The England Cricket Thread

CHokKA · 14 Aug 2018 at 19:49

Freddie1980 said:
I was in two minds on Stokes case that was until the prosecution shows the police footage of him talking to an officer with the prosecutor claiming he was drunk when clearly he wasn't.

How was he not drunk? He stated that he’d had three pints with a meal, six vodka lemonades and a few Jaegerbombs. Who wouldn’t be drunk after that?

manic111 said:
Is this not simply the nature of white ball cricket? It's so batsman-friendly now that it's just a slogfest, and whichever team has the best sloggers (and a bit of luck) wins. It's barely worth watching any more.

Whilst I agree on some points, players like AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla excel at white ball cricket and they’re not sloggers at all. AB de Villiers is one of the best T20 and ODI batsmen in the world and he is so tactical and calculating. Jos Buttler is similar for England. It’s technique behind their shots, not power. And the amount of times I see the bowler bowling the exact same ball after being hit out of the ground is astonishing. I’m not sure why you’d say it’s barely worth watching. I find them both highly entertaining forms of the game and they showcase talent on another level.

Jimbeam3678 · 14 Aug 2018 at 19:55

CHokKA said:
How was he not drunk? He stated that he’d had three pints with a meal, six vodka lemonades and a few Jaegerbombs. Who wouldn’t be drunk after that?

Whilst I agree on some points, players like AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla excel at white ball cricket and they’re not sloggers at all. AB de Villiers is one of the best T20 and ODI batsmen in the world and he is so tactical and calculating. Jos Buttler is similar for England. It’s technique behind their shots, not power. And the amount of times I see the bowler bowling the exact same ball after being hit out of the ground is astonishing. I’m not sure why you’d say it’s barely worth watching. I find them both highly entertaining forms of the game and they showcase talent on another level.

Define drunk? Drink drive limit? Unable to walk? Dancing like an idiot?

CHokKA · 14 Aug 2018 at 20:03

Jimbeam3678 said:
Define drunk? Drink drive limit? Unable to walk? Dancing like an idiot?

Well, if we play Devil’s Advocate here and go with how you can’t legally drive a vehicle after drinking a few pints, you’ve got to wonder why that’s the rule if drinking three pints, six vodka lemonades and a few Jaegerbombs doesn’t constitute being drunk.

However you look at it, if you’re not legally safe to drive a car because you are a danger to people, why can’t the same be said when on foot and having a fight with someone outside of a bar? Just because you don’t feel drunk or he doesn’t come across as drunk doesn’t mean he wasn’t!

Regardless of the circumstances, nobody can deny he was having a fight openly in the street, still punching someone when they hit the floor, fracturing his eye socket. At the end of the day this guy is meant to be a role model to young kids. They see that sort of behaviour and how he got off and it just says that there’s no right or wrong if you’ve got the money and the right people around you.

Sankari · 16 Aug 2018 at 05:43

I'm gobsmacked that Stokes has walked free. :confused:

On the plus side, England's destruction of India has been entertaining.

manic111 · 17 Aug 2018 at 13:50

Really disappointed that he's straight back in though, especially for Curran. Why change a team which has just thumped the "best" test team in the world?

Cob · 19 Aug 2018 at 15:31

England falling apart here after a decent start to the day.

Jimbeam3678 · 19 Aug 2018 at 15:32

I think it was a more a case that India score was very good given the conditions.

Cob · 19 Aug 2018 at 15:43

118/7

Definitely falling apart.

Jimbeam3678 · 19 Aug 2018 at 15:45

Cob said:
118/7

Definitely falling apart.

You were correct in your first post

Cob · 19 Aug 2018 at 15:51

8 down now.

A much improved Indian performance. Might finally be seeing the team we were promised!

Cob · 19 Aug 2018 at 15:55

Jesus, Jimmy in now.

Sankari · 20 Aug 2018 at 07:32

Bloody hell, all out for 161. What happened? :confused:

manic111 · 20 Aug 2018 at 16:13

Our catching is an embarrassment.

Sankari · 20 Aug 2018 at 23:01

Two days to reach 521. It's possible, if they're patient.

Sankari · 20 Aug 2018 at 23:20

Oh.

manic111 · 21 Aug 2018 at 11:08

Sweet Jesus, we really are toilet.

Cob · 21 Aug 2018 at 11:09

Think I'll go play golf and watch highlights of the inevitable collapse when I return at teatime.

Cob · 21 Aug 2018 at 11:16

**** me

Cob · 21 Aug 2018 at 11:24

Why are they playing at every single ball?? They've 2 days to kill.

manic111 · 21 Aug 2018 at 11:31

Cob said:
Why are they playing at every single ball?? They've 2 days to kill.

It's test cricket in general. Batsmen can't leave the ball any more. You see it all the time, with pretty much every team.

There are some great attacking batsmen around, but how many players exist in the game nowadays that can dig in in the way that Ponting, Dravid, Atherton etc did? To an extent Kane Williamson can, but the other "great" players now - Kohli, Smith, Root - are all attacking players. If they don't get on top of the bowlers, they get out.

Most test batsmen should have the mindset that, if they don't score for two overs, it's fine, while still being able to generate a few runs from low risk deliveries. Let bowlers bowl outside your off stump, it's fine. Wait until they get fed up and try to bounce you or stray onto your pads, and put those balls away.

One day cricket has largely ruined test cricket for me. Yes, you still get some wonderfully close games, like the first of this series, but you no longer get those fantastic sessions of a bowler trying everything to get a batsman out, and a batsman standing up to a whole session of bouncers and yorkers.

Edit: it's why I was sad to see Compton go. Yes, he won't score fast, and that allowed bowlers to get on top of him, but he's one of few with the ability to stick it out in the middle. You need a couple of batsmen like him in a good test team.