Cricket 2017

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Also Scotland juuust barely won even when posting an enormous total. There are no guarantees so yes I'd love England to be even better too but that seems a rather banal and obvious statement. Currently they are favourites because they have beaten all the best sides and have a squad that can provably cope with temporary loss of one or two key players. I'm glad the bar is now so high that losing the odd game is deemed proof of weakness.

The World Cup can be a bit of a case of how an innings goes on the day. I'm relaxed that England may easily go out early if they chuck in a shit one. There's nothing further I could realistically think of that England aren't doing right now on top of what they are already doing.

We play more one day cricket in between World Cups anyway, so I would rather win all them and do nothing in the two one day trophies than vice versa. England shouldn't obsess about it as we'll end up like South Africa and choke on the day.

[The Boston Crab]

We've got more players than anyone else who can win a game almost single-handedly. I mean, Stokes, an unbelievably destructive game changer on his day, is probably not even in my top six ODI batsmen for England. That's pretty frightening. Our bowling is much more effective and deeper than our Test bowling, too. I've seen bits and bobs from most sides we've played to suggest that we've got some serious challenges ahead but everyone has seen a lot more from us that we can both bat them out of the contest before it's begun or chase anything under any circumstances. It must be extremely daunting to face England and look down the batting.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Even David Willey scored runs finally. A guy who on his day can end bowling as an actual thing, often seen batting down at 9 or 10.

[The Boston Crab]

I'm gonna start pronouncing cricket as criggered. It's not a pun, just gonna see if it catches on.

[monolith]

I'd rather lose every ODI series and win the World Cup. It's not like test cricket where everyone will remember the 5-0 series forever. If Australia win the World Cup next year then the series they lost 5-0 to us will be even more forgotten than it will be by next summer's ashes.

In ODI cricket sides are remembered by their tournament wins. I have some Aus mates who call every other One day match JAMODIs (just another meaningless one day international) and have done since the days when they were winning World Cup after World Cup.

Obviously winning across the board is preferable which is what Australia did with their great teams and of course England are a fantastic side and worthy favourites, which I'm not disputing. I just don't think we wil actuallyl win it.

[rjd2]

Bhuvi out of the test series, the most important Indian player by a long shot. Gun bowler in these conditions and a cracking little batsman. India shouldn't get near England in the test series now.

[Harry Badger]

India shouldn't get near England in the test series now.

You reckon? I've been thinking for a while now that this could be a proper shellacking for England, even before this long hot summer reduced the traditional England seam advantage. India have the batsmen to pile on huge totals and just wait for England to collapse under the weight of scoreboard pressure.

[rjd2]

You reckon? I've been thinking for a while now that this could be a proper shellacking for England, even before this long hot summer reduced the traditional England seam advantage. India have the batsmen to pile on huge totals and just wait for England to collapse under the weight of scoreboard pressure.

Its pretty much the same batting as last time isn't it? Its widely accepted that Vijay isn't the player he was a few years ago as he seems to have switched his focus to the limited overs stuff. Pujara is still inconsistent outside of Asia and has stunk it out in England, Dhawan is a hack and Rahul is very inexperienced.

Kohli and Rahane will have serious pressure on them. Karthik and the lower order don't look that great.

The bowling with Kumar out is definitely weaker than last time, Sharma and Yadav are solid but nowhere near world class while the spinners are either inexperienced (Kuldeep) or not match winners outside the sub continent (Ashwin and Jadeja).

Its not a vintage England side, but they should be solid favorites. I do expect India to win a test and it will probably be a trashing as to expect England not to disgrace themselves in a five test series these days is silly.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Mm, 2-1 England with 2 drawn tests.

[monolith]

I'd be surprised if there's more than one draw with our batting line up and India batting against swing. 3-1.

[monolith]

I'd be surprised if there's more than one draw with our batting line up and India batting against swing. 3-1.

Hadn't really taken the weather in to account. Seeing as this has been a mental summer then a couple of draws might be on.

[gilbertharding]

Can someone explain why there's such a shitstorm over Adil Rashid being selected for these test matches? I must have been asleep when it all started, because it just looks like a lot of old men moaning to me, and I can't exactly tell why.

He's a decent second spinner who's played a few tests and one day games, isn't he? Should they have picked someone else? Or no-one at all... What would the moaning old men have preferred? We MUST try harder to keep the moaning old men happy.

[king_tubby]

Because he told Yorkshire he couldn't be arsed to play four day cricket this season.

[monolith]

Because he told Yorkshire he couldn't be arsed to play four day cricket this season.

This. It's also kind of like picking someone to play in the six nations on Rugby League form.

He's been piss poor in his test career and hasn't exactly lit up the county championship in recent years. Had a decent year in 2015 and just about respectable in 2016 but was terrible last year.

[dontrunyoullfall]

Most regular Test players only play at most a couple of County championship games a season so what's the big deal? If he plays well great if he doesn't Vaughan et al can bore on as they live to do. So erm, some people will be happy either way. Isn't that nice?

[monolith]

Most regular Test players only play at most a couple of County championship games a season so what's the big deal? If he plays well great if he doesn't Vaughan et al can bore on as they live to do. So erm, some people will be happy either way. Isn't that nice?

Most regular test players are playing regular tests. Rashid hasn't played a test since 2016 and was average in the CC last season.

If all of this controversy has lit a fire under his belly and he somehow pulls a blinder and wins us a test or two then great, but conventional wisdom would suggest that is quite unlikely to happen.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Also don't see the big fuss here. Rashid chose to focus on white ball cricket because he judged that's where he would be playing for England in the future. I don't see any the conflict between that and a desire to play for England in Tests, it was just pragmatism, he clearly states he never wanted to shun England in any format. His performance level in odis recently backs up that choice, but he remains ambitious I guess.

Rashid has given Yorkshire hundreds of first class games and the best years of his life, and quite rightly he is trying to manage the fact he has moved onto international level.

Obviously it has been hideously badly managed, first by Smith, then by Yorkshire, then by professional shit stirrers in the media. England ask if man can play a game for them, man says yes.

[monolith]

Rashid hasn't done anything wrong, as you say he's been asked to play for England and quite rightly has said yes.

But the decision to pick a bowler on white ball form for a test match is madness. I hope it pays off but it's not a safe bet (to put it mildly) and it worries me that this is the direction the selectors are going in. We've also got the World Cup next year and I can't imagine being tonked all over the park for two days will do Rashid's confidence any good.

[The Boston Crab]

Yeah, it's obviously a very different thing. You can build pressure in an ODI with two dot balls but in Test cricket, you need to bowl consistently for much longer periods and there's still no pressure on the batsmen, necessarily. It's about taking wickets. Likewise, you can't just say, right, Chris Jordan, ten yorkers, please. Bowl them out.

[dontrunyoullfall]

The grand exalted Vaughan/commentariat obviously don't give a fuck about Rashid's confidence, slating him/the decision in the run up to the game. How many Championship games would he have been available for anyway being in the one day and 20/20 sides?

Asian sides pick players to play Test cricket after a handful of first class games. England should embrace that joie de vivre. What's the worst that could happen?

The bowlers always get dropped for the batsmen's shortcomings so Rashid will probably get dropped after a couple of piss poor performances by the top order anyway.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Monolith - If being tonked all over the UAE in tests didn't affect Rashid's confidence in ODIs I don't expect this will be any different.

It's depressing there isn't anyone better to select but Rashid has played hundreds of first class games so stating he is a "white ball bowler" is ill-informed. He will know instinctively what lines to bowl - whether he can do it or not is a different argument.

[PowerButchi]

What does everyone make of Jos Buttler being promoted to Vice Captain?

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

What does everyone make of Jos Buttler being promoted to Vice Captain?

Seems reasonably good at the strategic side of the game.

It's another argument of merit vs. wait your turn/do as you're told

[The Boston Crab]

Looking forward to some thoroughly excellent criggered.

[monolith]

Monolith - If being tonked all over the UAE in tests didn't affect Rashid's confidence in ODIs I don't expect this will be any different.

It's depressing there isn't anyone better to select but Rashid has played hundreds of first class games so stating he is a "white ball bowler" is ill-informed. He will know instinctively what lines to bowl - whether he can do it or not is a different argument.

I know what lines to bowl and I am an exceptionally poor bowler. Knowing where to put it doesn't really mean anything, the skill is being able to consistently put it there over the course of a longer match.

I've never said he is a white ball bowler but he is being picked on white ball form. Match practice is important in any sport and he has none in the longer format for a long time and even when he was last playing the longer format he wasn't exactly lighting up the county championship.

Hope he does well but it would surprise me if he did. We haven't had a decent leg spinner in my life time so if this mental decision does somehow come good then it will be a great weapon to have especially with the Ashes on the horizon.

Highly unlikely it will come good though.

[dontrunyoullfall]

All Rashid needs to do is bowl 6 or 7 'magic' balls, 7 for 157 has a nice ring to it. There'll obviously be a fair smattering of 4 balls too.

[monolith]

All Rashid needs to do is bowl 6 or 7 'magic' balls, 7 for 157 has a nice ring to it. There'll obviously be a fair smattering of 4 balls too.

Easier said than done.

[dontrunyoullfall]

I have faith that Rashid's balls can and will be magic. Don't pooh-pooh them until we get to day five and find out whether he has them on a string turning hither and yon, mesmerising the Indian batsmen. Possibly exciting times ahead.

[monolith]

I hope Rashid's balls come good. Hopefully they won't make an appearance until tomorrow!

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Steady stsrt lads, be nice collapsing in the middle order for a change.