Ashes 2013/14

[OCD]

We need a more aggressive top order rather than this old tactic of starting slowly and just hoping we have some good hitters for the last 10 overs. The game's moved on and I don't know whether we could change our approach with Cook opening the batting.

[PaulWinch again]

If he is in the quitting mood than he should quit altogether. I don't understand why he feels he is not capable of captaining the one day team?
The better question he should ask himself is if he has the desire to succeed as an international class batsman.

Well I'll answer that now, he already has done.

[PGW]

If he is in the quitting mood than he should quit altogether. I don't understand why he feels he is not capable of captaining the one day team?
The better question he should ask himself is if he has the desire to succeed as an international class batsman.

Agree with you here!!! The youngest player to get to 8000 runs....he don't have to prove himself as a batsman....class is always there form unfortunately is not and that is what he is struggling with currently.
He will come through the runs blip - of that i have no doubt........captaincy?

Well I'll answer that now, he already has done.

[PaulWinch again]

I agree with Bumble that Morgan should be the ODI captain and we get him into the Test side.

[tomd2103]

We need a more aggressive top order rather than this old tactic of starting slowly and just hoping we have some good hitters for the last 10 overs. The game's moved on and I don't know whether we could change our approach with Cook opening the batting.

Yep.  Bell, Carberry and Pietersen should have been the top three for this series, with maybe Lumb or Hales also given a chance at some point.  We haven't had that part of the batting line up right for some time now.

[OzVilla]

At least they are acknowledging that they have some fundamental problems that will change - I'm pleased about that.

We have the Big Bash on here right now and there are some good English players scoring runs, we just need to be prepared to give them a go, be aggressive and take it to the opposition a lot more than we do now.

Taking forward a more aggressive approach, I'm wondering whether you can have both Root and Cook in the top order so, regrettably, the one to go might be Cook. Unless Cook bats in the middle order.

Just look at Australia. They have those two dynamic batsmen at the top of the order (Finch and Warner), Watson at 3 and then Maxwell and Faulkner lower down.  Complemented by Clarke, Baily and Haddin.  That's a fantastic top 7 for ODI Cricket as the balance of the batting is excellent. We need to emulate this as best we can or we'll keep on losing future games against them.  You've also got 3 of those that can bowl.

It's not a disgrace to lose to this lot looking at that side, plus the momentum they have from the Test Series.  The best we could hope for is to maybe scramble a win and, most importantly, to learn from the whole experience.  I think we're doing that.

Lumb                 
Bell
Stokes or Cook
Morgan (C)
Bairstow or Stokes (Stokes plays, just depends who for)
Bopara
Butler
Bresnan/Root (depends on the wicket)
Broad
Jordan
Tredwell

[eastie]

I'm not a huge fan of one day cricket in the modern era so would be quite happy to see cook concentrate on just leading the test side.

[paul_e]

I think 1 day cricket is in a difficult place trying to find where it fits with T20 having taken it's usual spot.  I still think it's a good format though as it has the potential to allow some element of tactical play which T20 often doesn't have.  I think the gap between Tests and T20 is too big for ODIs to be ignored but English cricket needs to start to realise that the game has changed and 250 is no longer 'par'.  clearly some wickets make a difference but 300 is largely a requirement to set a meaningful target now, which means you need to be willing to go at a bowler and bat him out of the attack.  That's a skill we really need to learn for tests as well.

[olaftab]

If he is in the quitting mood than he should quit altogether. I don't understand why he feels he is not capable of captaining the one day team?
The better question he should ask himself is if he has the desire to succeed as an international class batsman.

Well I'll answer that now, he already has done.

Already is no good. No doubt he has very good stats but  10 innings v Australia and 246 runs is no longer international class. He is only 30 years old so he has to decide if he still fancies it at the top.

[paul_e]

Cook as an opening batsman has proven himself to be very high quality.  Cook as opening batsman and captain has a very questionable record, with his form in 2013 being particularly dire.  If he'd kept his scoring rate up after he was made captain he'd be well over 9000 runs now, rather than having just limped over 8000.  In no way do I think Cook should be dropped but I do think he needs to learn how to balance his own game with the extra responsibility of being captain.  It's not easy, as I've said before there are, comparatively, very few genuinely successful opening batsman captains in the history of the game, which suggests it's just as difficult for everyone else as Cook has found it.

That he was the only feasible choice and we still don't really have any alternative is the underlying problem, we need someone in the middle order to really stand up and make themselves counted.  If Morgan can carry his form into Tests he has the attitude and skill to be a very good captain, and he has done well in the shorter formats when he's had the chance.

[bertlambshank]

One thing Morgan seems to have is bottle pretty good shout that Paul.

[Monty]

I've said it before, but it is starting to get to a choice between two options: either Cook drops down the order or he gives up the captaincy, because he is looking increasingly like he can't combine opening and skippering.

[aj2k77]

A top captain can be worth 20-30 runs himself in the field anyway if not more. So I'm of the mind set that if someone has very good captaincy credentials despite not being the number one option with the bat then you have to give him the chance anyway (Mike Brearley anyone?)

[OCD]

At least they are acknowledging that they have some fundamental problems that will change - I'm pleased about that.

We have the Big Bash on here right now and there are some good English players scoring runs, we just need to be prepared to give them a go, be aggressive and take it to the opposition a lot more than we do now.

Taking forward a more aggressive approach, I'm wondering whether you can have both Root and Cook in the top order so, regrettably, the one to go might be Cook. Unless Cook bats in the middle order.

Just look at Australia. They have those two dynamic batsmen at the top of the order (Finch and Warner), Watson at 3 and then Maxwell and Faulkner lower down.  Complemented by Clarke, Baily and Haddin.  That's a fantastic top 7 for ODI Cricket as the balance of the batting is excellent. We need to emulate this as best we can or we'll keep on losing future games against them.  You've also got 3 of those that can bowl.

It's not a disgrace to lose to this lot looking at that side, plus the momentum they have from the Test Series.  The best we could hope for is to maybe scramble a win and, most importantly, to learn from the whole experience.  I think we're doing that.

Lumb                 
Bell
Stokes or Cook
Morgan (C)
Bairstow or Stokes (Stokes plays, just depends who for)
Bopara
Butler
Bresnan/Root (depends on the wicket)
Broad
Jordan
Tredwell

I would want Butler a lot higher in the order. He's a quality player but seems to be under-rated for some reason.

[PaulWinch again]

I think I'd include Hales as an opener in the ODI team.