The Cricket Thread.

[Sniffer Grouse]

Following on from the summer thread I thought that with the onset of Autumn we should have a new title to discuss all things cricket.

England are on their One Day tour of India and are currently in their second warm up game.

RavBop (73), Chris Woakes (46 no and 2 for 30) and Steve Finn (4 for 28 incl a hat trick) were the stars of the first game, a win by 56 runs.

It looks like Jonny Bairstow will be the star of the second (currently 104 not out off 53 balls.

[Sniffer Grouse]

Add Scott Borthwick to the list 5-25 off 9 overs. Hydera are bad at 98-9.

[Doctor Doog]

Add Scott Borthwick to the list 5-25 off 9 overs. Hydera are bad at 98-9.

Looks like it could be a pun-ishing winter. Seriously, it will be interesting to see how we get on against the world champs in their own country.

[Sniffer Grouse]

England side to face India on Friday: From Alastair Cook (Captain), Craig Kieswetter (wkt), Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Jonny Bairstow, Samit Patel, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Jade Dernbach, Steve Finn, Ian Bell, Scott Borthwick, Chris Woakes

Which I would guesss would mean the starting line up will be:-

Alastair Cook (Captain), Craig Kieswetter (wkt), Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Jonny Bairstow, Samit Patel, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Jade Dernbach, Steve Finn,

[Deutsch Wolf]

Fatel

I'd be going:

Cook
Bell
Pietersen
Trott
Bopara
Bairstow
Borthwick
Bresnan
Woakes
Swann
Finn

[Sniffer Grouse]

I'm pretty sure that Kieswetter and Dernbach will play regardless of whether I want them to. Patel may miss out to Woakes if they decide that s**t spinners aren't required due to the pitch conditions.

[Deutsch Wolf]

I know all three of them will play. But still. They shouldn't, because they're all shit.

[Eric Young is God]

You can watch all of the odi's for free on this internet site and its above board and legal.
http://www.bcci.tv/bcci/bccitv/commu...eam/livestream

[Deutsch Wolf]

Samit "containing bowler" Patel working his magic again, going at more than six an over.

Seriously, Andy Flower is a cricketing genius. Why does he persist with this tub of lard?

[Sniffer Grouse]

Shocking end to the innings from Englands point of view with 150 being conceded off the last 15 overs.

I'll make a prediction that we won't get to within 50 of their total.

[Sniffer Grouse]

Ravi to the rescue? 117-3

[Paddingtonwolf]

Well that was shit.

[FrankMunro-371]

We rarely win one day games in India, so it was hardly a surprise. They used the conditions very well, so fair play to India. England will get better, as they become more accustomed to the conditions.

[Sniffer Grouse]

Taxi for Kieswetter please (to the airport).

0-2 (Cook 0, Kieswetter 0)

[Deutsch Wolf]

We're losing badly here.

We're so formulaic when defending totals - everyone always bowls the same quota of overs at the same time to the same fields, every single game.

Also, I know they're not an exact replica of each other, but seeing how we saw how unsuited to these conditions Tremlett was in the World Cup, was there much point taking Finn? Dernbach is just very mediocre and hittable, kerazeee variations or not. We knew that before. It basically means Bresnan is carrying our entire pace attack. Imagine saying that two years ago.

In mitigation of the bowlers, I suppose now reverse swing has basically been eliminated as a factor in ODIs (well done ICC, another triumph) it's very difficult for any English style seamer to do much beyond opening the bowling. As it is for most seamers, but then they generally have totals of 300+ to defend. We don't because we are still spastics against very mediocre twirlers (Ashwin does look a good bowler in fairness, but no excuse for Kohli to get away with bowling 5-0-18-0).

Then we only have/trust one proper spinner, so they can just let him get through his overs in the knowledge that our other alleged tweaker is a tub of lard who bowls utter shit.

Oh, and our best available player of spin is currently being omitted for Ravi Bopara/Craig Kieswetter (delete as necessary depending which one you think is more rubbish).

Cricket is back as we know it.

[Sniffer Grouse]

We won't win the series now so we may aswel bring in Borthwick for the final three matches. I would also drop Kieswetter for Bell and give the gloves to Bairstow. The seamers need to be rotated also.

[Deutsch Wolf]

I agree with both of those changes (if Patel really must stay, fine, but drop the pretence that he can bowl 10 overs in these conditions. Him or Bopara for Borthwick).

I'd also drop Dernbach (for good), just not good enough. Woakes isn't the finished article but if nothing else he'd be useful when batting the last 10 overs and he won't be any more ineffectual or expensive with the ball.

[mikebullock]

England Rugby team rubbish. Last week was a rubbish week at work. Stuffed by the Baggies yesterday. Rubbish day at work today. England Cricket team rubbish. Fed up.

[Sniffer Grouse]

Woakes is out of the Tour injured - Onions is called up to replace him. FFS there are only 3 matches left, is it really worthwhile calling up a replacement for a man not playing anyway?

[Deutsch Wolf]

Even better, he won't get there until the fourth ODI when the series will likely be over as a contest anyway.

That said, any team that has Graham Onions and Jade Dernbach available, and picks the latter, needs horse-whipping collectively.

[Sniffer Grouse]

England unchanged - Ian Bells suntan must be coming on nicely.

[Sniffer Grouse]

He will get some stick for 98 not out off 116 balls but I believe that Jonathan Trotts innings today is exactly whats required for England in a one day international. If he remains at the crease scoring at a reasonable rate this allows the other stroke players to play their natural games. The result is that England have posted a competitive target rather than falling way short like they have in their previous 2 matches.

A super innings at the end too by Samit Patel who showed Ravi Bopara what should/can be done when a platform has been laid.

[Deutsch Wolf]

Tight run-chase, India struggling to make the target, easy run out chance with two overs left.....and Kieswetter kicks the bails off. Then fails to run the bloke out by pulling a stump out of the ground. We lose.

Can we now end this bullshit of having a keeper who opens? No, pick a proper opener and a proper keeper who can bat acceptably in the middle order, or indeed wherever he's most comfortable. Not some square faced dick who can't bat or keep.

[FrankMunro-371]

It wasn't all down to Kieswetter. Some poor fielding, and below average bowling in the last ten overs were just as bad.

[Deutsch Wolf]

I'm not saying it's all his fault. He's such a blatant weak link though. And it really doesn't get as bad as kicking the stumps over, you wouldn't have that off schoolkids.

[FrankMunro-371]

I'm not saying it's all his fault. He's such a blatant weak link though. And it really doesn't get as bad as kicking the stumps over, you wouldn't have that off schoolkids.

Agreed. I remember Chris Broad kicking the stumps over after being dismissed in Australia. Very poor indeed.

[FrankMunro-371]

Another thrashing for England. We really are struggling in the conditions. Too many batsmen are getting set, then getting out, and our bowling and fielding has not been anywhere near as good as it was in the summer in English conditions.

[Sniffer Grouse]

India manage to hit 39 off the last two overs to set England a total of 272 to win.

[slink]

129-0 to 137-4 and we are under pressure again, this could be a close one. Ok this may not be so close after all it's now 141-5.

[Deutsch Wolf]

IJL Trott: 202 runs @ 50.50
KP Pietersen: 170 runs @ 42.50
SR Patel: 160 runs @ 40.00
C Kieswetter: 135 runs @ 27.00
ST Finn: 27 runs @ 27.00
AN Cook: 133 runs @ 26.60
RS Bopara: 80 runs @ 16.00
TT Bresnan: 61 runs @ 15.25
GP Swann: 25 runs @ 12.50
JM Bairstow: 49 runs @ 12.25
SG Borthwick: 3 runs @ 3.00
JW Dernbach: 5 runs @ 2.50
IR Bell: 2 runs @ 2.00
SC Meaker: 2 runs @ 1.00

ST Finn: 8 wickets @ 31.25
SR Patel: 4 wickets @ 45.50
TT Bresnan: 5 wickets @ 49.00
SC Meaker: 2 wickets @ 55.00
GP Swann: 2 wickets @ 95.50
JW Dernbach: 1 wicket @ 168.00

A truly woeful set of statistics.