The International Cricket Thread

[paul_e]

I know most of you aren't going to agree and I really can't be arsed to argue any more but I think you all need to be a bit more honest and say that you don't like bazball because literally as soon as we have a bad spell you all shit on it as the root of all our problems, seemingly forgetting just how shit we were before we started playing this way.

I just wish I could understand how Stokes is being praised for his 'sensible' 17 but Brook, Duckett, Crawley and Pope are all brainless and have 'given the test away' despite putting the best part of 250 runs on between them.

[olaftab]

England failed to take advantage of Smith and Labuschagne filing in the first test and now look as though they are messing it up with Lyon out and Green imitating Mitchell Johnson of series 2010/11.

[Monty]

Last summer Bazball didn't mean continuing to flail the bat around your head despite the fact it was clearly about to get you out. It was an approach just as concerned with ones and twos as with boundaries. Brook in particular has been praised for his controlled yet aggressive shot selection.

This wasn't controlled, this wasn't concerned just with scoring however it comes. This was drinking your own Kool Aid, getting obsessed with hitting for hitting's sake, and mule-headedly refusing to learn the most astonishingly obvious of lessons.

[UK Redsox]

Another one bites the dust

[PaulTheVillan]

England currently 52% on the SS Win Predictor. Really?

[PaulTheVillan]

Not any longer

[Monty]

Another marvellous bit of shot selection.

[UK Redsox]

If the keeper is going to bat 7, I'd prefer Buttler to Bairstow as he's better at marshalling the tail.

With Bairstow in the team, I'd have him higher up the order

[German James]

I just wish I could understand how Stokes is being praised for his 'sensible' 17 but Brook, Duckett, Crawley and Pope are all brainless and have 'given the test away' despite putting the best part of 250 runs on between them.

Because with a bit more guile, they could've got more?

[UK Redsox]

England currently 52% on the SS Win Predictor. Really?

Win Predictor is best ignored. A gimmick that's not needed

[PaulTheVillan]

England currently 52% on the SS Win Predictor. Really?

Win Predictor is best ignored. A gimmick that's not needed

Even the commentators ignore it

[Risso]

And that's that then.

[Risso]

Just about every single wicket thrown away. Utterly moronic.

[OzVilla]

We don’t deserve anything playing like this.

[PaulWinch again]

Yep it’s only Stokes who’s actually been got out.

They really need to reflect. Because this is two games where we’ve just handed the initiative to them.

They could have a blinding bowling innings or the tail could wag, but the percentages are really against it.