******Cricket Thread******

[Cricket Blue]

Nonsense. The Aussies tried this with Gilchrist etc. It’s high risk cricket and we don’t have a Warne or a McGrath.

If you want to see continuous smashing the ball around, the Hundred starts next month.

High Risk?
We have just beaten the world's best test team 3-0

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

High Risk?
We have just beaten the world's best test team 3-0

No, we haven’t.

 

[Cricket Blue]

No, we haven’t.

They won the final of the test championship last year

 

[The Light Was Yellow Sir]

High Risk?
We have just beaten the world's best test team 3-0

We have just beaten the worlds fourth best team, 3-0. We are currently playing the second best team and, if we score 378 against them, it will be one of the greatest achievements in the history of test cricket.

 

[andyhinch]

Now this is where if Buttler was opening he could make a big difference.
Buttler for Crawley later in the summer?

Going at over 5’s with plenty of time, I’ve got no faith in Crawley mind.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

They won the final of the test championship last year

They did. They aren’t the best team in the world, just as Real Madrid aren’t the best team in Europe.

It‘s no surprise we’re chasing a bigger total here and India are far better than NZ now.

 

[M18CTID]

Nonsense. The Aussies tried this with Gilchrist etc. It’s high risk cricket and we don’t have a Warne or a McGrath.

If you want to see continuous smashing the ball around, the Hundred starts next month.

Have to say I agree that you still need your "plodders" in there when it comes to test cricket, no matter how attacking you want to be, but McCullum hinted a week or two back that England may try and go even more attacking in future, citing Stokes rather than himself as being the one who's always looking to "push the envelope".

I think Butler as an opening test batsman is perhaps a step too far though. Maybe better to try and build slowly but surely with the openers and then let the middle order smash the opposition into next week.

And now I've said that, I see the opening pair have put on a 50 partnership at a rate of 5.88 runs an over!

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Have to say I agree that you still need your "plodders" in there when it comes to test cricket, no matter how attacking you want to be, but McCullum hinted a week or two back that England may try and go even more attacking in future, citing Stokes rather than himself as being the one who's always looking to "push the envelope".

I think Butler as an opening test batsman is perhaps a step too far though. Maybe better to try and build slowly but surely with the openers and then let the middle order smash the opposition into next week.

And now I've said that, I see the opening pair have put on a 50 partnership at a rate of 5.88 runs an over!

Yeah, it’s amazing when it works and it might be 4 times in a row. It’d be record breaking.

It‘s also good if the pitch hasn’t deteriorated.

McCullum has been great in clearing our players’ minds and told them to go out and do their natural thing. We haven’t seen what happens when they lose and the baggage starts on this coaching team.

 

[Iamthemusicman]

If the plan is to bring Buttler back then would it not make more sense to recall him as the wicket keeper and bat at 7? Never looked comfortable trying to play a traditional test innings but if told to play his natural way he could be great.

 

[Cricket Blue]

Great start here, plenty of time