The International Cricket Thread

[PaulWinch again]

Perhaps most alarmingly Moeen has started stepping away to leg when he bats now.

[PaulWinch again]

I’d like to see Malan play in the first Test.

[hilts_coolerking]

Is there a worse looking batter than Tim Murtagh ?

I find that type of batting from a professional really odd. I feel like if I was a professional I’d have spent a lot of time practicing to at least make me vaguely serviceable with the bay.

Especially coming after Leach's knock.

[Villan For Life]

It’s a technique/mindset/team orders thing with the current set up.

We now have players who have been raised on T20, who attack and don’t look to build an innings. Of the recent players that we have lost through retirement etc Cook and Trott were probably the last batsman to have that prerequisite application.

The appointment of Trevor Bayliss, a white ball specialist, has been to the detriment of our red ball cricket. Now you can’t criticise a coach who has just won the World Cup, but the gradual decline of our batting since 2015 is alarming. Now some players are capable of playing multi-format cricket at the highest level but others do struggle.

You can tell a player like Roy or Buttler to play their natural attacking game in red ball cricket and they can carry it off. However other players will struggle. Maybe we need a fresh impetus from a coach with greater emphasis on red ball cricket to replace Bayliss when he goes.

[PaulWinch again]

Turn on the women’s Ashes to see us getting absolutely pummelled again.

[Villan For Life]

Turn on the women’s Ashes to see us getting absolutely pummelled again.

Jaysus

[PaulWinch again]

Amir retiring from Tests at 27, odd.

[Villan For Life]

Amir retiring from Tests at 27, odd.

To follow the Worldwide T20 salary enhancement

[Whiney MacWhineface]

The IPL will have to change its unofficial stance on Pakistani players if he's to truly coin it.

[cdbearsfan]

It's a bit of an indictment of the test game that players other than India, England and Australia still see Twenty20 as a more realistic way of making money than playing for their countries. The international game is all set up for the benefit of those three, and it needs to change.

[PaulWinch again]

It does. It’s really short sighted from those 3 teams. If you spread the wealth, strengthening the Test game, then I guarantee long-term you make more money.

[cdbearsfan]

There is zero long-term thinking. See also: the general not giving a shit about being in the Olympics, which could double or treble the number of countries that take cricket seriously.

[hilts_coolerking]

England squad for first Ashes Test: Joe Root (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

Moeen's a lucky boy.  His bowling record against Australia has always been mediocre and currently his batting has dropped off a cliff.  He's reached 50 twice in 2 years, and even then hasn't gone beyond 60.

[Monty]

Wouldn't be averse to playing Curran or Denly instead of Moeen tbh. It's no good having a spinner just because in theory you'd like to have the options he would bring, if your actual spinner can't be relied upon to execute any of them at the moment.

[hilts_coolerking]

Denly's leggies are passable, as is Root's off spin.  I'd prefer a front line spinner though and Jack Leach is the leading English spinner this season.