about his fitness in the past?

That's him, likes a pie or four does Samit.

 

[Matt_]

RIP Frank "Typhoon" Tyson, as the article says he was considered by many good judges to be the faster bowler of them all.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/27/frank-tyson-england-fast-bowler-typhoon-cricket

A short lived test match career, but one in which he made a devastating impact in Ashes series.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Pathetic decision to take Patel.

He's always been a 'nearly' man. Not good enough. Overweight, doesn't bring a real defined quality speciality.

Poor.

 

[lordofthepies]

If we don't, everyone in control wants stringing up and sacking.

Once the stringing up has happened, you probably don't need to bother with the sacking tbh.

 

[lordofthepies]

given the pitches aren't likely to best suit Broad and Anderson and our spinners are both inexperienced

It's no guarantee of anything but Broad and Anderson both did pretty damn well there last time.

 

[Saddlerrad]

England 221-5 in a warm up game against Pakistan XI. Cook and Root with half centuries.

 

[hodge]

Drop Buttler, play Bairstow as keeper and play Taylor.

1) Cook
2) Ali (at this point purely for a 2nd spinner to be in the side)
3) Bell
4) Root
5) Taylor
6) Stokes
7) Bairstow (maybe switch round so JB at 6 and BS at 7)
8) Rashid
9) Wood
10) Broad
11) Anderson

 

[Saddlerrad]

286-5 delcared England. Bairstow 66 and Rashid 51. Pakistan A are 144-4 with 3 wickets for Ali (3-32).

It's in the mid 40's out there, everyone looks like they are dying. That will be the bigger effect than the spin out there IMO.

 

[LeoRahi]

Messi's doppleganger is the danger man. England must play him well to win this series.

 

[St Nick]

Pakistan A 191-12

 

[Super_horns]

Watched SA eek out a win against India thanks to another great innings by AB.

104 off 76 balls.

 

[Baz]

Watched SA eek out a win against India thanks to another great innings by AB.

104 off 76 balls.

Didn't Rohit hit 150 in the chase too?

 

[Super_horns]

Yes he did but got out towards the end which rather stalled the Indian run chase.

 

[Super_horns]

Finn out so naturally Anderson comes back in.

Maybe a blow for Pakistan with their top spinner a doubt.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/34503978

 

[Baz]

Pakistan are also without Azhar Ali which is a blow. So Ali opens with Cook, hmm I think Ali will get found out a bit opening but they needed to do it to get Rashid in as the second spinner.

 

[hodge]

So by the sounds of it no James Taylor, you have both Bairstow and Taylor in form, joke how Buttler is playing.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Buttler is the 'guy' though - so expect them to give him the entire of this tour and probably a starting place in South Africa afterwards, providing he doesn't have an absolute MARE in all 3 tests against Pakistan. I'd play Taylor over Bairstow, just for the fact he looks like he can rotate the strike against spinners, something that I'm a little bit worried about when it comes to Cook/Ali/Bell/Stokes/Bairstow/Buttler - lots of power hitters and boundary strikers there, but strike rotation and using feet?

I like Ian Bell, but I wonder what odds you'd get at the bookies for him getting out going down the wicket to a Spinner on 10 balls or less in one of his innings and spooning it high and straight to the a fielder in this series. I can remember him getting out so many times like that in Asian tours.

 

[Baz]

You just know Bell will do that but he'll no doubt score a good 50 at least once too. I also totally agree with the fact James Taylor should be in the team.

Buttler should keep his place without doubt as Bairstow, whilst he scores decent runs in the county game still doesn't really do it in the Test arena. Buttler has waited for his chance so deserves another series at least.

 

[Super_horns]

Blast from the past in Shoaib Malik playing - his first test for 5 years.

 

[Saddlerrad]

No Shah for Pakistan.

Cook, Ali, Bell, Root, Bairstow, Stokes, Buttler, Rashid, Broad, Wood, Anderson.

299-1 at stumps.

Massive toss to lose and a long day ahead in the field.

 

[JJH]

Jimmy got Masood in his second over.

 

[Baz]

A nice early wicket is always good to see now let's see if we can kick on from here.

 

[Ciderhead]

Dropped Hafeez on 7 and now got Malik out with a no ball. Going to be hard enough work as it is, can't afford to be that sloppy

 

[Saddlerrad]

This is attritional stuff. No test wicket around the world should be like this.

 

[hodge]

Well at least they're guaranteed to play all 5 days unlike the pesky English wickets during the Ashes only playing 3 days sometimes