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Jun 2015
4:28pm, 24 Jun 2015
2,577 posts
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postieboy
I read a really good article, I think it was on the Guardian website saying the same thing as you Teaboy. Whilst 50 over cricket has turned into a longer version of T20, test matches still requires the right blend of rocks and dashers for a team to be successful in the long run.
Cook will be a fixture opening the batting for a few years yet if he's still scoring runs, even if it isn't as captain.
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Jun 2015
4:34pm, 24 Jun 2015
10,848 posts
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TRO Saracen
True, rocks are invaluable but they can also be a hindrance. England scored fast in that first test, in tge first innings once their 3 accumulators were out. They won.
Arguably they lost the second test because once they had seen off the new ball, NZ went at 5+ an over and were sitting pretty when the second new ball came. We had a similar start, but went at 3 an over and had over 100 less on the board when the second new ball wreaked its damage.
I think the old accumulating when batting, attritional when bowling approach is no longer effective, not all tge time. I'd hate us to recognise this and catch up as slowly as we did the changes in ODI's.....
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Jun 2015
4:45pm, 24 Jun 2015
2,578 posts
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postieboy
England need to have a more balanced batting line up. Cook and Ballance in the top three sets a too negative tone. Root at No.3 again perhaps? Have Ballance at 5 so he can anchor whilst the likes of Stokes and Buttler can play freely around him.
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Jun 2015
4:49pm, 24 Jun 2015
10,850 posts
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TRO Saracen
Rule is best batsman at 3. A guy who can dig in, or score quickly depending on game situation. So Root at 3. One of Bell/Ballance for the chop.
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Jun 2015
4:57pm, 24 Jun 2015
3,526 posts
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Doctor K
I think the prospect of some up and coming players coupled with a new coach will at least keep Broad and Anderson on their toes. That can't be a bad thing
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Jun 2015
9:05pm, 24 Jun 2015
63 posts
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Scorge
impressed by england's latest results, even though it's been against a weakened attack. think mccullum has been found out, now.
got money on 3 nil, 4 nil, and 4-1 to the aussies. england side has a lot of talent, but this might just be one series too soon for them a'la 2002/03. also think bell and anderson may be past the top of the cliff, especially if they don't start the series well.
that australia fast bowling battery is scary!
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Jun 2015
1:41pm, 25 Jun 2015
9,575 posts
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Wriggling Snake
Current pitches are green early on, then dry and flatten out. Perhaps Jimmy can sneak us an early test or two, but I think, with the aussies bowling, 3-0, 4-0 looks fair. Good weather, maybe 4-1 to Aus is fair too. Moeen will get torn apart, he will, make no mistake. I think in places our batting may stand up, Cook root, Balance currently looks a problem as does Bell.
The ODI stuff now it's a different team realy, perhaps the two will merge but not yet. It's the bowling really, the aussie bowling, it could be horrible for england.....
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Jun 2015
1:54pm, 25 Jun 2015
6,964 posts
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rf_fozzy
"Balance currently looks a problem"
Test match average of 52.19, 4 hundreds and 5 50s in only 13 matches (i.e. one ton every 3 matches on average) last hundred only 5 tests ago.
This is a symptom of the instant gratification society - a couple of bad tests and you're the worst player in the world.
It's the same argument that I made for KP (in reverse) not coming back to the England team - he had one very good knock for Surrey, suddenly everyone says oh he must play, but they didn't take into account that the rest of his scores had been woeful.
Bell's record has been less good over the past year, but still has 2 centuries and a couple of 50s. I admit though that if he doesn't get a score in the first couple of tests, his place will be debatable.
What we don't want to go back to is the 1990s/early 2000s policy of picking someone for 2/3 tests, then dropping them and it then becomes a merry-go-round. Nor should players be cemented in the team though - there is a happy medium, perhaps we're slightly too much towards the latter at the moment, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes piling too much pressure on players means you'll never get the best out of them - look at Root - too much pressure when he opened (although he was never an opener anyway) - drop him down the order, allow him to grow into being an England batsman and he's now our best player...
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Jun 2015
2:59pm, 25 Jun 2015
10,860 posts
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TRO Saracen
Partly true Fozzical, but there are also many cases where a batsman can thrive in the County game, and for a first few tests but with a major flaw in his game. Trouble is at test level, after a few games it gets spotted, a plan is worked out.
Thereafter, every opposition side is good enough, and prepared enough to execute that plan. Balance is in that position, rumbled. The Aussies will probe that weakness relentlessly, remorselessly. Is he humble enough, good enough and well coached enough to have accepted that, and worked out a solution in time for the Ashes.
We must not throw any chance of the Ashes away being loyal to a bloke who has been found out. Crucial for Ballance, the really good players adapt and kick on so we'll see if he can or not.
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Jun 2015
3:31pm, 25 Jun 2015
4,794 posts
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Too Much Water
Agree with TRO. You can do well against county cricket and inferior test opposition, but not perform in test matches against the best teams.
See Hick and Ramps, nearly 250 first class centuries between them, approx 3% of these at test level
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The Ashes 2009
Jun 2022
