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Post by Gary Baldi on Jan 18, 2016 21:15:20 GMT
Steyn is 32 now and has apparently been carrying that shoulder injury for a year - he won't go on for more than a year or two. What they are missing is the next Jacques Kallis. Makes me feel lucky that Stokes seems to have appeared at the right time...
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Post by andystroud on Jan 26, 2016 9:04:09 GMT
Good to see we are putting up a fight to save the final test. Dead rubber or not it would have been good not to have conceded the initiative.
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Post by MJB on Jan 26, 2016 9:17:02 GMT
Good to see we are putting up a fight to save the final test. Dead rubber or not it would have been good not to have conceded the initiative. Read your first line without seeing what had happened and thought we had perhaps shown a bit of backbone in the first hour - clearly not. You're right that it's not the mark of winners to throw away a dead rubber but in the great scheme of things, it was still an excellent series win.
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Post by unification on Jan 26, 2016 9:25:17 GMT
So, what have we learned from the South Africa series? Aside from South Africa’s old guard looking past their best and being short of a proper captain, not much we didn’t already know. They have a couple of youngsters coming through that could form a spine of a decent Saffer side for the following years.
As for England, Joe Root is brilliant, Alex Hales – despite all the fanfare from fans wanting him to open – simply isn’t good enough for Test cricket, Compton’s role remains a mystery and England are as mercurial as ever. Unplayable one minute and all over the place the next.
The opener position still remains the biggest headache overall though. England simply can’t keep having someone at the top of the order who averages around the 20 mark. Here’s hoping the county season can unearth the answer shortly. Christ knows who it will be for the Sri Lanka and Pakistan tests this year though.
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Post by SteMerritt on Jan 26, 2016 9:51:41 GMT
Good to see we are putting up a fight to save the final test. Dead rubber or not it would have been good not to have conceded the initiative. Read your first line without seeing what had happened and thought we had perhaps shown a bit of backbone in the first hour - clearly not. You're right that it's not the mark of winners to throw away a dead rubber but in the great scheme of things, it was still an excellent series win. Not the first time we have switched off in a dead rubber either, did exactly the same against the Aussies last summer. A worrying trend.
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Post by Marked Ox on Jan 26, 2016 10:55:16 GMT
Read your first line without seeing what had happened and thought we had perhaps shown a bit of backbone in the first hour - clearly not. You're right that it's not the mark of winners to throw away a dead rubber but in the great scheme of things, it was still an excellent series win. Not the first time we have switched off in a dead rubber either, did exactly the same against the Aussies last summer. A worrying trend. At least we won the both series!
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Post by Junior on Jan 26, 2016 11:10:54 GMT
Couple of exciting players doing well for the Lions who I'd like to see get a go.
Vince of Hampshire
Malan of Middlesex
So,
Cook Vince Taylor Root Malan Bairstow Stokes Ali Broad Finn Anderson
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Post by Gary Baldi on Jan 26, 2016 13:49:27 GMT
I think Hales should be persevered with a little. His average was better than Lyth or the others, but he does look a little out of his depth. He could do with someone helping adjust his game to test matches.
The result today was awful. They were on the plane a week ago...
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Post by nige01ox on Jan 26, 2016 14:15:19 GMT
These are the stats of the openers we've tried since Strauss retired. Don't think Hales is nearly good enough technically to be a test opener. Carberry's stats actually look alright when you consider he was up against a formidable Aussie attack on their own turf including Mitchell Johnson in the form of his life. Matches Runs Average Root 5 339 37.66 Compton 9 479 31.93 Robson 7 336 30.54 Carberry 5 281 28.10 Lyth 7 265 20.38 Moeen 3 84 14.00 Trott 3 72 12.00 Hales 4 136 17.00
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Post by Gary Baldi on Jan 26, 2016 14:19:17 GMT
Lyth's hundred makes his stats look poor. He was a lot worse. Sadly, we may as well just put Compton in there and worry about finding a good 3 instead.
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Post by The Fence End on Mar 16, 2016 18:59:21 GMT
I don't think there was much more England could do today, Chris Gayle is the best T20 batsman tr game has ever seen!
Our batting line up us good enough but the pre-tournament concerns about the bowling seem like they may be justified.
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Post by whingit on Mar 16, 2016 19:08:02 GMT
I don't follow cricket as much as I used to, but where has Luke Wright got to? He was always a class limited overs player. Also, KP would be playing for any other country in the world and it's a joke England won't select him. If Chris Gayle was English he 100% wouldn't be playing international cricket.
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Post by berliner on Mar 16, 2016 19:19:10 GMT
I don't think there was much more England could do today, Chris Gayle is the best T20 batsman tr game has ever seen! Our batting line up us good enough but the pre-tournament concerns about the bowling seem like they may be justified. It's a revolutionary thought, but maybe stop bowling rank full-tosses and slow half-trackers to the most destructive one-day batsman ever?
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Post by SteMerritt on Mar 16, 2016 19:48:30 GMT
I don't follow cricket as much as I used to, but where has Luke Wright got to? He was always a class limited overs player. Also, KP would be playing for any other country in the world and it's a joke England won't select him. If Chris Gayle was English he 100% wouldn't be playing international cricket. Stop with the KP stuff. He stuffed his own career up by being an arrogant prat.
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Post by oldham on Mar 16, 2016 20:57:13 GMT
KP is a nut!
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Post by Gary Baldi on Mar 16, 2016 21:44:26 GMT
England got caught on a day where Chris Gayle fancied it. Doesn't happen often, but as England saw, when he does, the match is gone. That said, Jordan fancies himself more than his ability. Some of that bowling was an all you can slog buffet
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Post by The Fence End on Mar 18, 2016 21:42:52 GMT
I think the last two games have showed there's nothing wrong with the batting but changes are needed with the bowlers. Finn for Topley definitely (if fit) maybe even Plunkett for Jordan. Willey's ability to hit 6's just saves him.
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Post by MJB on Mar 18, 2016 21:48:49 GMT
Was an amazing finish to today's game. That last over was remarkably tense!
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Post by Gary Baldi on Mar 18, 2016 21:54:52 GMT
England's bowling was rancid. It needs an experienced head in it because the pace bowlers were no better than club players with their skills. But Root in particular got them out of the mess they made. It's a small ground, but the batters were on it.
And of course SA once again bottled it.
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Post by whingit on Mar 18, 2016 22:17:22 GMT
Why isn't Broad in the team?
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Post by The Fence End on Mar 18, 2016 22:21:37 GMT
Plunkett, Bopara and Tredwell aren't in the squad so scrap my original idea! It's either Finn or Dawson.
Broad and Anderson aren't even 8n the world cup squad, the selectors went for new (ish) blood.
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Post by oldham on Mar 19, 2016 7:38:30 GMT
Bring back Geoff Arnold and Derek Underwood!
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Post by SteMerritt on Mar 26, 2016 17:38:59 GMT
Bloody hell that was tense. A game we had won at quarter to 5, to one we had lost half an hour later, but managed to get over the line thanks to Jordan and Stokes pulling out 2 great overs. New Zealand in the semi-finals now (unless Afghanistan smash the West Indies)
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Post by amershamdave on Mar 26, 2016 17:43:04 GMT
Actually, that was a great win for us, after our poor batting start.
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Post by Gary Baldi on Mar 26, 2016 21:24:59 GMT
The England team are edging closer to showing their potential. It's not perfect, but the team doesn't go into its shell any more. Whether we have enough to beat NZ remains to be seen, but the only way is up. Night and day difference to the dross that was served up under Moores
Root is a fine player that just keeps on getting better.
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Post by Gary Baldi on Mar 30, 2016 12:28:33 GMT
Good to see the women's team are no different to the men's in losing games they should have easily won! Over to the men...
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Post by pooshooter on Mar 30, 2016 12:29:44 GMT
I would like to console Danni Wyatt...
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Post by saddletramp on Mar 30, 2016 13:25:13 GMT
The last time England won the 20/20 WC I missed the final due to being at Wembley watching Oxford. The final this year is Sunday afternoon. Just saying.
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Post by unification on Mar 30, 2016 14:54:35 GMT
The last time England won the 20/20 WC I missed the final due to being at Wembley watching Oxford. The final this year is Sunday afternoon. Just saying. Same thought crossed my mind too. A bit of serendipity perhaps? NZ 139/5. England have held them back diligently in the last few overs. Good effort this ...
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Post by Gary Baldi on Mar 30, 2016 14:56:56 GMT
NZ haven't batted deeply so far in the tournament, so the people in now will out of nick. However, Elliott can go big when he wants to
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