The Cricket Thread 2016

[olaftab]

Well done Stuart Broad on attaining world number one position.

[Chris Jameson]

*cough*

Matthew Fisher, 18, fast bowler. From Eboracum.

*cough*

He's rubbish, so is that Jack Leaning. Best leave them at their county, whoever that may be.

[Dave Cooper please]

Broad has now produced two of the most outstanding spells of bowling I've seen since the heyday of the Windies pacemen, his 8 for fuck all in the Ashes in the summer and now this burst. 5-1 from 31 balls at one point, absolutely phenomenal.
Then you saw Stokes swinging the ball around corners, Finn looking back to his best, Root making batting look easy on any surface, I am liking this team a lot.
Still a few issues, Cook isn't firing and we need a better opener than Hales unless he can find some form, not convinced by Taylor yet and we will still find ourselves having problems on flat pitches if Moeen is our only spin option.

[PaulWinch again]

Taylor is a very good player and deserves plenty of time to make his mark. Cook isn't having a great series, but he did score a double hundred in October/November so I wouldn't worry too much about him.

[Villan For Life]

Taylor is a very good player and deserves plenty of time to make his mark. Cook isn't having a great series, but he did score a double hundred in October/November so I wouldn't worry too much about him.

I think his captaincy is getting better too.

Bayliss and Farbrace seem to have introduced a relaxed culture that encourages positive play and that is leading to on-field success.

[paul_e]

I don't think Compton fits so for me I'd be looking at a replacement for him first.  I know Hales hasn't had a great series but I think we should stick with him for a while because the talent is there he just needs to work out how to make that work in tests.  I think I'd like to see Taylor at 3 and then I'd shift Bairstow to 5, Ali to 7 and then look at another spinner, I'd probably give Kerrigan another shot.

[ACVilla]

No matter what you think of Chris Gayle the person, Chris Gayle the cricketer is a superb entertainer.

He is currently 26 not out off 6 balls.

[ACVilla]

50 off 12 balls, joint fastest ever.

Sublime batting.

[Villan For Life]

I don't think Compton fits so for me I'd be looking at a replacement for him first.  I know Hales hasn't had a great series but I think we should stick with him for a while because the talent is there he just needs to work out how to make that work in tests.  I think I'd like to see Taylor at 3 and then I'd shift Bairstow to 5, Ali to 7 and then look at another spinner, I'd probably give Kerrigan another shot.

Ballance will get another go too. If he's managed to iron out his technical weaknesses he is a formidable batsman.

[tomd2103]

I don't think Compton fits so for me I'd be looking at a replacement for him first.  I know Hales hasn't had a great series but I think we should stick with him for a while because the talent is there he just needs to work out how to make that work in tests.  I think I'd like to see Taylor at 3 and then I'd shift Bairstow to 5, Ali to 7 and then look at another spinner, I'd probably give Kerrigan another shot.

Not sure we will need another spinner at home this summer, but we go to India next winter so will definitely need one there. 

[PaulWinch again]

I don't think Compton fits so for me I'd be looking at a replacement for him first.  I know Hales hasn't had a great series but I think we should stick with him for a while because the talent is there he just needs to work out how to make that work in tests.  I think I'd like to see Taylor at 3 and then I'd shift Bairstow to 5, Ali to 7 and then look at another spinner, I'd probably give Kerrigan another shot.

Ballance will get another go too. If he's managed to iron out his technical weaknesses he is a formidable batsman.

He categorically said he didn't have an issue to fix, which I think is the main part of the problem.

[PaulWinch again]

Shame Finn is injured again, I'd love to see him have a run of being fit.

[Villan For Life]

I don't think Compton fits so for me I'd be looking at a replacement for him first.  I know Hales hasn't had a great series but I think we should stick with him for a while because the talent is there he just needs to work out how to make that work in tests.  I think I'd like to see Taylor at 3 and then I'd shift Bairstow to 5, Ali to 7 and then look at another spinner, I'd probably give Kerrigan another shot.

Not sure we will need another spinner at home this summer, but we go to India next winter so will definitely need one there. 

For India I think they'll go with Ali and Rashid as they did in the UAE,

[paul_e]

I don't think Compton fits so for me I'd be looking at a replacement for him first.  I know Hales hasn't had a great series but I think we should stick with him for a while because the talent is there he just needs to work out how to make that work in tests.  I think I'd like to see Taylor at 3 and then I'd shift Bairstow to 5, Ali to 7 and then look at another spinner, I'd probably give Kerrigan another shot.

Not sure we will need another spinner at home this summer, but we go to India next winter so will definitely need one there. 

I agree but we really don't want to be taking a specialist spinner to India who has barely bowled in international cricket so whether you pick Rashid or Kerrigan or someone else they need to play a couple of games in the summer, with the other options we have and the strength of the middle order we can probably absorb a poor performance from someone who is learning what is required (much like we are with Hales right now).

[tomd2103]

I don't think Compton fits so for me I'd be looking at a replacement for him first.  I know Hales hasn't had a great series but I think we should stick with him for a while because the talent is there he just needs to work out how to make that work in tests.  I think I'd like to see Taylor at 3 and then I'd shift Bairstow to 5, Ali to 7 and then look at another spinner, I'd probably give Kerrigan another shot.

Not sure we will need another spinner at home this summer, but we go to India next winter so will definitely need one there. 

For India I think they'll go with Ali and Rashid as they did in the UAE,

Not so sure.  They were debating this on SKY after the last test match and David Lloyd said they will probably look for a left arm spinner to take to India.