The New Cricket Thread That Is Not The Old Cricket Thread

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Here we go, game back on.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Urgh, Ali.

4 wickets for 30. Add this to the list of recent collapses.

[rjd2]

For India to have nay chance, they can't afford to let England get a 120 or so lead, so they need to roll them over asap. Nothing we have seen in their last three innings have suggested they can put runs on the board, so heck England probably have enough runs as I type.

Meanwhile anyone seen Boycott bury Gambhir?

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x23t6t2_gambhir-rubbished-by-geoff-boycott-gold_sport?start=4

Brutal.

Although I do remember Gambhir doing really well in NZ and South Africa, probably shouldn't open in Australia though.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

No thanks love I'll just have the sexual intercourse if that's ok.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

woops wrong thread

[Mr Eggs]

No thanks love I'll just have the sexual intercourse if that's ok.

Is that Gower's dad havin a wank behind the lid?

[The Duck Man]

Fairly sure I hadn't heard of him before reading this report but here's one to watch - Tom Abell of Somerset, making 95 on debut and apparently a big record breaker in schools cricket.

Meanwhile CricInfo have run through the contenders for England's opening spot alongside Cook.

[rjd2]

Meanwhile CricInfo have run through the contenders for England's opening spot alongside Cook.

Compton seems to be banished, Dobell has speculated he was not liked to much in the dressing room.  He doesn't strike as an arrogant tosser like KP, maybe to much of a loner? On form I don't really think Robson is much of an upgrade at all.

Root? No, just no.  Leave him in the middle order, where he is  most comfortable, he could be England's answer to Mike Hussey.

Ballance? Its to early I think. Let him flourish as a number three.


Chopra has done fuck all in four day cricket for a while so despite been close  to Cook he has no chance.


Carberry was ok in the first few tests against Australia but tailed off towards the end, wouldn't be the worst choice I suppose.


Hales?, another season doing well for Notts, wouldn't mind having a look. Although is their a Lions tour early next year? Could be worth having a look at him their at least.


Lyth if Comton is blacklisted, would be my choice.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Dunno why its being asked. Compton and Carberry have been shitcanned. In reality they were no worse than Robson has been. Compton did the best but really seized up at home. I wouldve kept him involved because he showed serious bottle at times and he scored centuries and until the end point he saw the new ball off most times.

Hales will play odis but he needs to prove his first class credentials in 2015 to justify opening in tests.

[rjd2]

Yeah, Compton had three series. He did pretty well in India which was a tough one to start with, not massive scores but stuck around long enough   to  take the shine of the new ball. Very slow scoring pitches that series iirc. Most at the time were quite  content with his contribution that series when it was done.



He was awesome in NZ, but was poor in the return home series. So overall, not a bad return for as guy just beginning his test career.

He was also really good in the warm ups  last summer against Australia also,  even Clarke singled him out for praise in both games.

But its a bit like debating KP  merits on playing for England, its pointless as he seems to  be on blacklisted.

Not as sure about Carberry been ended though,still played some of the white ball cricket against Lanka so he may still be in their plans or at least he has not burned any bridges like  Compton unfortunately seems to  have.

Hales? Best  case scenario, score more runs for Notts this  Summer, do well for the Lions early next year (assuming they have a tour next year?) and get off to a flyer for Notts next season.

However even then I still would  be a little concerned, it would  be a massive gamble.

Vaughan on BBC did say today that he should open in the next series against the West Indies. The same Vaughan who  made some seriously crass statements about Trott last year and was demanding Morgan as test captain before he decided that Cook was the man again.

Ugh.

[The Duck Man]

The Lions are in South Africa from the turn of the year. Warm-up, two Tests, five ODIs. With the Test side not in action again til March it's a genuine state your case for selection tour.

Re: Vaughan, I genuinely struggle to reconcile his reputation at the masterful captain with his facile, inane, laddish and reactionary media persona.

[rjd2]

Hales and the rest of the ODI crew will be in Australia for an ODI series at the time,  so its a bit of a bummer for them to  miss out, but I'd expect Robson to get another go at opening then. South Africa have lots of bowling depth so runs against them will mean quite a bit unless we get roads which is unlikely.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Anyone tuned in for the carnage this morning? 152 runs scored from the last 20 overs.

[Wentworth Smith]

Yeah, India have mentally gone haven't they? Even more so than previously, if that's possible; those constant dollied up short balls were ridiculous.

[Thursday]

What's the forecast in the next couple of days? They've brought up declaring, but what's the point? Might as well just have fun batting for what remains of the innings even if they are expecting a washout.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

ah- Anderson out!

Got to say, I thought India were awful in the field. Forget about their batting, that was not a 483 wicket. They also clawed it back to 240-5 which was a good fightback, but from there it was utterly dreadful. How England were allowed to double their score from there?

Where to start? Ashwin not brought on until way too late, Kumar reduced to barely a threat, dropped catches and sloppiness, no inspiration from the captain or desire to seize the moment or show any fight.

It should've been 200 plays 350, which given India would then have been batting, still would've given them a chance. Dog shit.

[Thursday]

See. Irrelevant anyway.

[rjd2]

a, Kumar reduced to barely a threat, dropped catches and sloppiness, no inspiration from the captain or desire to seize the moment or show any fight.

I feel for Kumar, he is knackered. Dhoni used him terribly in the first few tests,just bowled him into the ground, everyone could see it was going to catch up on him quickly except Dhoni.

He has batted well at times this series, but as a captain in test cricket he is terrible.

However...

West Indies tour India next month!

Can ignore it until the bloodbath in Australia.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

One of the strangest decisions was to play Gambhir- not only has Anderson had him on a plate his whole career, he's short of form and fitness. Dhawan has been exposed as a flat track bully, so India should've called upon someone else What happened to that young bloke who opened in 2011 before Sehwag came back who we don't seem to have heard of since? (so much so that I've forgotten his name)

India have in effect gone into several tests a batsman down simply through how incapable Gambhir and Dhawan are in these conditions. They should've picked someone in form with a good eye, even if they only had a steady average.

It seems as though Fletcher is immune from criticism but I can't see that he's overseen a very impressive transition at all- this team are incapable of playing on green wickets and I reckon the much more together New Zealand lineup would give them a game at home.

[The Duck Man]

What happened to that young bloke who opened in 2011 before Sehwag came back who we don't seem to have heard of since? (so much so that I've forgotten his name)

Abhinav Mukund? Just checked, still averaging above 50 in FC cricket, not that that means a great deal for Indian batsman. Based on the reports linked to his CricInfo profile (I wish they did decent season by season breakdowns) he seems to have done alright last season. Ah, gone onto the highest averages section for the Ranji last season and he doesn't feature.

Had forgotten England were playing ODIs when the Lions were touring. Shame, as has been said, rules out Hales and probably Jordan and Woakes who might have gone. I was hoping for a full contenders tour.

[rjd2]

Yep twas Mukund.

India A toured Australia recently and the pitches were roads. Yadev made 90 ffs.

The openers were Rahul and Uthappa( a rich man's Dhawan) and neither did much. They got the runs mainly from the middle order, Rayudu, Ojha, and Tiwary.


http://www.espncricinfo.com/ireland/engine/match/735779.html

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ireland/engine/match/735777.html

So their isn't much to inspire from those line ups.

Australia like their lively pitches these days, so it could be one of the worst beat downs in test history.

Fletcher hasn't done much for India cricket, but ultimately for Indians he will be judged on the World Cup, not test matches.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Vijay, Pujara, Kohli, Rahane, Rohit are clearly enough to form part of a core for India for years. Some pretty worrying problems both mentally and with their technique away from home, and if India want to take anything seriously except IPL and pleasing fans at home they need to send the lot of them to Shield cricket or county cricket to get some more experience.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

All over today at this rate. Bring on Ali again.

By product of this almost Pakistan/Bangladesh standard capitulation is that Anderson and Broad's test averages have dipped under 30.


edit- and another...embarrassing.

[weirdbeard]

Oh, India. Fucking hell, India.  This could all be over again on the 3rd day, this is a disgrace.

[Thursday]

Should we give them a 3rd innings?

[rjd2]

They would need a fourth to make them bat again I reckon.

[weirdbeard]

Jesus wept.

[weirdbeard]

I'll actually be offended if they make 100 this innings.

[Thursday]

It's not going to be another irritatingly long last wicket is it?

*edit*

Phew

[weirdbeard]

Good.

Didn't even make tea on the 3rd day. Joke of a team.