English cricket thread



Was on a YouTube spree of historic cricket moments today, and ended up watching this again. Goosebumps at that final celebration with the Headingley crowd behind him, what an innings that was from Stokes. The inventiveness and audacity of some of those sixes under pressure. Leach's single is definitely the greatest Test single of all time, as well.

The little moments add up - Australian wasting a review and Lyon missing that run out. When it's your day, everything just seems to align.
 
Can still tell throwing away a 2-0 lead and escaping due to the weather keeps the Aussie lads up at night, lovely stuff.
 
Dawid Malian has been dropped from England’s white ball tour of W Indies. A really strange decision given his performances during the WC.
 
Utd heap said:
What's the point in taking him? He's 36.
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If he's playing well, why can't he carry on for a few years? I don't hate the decision I suppose - I'd love us to go back to the swashbuckling style of openers we had previously and Root has probably earned his spot as the anchor in the side over the years, but right now Malan is playing much better than Root, I think I'd at least have him in the squad. Maybe Brook is the new anchor backup?

For me we ought to get some big hitters in as openers. Jacks, Salt, Bairstow, maybe even a wildcard like Smeed or someone. Or of course Duckett or Crawley if they're in form, but I like the idea of the T20 and ODI teams having the same openers if possible so they can go hard from the off and regroup lower down the order if it doesn't work.
 
They gave him a central contract a month ago so I doubt it's that they're now just freezing him out, rather just rest/rotation.

But it'll be interesting if his replacements do well, because then it'd seem pointless to recall Malan for some white ball series in the summer when it's unlikely he'll play a part in the many, if any, white ball tournaments in the next few years, whereas Salt/Duckett/Crawley/Jacks likely will do.

Edit: read the quotes and it seems all of the older/regular starters from the WC squad are rested for this ODI series, some are in the T20 squad though with the exception of the Test players, and Malan - and tbf Malan is more suited to 50 overs than 20 so it makes sense.
 
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Malan warrants a spot in my opinion. It’s the others around him who have left England down / are out of form. Not him.
 
The Corinthian said:
Malan warrants a spot in my opinion. It’s the others around him who have left England down / are out of form. Not him.
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I really don't see the point - we've got loads of young openers and this is a quick (pointless) WI tour then barely any ODI Cricket for yonks. I'd be amazed if he played it again - not a form thing, just time to move on.
 
Utd heap said:
I really don't see the point - we've got loads of young openers and this is a quick (pointless) WI tour then barely any ODI Cricket for yonks. I'd be amazed if he played it again - not a form thing, just time to move on.
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With guys like Malan, once you slot him in, then you’ve got to make a team around him because he has only one tempo of a specific kind and that’s not worth it unless he’s world class. When he’s on form, sure but he’s not a guy you’d put down as one of the first names in a rebuild.
 
It be getting rid of everyone that won't be around for the next world cup. With the limited amount of odi games they play now they actually need to start thinking towards that virtually immediately
 
arnie_ni said:
It be getting rid of everyone that won't be around for the next world cup. With the limited amount of odi games they play now they actually need to start thinking towards that virtually immediately
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Yep. Yet they just gave out 29 contracts to most of them. Terrible from Key, embarrassing call.
 
Flintoff appointed head coach of Northern Superchargers in the Hundred.

Also part of the England Lions staff in their upcoming camp in the UAE. Great to see him back involved in the sport.
 
Nathan Lyon signs for Lancs next season great signing it'll be strange wanting him to do well!
 
What seems to be the problem is that we have many bowlers who can have a slap with the bat but seemingly not one proper all rounder. It should be Sam Curran but he's been woeful, alternatingly or simultaneously, with both bat and ball of late. Is there anyone who could play the role that's not had a go? Tom Curran perhaps? Livingstone is not good enough for me with either bat or ball.
 
Just watched the "highlights." Looks like we're currently on a world tour to try and lose to every cricketing nation out there.

Pitiful!
 
Felt like we've not won a match against a decent team in forever. Thanks for the morale boost, my English friends :D
 
Hard to believe Sam Curran's bowling won England a World Cup final just over a year ago, he's been dreadful ever since then.

Poor captaincy again from Buttler yesterday. Jacks should have bowled at least a couple of overs, could even open with him in these conditions.
 
Looks like it will probably get rained off here, bit of a shame even though Windies were probably going to win.
 
Liam Dawson not asked apparently. Mental.

Hard to see us not getting hammered but we can win a test match.
 
TheGame said:
Real left field selection with Bashir. I’ve not seen that much of him myself but only played 6 FC games. Surprised Virdee from Surrey wasn’t called up.

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That’s a depressing reality check for the state of English spin bowling. Virdi hasn’t played a first class game in more than a year. Matt Parkinson got dropped for Lancashire and has had to move elsewhere and they’ve signed Nathan Lyon. Those were the 2 guys who were coming through a few years back. With Bashir, he’s lucky he’s at Somerset because he’ll play on pitches that develop his game but with Rehan I think England are basically taking it upon themselves to develop him as a spin bowler.
 
Utd heap said:
Liam Dawson not asked apparently. Mental.

Hard to see us not getting hammered but we can win a test match.
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I don’t have a beef with Dawson not getting a call up, that would be very much a situational call up which doesn’t help England, or Dawson really, in the long term. Rather get hammered and develop some younger spinners than get hammered with Dawson in the side, even though that can be risky sometimes too (see: Dom Bess, Simon Kerrigan etc. etc.). I think Rehan will be fine mentally, even if he gets some tap, Bashir probably gets a go when the series is dead which will take some pressure off him. Hopefully they can get Swann with Bashir during the tour.

No Jacks is the more interesting call, suits the style England play and you kind of want to nail him down to England before franchise contracts kick in.
 
ArmchairCritic said:
That’s a depressing reality check for the state of English spin bowling. Virdi hasn’t played a first class game in more than a year. Matt Parkinson got dropped for Lancashire and has had to move elsewhere and they’ve signed Nathan Lyon. Those were the 2 guys who were coming through a few years back. With Bashir, he’s lucky he’s at Somerset because he’ll play on pitches that develop his game but with Rehan I think England are basically taking it upon themselves to develop him as a spin bowler.
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I didn't actually know Virdi hasn't played in more than a year, that's depressing. Tom Hartley is the other call up, not a great FC average but only 20 games. It will probably be Rehan and Leach playing I imagine.
 
ArmchairCritic said:
I don’t have a beef with Dawson not getting a call up, that would be very much a situational call up which doesn’t help England, or Dawson really, in the long term. Rather get hammered and develop some younger spinners than get hammered with Dawson in the side, even though that can be risky sometimes too (see: Dom Bess, Simon Kerrigan etc. etc.). I think Rehan will be fine mentally, even if he gets some tap, Bashir probably gets a go when the series is dead which will take some pressure off him. Hopefully they can get Swann with Bashir during the tour.

No Jacks is the more interesting call, suits the style England play and you kind of want to nail him down to England before franchise contracts kick in.
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TBF I think he will be more of a limited overs option for England rather than Tests.
 
ArmchairCritic said:
That’s a depressing reality check for the state of English spin bowling. Virdi hasn’t played a first class game in more than a year. Matt Parkinson got dropped for Lancashire and has had to move elsewhere and they’ve signed Nathan Lyon. Those were the 2 guys who were coming through a few years back. With Bashir, he’s lucky he’s at Somerset because he’ll play on pitches that develop his game but with Rehan I think England are basically taking it upon themselves to develop him as a spin bowler.
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Agreed with that, he just won't get enough games in county cricket and will learn very little. I still think we will do that wrong though, as we'll only take him to places where we think it will spin and he has to learn all conditions if we want a good spinner for the next 10 years or so.

County cricket needs some changes to assist the national team a bit more, but I'm not sure what they can do outside of forcing certain players to be played.
 
Jacks and Dawson don't have England contracts and are in the South African T20 competition at the same time as the India tour. Key's comments suggest Dawson wasn't interested in touring as back-up which is fair enough if he has to give up a lucrative deal to do it. Jacks did an interview recently which also hinted he'd prefer to play in SA to prepare for the World Cup.

Seen a bit of Bashir for Somerset, I wouldn't say he's ready for this level but he was apparently the standout on the Lions recent UAE trip. He's a quick spinner like Hartley so they're obviously looking at spinners who can fire it in at the stumps like Axar Patel.
 
IRN-BRUno said:
Jacks and Dawson don't have England contracts and are in the South African T20 competition at the same time as the India tour. Key's comments suggest Dawson wasn't interested in touring as back-up which is fair enough if he has to give up a lucrative deal to do it. Jacks did an interview recently which also hinted he'd prefer to play in SA to prepare for the World Cup.

Seen a bit of Bashir for Somerset, I wouldn't say he's ready for this level but he was apparently the standout on the Lions recent UAE trip. He's a quick spinner like Hartley so they're obviously looking at spinners who can fire it in at the stumps like Axar Patel.
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I think the height is interesting too. It’s nice to pick bowlers based on attributes, problem is England are historically bad at developing spinners so just sticking them in and around the test team is not going to magically generate the spinners England need.

I think Key started off well with getting Stokes in as captain and bringing Hales back for the T20 World Cup, I’m not sure he’s backed those calls up very well since. In tests England are massively leaning on Stokes’ leadership at the minute and not really putting a structure in place for when he retires.
 
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