[The Earl of Chesterfield]

JonB, on 23 January 2013 - 11:34 AM, said:

It was awful....basic cricket knowledge would tell you that an right arm off spinner around the wicket to a left hander isnt going to get an LBW when it turns like it did. The BCCI and DRS thing is now getting beyond the joke...not only are they able to stop it from being used at home but they refuse when travelling away as well and as the rules say both sides have to agree for it to be used then they have all the power. Any other game involving any other two nations uses it and its works...and proven to work. The standard throughout the whole winter over there has been poor with Cook on the end of 4 shockers from both local umpires in the ODIs to so called "elite panel" umpires in the test matches. If anything its all highlighted that DRS is needed to get rid of the shockers. There is no perfect way of using it and i personally think that the way it works at the moment with players asked to refer things is probably as good as its going to get. The only slight change i would make is that if a player refers and it goes against them on the basis of umpires call so it stays with the onfield decision the team shouldnt lose a referral. There is a margin of error with Hawkeye etc that is based on over half a ball i think it is so harsh to take a referral away when this is the reason.

As for Morgan and Patel both played poor shots but you could argue as well that the pressure was placed on them after the poor decision. Stupid however to promote Patel above Root as Roots later innings showed. I'd stick with Morgan as he is the one that can turn a game along with KP but Patel shouldnt be playing. His bowling isnt that great and if we're honest thats the reason he is picked to bat a bit and bowl a bit. Play a proper bat and Root can bowl a few if need be. That said neither of these should be dropped before Dernbach is...he is garbage!!

Some very good points, 'Jon'.

My own take after another embarrassing performance remains the same as in my earlier post - we've got to get back to basics. There's nowt wrong with 'pegging' runs, straightforward batting that picks up ones and twos and amounts to a reasonable run rate, before playing shots when the fielding restrictions allow. Then when we've the ball in hand hit a consistent line and length.

Simplistic perhaps, but there seems to be far too much of an obsession with being innovative at the moment.

[JonB]

MDCCCLXVI, on 23 January 2013 - 02:45 PM, said:

Some very good points, 'Jon'.

My own take after another embarrassing performance remains the same as in my earlier post - we've got to get back to basics. There's nowt wrong with 'pegging' runs, straightforward batting that picks up ones and twos and amounts to a reasonable run rate, before playing shots when the fielding restrictions allow. Then when we've the ball in hand hit a consistent line and length.

Simplistic perhaps, but there seems to be far too much of an obsession with being innovative at the moment.

I'm taking the defeats with a slight pinch of salt in that we are obviously showing that Test cricket is our main focus by resting many players that would be shoe ins for the ODI side. Throw in Trott, Swann, Anderson, Broad to the side and it looks better especially from a bowling point of view.

My concern with a couple of picks is harking back to the bad old days when we used to have a side of bits and pieces crickets so we had about 8 or 9 that could bat and bowl but not really do either of them very well. Root showed this morning that you can score quickly by batting properly and work the field. Where we struggle at times is the ability to score off good balls as well as hitting bad balls, hitting boundaries etc. Hit a boundary and over then singles here and there and you all of a sudden have 7, 8 or 9 runs off the over without trying. The changes in regulations with regard to fielders outside the circle is going to effect how teams go about innings and seem to be showing a tendency to hold wickets back for the last 10. Both sides have scored 100+ in the last 10 this series.

Personally i think your best players are your best players no matter the format and, if you want, you can pretty much play the majority of the same players. For example Prior should be playing in all forms as its not like he scores slowly. Our top 6 today contains 4, i think, of the top 6 from the test side and if you throw Trott in then 5 of the top 6 - Cook, Trott, KP, Bell, Root. I'd stick with Morgan a bit longer as he has proved before he can do it but i'd ditch Patel. There is also a case at some point for Hales from Notts to be given a go but how you do this and work the bowling i'm not sure. A top 6 of Cook, Hales, Trott, KP, Root, Bell or Morgan has potential but you are then relying on Root to bowl 10 overs.

The obsession with being innovative is best shown by Dernbach...appears to have got a little big headed about the talk about his variations and he's forgotten that there is a lot to be said still for running up, hitting the pitch hard and trying to bowl fast. The problem is that outside of his variations he doesnt bowl that fast etc to be a concern. With the series gone i'd be tempted to give Meaker a go ahead of him who can bowl 90mph+ just to give him a go with nothing really to lose.

One thing for certain is that after this our next cricket is in New Zealand and the conditions will be a lot different and the side will change accordingly.

[JonB]

Squads announced for NZ....no Kieswetter in the ODI\T20 squad and Dernbach only makes the T20 squad....my work is complete!!

England Test squad for New Zealand: Alastair Cook (capt), Nick Compton, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Matt Prior, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn, James Anderson, Monty Panesar, Graham Onions.

England Twenty20 squad for New Zealand: Stuart Broad (captain), Jonny Bairstow, Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Stuart Meaker, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes, Luke Wright.

England ODI squad for New Zealand: Alastair Cook (captain), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, James Harris, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Joe Root, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott, Chris Woakes.

England Lions squad for Australia: James Taylor (captain), Gary Ballance, Scott Borthwick, Danny Briggs, Varun Chopra, Rikki Clarke, Matthew Coles, Ben Foakes, Alex Hales, Simon Kerrigan, Stuart Meaker, Craig Overton, Toby Roland-Jones, Ben Stokes, James Taylor, Reece Topley, James Vince, Chris Wright.

This post has been edited by JonB: 24 January 2013 - 07:29 PM

[Comeonyouirons]

I asked my mate who just happens to be dislexic who he fancied for the current

ODI competition and he said Beth Tweddle

[valemadness]

Comeonyouirons, on 18 February 2013 - 10:52 AM, said:

I asked my mate who just happens to be dislexic who he fancied for the current

ODI competition and he said Beth Tweddle

that did make me lol

[Elmer Fudd's Thick Lip]

Comeonyouirons, on 18 February 2013 - 10:52 AM, said:

I asked my mate who just happens to be dislexic who he fancied for the current

ODI competition and he said Beth Tweddle

Am I being thick??

I don't get that?

valemadness, on 18 February 2013 - 06:56 PM, said:

that did make me lol

HEEEELLP??

[valemadness]

Dave Wallers, on 20 February 2013 - 02:04 PM, said:

Am I being thick??

I don't get that?


HEEEELLP??

dislexic mate, cricket ODI
DOI (Dancing On Ice) - Beth Tweddle

[shaun1866]

Dave Wallers, on 20 February 2013 - 02:04 PM, said:

Am I being thick??

I don't get that?


HEEEELLP??

I'm appalled at you lol

[JonB]

If it was some reference to Dancing on Ice i'm extremely pleased i had no idea what the hell it was all about!!

[JonB]

Would appear that as well as losing two tests heavily in India the Aussies are dropping players for not doing their homework now....starting to get themselves in a mess ahead of the Ashes double header :-

http://www.bbc.co.uk...ricket/21740045

And its escalated now to Watson saying he is considering his future with the Aussie side :-

http://www.bbc.co.uk...ricket/21742293

[Johnnyspireite7]

JonB, on 11 March 2013 - 03:41 PM, said:

Would appear that as well as losing two tests heavily in India the Aussies are dropping players for not doing their homework now....starting to get themselves in a mess ahead of the Ashes double header :-

http://www.bbc.co.uk...ricket/21740045

And its escalated now to Watson saying he is considering his future with the Aussie side :-

http://www.bbc.co.uk...ricket/21742293

Well they have been messing him around, not letting him bowl, not letting him open and now this. I notice the great Aussie hope for Derbyshire is also amongst those suspended!!! Opening for next season with Derbys????

[JonB]

Johnnyspireite7, on 11 March 2013 - 03:51 PM, said:

Well they have been messing him around, not letting him bowl, not letting him open and now this. I notice the great Aussie hope for Derbyshire is also amongst those suspended!!! Opening for next season with Derbys????

To be fair i think Watson is vastly overrated. Lots of pretty 50s but no big scores to warrant opening the batting or batting 4 in a decent test side. His bowling also isnt that good and they seem to stop him bowling due to injuries he's always getting.

Think its a bit harsh on Khawaja to be honest as i dont think he has featured in either of the tests so far and unsure in what way he's not done his homework here. As it stands he wont be with Derbyshire next season as we have Chanderpaul signed up as the overseas for the season and only one is allowed aside from the T20 stuff where they are looking to get Guptill in as the NZ test tour ends the week before the T20 starts.

[Westbars Spireite]

The Australian coach has lost the plot. It's like England in the mid-90s.

[JonB]

Westbars Spireite, on 11 March 2013 - 08:17 PM, said:

The Australian coach has lost the plot. It's like England in the mid-90s.

They've picked some garbage in the test side recently...picking this Maxwell youth to bat at 7 cos he bowls a bit of spin smacks very much of what England did back then.

[Westbars Spireite]

JonB, on 11 March 2013 - 08:49 PM, said:

They've picked some garbage in the test side recently...picking this Maxwell youth to bat at 7 cos he bowls a bit of spin smacks very much of what England did back then.

I know we batted badly in the 1st innings the other day (worse than that even) but I cannot see how we won't hammer the Aussies this summer. I've just looked and England are only 4/7 for the series which doesn't suprise me. England 5-0 @ 25/1, that'll tumble if we win the first. Weather could be more troublesome than the Aussies.

[shaun1866]

Westbars Spireite, on 11 March 2013 - 09:36 PM, said:

I know we batted badly in the 1st innings the other day (worse than that even) but I cannot see how we won't hammer the Aussies this summer. I've just looked and England are only 4/7 for the series which doesn't suprise me. England 5-0 @ 25/1, that'll tumble if we win the first. Weather could be more troublesome than the Aussies.

The weather is the only thing stopping me from putting a bet on a clean sweep from the whole lot here and over there, but still reckon its worth a tenner

[JonB]

Got tickets for day 1 at both Durham and Trent Bridge. Suspect there won't be a repeat of the opening day I saw at the MCG a couple of years back but they are certainly there to be bashed.

[BlueRover52]

Good to see Broady back in the grove.A return of 6-51 putting England in charge with the Kiwis following on.

[Elmer Fudd's Thick Lip]

The 'Mansfield Town Stags on Tour' flag in constant view, in this, and the first test at Dunedin is making me feel sick.

[Westbars Spireite]

Dave Wallers, on 16 March 2013 - 12:55 PM, said:

The 'Mansfield Town Stags on Tour' flag in constant view, in this, and the first test at Dunedin is making me feel sick.

Thankfully it's outnumbered by the Derbyshire related ones.