The Cricket Thread 2014

[paul_e]

For the guys watching this, is it the pitch or the bowling?

[richl]

Bowling and the weather

[Dave Cooper please]

It's the bowling, full and swinging.

Yes the conditions are right for it but how many times have we thought that the conditions would be right and we have ended up bowling pies at batsmen?

[PaulWinch again]

We've done really well but we need to make sure we don't let it slip here.

[UK Redsox]

Sunil's cake countdown has ended as his alarm goes off

[Villan For Life]

We've done really well but we need to make sure we don't let it slip here.

I think our 3rd and 4th seamers are a worry. We can't rely on Anderson and Broad to continually bowl sides out. Woakes and Jordan aren't doing it for me.

[paul_e]

We've done really well but we need to make sure we don't let it slip here.

I think our 3rd and 4th seamers are a worry. We can't rely on Anderson and Broad to continually bowl sides out. Woakes and Jordan aren't doing it for me.

I'd stick with them for now, we need to rotate between those 2, Finn and Stokes, I want them all to have 10-15test under their belts before we have to face up to losing Jimmy, we've got 2-3 years more of him in all likelihood, we really can't afford to not have some experienced bowlers to turn to at that point.  Look at the state of our spinning options after 5-6years of relying on Swann and giving Monty an odd game before casting him off completely.

I like all 4 of them and think they can all make it as international quicks but they need to measure themselves against the best and then go away and respond.

[paul_e]

This scorecard is fantastic, Dhoni has rescued them from an utter humiliation, that row of ducks (5 of them!) is pretty horrific.

[Villan For Life]

We've done really well but we need to make sure we don't let it slip here.

I think our 3rd and 4th seamers are a worry. We can't rely on Anderson and Broad to continually bowl sides out. Woakes and Jordan aren't doing it for me.

I'd stick with them for now, we need to rotate between those 2, Finn and Stokes, I want them all to have 10-15test under their belts before we have to face up to losing Jimmy, we've got 2-3 years more of him in all likelihood, we really can't afford to not have some experienced bowlers to turn to at that point.  Look at the state of our spinning options after 5-6years of relying on Swann and giving Monty an odd game before casting him off completely.

I like all 4 of them and think they can all make it as international quicks but they need to measure themselves against the best and then go away and respond.

Your suggestion of rotation/development is a good one. I'm concerned Woakes in particular isn't good enough. It's one thing to stick by them and rotate them but if they're not quite good enough in the first place then what's the point?

As an example, with India 152 all out, between them Woakes and Jordan had bowled 19-5-70-1 whereas Jimmy & Broad bowled 27.4-9-71-9. I do think that Jordan will come good but against better opposition our attack is weakened.

[paul_e]

We've done really well but we need to make sure we don't let it slip here.

I think our 3rd and 4th seamers are a worry. We can't rely on Anderson and Broad to continually bowl sides out. Woakes and Jordan aren't doing it for me.

I'd stick with them for now, we need to rotate between those 2, Finn and Stokes, I want them all to have 10-15test under their belts before we have to face up to losing Jimmy, we've got 2-3 years more of him in all likelihood, we really can't afford to not have some experienced bowlers to turn to at that point.  Look at the state of our spinning options after 5-6years of relying on Swann and giving Monty an odd game before casting him off completely.

I like all 4 of them and think they can all make it as international quicks but they need to measure themselves against the best and then go away and respond.

Your suggestion of rotation/development is a good one. I'm concerned Woakes in particular isn't good enough. It's one thing to stick by them and rotate them but if they're not quite good enough in the first place then what's the point?

As an example, with India 152 all out, between them Woakes and Jordan had bowled 19-5-70-1 whereas Jimmy & Broad bowled 27.4-9-71-9. I do think that Jordan will come good but against better opposition our attack is weakened.

Woakes needs a wicket, in the last game he deserved a couple and bowled a couple of great spells but that first wicket is a big deal and the longer it goes the more tense he'll become.  I think there's a very good bowler in there though. He gets nice swing and seam movement but is a bit let down by some inconsistency in his line, if he fixes that he can, at worst, become a great 4th seamer to lock down one end with a long spell and let the others rotate from the other.

[paul_e]

And there's a 6th little duck, which equals the record, brilliant day for Broad who generally does well at old trafford.

[Villan For Life]

We've done really well but we need to make sure we don't let it slip here.

I think our 3rd and 4th seamers are a worry. We can't rely on Anderson and Broad to continually bowl sides out. Woakes and Jordan aren't doing it for me.

I'd stick with them for now, we need to rotate between those 2, Finn and Stokes, I want them all to have 10-15test under their belts before we have to face up to losing Jimmy, we've got 2-3 years more of him in all likelihood, we really can't afford to not have some experienced bowlers to turn to at that point.  Look at the state of our spinning options after 5-6years of relying on Swann and giving Monty an odd game before casting him off completely.

I like all 4 of them and think they can all make it as international quicks but they need to measure themselves against the best and then go away and respond.

Your suggestion of rotation/development is a good one. I'm concerned Woakes in particular isn't good enough. It's one thing to stick by them and rotate them but if they're not quite good enough in the first place then what's the point?

As an example, with India 152 all out, between them Woakes and Jordan had bowled 19-5-70-1 whereas Jimmy & Broad bowled 27.4-9-71-9. I do think that Jordan will come good but against better opposition our attack is weakened.

Woakes needs a wicket, in the last game he deserved a couple and bowled a couple of great spells but that first wicket is a big deal and the longer it goes the more tense he'll become.  I think there's a very good bowler in there though. He gets nice swing and seam movement but is a bit let down by some inconsistency in his line, if he fixes that he can, at worst, become a great 4th seamer to lock down one end with a long spell and let the others rotate from the other.

He has taken a test wicket, he got his first in the 5th Ashes test last summer. I'd rather see Bresnan in the side ahead of Woakes.

[paul_e]

We've done really well but we need to make sure we don't let it slip here.

I think our 3rd and 4th seamers are a worry. We can't rely on Anderson and Broad to continually bowl sides out. Woakes and Jordan aren't doing it for me.

I'd stick with them for now, we need to rotate between those 2, Finn and Stokes, I want them all to have 10-15test under their belts before we have to face up to losing Jimmy, we've got 2-3 years more of him in all likelihood, we really can't afford to not have some experienced bowlers to turn to at that point.  Look at the state of our spinning options after 5-6years of relying on Swann and giving Monty an odd game before casting him off completely.

I like all 4 of them and think they can all make it as international quicks but they need to measure themselves against the best and then go away and respond.

Your suggestion of rotation/development is a good one. I'm concerned Woakes in particular isn't good enough. It's one thing to stick by them and rotate them but if they're not quite good enough in the first place then what's the point?

As an example, with India 152 all out, between them Woakes and Jordan had bowled 19-5-70-1 whereas Jimmy & Broad bowled 27.4-9-71-9. I do think that Jordan will come good but against better opposition our attack is weakened.

Woakes needs a wicket, in the last game he deserved a couple and bowled a couple of great spells but that first wicket is a big deal and the longer it goes the more tense he'll become.  I think there's a very good bowler in there though. He gets nice swing and seam movement but is a bit let down by some inconsistency in his line, if he fixes that he can, at worst, become a great 4th seamer to lock down one end with a long spell and let the others rotate from the other.

He has taken a test wicket, he got his first in the 5th Ashes test last summer. I'd rather see Bresnan in the side ahead of Woakes.

Oops, I missed that.  The point still stands to an extent though.  He was dumped after that game and ignored for a year so there's a lot of pressure on him.

He'll be a long term replacement for bresnan.

[PGW]

We've done really well but we need to make sure we don't let it slip here.

I think our 3rd and 4th seamers are a worry. We can't rely on Anderson and Broad to continually bowl sides out. Woakes and Jordan aren't doing it for me.

I'd stick with them for now, we need to rotate between those 2, Finn and Stokes, I want them all to have 10-15test under their belts before we have to face up to losing Jimmy, we've got 2-3 years more of him in all likelihood, we really can't afford to not have some experienced bowlers to turn to at that point.  Look at the state of our spinning options after 5-6years of relying on Swann and giving Monty an odd game before casting him off completely.

I like all 4 of them and think they can all make it as international quicks but they need to measure themselves against the best and then go away and respond.

Your suggestion of rotation/development is a good one. I'm concerned Woakes in particular isn't good enough. It's one thing to stick by them and rotate them but if they're not quite good enough in the first place then what's the point?

As an example, with India 152 all out, between them Woakes and Jordan had bowled 19-5-70-1 whereas Jimmy & Broad bowled 27.4-9-71-9. I do think that Jordan will come good but against better opposition our attack is weakened.

Woakes needs a wicket, in the last game he deserved a couple and bowled a couple of great spells but that first wicket is a big deal and the longer it goes the more tense he'll become.  I think there's a very good bowler in there though. He gets nice swing and seam movement but is a bit let down by some inconsistency in his line, if he fixes that he can, at worst, become a great 4th seamer to lock down one end with a long spell and let the others rotate from the other.

He has taken a test wicket, he got his first in the 5th Ashes test last summer. I'd rather see Bresnan in the side ahead of Woakes.

Correct James Faulkner Ct Trott b Woakes 23

[Villan For Life]

We've done really well but we need to make sure we don't let it slip here.

I think our 3rd and 4th seamers are a worry. We can't rely on Anderson and Broad to continually bowl sides out. Woakes and Jordan aren't doing it for me.

I'd stick with them for now, we need to rotate between those 2, Finn and Stokes, I want them all to have 10-15test under their belts before we have to face up to losing Jimmy, we've got 2-3 years more of him in all likelihood, we really can't afford to not have some experienced bowlers to turn to at that point.  Look at the state of our spinning options after 5-6years of relying on Swann and giving Monty an odd game before casting him off completely.

I like all 4 of them and think they can all make it as international quicks but they need to measure themselves against the best and then go away and respond.

Your suggestion of rotation/development is a good one. I'm concerned Woakes in particular isn't good enough. It's one thing to stick by them and rotate them but if they're not quite good enough in the first place then what's the point?

As an example, with India 152 all out, between them Woakes and Jordan had bowled 19-5-70-1 whereas Jimmy & Broad bowled 27.4-9-71-9. I do think that Jordan will come good but against better opposition our attack is weakened.

Woakes needs a wicket, in the last game he deserved a couple and bowled a couple of great spells but that first wicket is a big deal and the longer it goes the more tense he'll become.  I think there's a very good bowler in there though. He gets nice swing and seam movement but is a bit let down by some inconsistency in his line, if he fixes that he can, at worst, become a great 4th seamer to lock down one end with a long spell and let the others rotate from the other.

He has taken a test wicket, he got his first in the 5th Ashes test last summer. I'd rather see Bresnan in the side ahead of Woakes.

Oops, I missed that.  The point still stands to an extent though.  He was dumped after that game and ignored for a year so there's a lot of pressure on him.

He'll be a long term replacement for bresnan.

I wasn't sure how old Woakes was, I was surprised to discover that he's 25. I thought he was about 22.