The International Cricket Thread

[PaulWinch again]

This is a top performance, well done England massive effort.

[tomd2103]

Yep.  Surely the template we should use going forward - bat first and put score board pressure on. 

[paul_e]

pretty comfortable win in the end, I think Woakes getting Rohit Sharma when he did was the key because whilst they have players who can score quickly coming in afterwards but they aren't capable of doing that for the 15-20 overs that were needed, Pandya was always going to hit a fielder for example, it's just what he does. Dhoni really has lost it, his performance in the last 6-7 overs was truly ridiculous.

[Villa Lew]

Superb bowling from England, but that was pathetic from India at the end, once Pandya was out they just threw the towel in, not that I'm complaining. Confident now England will make the semis.

[PaulWinch again]

Dhoni’s performance was weird, I didn’t get what his goal was.

[PaulWinch again]

Roy is so important to us. Well done to Bairstow that’s we need from him.

[PaulWinch again]

Plunkett has to start for me as well. The other spot is between Wood and Mo.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Dhoni’s performance was weird, I didn’t get what his goal was.

Maybe he doesn't like Pakistan

[Risso]

Plunkett has to start for me as well. The other spot is between Wood and Mo.

Wood bowled quite well today without taking a wicket, but then if you don't pick Moeen you lose the ability to throw your wicket away trying to swat a ball away for 6 when you're on 8.

[tomd2103]

Plunkett has to start for me as well. The other spot is between Wood and Mo.

Can't see us straying from that line up today now Paul.  Really interesting to hear Brendon McCullum's insights on the Debate show earlier.  Said he was a fan of Plunkett, but felt he had always been shifted around and asked to carry out different roles.  He said the current role he has in the side suits him perfectly as he tends to bowl when the fielding restrictions are over. 

His thoughts on Rashid were interesting as well.  After Bob Willis had slagged Rashid off, he said that he would always have a leg spinner who can turn the ball both ways in the side, mainly to bowl at the lower order.  He was saying that a leg spinner is a key part of an attacking side.  Made Bob look a bit foolish to be honest.

[Villan For Life]

Plunkett has to start for me as well. The other spot is between Wood and Mo.

Can't see us straying from that line up today now Paul.  Really interesting to hear Brendon McCullum's insights on the Debate show earlier.  Said he was a fan of Plunkett, but felt he had always been shifted around and asked to carry out different roles.  He said the current role he has in the side suits him perfectly as he tends to bowl when the fielding restrictions are over. 

His thoughts on Rashid were interesting as well.  After Bob Willis had slagged Rashid off, he said that he would always have a leg spinner who can turn the ball both ways in the side, mainly to bowl at the lower order.  He was saying that a leg spinner is a key part of an attacking side.  Made Bob look a bit foolish to be honest.

Willis is a poor judge of modern cricket. The game is completely different now to the version that he played. He’s stuck in his own era.

[olaftab]

Leave our Bob alone. We need Victor Meldrew in the punditry line up.

[olaftab]

Those who are arguing about no changes to the bowling line don't forget India scored 306 runs yesterday losing only 5 wickets and Dhoni was playing like grandad in the garden. So to win the World Cup England must keep sharpening the pencil.

[paul_e]

Woakes and Archer work superbly at the beginning and end of the innings and Plunkett, for all his faults, is a reliable option in the middle overs, particularly bowling opposite Rashid. That leaves Stokes and Root as back up options and room for a 5th bowler. In most matches in England that should be Wood but if the pitch is offering more spin then Ali gives us a bit more control, again during the middle overs. What was noticeable yesterday is that India targeted the quicker deliveries in those overs, which saw Wood and Stokes get punished.

[paul_e]

I beat him to it - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/48820922 - Vaughan talking about how important Roy is to this England team.

On now is West Indies vs Sri Lanka. SL set a good target of 339 but WI are doing themselves no favours in the chase with 3 run outs. The 3rd in particular was awful, non-striker called through a definite single and ran whilst the batsman just stood there and was about a third of the way there by the time his partner got in, no idea why he was on his heels in such a big chase, it was on a par with Dhoni's bizarre innings yesterday.