England v Pakistan ODI/T20i Series - Aug 24 - Sept 7

[bigfluffylemon]

True Arthur, but it's not every day that the record high score is made. 9th or not, Pakistan are still a full member and a fair number of 400+ scores have been scored by a full member against an associate, or at the Wanderers. 444 against another full member is an astonishing achievement, and is the latest in a string of England ODI batting records that this team has broken since the start of the 2015 summer.

When you compare the 2012 success to now, it looks very different in kind. Even during the success of 2012, England still seemed to be playing the game differently from other teams (slow build/accumulation), with the likes of Cook, Bell and Trott in the top order. Now they're genuinely exciting, and seem to be playing the same game as everybody else, and in many cases doing it better. Ok, Pakistan aren't all that, but England have beaten Sri Lanka and New Zealand (who both trounced us at the World Cup, and NZ were finalists), and gave South Africa and Australia a good run for their money.

I know it's early days and England may not sustain this to 2019, but I am excited about the England ODI side in a way I can't ever remember having been before. And as I said, the youth of the side and the fact that a lot of them are going to get better, the prospects are as good as they've ever been, even if the natural tendency of an England supporter is to be pessimistic (due to years of experience giving us reason to be).

[Arthur Crabtree]

Well, I was being wilfully negative! The batting is in another world. I'm not convinced the bowling is as strong, though they have learned the lesson of the importance of wickets. The fielding fluctuates still (Hales takes about half his catches, Buttler isn't any more than an average keeper, etc- though credit to Plunkett, whose fielding has been a revelation for such a big fella).

[Durhamfootman]

Looks like a fine result

I caught a glimpse, whilst on my rounds, and the score was 320ish with 9 overs to go. For once It isn't England's death bowling that is under scrutiny.

I think Buttles and Morgs scored 160 off the last 12 overs

hells teeth!

[andy]

Nawaz's performance probably the only bright spot for Pakistan yesterday...not a bad all-round performance from him, and one for the future defo

[DiligentDefence]

Was I the only amused about the Sarfraz Nawaz partnership?

[Arthur Crabtree]

Good spot!

The Pakistani fielding was ridiculous, especially that drop by Yasir.

[Aidan11]

Was I the only amused about the Sarfraz Nawaz partnership?

No I noticed it too. I think the commentators also mentioned it.

[Making_Splinters]

If you look at this England side, the stand out thing is their ages: Roy 26, Hales 27, Root 25, Morgan 29, Buttler 25, Stokes 25, Ali 29, Woakes 27, Rashid 28, Plunkett 31, Wood 26.

You're talking about a side with a single player over the age of 30 and with 10 players, baring a loss of form, who could be playing for the next 5 years as a minimum and it's hardly as if there is nothing behind them either. Looking at the Lions we had a 28 year old Malan score 185 this summer, a 23 year old Bell-Drummond score 171, a 21 year old Duckett score 220 and 163, a 25 year old Billings score 175. Behind the massive headline grabbing scores 23 year old Livingstone made a couple of half centuries and lets not forget the Bairstow and Willey are only 26.

The future of England's limited overs batting, it is safe to say, has never looked brighter.

There are some concerns over if the quality of bowlers coming through can match the batting, but there are still players who could make the grade.

444, struth what a giddy time.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Plunkett didn't look an obvious limited overs choice, and he has been expensive for Yorks. And his route to acceptance hasn't been straightforward. But he looks like he's been picked with attacking intent. Over a period of years, England were getting slaughtered in the last fifteen overs when teams had wickets in hand. Notably the Kiwis would attack in the second PP rather than shutting up and holding on. England picked Plunkett to do the same, to deflate the late batting surge. Eventually playing him ahead of Finn, wasn't an obvious thing to do. They have generally tried to get pace into the side, which other sides have been doing in recent times.

They decided to play a left armer coming out of the WC, that might be forgotten in the momentum brought about by winning, but I presume they'll keep it in mind.

And... Woakes has emerged this summer as the key bowler.

[andy]

Yeah Plunkett's an intresting one...i doubt he would have been first pick for the bowling attack by any of us on this site, but he has bowled well..bowled with good pace, hostility and his radar has certainly improved...seems odd that he has completely slipped out of the reckonning for test match cricket..

[Arthur Crabtree]

I read England coaches don't think he gets enough sideways movement for Test cricket.

Presumably the implication being in white ball cricket, there won't be any sideways movement for any pace bowler after 5-10 overs, until possibly the last ten if it reverses. So pace bowlers in the middle overs will have to find alternatives, like the bouncer, which Plunkett bowls a lot.

[Arthur Crabtree]

England Twenty20 squad to face Pakistan at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Eoin Morgan (Middlesex; capt), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Sam Billings (Kent), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Tymal Mills (Sussex), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire) Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), David Willey (Yorkshire), Mark Wood (Durham)

No Bairstow, Vince, Woakes, Dawson, Malan. Wood and Stokes are back. I guess Finn is injured. There's only one game, so 14 players is more than plenty.

[sussexpob]

Yeah Plunkett's an intresting one...i doubt he would have been first pick for the bowling attack by any of us on this site, but he has bowled well..bowled with good pace, hostility and his radar has certainly improved...seems odd that he has completely slipped out of the reckonning for test match cricket..

He just doesnt strike me as a test player. Everything he does in the 4/5 day game screams "good county pro", but not much else. Not much guile or intelligence to his bowling.

[Making_Splinters]

And there's also the question of can he maintain his pace for three or four spells in a day as well. If your're going to rely on being quick, you have to make sure that your last spell is as quick as your first if you've got no other tools in the shed.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Jordan and Willey in, the two Ws out.