England Cricket 2023

golfaddick said:

Target now below 300. Still 6 wickets in hand.

It's on I tell thee. It's on......

swordfish said:

Why they scheduled the women's test 1st rather than having it as a potentially exciting series decider is a mystery to me. If England's women lose the T20 tonight, they'd have win all other 5 games. England lost toss bat first.

Covered End said:

I don't know if that should have been out or not.
I don't know the law sufficiently.

Addick Addict said:

Callumcafc said:

Addick Addict said:

Callumcafc said:

Addick Addict said:

Callumcafc said:

carly burn said:

It's been spoken about how this era has given us a bit of bite from where we were a year ago. But they are doing it by ultimately playing the shorter forms of the game in tests!
But when you come up against the likes of Australia it starts to look very suspect.
I'm becoming more and more of the opinion that Root aside, this country cannot produce test batsmen anymore. And for that reason, McCullum has came in and just said play the way you're good at. It's literally all we've got!

Spot on.

The tactic is forced by the quality of the options available for selection.

Yes this is looking increasingly likely that this isn’t enough to beat the Aussies. But the alternative is throwing Hameed et al back out there and scoring 150s in the first innings…

That really isn't so. You can play positive cricket without being reckless. Our batsman all have the ability to recognise what a ball that can be pulled safely and one that can't. They chose to go for everything. As it happens Ponting is doing a master class on doing so right now on Sky. 

Is that not a bit of an assumption? The only one who I’d say definitely capable of that, against this Australian attack, is Root.

Australia have better batsmen (#1, #2, #3 in the world), they have bowlers who aren’t past their prime and they’re better in the field. We all hoped the Bazball bravado could bring us up to, and past, their level but in reality, the expected result is what is being played out.

I cannot blame England for believing their own hype. The cricket so far has been exciting, and winning games at the same time. Why wouldn’t they try to take that same approach into this series?

It isn't an assumption. All players at that level know what shot they can play to a ball safely and can't. From County Age Group level they are all taught to get into a position to pull it but if isn't there to do then to either duck or sway (it's impossible to do it the other way round i.e. look to leave and then try to pull it). The problem our batsmen have is that they ignore the second bit because they are always trying to score off that ball regardless of length, width, pace and field.  In doing so, they are trying to make the shot fit the ball and it is the ignoring of that second option, not the inability to make that decision, that gets them in trouble. 

Ok you know best.

I really do not know if you are being sarcastic or not but my son learnt how to do so doing just that so that is how I know. At Kent first and then at the Darren Lehmann cricket Academy where he was coached by Greg Blewett facing tennis balls from a bowling machine at 90mph off 16 yards. It wasn't just about playing the shot. It was about the decision making too. 

And as usual the troll that is @chizz LOLs it. As I've said before he loves to target certain people by doing so and then pleads his innocence for being accused of being a wind up merchant. In fact, I have to thank him for continuing to bridge the gap between my "Likes" and "LOLs". I bet he even thinks he's being subtle and clever doing so. 

McBobbin said:

Amy Jones gave it some humpty