England Cricket 2024

[steeplejack]

I wouldn't necessarily say it's the main thing to focus on but I do think the practice match matters. It's a much more general point than just this one as well. For a sport to flourish it needs to be competitive and test cricket is very heavily weighted in favour of the home team at the best of times, which produces too many one-sided matches and that can't be good for anyone. There should be a mutual agreement to put out decent opposition for warm up games - so could be the equivalents of the Lions team and the County Champions - and no nobbling the conditions. I'm sometimes sceptical of the 'game for gentlemen' stuff about cricket's past but there's a self-interest element here too that goes beyond just winning the immediate series.

Yeah, but self-interest comes from the win at all costs mentality associated with elite level professional sport. For years cricket has sought to exploit that through the nature of pitches skewed in favour of the home bowling attack to the type of ball used. I am not defending it, but unfortunately it is now baked into international sport and cricket is no different.

The long form of the game is really embattled and unfortunately the big three or four- India, Australia, S Africa, England- are in a different universe in terms of resources, experience etc than the other test playing nations. That balance really has to be addressed and measures put in place to rectify it if the long form is to have a meaningful future, as well as bringing on the newer test playing members and trying to encourage others to reach test level. Domestically it may be too late for county cricket in its current form- sadly.

The "game for gentlemen" stuff was always birthday caird pish.

 

[planetgeli]

Nobody is talking 'a couple of dropped catches in the slips' or anything like equivalent.

Lawrence's innings yesterday, though affected by his place in the team, typified England's approach in this match - which really stank of arrogance and disrespect. In DL's case he was probably disrespecting himself as much as SL ("Do you think you're playing T20 mate?"). I believe a new test record was set for getting out to attacking shots. The record, set recently used to be 18. England had 10 in the 1st innings alone. Much of that match had little to do with cricket.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I thought exactly the same about Lawrence yesterday. I remember watching him first time he played for England and while he didn't have a huge amount of success, he was a pretty stylish middle-order batter. No, he's never an opener, doesn't play straight enough for that. (Crawley is at least playing towards off when he gets out to those booming drives.) But he can play. Yesterday he played like a tailender who knows he doesn't have a defence so might as well go down swinging. It was embarrassing for him. He's better than that.

 

[planetgeli]

One more rant. I've also thought Barney Ronay should be disqualified from writing about cricket. He gets sent once a year, knows little about the game, and is the only cunt who got me banned from BTL comments in the Guardian because I dared to say this once (with evidence!)

But today he's encapsulated what people here generally thought about this test. I find it hard to disagree with almost anything he said. It's worth a read. Things you thought you'd never ever say.

England’s end-of-term slackness forewarns of end of days for this summer sport | Barney Ronay

Sri Lanka’s spirit and discipline juxtaposed the piss-takey approach and yeah-whatever attitude of their hosts

www.theguardian.com

Read it. It's about this test, but also about why it mattered in the broader sense.

 

[Petcha]

One more rant. I've also thought Barney Ronay should be disqualified from writing about cricket. He gets sent once a year, knows little about the game, and is the only cunt who got me banned from BTL comments in the Guardian because I dared to say this once (with evidence!)

But today he's encapsulated what people here generally thought about this test. I find it hard to disagree with almost anything he said. It's worth a read. Things you thought you'd never ever say.

England’s end-of-term slackness forewarns of end of days for this summer sport | Barney Ronay

Sri Lanka’s spirit and discipline juxtaposed the piss-takey approach and yeah-whatever attitude of their hosts

www.theguardian.com

Read it. It's about this test, but also about why it mattered in the broader sense.

The other way to look at it is that they were treating it like a rehearsal for bigger tests to come. Which is obvs a bit disrespectful to SL I dunno... It was piss poor yes. But with better umpiring they may have just edged it despite quite clearly phoning it in.

Hull will be a killer in Australia one day with that heat and height. I like the look of the attack they're forming there.

 

[Petcha]

I think it's a terrible mistake making McCullum the boss across everything particularly considering he is notorious for enjoying his vineyard and the beach in NZ in the off season. It's a lot of work he's got now. There will be no off season.

 

[planetgeli]

I think it's a terrible mistake making McCullum the boss across everything particularly considering he is notorious for enjoying his vineyard and the beach in NZ in the off season. It's a lot of work he's got now. There will be no off season.

I have no problem with that. He's apparently relishing it.

What I do have a problem with is a point Ronay made too. McCullum at no time wheeled himself out to explain the shit of this test. And he must have had a hand. Bit too laissez-faire. But some of those decisions, if not a lot of those decisions (attacking batting, 'it doesn't matter', probably came from him). Staying on pointlessly bowling Lawrence and Root was certainly not down to Pope apparently.

 

[Petcha]

I have no problem with that. He's apparently relishing it.

What I do have a problem with is a point Ronay made too. McCullum at no time wheeled himself out to explain the shit of this test. And he must have had a hand. Bit too laissez-faire. But some of those decisions, if not a lot of those decisions (attacking batting, 'it doesn't matter', probably came from him). Staying on pointlessly bowling Lawrence and Root was certainly not down to Pope apparently.

Nah I think it's the wrong choice, but each to their own. He's been fantastic as Test coach, undeniably. He's going to have wrap his head around way too much now.

I like the appointment of Flintoff though to the Lions. Clearly next in line for the top job.

 

[Ualan]

England needed a quick start in this run-chase and so far Salt and Jacks are doing it very nicely.

 

[two sheds]

Drawn so far with 6 balls to go