The International Cricket Thread

[PaulWinch again]

Also who is coaching our fielding? We drop a lot of catches and we virtually never hit the stumps with throws. It costs us lots of runs.

[UK Redsox]

Also who is coaching our fielding? We drop a lot of catches and we virtually never hit the stumps with throws. It costs us lots of runs.

That should be Collingwood's job, I think.

However, as discussed on TMS during this Test, when Colly was told how poor England's slip fielding is compared to other nations, he played the problem down.

[PaulWinch again]

Well he’s wrong then. England’s fielding isn’t good enough full stop.

[PaulWinch again]

Also Overton was pretty ineffective as 4th seamer.

[Chris Smith]

The overriding issue is, and has been for a while, not scoring enough runs due the to inconsistency of our batsmen. Take Root out of that team and it would be a whitewash.

[PaulWinch again]

Yep very true. Also over the last couple of years we’ve gone back to being a team that regularly collapses. It shows a weak mentality, as does the failure to convert starts into hundreds.

[simboy]

Under pressure we folded, both in the field and batting. Look at the failed run out by Mo for example, indicative of what pressure did to the team. Pope, Bairstow and Mo are better than the shots they played, Malian’s run out followed 8 overs with just 9 runs scored.

The balance is about right with what we have but we do miss Stokes and Broad.

India are a very good side, probably the best test side around in world cricket currently.  They’re not firing on all cylinders but know how to win key moments.

It’s been a good series so far I think.

[Villan For Life]

I think we are paying the price of the focus being shifted to white ball cricket. As good as the World Cup win was, it has been to the detriment of red ball cricket.

We are over-reliant on a handful of core players such as Root, Jimmy and Stokes. The rest are flattering to deceive and if the core fails then the rest collapse like a deck of cards around them. It’s pathetic and I worry about the Ashes which should start in November if it happens at all. Let’s hope that COVID comes to our rescue!

[simboy]

The Ashes … we lack real consistent pace, Wood seems made of glass, no Archer or Stokes and might need Rashid to play for a chance to take 20 wickets a game. We have bred a load of medium fast bowlers who need overhead conditions to function effectively. Robinson might prosper I suppose. 

 Batting-wise, Hamid will struggle with more bounce, still to be convinced about Burns, is Malan a test number 3? Pope might be ok.  Who keeps? Buttler probably not going, the selectors don’t seem to like Foakes preferring Bracey! 

As you say VFL not looking hopeful.

[Steve67]

English test cricket needs a review.  Giles, Silverwood need to take a look at themselves.  Is this really the best we have to offer?  Very poor bowling, far too samey, no real spinner in the side other than Mo, who's good but not great.  Batting is awful, fielding is poor.  Should have scored a lot more runs in the first innings.  We are in need of grit and determination and some inspiration.  It isn't coming from the coaches and Root is great with the bat but far too slow to react in the field.

[PaulWinch again]

I think this year into next there’s a very good chance we’ll have lost series to NZ, India and Australia. The reality is we’ve fallen behind all three and we need to fix a number of things. We need to stop having confused selections - one minute abandoning experience (except a few top players) and focussing on youth, but without a clear plan. Then the next minute calling players back in who had appeared to have been discarded. Then linked to that selecting players and then playing them in roles they’re not familiar with. They’ve probably put back Bracey’s career a couple of years due to what they did.
We have big periods of games where our intensity drops way too much, and this is coupled with poor fielding standards. This then bleeds into our batting where it always feels like the attitude is we’ll pack the team with players who can bat, but it just means no one other than Root takes responsibility on a consistent basis.
There is a lot to do to sort us out.

[Villan For Life]

The schedule needs looking at too. It’s laughable that players were coming into this series so short of red ball game time thanks to white ball cricket.

Unfortunately I do think we have a few barren years ahead of us in test cricket.

[PaulWinch again]

I think the schedule is a factor, but more as a long-term issue that undermines the development of good Test players. It wasn’t great that the players didn’t have much red ball cricket in the lead up to the games, but India probably had less.

[PaulWinch again]

Oh and also we’re back to a situation where when it’s flat we look ineffective. Craig Overton is a good bowler where the pitch does something - the 4th seamer has to do a point of difference and Overton isn’t that. I appreciate injuries have hampered choice, but it should have been Mahmood or Wood playing.

[UK Redsox]

The Ashes …

Who keeps? Buttler probably not going, the selectors don’t seem to like Foakes preferring Bracey! 

Bracey only played because Foakes was injured.