The Cricket Thread 2017

[tomd2103]

Culprit is a bit harsh because it suggests that there's some intent to it.  He's in an odd place with his batting, much like Bell was towards the end of his England career, where he's not got any fundamenal problem that is being targeted and he looks well capable of getting big scores still but it's just not working and it's probably driving him mad.

I always thought that with Bell he'd lost the hunger and was going through the motions. I suspect the same is happening to Cook.

I'm a bit biased when it comes to Ian Bell, but I think his struggles started when they began moving him around the order.  He was settled at five and never really looked comfortable when moved up.

[PaulWinch again]

Good to see the Lions are showing the same grit and determination with the bat as the full side.

[manic-road]

More drinking shenanigans with the cricket team, this time Ben Duckett allegedly poured a drink over a senior players head whilst out on the lash.

[PaulWinch again]

Yep if that's true I really wonder about a lot of our players, especially in the context of what's gone on lately.

[olaftab]

So supposedly these are elite athletes...mind boggles. I know they are not supposed to live like hermits but it's getting ridiculous now. Stokes, Bairstow and now Duckett please ut an end to this chaps.

[Risso]

Send him home as punishment.  I don't believe in players being saints, but the time to be getting up to daft antics isn't when you're 2-0 down, a game away from losing the Ashes and looking at a probable whitewash.  Fucking idiot.

[Chris Jameson]

Whilst it’s not ideal it does seem to be generating more headlines and attention than it warrants. It was headline news on 5 Live this morning, there were no members of the public present and its somebody who wasn’t going to get into the side. I know it’s different times and all that but compared to Botham’s boorish behaviour throughouthis career, it’s not worth getting upset about.

[passitsideways]

It's just the entire context that makes this otherwise minor incident baffling though. The Bairstow thing should have been an absolute non-event, and I highly doubt that Warner brought it up for any reason more than to have a bit of fun with it on the field while it was still reasonably fresh, yet we get a public announcement of a curfew out of that, and Root acting miffed about Smith's behaviour, which then flows into this act suddenly becoming one that's occurring in the context of a recently-concluded curfew

[UK Redsox]

More drinking shenanigans with the cricket team, this time Ben Duckett allegedly poured a drink over a senior players head whilst out on the lash.

Jimmy’s head was apparently the recipient

[UK Redsox]

Watching the NZ v WI Test Match

I’d be surprised if there’s more than a couple of hundred people in the ground

[PaulWinch again]

Shame that, I love the NZ cricket venues.

[JD]

Watching the NZ v WI Test Match

I’d be surprised if there’s more than a couple of hundred people in the ground

Test cricket over here in NZ is very badly attended. No-one seems particularly interested in the longer form preferring one dayers and rounders. The short form of cricket is killing the game over here.   

[KevinGage]

Whilst it’s not ideal it does seem to be generating more headlines and attention than it warrants. It was headline news on 5 Live this morning, there were no members of the public present and its somebody who wasn’t going to get into the side. I know it’s different times and all that but compared to Botham’s boorish behaviour throughouthis career, it’s not worth getting upset about.

Aye. This should be a total and utter non story.

One of the decent things about cricket was you could watch international players in an ODI or test and then have a drink with them afterwards. Home side or touring lot.

Players will now be so guarded they'll turn into monotone "at the end of the day" shithouses. With a bit less money.

[OzVilla]

I know I'm probably drawing a long bow here but you also have to wonder at Jimmy Anderson's involvement in this, sure he was the recipient but you don't generally get a drink poured over your head for nothing, paricularly when its a junior squad member. Don't forget, Anderson has form for this when he was in cahoots with Swann and Broad when the were winding up KP.

 And how on earth, with all that's gone on recently, were they in a bar after Midnight again having the kind of heated arguments that leads to this type of thing. When does someone show the maturity to step in and calms potential situation down before it gets this far. This is looking more and more like a flipping lads holiday.

[Villan For Life]

I'm beginning to question Bayliss's role in all of this. He gives the impression of a disciplinarian but clearly the players do not respect him or his methods.

It's small incidents being being exaggerated and in isolation they're trivial. However once you consider the individual incidents collectively you begin to question the culture in the squad.