The Cricket Thread 2014

[Chris Jameson]

Really pleased for Plunkett, he's worked hard to turn his career round since leaving Durham.

[PaulWinch again]

Hopefully it'll give him the confidence to bowl well now, he needs to pitch it up like all of the bowlers.

[PaulWinch again]

Worryingly Broad is already too short.

[peter w]

I don't think it should be Jordan or Stokes. They are two different players who shouldn't be competing for the same spot. Jordan is a bowler who can bat whereas Stokes is a Craig White-like bat who is adept with the ball. More in the all-rounder vein. Our problem is that we're kind of bits and pieces everywhere. The loss of so many experienced players at the top made the jettisoning of Pietersen even more incredible. Especially seeing as no-one looked particularly good in Australia, with Pieteresen being the best still - and cook even then being woefully out of form.

I struggle to see why they have taken the course they have and they are currently reaping what they sow by backing the wrong horse and bringing back a coach who is not good enough. Plan A for Plunkett was poor but okay, we'll let them off Sri lanka and the first test. But to see a seaming wicket being misused by Plunkett going around the wicket bouncing at the tail enders is criminal. Surely at some point the coach should be sending out a message to go to Plan B. That he didn't shows that either he thought it was working, it was his idea, or that Cook decides what's going on, or the bowlers do. Either way, it's simply not working.

Cook as captain has to go. Moores has to go. Downton has to go.

Clear the decks and we still have enough to get going on with. I'd also remove Prior now. Experienced as he is his batting and his glove work are not good enough at the moment.

Cook
Bell
Trott
Pietersen
Ballance
Root
Stokes
Buttler
Broad
Anderson
Kerrigan


There is still the basis of a team in and around the counties. There is a lot depending on Trott but if he wasn't coming back I'd bring Ali back in and move everyone up one from Root up. Bell as captain. he's do

[PaulWinch again]

Sorry I really disagree with a lot of that team, Trott is done as an international cricketer and whilst I disagreed with KP's dropping his form has justified any sort of come back. Also Ali has been excellent this summer and he's dropped? and Stokes isn't a third seamer at the moment.

Cook(if he can find some form)
Robson
Ballance(he's doing excellently at number 3)
Bell(just about but if he doesn't improve his place is under threat)
Root(captain, as we need to look to the future now and it can be done from the middle order)
Ali(offers us balance if we bowl him right)
Buttler
Jordan
Plunkett(if he can sort his bowling length out)
Broad
Anderson

If Stokes finds form with the bat, then he can push hard for Jordan's position or if Bell doesn't find form then Ali can move up and Stokes comes in for Bell, but at the moment he's not offering enough. The young spinners shouldn't be rushed back in either and Kerrigan's form isn't  up there at the moment.

[taylorsworkrate]

The hope has to be that Finn finds his best form at some stage, because he's got so much more ability than any of Jordan, Woakes, Plunkett, Stokes etc

[peter w]

I wouldn't persist with Plunkett because I don't think he's fit or strong enough. day 1 of the test and he's down to 82 mph. He's been picked to bowl 90 mph.

[PaulWinch again]

Finn is the long term option but he needs to keep going in county cricket for the moment and get his form, pace and confidence fully back.

[Chris Jameson]

Cook
Bell
Trott
Pietersen
Ballance
Root
Stokes
Buttler
Broad
Anderson
Kerrigan


There is still the basis of a team in and around the counties. There is a lot depending on Trott but if he wasn't coming back I'd bring Ali back in and move everyone up one from Root up. Bell as captain. he's do

It's not that long ago Ali scored a superb century,  Pietersen has a top score of 39 this season and is obviously toxic where England are concerned, Trott won't be back in the Test set up in the immediate future I shouldn't imagine and I've only ever seen Kerrigan bowl 8 overs, but going by his form for Lancashire I'm not sure what he'd bring to the Test arena.

England are a team in transition, I'd hate us to go back to the bad old days of throwing people in for a Test or two and getting rid, it's not that long ago people were calling for Ballance and Root to be dropped.

[PaulWinch again]

I agree that team is far too grounded in the past. I think Ali is Bell's eventual replacement as well, he's a really classy player.

[PaulWinch again]

It's not doing a lot and Broad is bowling poor again.

[PaulWinch again]

Anderson too short now. The ball isn't doing much and this looks like it could be a long afternoon.

[PaulWinch again]

Bell brings Broad off for Stokes, proactive.

[PaulWinch again]

What a catch from Root off Stokes, we needed something brilliant. Dhawan gone and he looked dangerous.

[taylorsworkrate]

Great catch from Root.

Always great for bowlers when their poor balls get wickets!