Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Durhamfootman wrote:and now Archer

Archer looks destined to be the next Simon Jones - one brilliant year followed by injury after injury and never quite making it back.

Have felt for a while we are unlikely to see much if any more of Archer in Tests. That relaxed run up looks lovely and smooth but I think it puts a lot of stress into the actual delivery and it just isn't something he can do repeatedly at full pace. T20 might be his natural home - assuming he can get back properly to that. Hopefully a proper rest will get him right.
For his own sake I hope he doesn't take risks trying to get back for the World t20 , much as England would like him on board.

I said a long time ago when he first appeared in the national team, he was never a flat out quick. He was a low-mid 80s bowler for Sussex, using his craft rather than pace to take wickets.

So as predicted at the time, England have broken him asking him to bowl himself to death. Well done to the morons

Dobell was saying yesterday that Rob Key has already commenced talks aimed at persuading Adil Rashid to make a red ball comeback and that something similar was being planned for Mo

England turning back the clock to a time that wasn't a success first go around.

Durhamfootman wrote:Dobell was saying yesterday that Rob Key has already commenced talks aimed at persuading Adil Rashid to make a red ball comeback and that something similar was being planned for Mo

Not much faith in the new crop if they want to go back to Adil and Mo!

indeed, but seemingly this is correct. It might not come off, of course

Durhamfootman wrote:indeed, but seemingly this is correct. It might not come off, of course

Were they that good in their prime?

They had their place, I suppose, but there you go. A Swanny only comes along once in a blue moon, so perhaps England have to try and make available any options they have

But what does this actually mean ? As far as I know , Moeen never exactly renounced the idea of playing red ball for his county - just retired from Tests , no ? So if he cares to make himself available I guess he is always an option ; though not necessarily going to be picked. Whether he really wants to put himself back in the arena (he has seemed less than sure in his own mind about it , on and off , for some time) is unclear.
I like Mo ; and he certainly has strengths that could be very useful for England , especially on Asian tours ; but I am not too keen on playing anyone who is not 100% committed and totally focussed on what McCullum and Stokes are trying to achieve.

As for Rashid : he seems to have completely abandoned the first class game for some time now. Presume he would have to get right back into the county game and produce performances before he'd even be considered again. Suppose Yorkshire wouldn't mind having him back for the CC - when did he last play one for them ? Not sure he will be prepared to make the changes to his own plans that would be required when he obviously still would have no guarantee of Test selection...

Agree it all does seem a bit like a lack of faith in the new young spin options as neither of these chaps are going to be around much longer even if they did return - and perhaps unnecessary if it just means providing an option for next year's tours ; but I guess with all the cricket being played the more spares you have on hand the better.

England clearly have limited faith in the other spinners, but like said, why they have more in Rashid or Ali is beyond me.

I think England just need to take a lesson from Australia and pick Leach (like Lyon) for the foreseeable. He's a fallible cricketer, but there is hardly an alternative thats really making the case.... taking into account the fact that MP really does bowl at a very pedestrian pace.

I don't want to write Parkinson off after one game ; though I am afraid that I was a little disappointed with my first sight of him , given all the excitement that had been brewing for a while around his pending debut. Slow through the air , indeed : and I was initially reminded of Ian Salisbury which didn't fill me with great hopes...

Quite liked the way he bowled right at the end though when tasked with wrapping up the NZ innings. Will be interested to see him on a pitch that gives a bit more aid to the spinners. In truth Leach , for all his commendable determination , tends to be truly effective only on pitches that really turn (although at least he was largely economical in West Indies ) so I am not sure he can be locked in for all occasions.

Even so , I would probably be happy enough to take the next trip to Pakistan with say , Leach Parkinson and Bess (assuming no fresh talent miraculously appears overnight!) rather than recycling players who seem to be comfortable concentrating on limited over cricket.

This Key initiative may turn out to be just be a "we are keeping all doors open" thing , in line with McCullum's comments about the white ball specialists ?

I dont want to write Parkinson off at all. At the end of the day he takes wickets on pitches that work against him regularly, so whatever pace he bowls atand how he goes about it, its worked, and shouldnt be dismissed without a chance to prove otherwise.

But sadly, its not how professional sports work. I think if Flower had never laid into Leach's attitude, he'd have played more. Criticism of players, whether valid or not, tends to linger a long time and affect the opportunities that present themselves. So the talk of MP's lack of pace will reduce the margin of error and patience afforded to other players in his position. And for that reason, I cant see him lasting long.

Similarly, Silverwood forever tainted Bess in India by sending him home and saying he needed to get better..... its no surprise with those three having their relative question marks from influential peers, the team are looking to bring back retirees without such things, even if they are worse performers.

Parky has 24 wickets @ 25's this season, compared to Leach's 12 @ 20's. He's bowled many more overs than Leach and their econ's are almost identical at about 2.3 runs an over, so he has been able to both take wickets for Lancs and hold up an end for (presumably) long periods. That's all anyone can ask, I think. He's earned the chance to show what he can do.

Morgs is going to announce his retirement tomorrow, seemingly

will he go straight upstairs?

I presume there is a vacancy for an England white ball head coach