Sport Winter Cricket Thread

If England want to take test match cricket seriously, they need to take the composition of tours seriously. We can't rock up, play to 2 lukewarm up games and with the batting and bowling organised as it is, to suddenly be good on day one on the first test.
 
Rory Burns ruled out of the tour due to damaging ankle ligaments playing football.
Utter madness!! Do the England football team play cricket before a match!?
Ashley Giles warned them to stop last year.
We have now lost one of our best batsman over the last year. Stupidity prevails.
 
A rum start so far - this batting order looks wafer thin on mindset and technique. But at some point you have to stick with what you've got.
 
Arrrrrrrrrrgggggggh! Again, and again, and again.

I'll give Crawley a pass - first Test, being called into the side late, against an excellent bowler......it's not hugely surprising he got out cheaply. Forgivable, and I hope he gets a few more chances.

But Sibley-Denly-Root-Stokes-Buttler? 34-38-35-47-29. It's absolutely criminal that they all got in but none of them managed to go big. Or even reach 50!!?!! You can't win Test matches regularly that way.

The next England batsman to get out between 25 and 50 should be barred from air travel, and be forced to hitchhike home.
 
Arrrrrrrrrrgggggggh! Again, and again, and again.

I'll give Crawley a pass - first Test, being called into the side late, against an excellent bowler......it's not hugely surprising he got out cheaply. Forgivable, and I hope he gets a few more chances.

But Sibley-Denly-Root-Stokes-Buttler? 34-38-35-47-29. It's absolutely criminal that they all got in but none of them managed to go big. Or even reach 50!!?!! You can't win Test matches regularly that way.

The next England batsman to get out between 25 and 50 should be barred from air travel, and be forced to hitchhike home.

Swim home ..might learn some of the patience required to be a text batsman then, perhaps?
 
Better since Friday, but this batting order is just still broken. Crawley's dismissal today highlights how bad technique with the bottom hand is just allowed to percolate through the county team until players hit international cricket and they get stuck being unable to cover drive.
 
Good to see some oufc supporters showing the flag at Cape town.
Well England sure have turned this round.
Sibley nearing 100 and this morning Stokes has played a Pietersen at his best type innings.
50 in 35 balls.
 

It got a mention from an Oxford supporting TMS producer on the Cricket Social (I won’t touch TalkFootball’s coverage of it).

England’s Test to lose now surely. Come out after lunch, bat for another 30-45 mins and then declare to disrupt the Saffer openers.
 
A sensational final day.
It looked at tea as if was a nailed on draw with nothing at all happening on the pitch, and Anderson ill/ injured.
An amazing spell by Stokes who started getting reverse swing and real pace. De Kock out to a very poor shot and then Stokes took over. What an amazing all round player.
 
A sensational final day.
It looked at tea as if was a nailed on draw with nothing at all happening on the pitch, and Anderson ill/ injured.
An amazing spell by Stokes who started getting reverse swing and real pace. De Kock out to a very poor shot and then Stokes took over. What an amazing all round player.
Agree, it looked very slow out there but for that Stokes spell. Bess did bowl well in patches too

I do wonder if we are seeing the physical decline of Jimmy Anderson now - another niggly injury - but being 38 and to have played as long as he has, it's not that much of a surprise.
 
Agree, it looked very slow out there but for that Stokes spell. Bess did bowl well in patches too

I do wonder if we are seeing the physical decline of Jimmy Anderson now - another niggly injury - but being 38 and to have played as long as he has, it's not that much of a surprise.
Agree re Anderson. He clearly still has it (5 for in the first innings), but his body doesnt seem to be able to cope with Test cricket any more ( assuming that the current injury us a side strain)
It is probably best that both Broad and Anderson dont both go at the same time however.
 
Agree re Anderson. He clearly still has it (5 for in the first innings), but his body doesnt seem to be able to cope with Test cricket any more ( assuming that the current injury us a side strain)
It is probably best that both Broad and Anderson dont both go at the same time however.
Of course, if we could bloody bat longer he'd have more of a rest during games...

It does seem as if the Anderson-Broad era is coming to an end, a final English summer for them, would be surprised to see Anderson tour next winter. Going to be 2 huge holes to fill.
 
Agree re Anderson. He clearly still has it (5 for in the first innings), but his body doesnt seem to be able to cope with Test cricket any more ( assuming that the current injury us a side strain)
It is probably best that both Broad and Anderson dont both go at the same time however.
They did mention on comms yesterday that injury to Archer meant they played Anderson when they didn't intend to. But with him being so close to having the most test wickets as a fast bowler, I can see him hanging on until the end of the year, especially with a tour to Sri Lanka soon also.
 
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