8)
Just to lighten the mood for us poms, is anybody else following the thrashing Aus are getting?
http://www.espncricinfo.com/sri-lanka-v-australia-2016/engine/match/995453.html
It's almost certainly too early to gloat, but you don't get the opportunity too often as an England fan. Today's scores:
Australia: 77/11, opposition 237/10
England: 120/0, opposition 143/7
Oops, realised I made a mistake, clearly that should read:
Australia: 11/77, opposition 10/237
****stan are going to miss my new man-crush Wahab over the next day or so. They should have dropped Amir instead as he has bowled well below par so far and Wahab gives you a genuine reverse swing option. If Cook and Hales get through the first 45 mins this morning, ****stan will be getting edgy. Younis was laying down the law in the 'huddle' yesterday as he could feel the rot setting in. Mind you, Hales is not an international test opener as long as I've got a hole in my arse (to repeat myself).
I'm inclined to agree, however he did seem to have started to work himself out yesterday, to play only when he had to and to defend under his eyes rather than out towards cover. He's not played 10 tests yet, has 4 fifties and will be kicking himself for getting out 6 short of a ton; I don't think it's quite as cut and dried yet.
Cricket is such a different game these days that the role of opener is completely different to even 10 years ago. One day cricket has changed the way the longer game is played.
Look at Warner, you would never have had him down as an opener but he was persevered with and adapted his game to suit.
Still too early to tell if Hales will make the transition.
Cricket is such a different game these days that the role of opener is completely different
I was an opener because (like Geoffrey) I only had three decent shots but could stay in for hours and loved facing quickies (easier to score against IMO). But my desire was to stay in for as long as possible and let the decent cricketers do the flash stuff - got me to school boy county level.
In contrast mini THM1 is a new style of opener. His mentality is to smash the bowler from the very first ball and mentally screw him up. Its scary to watch as a parent as he attacks from the off and it could be over very quickly. Last year he took 20 off the first over and the bowler was totally screwed and was replaced immediately. Different games completely - no fear in the younger generation.
Watching Hales last night was never comfortable even as he approached his 50 - but really pleased for him. He needs a few big scores.
I am not sure opening has changed that much - there has always been a place for a more aggressive batsman as an opener, it just there is more power now - even Boycott was a bit of a dasher in his youth.
Oops!
Hales has very hard hands. We had a very good, nippy (even by pro standards) opening bowler at our club who bowled massive outswingers, whenever we saw an opener with hard hands it was only ever a matter of time. Look at how many edges from Cook drop short of slip. That ability to adjust and kill the bat is essential at test level where the quicks move the ball at pace. Hales will come off perhaps one in five, because he really can crack the new ball around when it is his day. But ask any number three who they would rather be opening, someone like Hales or someone like Cook.
Trouble is, only one in five is not enough at test level.
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Boycs is off on one today, isn't he?
Stick o' roooooobarb.
Ooh, this is why we still love Test cricket. Wouldn't you know that after 3 wicketless innings (and a previous one where he wasn't even thrown the ball) and almost 72 wicketless overs it's Finn who gets the crucial breakthrough which might win the match.
I'm following the TMS test commentary in Denmark, my inlaws think that I'm being antisocial. They'd be right
6 gone, into the tail, wishing I'd gone up to Birmingham today as I thought about doing
Nobody else following this? LOL, can't believe they published my comment on cricinfo just now (should be obvious for those who know my real name, and almost as obvious as the complete piss take they've just published for those who don't)
come on england, 9 for 9 trophies is beckoning !
Could go #1 in the Test rankings if we can draw or win the next one.
Now THAT was a proper test match! Great result, too. Obviously.
Aggers doing a fine job commentating on the Olympic eventing!
Arseflaps.
Not a good opening session.
For christs sake.
Good work from Moeen
I'm sure someone will still be saying that Moeen shouldn't be in the team. A good recovery from 110-5
This is one hell of a series - nip and tuck every day.
****stan have lost an early wicket in pretty much every innings without it really effecting their concentration overall so I still think this could go either way.
England have some real issues to address before they play against big boys next summer. The winter won't be all that helpful, either as the sub-continent is so unique, it is almost a different game. Thinking about the South Africans next year:
Hales - cheerio fella, sorry and all that, but hard handed biffing of the new ball belongs in 50 over (or less) cricket. He just isn't a test player.
Vince - see above.
Broad - you've got to get your wrist behind the ball, mate. Apart from the odd inswinger, if you look at his bowling it is piss paced, straight up and down.
Finn - someone has to sort him out. His action has too many moving parts, is very non-linear and has a very short actual arm swing. Very much like Caddick used to be. Good-ish, but not great.
Ballance - I love the nuggety attitude and the nurdling the ball around, but someone really needs to take the lead-lining out of his boots.
Some big questions to address, but you cannot afford to carry two supposedly front-line batsmen against older boys. South Africa will be straining at the leash to get at Hales, who hasn't been able to buy a run in this series.
Bell-Drummond to open. Opening for Kent with Tom Latham, an established international opener, he way out scored him.
who is next along to replace Vince and Ballance?
I think Ballance will keep his place especially if he does ok tomorrow. If Rashid comes in for the Indian tour and Stokes is fit then they just need to find an opener. Maybe they'll drop Hales down the order but they bat so deep I think they could lose a specialist batsman. They won't drop Broad yet but he and Anderson aren't getting any younger.
who is next along to replace Vince and Ballance?
There's the problem. Too much crash, bang, wallop cricket and we can't produce anyone who can drop anchor or not make every edge go to slip like an Exocet. Boycs is like a stuck record a lot of the time, but he also talks an immense amount of sense. You can't score runs in the hutch, simple. You get the impression that Hales likes to 'get on top of the bowling'. Hmmmm. I'm an opening bowler who dreads having to bowl more than 25 overs in an innings. Someone like Hales opens the batting and plays some crowd shots, then smashes one to slip. I have one for twenty off five overs and the number three is in against the new conker. Who has won?
England top 5 in this series: Cook/Root 935 @ 66.78 Hales/Vince/Ballance 498 @ 22.63.
they are being carried! 🙄
Effectively three of the top five are passengers in the side. We've only got away with it because we bat down to nine and a half (the half being Broad) if Stokes is fit. I would like the management to cut their losses, pick a purely horses for courses touring squad, then start again next May. The real issue is that no one else seems to be smashing the door down to get in.
Vince has to be dropped as he makes the same mistake again and again. might be worth dropping Hales down the order as he I think offers a bit more than Ballance - both have shown a bit of graft but I think Hales offers a bit more. Bring in Rashid for Finn, move Moen to 5, Stokes come back to 6 and then you still bat down to 9.5 with Broad at ten and you have a fair bit of variation in your bowling attack. Missing opener? Dont know the county game well enough, but this 19 yr old kid at Lancashire must be worth a shot within a couple of years if he keeps going like he is now.
Maybe we should take Hameed now, he has just scored a second century in the Roses match - Tendulkar started at 16 afterall. Described by the Yorkshire captain as an old fashioned opener.
Second bloody ball!
Argh.
Whhhhhhammmy!
World records
EDIT:
Highest ODI score
Most boundaries
Most sixes by England
Hales highest England ODI score
Buttler fastest England ODI 50
Hopefully a career making innings by Hales rather than a fluke
Nice of them to do this for me on my birthday!
With any of the top 7 capable of that kind of batting (8-10 pretty handy too) this 1 day side is looking fantastic.
I was on a stupid bine ride and missed it. Outstanding! Hales was brilliant but 90 Off 22 balls!
92-4.
I should have stayed in bed.
I've been awake since 00:30 so glad of the early start on TMS
Oops.
Fantastic test! Really would like them to get a win against the big boys but glad it wasn't us. Well played Bangladesh and England
