by bigfluffylemon » Wed Aug 04, 2021 11:29 pm
Don't know what's worse about this. That it happened, or that it was so predictable.
Cue comments about 'England's worst batting line up since whenever', but we haven't had a strong or remotely reliable batting line-up for many years. We are fielding a top 7 with 6 players averaging under 35, including 3 that barely hit 30. And it was pointed out on TMS that Bairstow and Curran have had no red ball cricket since the winter tours - not a single county game, let alone a warm up. They have been playing 100% white ball - IPL, then straight to the domestic T20/100. How the hell can a batting line-up perform without first class games?
It's easy to say clean out the rubbish, but we've had this debate before and we'll continue to have it - who is there that is better? It's not as though there are run machines in county cricket being overlooked. Pope has a superb county record and hasn't been able to translate it to the test arena (although he isn't playing today). Of the players who have been doing well recently, most have either been tried or don't have anything in the career records to suggest they'll be any better. Maybe I've missed one or two rising stars - I don't follow the county game that closely.
Can't see how this can be reversed in the short term. I think we are reaping what has been sown for many years now in the marginalisation of the county game in the summer schedule combined with the absence of test cricket from TV. There just isn't the talent coming through, and what there is is not being well enough honed at first class level to be able to make the step up to test level. We haven't introduced a single batsman in the last five years who can be said to have been even a modest success.