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Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2018 1:51 pm
by Balladeer
Jonny isn’t a number 3 either chaps. :dread:

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2018 2:31 pm
by Drumstick
Balladeer wrote:Jonny isn’t a number 3 either chaps. :dread:

I agree, although whilst I can see why they think it's worth giving it a go, considering established number threes haven't worked in the past, we aren't losing anything by playing him there in this match seeing as Moeen has offered nothing with the bat. It'd be great if he can make a success of it, we'd have the following line up for the Windies & Ashes:

Burns, Jennings, Bairstow, Root, Stokes, Buttler, Foakes

But then you've got Curran, Woakes, Broad, Anderson, Leach, Rashid and Moeen all scrapping for 4 spaces. Personally I'd have Curran, Leach, Broad and Anderson for the Windies, home conditions is harder as Woakes is more dangerous with the ball than Curran and based on bowling deserves the spot way more.

Nice problem to have though.

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2018 2:57 pm
by Balladeer
I would always want Curran in the side as he brings something new with his left-arm pace (or, er, ‘pace’). He’s also arguably a better bat than Moe. You could also have an extreme pacer there, but that leaves a massive hole in the tail unless Woakes also plays.

At home I’d have Jimmy Broad and Woakes fighting for two spots most of the time. Abroad I’d still like to see Stone get a go. Pace isn’t everything, but it is something.

So something like Jimmy/Broad, Curran, Leach, and then Rashid in the subcontinent (and possibly the WI?), Woakes at home and New Zealand, and Stone in South Africa and Australia.

All of which will be irrelevant when God-Emperor Wood returns to wonderful form and rides his imaginary horse through the gates of Brisbane in glorious style.

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2018 4:06 pm
by Mini E
Drumstick wrote:
Balladeer wrote:Jonny isn’t a number 3 either chaps. :dread:

I agree, although whilst I can see why they think it's worth giving it a go, considering established number threes haven't worked in the past, we aren't losing anything by playing him there in this match seeing as Moeen has offered nothing with the bat.


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Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2018 7:32 pm
by Drumstick
Balladeer wrote:I would always want Curran in the side as he brings something new with his left-arm pace (or, er, ‘pace’). He’s also arguably a better bat than Moe. You could also have an extreme pacer there, but that leaves a massive hole in the tail unless Woakes also plays.

At home I’d have Jimmy Broad and Woakes fighting for two spots most of the time. Abroad I’d still like to see Stone get a go. Pace isn’t everything, but it is something.

So something like Jimmy/Broad, Curran, Leach, and then Rashid in the subcontinent (and possibly the WI?), Woakes at home and New Zealand, and Stone in South Africa and Australia.

Yeah I think we're pretty much agreed on what the approach going forward should be.

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2018 7:38 pm
by Drumstick
Mini E wrote:
Drumstick wrote:
Balladeer wrote:Jonny isn’t a number 3 either chaps. :dread:

I agree, although whilst I can see why they think it's worth giving it a go, considering established number threes haven't worked in the past, we aren't losing anything by playing him there in this match seeing as Moeen has offered nothing with the bat.


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His time has passed, I think. Unless he goes bananas next year an averages like 90.

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2018 8:47 am
by Balladeer
Drumstick wrote:Yeah I think we're pretty much agreed on what the approach going forward should be.

You say that, I don’t see a paean to Mark Wood from you anywhere. :x

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2018 4:36 pm
by Mini E
Drumstick wrote:
Mini E wrote:
Drumstick wrote:
Balladeer wrote:Jonny isn’t a number 3 either chaps. :dread:

I agree, although whilst I can see why they think it's worth giving it a go, considering established number threes haven't worked in the past, we aren't losing anything by playing him there in this match seeing as Moeen has offered nothing with the bat.


Image

His time has passed, I think. Unless he goes bananas next year an averages like 90.


Image

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 8:04 am
by Balladeer
Oh Rooty.

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 8:11 am
by Rex Kramer
I do hope Bairstow cements his place at no. 3 as it's really the only position he can play (aside from opening which is unlikely) in the current squad. He's young enough to adapt his game and has shown in the past that he can bat. Problem is he seems to want to continue with his keeping as well.

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 8:16 am
by Drumstick
Funnily enough, making a success of the number three position is the thing that will keep the gloves off of him. We've a surplus of middle-order 5-7 players and no number threes.

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 8:22 am
by Rex Kramer
I think England don't want him to keep but he seems determined to stick at it, which I think will be to his detriment as it's time taken away from working on his batting.

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 8:51 am
by Balladeer
I must admit I thought Moe was given short shrift at 3. Maybe he looked a bit iffy, but he’s played there for Worcs. He’s the only one of the recent tries who has. And he’s got a decent average doing so.

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 9:33 am
by Drumstick
I agree that Mo is so often shifted around the order to make way for others, so it will take him time to adjust to positional changes. I think the management like the fact he is flexible which allows the team to squeeze everyone in, to his detriment. For this reason I'm loathe to really give him a hard time with the bat in tests. He's primarily in the team to take wickets so as long as he's doing that, it's fine with me.

Think Root has let a ton go begging here. Such a poor choice of shot considering how obvious the field change was.

Hopefully Jonny can convert. This tour has been great for us. We could come out of it with a stable top order, we've finally got the best WK in the team who can also bat well, and there's proper competition for lower order places.

Burns, Jennings, Bairstow, Root, Stokes, Buttler, Foakes, Curran, Leach, Broad, Anderson for the Windies.

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 9:50 am
by Balladeer
One spinner in the Windies? Really? I’d want to find a way of fitting Moe in. Rashid can probably sit out.

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:12 am
by Drumstick
Johnny's celebration. :lol: :wub:

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:12 am
by Drumstick
Balladeer wrote:One spinner in the Windies? Really? I’d want to find a way of fitting Moe in. Rashid can probably sit out.

I didn't include Rashid in my line up. I would also like to include Moeen but the alternative is dropping Curran.

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:17 am
by Balladeer
Decisions decisions... Can’t drop Jonny now, anyway!

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:23 am
by Drumstick
Exactly, in terms of the Windies series, the debate about the top 7 appears to be settled. Given Broad and Jimmy are definitely going to play, there's two spots left.

Re: The Cricket Thread - Show some elite honesty

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:23 am
by Rex Kramer
I don't see England ever picking Leach ahead of Moeen.