The International Cricket Thread

[tomd2103]

Really good series win that. First Test on a road where we forced the game and this one when scoring probably 100 below par on first inning.

We are bound to lose a few Tests playing this way but it is fun to watch. When you consider Bairstow is missing and a case can be made for Buttler to keep [I'm not making it, just that it can be made!] we are an exciting side.

I still think we are a quality spinner away from being a very good side and challenging the Aussies on their own patch.

Jacks developing into an international quality spinner would be
very welcome and would give us some flexibility in the batting line up.

[olaftab]

Shakeel out just before lunch, we should go on and win this now, their tail is very weak. A very close decision which went to review and the TV replay umpire seemed to take ages. Joel Wilson kept us hanging!

Got away with one there. The ball is clearly kissing grass. Big decision that went England's way but as they say luck favours the brave.

[Villa Lew]

Re the England cricket team and the football team, can't ever remember the contrasts of feelings between the teams, following the results of their matches.

[Dave Cooper please]

Robinson’s fitness has come on leaps and bounds so you’d hope he’d be alright. He’s an unbelievable bowler.

Robinson reminds me of Glenn McGrath, metronomic line and length, every ball in the same spot but you never know what it will do after pitching.

[Steve67]

Can't wait to see Bairstow in the line up.  Don't know he will play though with Pope and Brook doing so well.  Lovely not to have to rely on the runs scoring of Root.  If Pope kept the gloves and pads, we could possibly push Stokes down as far as 7.  Wood, Leach, Jimmy and Robinson, great to have options.

Harry Brook looks like he's going to be some player.

Blimey, I forgot about Archer and Stone too!  Broad isn't going to get back in at this rate!

[PaulWinch again]

Archer, if he can return to his previous level, is a massive asset. Him, Wood, Robinson, and Jimmy (or Broad) in the attack would be terrifying.

[paul_e]

Shakeel out just before lunch, we should go on and win this now, their tail is very weak. A very close decision which went to review and the TV replay umpire seemed to take ages. Joel Wilson kept us hanging!

Got away with one there. The ball is clearly kissing grass. Big decision that went England's way but as they say luck favours the brave.

That one shows the importance of the on-field call. If the soft signal had been not out it wouldn't have been overturned.

This is where football annoys me with the VAR implementation, both cricket and rugby give the option for the on-field official to give a soft decision and ask for evidence to change their mind

[paul_e]

Can't wait to see Bairstow in the line up.  Don't know he will play though with Pope and Brook doing so well.  Lovely not to have to rely on the runs scoring of Root.  If Pope kept the gloves and pads, we could possibly push Stokes down as far as 7.  Wood, Leach, Jimmy and Robinson, great to have options.

Harry Brook looks like he's going to be some player.

Blimey, I forgot about Archer and Stone too!  Broad isn't going to get back in at this rate!

I hope (and think I'm right) that going forward our middle order will be a little more fluid than we're used to. Having 5-8 who can all move around the order to fit the game situation would be the next step to being able to really push on from the very good changes we've already seen. Doing that opens the door to have a genuine slogger in there (i.e. Livingstone) as a counter-attack option. The other big benefit of where we are right now is that we have a lot of bowling depth.

[Risso]

I met Bairstow at a charity do in London last month. His leg was still in a cast and brace with him on crutches, so still a fair way off a return I guess.

[tomd2103]

Foakes is the best keeper and is more than capable with the bat, but if Bairstow recaptures his form when he returns, then I could see him keeping and batting 7 if Brook and others maintain their form.  On form, Bairstow is a top class batsman and would probably be a starter.

Robinson has to start for me as well.  Means we could potentially rotate Broad and Anderson as his opening partner and hopefully have Wood and Archer in the 'enforcer role.

[DrGonzo]

From what I have heard Archer is not going to return to Test cricket, a shame but unsuprising, look at the struggles with fitness that Wood has had over the years, if it wasn't for his buddy Stokes captaining the team he was thinking of retiring from tests, too.  We seem to have issues with British fast bowling, if that is down to coaching I don't know, but no other nation has it's quicks break down as much as ours do.

[dcdavecollett]

Poor captains who keep the quicks on for too long, the sheer strain of bowling at 90mph, or both?

[Rory]

Poor captains who keep the quicks on for too long, the sheer strain of bowling at 90mph, or both?

It's strange, because the trend from the mid-90s to maybe five years ago has been to have out-and-out pacers like Akhtar, Tait & Lee who run in like a train and are used in short bursts because anything else would destroy them.

But we've definitely moved back towards fast bowlers who are able to sacrifice 2/3mph in exchange for bowling prolonged spells, like Bumrah, Cummins or Boult.

The latter are the ones who remind me of Lillee/Thommo or the great West Indians - all of those were rapid, but realised that if you can beat the bat for pace at 96mph you probably can at 90mph, and going 100% every ball isn't the best approach.

Archer looked to have a nice loose action and didn't appear to be stressing his body too much in the delivery, so I don't blame the coaches for thinking he was good for longer spells.

But fast bowling is an unpredictable business. I got out my 2005 Ashes boxset a couple of weeks ago, and was surprised how fast Flintoff was bowling - rarely below 88mph - and if ever there was a man whose build and action did not cry out 'pace', it was Freddie.

[tomd2103]

From what I have heard Archer is not going to return to Test cricket, a shame but unsuprising, look at the struggles with fitness that Wood has had over the years, if it wasn't for his buddy Stokes captaining the team he was thinking of retiring from tests, too.  We seem to have issues with British fast bowling, if that is down to coaching I don't know, but no other nation has it's quicks break down as much as ours do.

Stokes was quoted the other day saying that he wants Archer back for the Ashes.  It is a strange one, as many fast bowlers from yester year didnt seem to have as many injuries, yet bowled a lot more.

Heard it often said that bowling puts the human body in an unnatural position and that's why injuries occur so often.  Just such a shame that we have seen so little of Wood and Archer in that format in recent years.

[tomd2103]

I see Rehan Ahmed is set to make his debut tomorrow.  Don't know too much about him, other than he is a leg spinner who can bat as well. 

Hope it's not a case of too much too soon for him, as we could really do with a high quality leg spinner who can bat at 8.