The Cricket Thread 2016

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

Still can't get over it.

I'd argue we lost it rather than WI winning it. Should've won it with them needing 19 off the last over.

[tomd2103]

Stokes took a couple of great catches to keep us in the game. It was a hard last over to bowl no matter who bowled it. Not impressed with the line and length he chose but there you have it.

 At least England got there and tried to (and almost did)defend a small target.

Agree, but I think to get to the last over with the opposition needing 19 runs is good position.  Jordan had shown where to bowl in the previous over - full and outside off stump, but Stokes served up four in the slot on middle and leg. 

Would have been a nice tonic after yesterday, but as it was, another kick in the nuts.

[Villan For Life]

It was a terrible over, but took guts to bowl it. They need to make sure there is support around Stokes now.

That's how I see it. He will learn from it & be a stronger player for it.

I don't think there's many bowlers who would have done better.

[Proposition Joe]

Stokes took a couple of great catches to keep us in the game. It was a hard last over to bowl no matter who bowled it. Not impressed with the line and length he chose but there you have it.

 At least England got there and tried to (and almost did)defend a small target.

That's the important bit (in bold) bowling onto the legs of pretty much anyone in iT20 is asking to get slogged out of the ground.  If he'd bowled full outside off or a few short ones I'd be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt but he bowled the 1 line that was guaranteed to fail.  I'm convinced they were trying to tempt Brathwaite into some slogs in the hope of catching him on the rope, but that makes no sense when they needed 3-4 boundaries to stay in it.

I don't think he even meant that line at all to be honest.  Otherwise, why put the second one on the same spot?  I don't think the deliveries came out right.

[Percy McCarthy]

I fucking hate sport.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

I know there's a case for not blaming anyone and making sure they're not blamed in anyway and taken care of (a la Southgate and numerous other failed England penalty takers), but surely there comes a time when you have to call it how it is. Ben Stokes fucked it up. He knows, the players know it, the fans know it and the management know it. He seems to me like the sort of guy who'd want to hear it straight and not have anyone skirt around the issue. I'm not on about dragging it up for year after year or bringing it up when it's not required, but everyone knows he fucked up so don't pretend otherwise. If you're asked the question, answer it honestly.

[taylorsworkrate]

Still can't get over it.

I'd argue we lost it rather than WI winning it. Should've won it with them needing 19 off the last over.

I Dont think theres any doubt that we lost it.

[taylorsworkrate]

I know there's a case for not blaming anyone and making sure they're not blamed in anyway and taken care of (a la Southgate and numerous other failed England penalty takers), but surely there comes a time when you have to call it how it is. Ben Stokes fucked it up. He knows, the players know it, the fans know it and the management know it. He seems to me like the sort of guy who'd want to hear it straight and not have anyone skirt around the issue. I'm not on about dragging it up for year after year or bringing it up when it's not required, but everyone knows he fucked up so don't pretend otherwise. If you're asked the question, answer it honestly.

I think thats an excellent post. Stokes will know that last over was what cost us the trophy. Sugar coating it, or deflecting blame will not help. He'll Come back stronger for the experience.

[beness]

Glad It was the Windies that beat us and not the Aussies.

[Whiney MacWhineface]

Et tu cricket?

[Chris Jameson]

We get it, you blame Stokes. It's a team game, it wasn't him who dropped a fairly straight forward catch off his own bowling though.

[taylorsworkrate]

At least we are moving in the right direction in all forms of the game.

[tomd2103]

We get it, you blame Stokes. It's a team game, it wasn't him who dropped a fairly straight forward catch off his own bowling though.

I guess it's all relative. If we had got more runs, Stokes might not have had the pressure of bowling the last over in those circumstances. 

[PaulWinch again]

Right well done to the Windies if this success can translate into some young players wanting to play in all formats of the game that'll be good for cricket.

In terms of England, the positives -

- a young team showed great character in numerous situations to be competitive when it seemed unlikely.
- Root was fantastic and should have been named player of the tournament rather than Kohli.
- Jordan has become a reliable and excellent death bowler.
- Roy is developing well, although clearly needs to work out how to play spin.
- Buttler is beginning to make more consistent key contributions.
- Bayliss has clearly got us going in the right direction and there is huge potential for growth.

Negatives/Areas of improvement -

- Stokes really needs to work out how to bat in the subcontinent, because he hasn't made anywhere near enough runs when coming in at 6.
- Morgan has to work out how to get runs when he's in poor form, because at the moment as a batsman he's a passenger.
- We still need to assess situations better at times today. When we lost Root, Buttler, Stokes and Moeen so closely together it all seemed a but wreckless. Had we thought a bit more calmly we probably would have got 170-180 and won the game.

Overall though a really positive tournament, just a shame we lost in the manner we did.

[adrenachrome]

We get it, you blame Stokes. It's a team game, it wasn't him who dropped a fairly straight forward catch off his own bowling though.

Has anybody explained why Hales was off the pitch, by  the way? If we had lost in slightly different circumstances there might have been Billings Gate type headlines.

Anyway, the reason we lost the rounders is that they had a team pastor and prayed daily.

No point praying after the event, Ben.