The Cricket Thread 2014

[PaulWinch again]

Decent knock from Broad there.

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Broad always looks useful when he is playing his natural game. We seem to lack an aggressive shot maker in the middle order, somebody a bit different who can come in and bat for an hour and change the tide of the game.

[PaulWinch again]

Oh well Plunkett didn't last long, let's hope for a 100 run last wicket partnership.

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You have to feel that on a pitch as flat as this, that 400 is the very least from a 1st innings, so we're currently some 90 odd short of par. If we had taken that final wicket cheaply though, then even with the collapse, we would be pushing even.

As long as we can bat out these overs today, you would think it would take India into the 5th day to rack up a 350 lead where they might think of declaring.

[PaulWinch again]

Good fight from Root, Broad and Anderson but we need at least another 50.

[tomd2103]

Broad always looks useful when he is playing his natural game. We seem to lack an aggressive shot maker in the middle order, somebody a bit different who can come in and bat for an hour and change the tide of the game.

Buttler or Jordan perhaps?

[PaulWinch again]

For me long term Jordan is a much better option than Plunkett. If Jordan's technique is tweaked a bit he can bowl up to 90mph and he's a better bowler for me.

[peter w]

The thing with cook is that it's easy to forget that before his monumental Ashes series he was in danger of not even making the tour. he was having a poor series against Pakistan until a last test century saved him and he went to Australia. We know the rest. But other than that series, and for roughly a series maybe two after he has not shown anything to suggest that the Australia series was anything other than a one-off.

The problem for England is that they've hung their hat on Moores and Cook. They've publicly dumped Pietersen and said there is no way back for him. To dump your best batsman is incredible considering the amount of inexperience in and around the team. I understand the viewpoint that they didn't want his potential negativity around younger players but we look very disjointed and with Cook failing constantly failing at the top it is putting undue pressure on those that follow.

I cannot see this team succeeding under Moores and Cook. Moores has been shown up twice as not being godo enough at this level. He's changed the way he coaches but fails to get his stamp on the team. There is no plan other than old fashioned thinking. The plan of asking Plunkett to constantly bowl bumpers was going from misguided to tedious. Similarly, giving a part-time spinner a role against a team that is brought up on turning pitches is nothing short of short sighted and criminal.

But Cook can't be dropped now. The lack of experience means he'll stay put. Given the ECBs insistence on Cook being the way forward they are also left with an underperforming team. Cook isn't a captain. He doesn't react and lets things drift. He hasn't got that instinct to be ahead of the game or the man management nous of a Brearley who survived in the team despite being nothing better than average with the bat.

We're a mess and it's a mess of our own making. We're stuck with moores but at least a poor summer could change that. But, this isn't a good India team so there's every chance that we could nick it. That could give the team some momentum and turn things around. We'll see.

[tomd2103]

The thing with cook is that it's easy to forget that before his monumental Ashes series he was in danger of not even making the tour. he was having a poor series against Pakistan until a last test century saved him and he went to Australia. We know the rest. But other than that series, and for roughly a series maybe two after he has not shown anything to suggest that the Australia series was anything other than a one-off.

The problem for England is that they've hung their hat on Moores and Cook. They've publicly dumped Pietersen and said there is no way back for him. To dump your best batsman is incredible considering the amount of inexperience in and around the team. I understand the viewpoint that they didn't want his potential negativity around younger players but we look very disjointed and with Cook failing constantly failing at the top it is putting undue pressure on those that follow.

I cannot see this team succeeding under Moores and Cook. Moores has been shown up twice as not being godo enough at this level. He's changed the way he coaches but fails to get his stamp on the team. There is no plan other than old fashioned thinking. The plan of asking Plunkett to constantly bowl bumpers was going from misguided to tedious. Similarly, giving a part-time spinner a role against a team that is brought up on turning pitches is nothing short of short sighted and criminal.

But Cook can't be dropped now. The lack of experience means he'll stay put. Given the ECBs insistence on Cook being the way forward they are also left with an underperforming team. Cook isn't a captain. He doesn't react and lets things drift. He hasn't got that instinct to be ahead of the game or the man management nous of a Brearley who survived in the team despite being nothing better than average with the bat.

We're a mess and it's a mess of our own making. We're stuck with moores but at least a poor summer could change that. But, this isn't a good India team so there's every chance that we could nick it. That could give the team some momentum and turn things around. We'll see.

Spot on post Peter, but not sure about the bit in bold.  I agree with your concerns regarding Moores and still think it was a strange appointment.  I do however think it will take a poor series this summer against India, a poor World Cup in the winter and a home Ashes defeat against the Aussies next summer before Moores is in under any real pressure.

[PaulWinch again]

I'll say another thing I find our tactics staggering with Plunkett, if you just bowl short all the time teams will get used to it. The short ball has to be a surprise.

[PaulWinch again]

Cook's a good player but he shouldn't be captain it's as simple as that. We need his batting much more than him as a captain.

[PaulWinch again]

Broad and Anderson showed how pathetic most of our batsmen were yesterday. Also it is critical that Cook doesn't over bowl those two.

[UK Redsox]

50 for Jimmy !!

[taylorsworkrate]

Great Innings from Root, and some real gutsy stuff from Anderson.

At the moment it's pretty telling that it's the experienced batsmen, Cook, Bell and Prior who are consistently letting the side down whilst the younger players flourish

[john e]

Great stuff from these two this morning