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

[ianp1970]

For what it's worth, this would be my best England ODI XI:

Trescothick
Botham
Hick
Pietersen
Root
Flintoff
Buttler
Collingwood
Swann
Gough
Underwood

Lots of batting, plentiful bowling options and a decent social side too

[Arthur Crabtree]

Not a great fielding side though.

Thorpey and Fairbro were always in mine, but probably don't make it now.

Defreitas maybe? Lamb?

[ianp1970]

Not many of mine would make the World fifth or sixth eleven though, shows how abject we have been historically

[ianp1970]

Not a great fielding side though.

Thorpey and Fairbro were always in mine, but probably don't make it now.

Defreitas maybe? Lamb?

All good shouts but you can only play eleven...

[hopeforthebest]

Athers and Hussain moaning that the 3rd umpire should not have given Sami out unless he was sure that the evidence was sufficient to overrule the onfield umpire. The 3rd was convinced so what's Athers moaning about.

[hopeforthebest]

The Lords spectators will be home early today. Three down in the 4th over.

[Making_Splinters]

Depends how Australia best 11 plays like if they play like 270 is a winning total they will get hammered since these days the players are so much stronger and can generally score 360 that 300 is a piece of cake and the current Australian Odi teams got a good attack so will probably do well against the all time Australian team from the past.

Bevan tactic of a chase is unlikely to work in the current climate.

Impossible to find out though since Ian said Odi cricket changed so much in the last 10 years but one thing that is guranteed is that batsman have gotten so much better at clearing the boundaries and the biggest myth is the better bats and rob key is spot on that it the batsman getting better and stronger rather than the bats and awful or weak batsman will still struggle to clear the rope in a consistent basis and it takes skill to score a quick hundred consistently.

In reality impossible to compare the era really since Odi cricket totally different to what it was 15 yrs ago and the way the game played is moved on massively.

tbh quite hard to pick a best 11 in Odi for most teams since do you pick a team that defends or scores 270 or do you pick a team most likely to score quick runs/big runs and restrict teams to less than 300.

the way the game played now reckon most teams would beat their best 11 if they played like they did in their own time.
Really can't see the past players Scoring quick hundreds or chasing 300 with ease and it can't be blamed on pitches either since Odi decks haven't really changed just been the tempo and small things like rotating strike better having no areas where the bowlers can get a dot ball and being able to hit sixes at will.
In terms of ability the players might be lesser but the rest outline above outweigh that difference.

Players might be stronger, but bat design has improved through better use of weight distribution which improves the power of the shot. Also the ropes being moved in has helped with boundaries though their are plenty of players who take this out of the equation. The biggest difference is the mindset of players, these days they are looking to go aerial and score off every ball which is something that very few players did in the past. It is far too simplistic to harp on about scores, the scores were made simply because that is how the game was played. You can't say that the players of the past would be unable to adapt to the modern game if they were playing in the present.

Of course there is the slight factor that the game is currently in a state where there are very few world class bowlers around. How many of the current bowlers would make it on to an all time great list?

Players like Finch maybe able to score a ton in T20, but are they remotely in the same class as Hayden or Gilly? No.

[hopeforthebest]

Good recovery by these Pakistan batsmen maintaining a reasonable R/R, mustn't lose wickets though.

[alfie]

Not a lot of interest in this match ?

Some good bowling from the England pace men...and spirited fight back from Sarfraz and Malik. Hard to see Pakistan getting up to 300 from here ; but if these two stay together for a while then perhaps 270 or so might be on.

Rather be in England's shoes at present.

[alfie]

I am not going to claim that as a jinx

But it didn't take long for the impressive Wood to derail my projected scenario.

More pressure on Sarfraz now...

[alfie]

Excellent century for Sarfraz

Singlehandedly dragged Pakistan up to a position from which some late hitting might yet see them over 260

Though even as I type Plunkett pins him lbw ...but saved by review...so as you were

Pakistan need him to finish.

[alfie]

Picks out Hales at cow corner now though...Rashid with the break.

Was a fine innings ; but Pakistan now need the tail to fire or they're likely to be well short of par : 202/6 with seven overs left...

[hopeforthebest]

Run rate under 5 now and the long tail has arrived looks like another easy ride for the England batsmen.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Looks like Pakistan are going to get another old fashioned total.

No Boom Boom type miracles for this side at the end of the innings.

Just woken up. Looks a good effort by the England bowlers, though the spinners a little more expensive than you'd hope.

Still no bowling from Stokes.

[alfie]

Eventful over !

Imad hits several boundaries ..."lively" exchange between bowler and batsman ...and finally a catch in the deep for Root with a narrow escape from potential serious injury by collision with his teammate ...

Could hardly watch as I saw those two converging on the ball with eyes only for the catch : have seen some nasty accidents like that ( indeed have been part of such !)
Happily no harm done .