The Cricket Thread 2016

[Villan For Life]

Two in two for Ball on his debut. I fear these wickets have come too late.

[Villan For Life]

Bangladesh have lost 4-9 and are now 8 down. This is getting interesting!

[Dave Cooper please]

Somehow pulling it back.

Not too worried about this one anyway, Bangladesh have improved massively recently and we went there somewhat underprepared (only one practice match).

[PaulWinch again]

What a win that is. Great character.

[Villan For Life]

Great bowling on his debut by Jake Ball, a 5-fer is a real achievement. He looked dead on his feet towards the end and somehow kept going.

Good captaincy from Buttler and somehow we managed to turn that game around. With 10 overs left we looked out of it.

[Whiney MacWhineface]

Great bowling on his debut by Jake Ball, a 5-fer is a real achievement. He looked dead on his feet towards the end and somehow kept going.

Good captaincy from Buttler and somehow we managed to turn that game around. With 10 overs left we looked out of it.

I thought it was gone, and I've never seen a player so wrung out as Ball. Kudos to all.

[Dave Cooper please]

Real break through match for Ball, with us being a few bowlers down at the moment he has really grasped his chance, just like Woakes did in the summer Tests. Good stuff, we need the competition, the pace attack almost picked itself a couple of years ago.

Now, lets go develop some spinners.

[Villan For Life]

Now, lets go develop some spinners.

I agree but the way they're revamping the county game around limited over Cricket in the warmer months of June, July and August means that the development of a spinning "prospect" will be hampered. Most four day Cricket will be played before June and at the end of August. It's too damp at the start of the season and the pitches are dead by late August. We won't find a decent spinner unless we accept that the prioritising of white ball Cricket hampers the development of players that we are crying out for. You can't blame the Counties for focusing on white ball Cricket because that is where most revenue is generated but ultimately it does hamper the development of a top class spinner.

We've never really produced decent spinners. English conditions don't suit them. Underwood was a freak but he played on uncovered pitches. The likes of Edmonds, Emburey and Giles were containing bowlers who didn't spin the ball that much. Swann was good and the best was probably Monty. It's a shame that his career has gone off the rails.

[paul_e]

I'm not sure I agree, I think T20 in particular has the potential to be a great breeding ground for wicket taking spinners.  In the 4 day game spinners have to have more concern for playing safe and keeping things tight.  There are advantages to that but it doesn't create spinners who will take big wickets at key moments.  The shitty pitches at the start and end of the season where nothing much is going for them can be used to learn how to bowl with economy but the shorter formats will teach them to vary line, length and pace to try to make things happen and buy wickets.

The issue is that becoming a top end spinner requires you to bowl a lot of deliveries (unless you're a world class talent like Warne or Murali) so spinners like Giles, etc were common because they could 'tie up an end' without being a huge threat themselves and getting wickets by attrition more than anything else.  Remember the best spinners have generally come through in countries where they've traditionally played far more short format games because that's where they can learn to bowl for wickets.

[PGW]

England doing well here restricting Bangladesh, currently 117/5 31.4 overs. Two each for Woakes & Ball plus 1 for Stokes.

[PGW]

170/7 42 overs now

[Villan For Life]

We've not batted well but somehow our 10th wicket pair are edging us closer.

(Typed with crossed fingers to avoid the H&V version of commentator's curse. It's bloody difficult to type like that).

[Villan For Life]

We've not batted well but somehow our 10th wicket pair are edging us closer.

(Typed with crossed fingers to avoid the H&V version of commentator's curse. It's bloody difficult to type like that).

So the fingers crossed typing didn't work then.

[adrenachrome]

Woakes finishes the game off with a 6.

Shafiul Islam to Woakes, SIX, up, up and away, Woakes gets right underneath a lofted drive, clears the long-off boundary, and that is the series!


Bangladesh 277/6 (50.0 ov)
England 278/6 (47.5 ov)
England won by 4 wickets (with 13 balls remaining)
England RR 5.81
Last 5 ovs 42/0 RR 8.40
Bangladesh RR 5.54

[spangley1812]

Mr Hales and Mr Morgan may not get their places back now