The International Cricket Thread

[paul_e]

Brook is a real talent but he'd have to significantly change the way he's approaching an innings to put him at three. I don't think they'll be moving him that high any time soon.

Also Foakes hasn't been picked and that won't change unless the selected wicketkeeper gets injured. He was unlucky not to be selected but he's enjoying that phenomenon of becoming a better player because he's not in the team

Not really, the problem of Bairstow not being an international standard wicket keeper is long established so he needs to be scoring big runs consistently to be worth his place, because he will cost us in the field (comparatively). Any time he looks short of form or makes notable mistakes behind the stumps his position will come into question and Foakes is pretty clearly the next cab off the rank.

[paul_e]

I think Woods was touch and go for Lords, so hopefully he's fine for Headingley. One of the differences between the teams up to now has been real pace, and the ability to send the ball down at 90+mph rather than low 80mph plodders.

Yep, Tongue has to stay in the team too.

Yep, he has something about him and could be pleased with his contribution at Lord's.

He was the most consistent threat for us.

[Gareth]

I think Woods was touch and go for Lords, so hopefully he's fine for Headingley. One of the differences between the teams up to now has been real pace, and the ability to send the ball down at 90+mph rather than low 80mph plodders.

Yep, Tongue has to stay in the team too.

Yep, he has something about him and could be pleased with his contribution at Lord's.

He was the most consistent threat for us.

My only concern is that he hasn’t played test cricket before & definitely not as intense a calendar as these ashes without his body breaking down - if he is fit and still able to deliver his pace then absolute no brainer he plays

[PaulWinch again]

Yeah Foakes isn’t being seen as a better player because he isn’t in the team - he was doing excellently. He’s been nudged out because of what Bairstow did last year. But it ignores the fact that that’s when he was playing 5 and just focussing on his batting. Now it’s the worst of both worlds, which has always been the case - his batting suffers when he keeps and his keeping isn’t good enough to make up the difference.

Clearly they’re not doing this, but I think Foakes could bat 3 in terms of his technique.

[PaulWinch again]

Two days out and I haven’t heard of any dense comments from Crawley yet, so that’s positive.

[Risso]

Hopefully he's been told to shut his yap.

[PaulWinch again]

In a way I hope he hasn’t and he’s been able to work that out for himself!

[UK Redsox]

Good win by Scotland over Zimbabwe to put themselves in with a very good change of qualifying for the ODI World Cup

[olaftab]

By the way has anyone on here either applied to be on the waiting list or ever been close to becoming an MCC member?

I am a member, but most times I go I don't bother sitting in the pavilion.

I was there on Wednesday and Thursday and was the only one in the members queue in shorts and trainers.

Very good, nice to know we mingle with cricketing royalty. So how do you become a member; is it normal apply with one or two seconders and wait?

[Steve67]

I don't disagree with the idea that there's room for improvement, that's clear, what I fundamentally disagree with is that we lost the game because of bazball when, in my opinion, we lost because of poor form in the attack and some poor shots. The same as why we have lost many matches in the past and why we'll lose many matches going forward. I'm worried that, at the first sign of a problem, people are very quickly turning on a play style that has improved us massively.

With respect Paul, you were cheering on the declaration in the first innings of the first test, when we all know, deep down, it was a poor decision. 

As for the other issues, Foakes needs to keep wicket, he's a better keeper.  There have been poor decisions all over the place, some poor shots, some poor bits of fielding etc.  Bazball is great against the lesser sides, not against Australia in the only series that really matters.  If you cannot win the test match, make sure you don't lose.  The first test gave the Aussies momentum and we are too soft to drop Anderson.  Arguably, we haven't got the depth of bowling due to injury no way are we winning three tests on the trot against Australia. I wish.

I wasn't cheering anything on, I said that it was a par score for the innings, that they clearly wanted to get a few overs in that evening and that the declaration wasn't the reason we didn't win. Which of those are you upset with?

The bold bit, that's exactly the attitude that England have had for decades, where we've pretty consistently under-achieved and let Australia dominate, why are you so desperate to return to what was a consistently failing brand of cricket after 2 matches? Have you forgotten the last ashes series where we held on by our fingers to only lose 4-0? Have you forgotten us losing to the west indies last easter?

I really don’t care about other competitions, this is the ashes, we are at home, don’t lose tests against the Aussies. The past is the past, best left there.  You applauded the declaration and offered up an opinion that this is all about Bazball but now you blame Basball for losing, which is it? I am confused by your response Paul as you’ve picked on the bold bit as the standout?

[Gareth]

Sounds like they have gone with Mo, Wood and Woakes instead of Pope, Tongue and Jimmy with Brook at 3

Lets hope Robinson is fit enough to handle the workload and doesn’t start chucking 75mph pies down again

[PaulWinch again]

So what that’d be Mo at 7? Not sure I like that.

[Brazilian Villain]

Sounds like they have gone with Mo, Wood and Woakes instead of Pope, Tongue and Jimmy with Brook at 3

Not a massive cricket fan but Mo, Wood might work better than Tongue.

[paul_e]

So what that’d be Mo at 7? Not sure I like that.

I'm ok with that, Woakes is fine at 8 and Wood adds something with the bat as well. If Stokes could bowl anything more than part-time we could get another batsman in there but with him as he is we need a 4th seamer.

[PaulWinch again]

Woakes is fine at 8, but I’m not convinced Mo is at 7 nowadays. At least it would give us some bowling flexibility.