Three simple tweaks for subs, LBWs and boundaries to improve flow of Test cricket
It's time for the ICC to step in to make Test cricket speed up some more.
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Artist, musician, occasional writer, former Media Coordinator at Cricket ACT, one-time CricViz operator - but most importantly, ANU Cricket Club 5th Grade Captain.
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It's time for the ICC to step in to make Test cricket speed up some more.
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In the build up to the 2010-11 Ashes, England played a four-day first class match against Australia A at Bellerive Oval. So significant was…
Hello mate, thanks for your comment. Obviously the potential for abuse needs to be mitigated by an impartial doctor and/or independent medical evidence… and certainly not dying on a hill, but AFL is definitely not the outlier. Football/soccer is a fairly major example where this is not the case.
Three simple tweaks for subs, LBWs and boundaries to improve flow of Test cricket
Mooney to keep and still bat at three? Same lessons apply – think the selectors would rather keep Mooney batting at three successfully than give her the gloves and shift her down, or at least I would. And still need an opener!
Alyssa Healy deserves support befitting her talent - and a schedule to match
Yep, good point about County Cricket. Might be time for you to submit to Mr Giles’ post series review!
Lions thrown to the wolves: How England's suits blew the Ashes
Hey Dave, thanks for commenting. As others have said, I think the appointment of Bayliss itself put the international team’s focus onto white ball cricket and this came with more white ball games, which meant more of the most promising players were in England squads rather than playing games at home – Billings, for example, has only played 70-odd first class games in 10 years but equally hasn’t actually played that much for England.
On visas – that’s a valid point and I will wear that. My understanding was they could come via NSW but I may well be wrong and should have checked. Even so, while the financial cost of waking up at 4AM to watch your team get smashed is lower, I’m not sure the emotional turmoil is!
Thanks again – good stuff.
Lions thrown to the wolves: How England's suits blew the Ashes
Thanks Paul, good points – I don’t think we’re too far apart in our thinking. I guess it’s impossible to know whether the key reason for the decisions behind poor preparation once in Australia was more due to financial concerns or squad unwillingness to spend longer in Australia – but we agree on that.
On what happened between England’s previous Test and their first in Aus, that’s a good point. Other than more tour games, though, I’m not sure what they could have done (assuming they were continuing to use training facilities etc back home). I suppose they could have organised some of those Lions games in the UK to keep things ticking over and requested as hard as wickets as possible, but maybe the time of year made that impossible.
What do you think?
Lions thrown to the wolves: How England's suits blew the Ashes
Makes sense. And he’s possibly as red as a beetroot, equal parts embarrassment and sunburn…
Food for thought: How to make the Ashes competitive right now
Salut! I only went to Dubbo once – to try paintball. How anybody thinks that is fun is beyond me. I remember picking bits of plastic out of my scalp the next morning…
Food for thought: How to make the Ashes competitive right now
Good idea. But Harris should also be dropped to accommodate Swepson and Warner should go, as others have said, for Abbott.
Starc and Lyon as opening batsmen, Cummins as skipper at number 3, Steve Smith at 4 on the proviso he bowls at least ten overs in each innings.
I’m on the fence about including a wicket keeper – I thought instead the fielders could just be arranged in a circle and rotate around like in under-10s, taking turns bowling and keeping. This would be a good opportunity to test out Carey’s bowling, he has been starved of opportunities so far.
Why the Aussies should select eight bowlers for the SCG Test
Good article with many hard truths amidst the humour. I was fiddling with writing something similar and I’m very glad to read this instead. For all the media hype around the Ashes, this series and the last is more like watching a SL or WI tour of Australia. India, Pakistan and South Africa have all put up far more engaging matches than this sorry lot.
Do we really want to see England in despair and humiliated? The answer might surprise you
I wrote a similar article last week – agree that something needs to give and at least Foakes would boost the fielding standard which has been abysmal. But, as others have said, the entire Lions squad has gone home bar the handful staying for BBL. Bizarre decision.
Stokes, Woakes and Foakes: Why England should dump Buttler
I think you’re right. England have dropped 9 chances out of 22 according to Cricinfo today and this is my point – the series would actually be a lot more competitive but for the genuinely shambolic fielder. I’m always reluctant to be too harsh on international cricketers but Buttler at the moment reminds me of a rather cruel label I’ve heard given to fellow wicket keepers around the club circuit: “he’s a cymbal player!”
England drop the ball on Buttler selection
Thanks Bazza – that’s a massive compliment! I agree that it reflects extremely poorly on Silverwood and I can’t see how his position is tenable much longer – how many players have come in and either cemented their place or improved on previous performance? Root is the only one, and I doubt that’s down to the coach much. Don’t even get me started on Rory Burns’ continued selection having broken the record for most ducks by an opener in a single year…
England drop the ball on Buttler selection
Thanks Hugh, much appreciated. It is a good idea if they are insistent on picking him given he’s not the only batsman playing poorly at the moment – and he is a good outfielder as well. My memory is ticking over and I think there was a period where he was playing as a batsman only and Bairstow was keeping, but obviously didn’t cement that place down either. Sadly I think change will come too little and too late.
England drop the ball on Buttler selection
Absolutely. On grandstand yesterday arvo they said Buttler’s drops have conceded well over a hundred runs and he’s made about 60. Not good numbers.
England drop the ball on Buttler selection
I think he has been a good addition. His opinions on cricket are beside the point, as you say, but his primarily role has been to steer the ship when on air with characters like Mark Waugh and Warnie who hugely overstate their own entertainment and insight values. He is almost always on with at least one of them so he can guide discussion, including the very important job of bringing threads to a close, preventing the bizarre and childlike on-air rambling and bickering that is never far away with those two. To be able to do that, he has to be no threat to those frail male egos and he takes that job on with grace and intelligence.
Here's to Mark Howard, the people's commentator
Agree on 2nd and last points – second string was certainly not second rate in that series.
Why the Ashes will be a closer contest than most think
Hi Tempo – completely agree and am not advocating for football style substitutes that teams can abuse to freshen up an attack… but where there is demonstrable injuries that remove a player from the game, as you say, I think it’s worth thinking about.
Three simple tweaks for subs, LBWs and boundaries to improve flow of Test cricket