English Cricket Thread

[Arthur Crabtree]

No, it means Rob Key judges players solely on how quick they bowl.

Josh Hull isn't quick!

My vibe is a young Angus Fraser.

[sussexpob]

Josh Hull isn't quick!

My vibe is a young Angus Fraser.

As I said the other day, its hard to tell on bowling speed in county games, but he clearly has an effort ball that comes out a lot quicker. Apparently clocked 89 mph quickest, but average between 81-82.... so sort of goes with that pre-match assessment.

[sussexpob]

Freddie Flintoff has been annouced as the new England Lions coach moving forward.

If he picks the same team as the last game, he will be overseeing his own son, Rocky....

[alfie]

Wouldn't say Hull isn't quick . Mid eighties with a top 87 isn't exactly medium pace ! He isn't another Wood - though he allegedly can hit 90 (and maybe nerves on debut have held him back a bit in the speed area ?) ; but his height means that if he can get his line right consistently he is likely to pose a few problems for batsmen that pure pace might not. Bit early to judge , no ?

Suspect it is the height (along with the left arm angle) that most interested the selectors. Tall pace men can be handy in Australian conditions (eg Tremlett) if part of a balanced attack. Young fast bowlers can come on quickly ; but at the moment it remains a bit of a wild gamble and I'm not getting too excited at this stage.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Not sure those really big bowlers are ever top speed for long. Harmison and Willis were briefly. Broad got good pace at times but wasn't a speed merchant. Rankin and Tremlett were just fast medium. All of them were major injury risks.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Touring party for Pakistan.

Ben Stokes (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Bryson Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

No Lawrence. Tom Hartley does not return. Wood is still injured.

Six pace bowlers, probably scrapping over two spots with Stokes taking the third.

[Durhamfootman]

no place for 'the best keeper in the world'.

[Arthur Crabtree]

No, two inexperienced keepers.

[sussexpob]

Touring party for Pakistan.

Ben Stokes (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Bryson Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes

So, in conclusion....

England have picked one player who was dropped by Durham this year after averaging over a 100 a wicket, one who averaged 52 in the CC this year, one who averages the same in 20 away test matchs in his career, one who only has 17 FC wickets at 60 in his career, one who was outbowled by 6 other players at his county this year, and then a young spinner who has also averaged nearly 60 this summer. And Gus Atkinson.....

Menawhile, we dropped a player who averages 20 a wicket in Pakistan in test cricket,and who won man of the match at Rawalpindi for bowling England to the most unlikely of wins on the flattest pancake pitch you could ever hope to see in a cricket match.

[sussexpob]

The selection of Carse, the re-selection of an out of form Potts, the longest contract given to Wood for all three formats at a time he was being dropped in two......

Ben Stokes is making sure his drinking buddies are well looked after.

[Arthur Crabtree]

England have picked one player who was dropped by Durham this year after averaging over a 100 a wicket, one who averaged 52 in the CC this year, one who averages the same in 20 away test matchs in his career, one who only has 17 FC wickets at 60 in his career, one who was outbowled by 6 other players at his county this year, and then a young spinner who has also averaged nearly 60 this summer. And Gus Atkinson.....

Maybe they are the wrongs picks, but at least there are a lot of them!

[Slipstream]

Potts 9/68

[alfie]

Last Pakistan tour 25/60 wickets were taken by Anderson Robinson and Wood. At an economy rate of under three. For various reasons none of them are in the party this time round ; so one must hope the newer pace bowling seamers are up to the job in less familiar surroundings than London/Manchester etc...

(The spinners obviously played a big part - and theirs were shared out between Leach , Jacks (!) , Ahmed and Root - with a bit of help from Stokes . So I would expect spin to do its part again : but I think they will need serious input from the seamers as well)

Most of those seam bowler picks are not unreasonable in themselves : Atkinson obviously ; Woakes whose batting must have seen him included despite a ropey overseas bowling record ; Potts who just managed a timely 9 wicket haul - and really bowled a lot better than his raw figures showed against Sri Lanka ; and Stone as the true "pace" option in the absence of Wood. But Carse and Hull ? The latter hopefully just there to work with Jimmy and help out in the nets if they are serious about winning the Tests ; and the other totally untried at this level - and not boasting an exceptional FC record . Does suggest that England are determined to keep Ollie Robinson in Purgatory for now : or have they really decided that they just don't want him around the team at all ? Seems harsh considering his impressive record in Tests , even if he is a "difficult" individual , as some reports seem to suggest. Choosing to cast off a talent such as his when you have just said farewell to the two mainstays of your attack for the last decade and more strikes me as an extremely questionable decision ; so if the new look group struggle in Pakistan there will be a bit of egg on face to go around...

[andy]

I'm asssuming Carse is the next one in the bouncer theory school of thought...can't be any other reason for him being there at all

[Durhamfootman]

One day cup final abandoned for the day because of rain

All hopes rest on things improving tomorrow, but the forecast for that isn't great either

Bad weather can happen anytime, but scheduling these things for the fag end of September isn't giving domestic cricket the best chance to do itself justice at its showpiece events

It's probably just as well that the county champions have already been decided, because there is still another round of the CC to play, even though it's getting dark now at 7pm and the temps are struggling to stay in double digits