The Cricket Thread

[Deutsch Wolf]

Only posting so you can marvel at the Fivehead that Rob Key now has.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1807726797334692294

 

[Tony Towner]

That’s a mistake from them and for him.

 

[Tony Towner]

This has annoyed me. A reasonable chance we'd be holding the Ashes if Key had come to this conclusion 12 months ago when the rest of the nation did

https://twitter.com/x/status/1807762328093597750

 

[Tony Towner]

Being forced to retire Jimmy Anderson in his first bowl of the season currently has 5-13

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Make that 6-18

 

[Stan Hullis]

I’d be annoyed if it wasn’t Jimmy

 

[Sniffer]

I'm annoyed for Jimmy.

He deserved to go out on his own terms and if that was away from the test arena due to injury or no longer being good enough then so be it however to have it made for him sucks whilst there still life in the old boy yet.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

It all seemed unnecessary at the time and even more so now we've picked up injuries to some prospective seamers so we don't even have that many to pick from (even more so if we've conclusively ditched Knobhead Robinson).

I doubt Tongue will play a Test this summer, Archer definitely won't, and Cook isn't currently playing for Essex due to injury while Mahmood is only slowly making his way back for Lancs, so who is he blocking?

 

[Tony Towner]

Woakes has been economical but lacking in wickets since coming back. All Somerset's fell to seam, he didn't take one. Last week 1-85 across Hampshire's 2 innings. He's also as irrelevant for the Ashes as Key says Jimmy is...or should be

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

You know how much I love Christopher Roger Woakes. But you're right, those two positions don't go together.

Some of the calls in the last 12 months have been bizarre. Bairstow keeping in the Ashes when they must have known he wasn't even remotely fit to do so (they had access to information that none of us had), Jordan in for the T20 World Cup out of nowhere when it looked like he'd been ditched for good years ago and subsequently being a drain against everyone bar USA, Malan handed a central contract when we clearly had no intention of ever picking him after the World Cup (when his previous contract was due to end anyway), managing the situation with Willey so badly where he was the only man left out and we didn't bother communicating it properly to him, persistence with fucking Curran who has been beyond shit for ages...

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

7-24 for Young James now

 

[Sniffer]

Nathan Lyon agrees with us...

“I am very surprised that England have tapped him on the shoulder and said one more Test and that’s it,” Lyon said. “He’s world class, probably the best to ever play the game as a fast bowler and his skillset, especially in England, is remarkable.

“Seeing Jimmy doing what he was doing this morning was pretty amazing to witness. I’ve obviously seen it on the other side when I’m not standing there saying: ‘Come on Jimmy.’

“There’s no disrespect to the other bowlers in this game, but you can see the class which he brings to the table. The extra zip off the wicket, the extra bounce, his skillset, his ability to go both ways, the wobble seam, so it was pretty cool to be at mid-off and have him tell me what he was doing.”

 

[Tony Towner]

THIS

https://twitter.com/x/status/1808402096909160470

 

[Squeak]

Stokes has something of a point. All the years of watching semi-talented players grinding away has been replaced by the most eminently watchable cricket we have ever seen. Of course, it is always helped when you are winning or performing miracles to win but you have to take the losses as well. I do consider myself fortunate to have watched prime Botham and Stokes. They are once in a generation players who aren't afraid to risk it all to try to win. I applaud that.

Where I have a problem is when the whole team thinks they can do what players like Stokes does. The match situation has to come into play and simply giving wickets away at times isn't clever. There has to be a balance and if not, I think I'd prefer what we have now than watching Boycott bat for two days for 155 as he did at Edgbaston against India years ago. Thank God, Gower was at the other end knocking the ball about for a double century.

 

[Tony Towner]

Somerset need 128 to win at 5.5 or thereabouts, Warwickshire 6 wickets off 23½ overs.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Think Somerset might have had a punt at it had Banton not got out, probably not now.

Pretty toothless again. Very likely to still be stuck on 0 wins.

 

[Tony Towner]

Think Somerset might have had a punt at it had Banton not got out, probably not now.

Pretty toothless again. Very likely to still be stuck on 0 wins.

They've moved Preterious up to 6 from 11 which I presume is to try and slog a few. No wickets for Woakes again

 

[Sniffer]

They've moved Preterious up to 6 from 11 which I presume is to try and slog a few. No wickets for Woakes again

He didn't last long - Will Somerset still go for it whilst Rew and Abell are together?

 

[Tony Towner]

He didn't last long - Will Somerset still go for it whilst Rew and Abell are together?

Clearly yes and with Overton likely in next they won't stop with the next wicket. 70 off 13 ½

 

[Carrotdude]

Glamorgan 542/7 chasing 593!