England in Sri Lanka Red Ball

For me Bairstow at number 3 in Colombo with Curran out injured

He never bowled or needed to bowl

Voice of fair play said:
Baylis does deserve a lot of credit especially taking into account some of the criticism he has had in the past.

I do think it’s possible to have a really good test side and one day side, sometimes there is too much talk about which one is the priority rather than just trying to be the best at both!
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It’s for the very reason I praise him, his finger prints are all over this style of play

I think cook going has helped root and we won this with basically no cook, jimmy or broad

I hope we produce English wickets in ashes as we play our best exciting cricket on results pitches

Who on earth wants to watch cricket on flat Australian and Indian pitches
 
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The Rat said:
For me Bairstow at number 3 in Colombo with Curran out injured

He never bowled or needed to bowl



It’s for the very reason I praise him, his finger prints are all over this style of play

I think cook going has helped root and we won this with basically no cook, jimmy or broad

I hope we produce English wickets in ashes as we play our best exciting cricket on results pitches

Who on earth wants to watch cricket on flat Australian and Indian pitches
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Exactly quite rightly the plaudits will go to Root, for his fanastic innings, however the way Buttler and Curran played in the first innings attacking when others might have went into their shell was the right thing to do in the circumstances
 
Absolutely superb series win that. I don't buy into this "Sri Lanka are pap" rhetoric either - they've absolutely hammered decent sides at home, and particularly in the First Test (where we absolutely demolished them), they'd have been desperate to give Harath a fitting send off .
It's also worth remembering that there are a lot of players in the very beginning of their International careers, with plenty of uncertainty hanging over the side coming into the Tour.

There are still major question marks that need to be solved - the issue of being 100/5 every innings - but it's been (bar one session) two very mature, impressive performances.
 
I’m not happy with the safc flags placement

TheRey said:
Absolutely superb series win that. I don't buy into this "Sri Lanka are pap" rhetoric either - they've absolutely hammered decent sides at home, and particularly in the First Test (where we absolutely demolished them), they'd have been desperate to give Harath a fitting send off .
It's also worth remembering that there are a lot of players in the very beginning of their International careers, with plenty of uncertainty hanging over the side coming into the Tour.

There are still major question marks that need to be solved - the issue of being 100/5 every innings - but it's been (bar one session) two very mature, impressive performances.
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It’s been my theory for years, wickets 6 to 10, whichever team makes the most runs for them, usually wins the game

It will be huge in the ashes, who wins that battle
 
toosb said:
This is a brilliant win.
It's funny isn't it how some people love to hammer the Test team but have gone very quiet.

Maybe it's because we demolished the World No 1 ranked team last summer and now have won away to a team who have hammered Australia and SA in the last 2 years.
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I said a few days ago, this place is only usually busy when England are losing. I think it's a cricket thing, everyone is an armchair expert.
 
We are in a really odd position when you think of it

2 openers very much unproven
1 batsman who really belongs in the 3-5 roles and no one else even putting up a case
3 world class (at least potentially) seam bowling all rounders (stokes, woakes, curran). None of whom are really really top class with the ball
A very very good spinning all rounder
3 (potentially) world class keeper batsmen
2 top class seamers who are nearing the end

It’s a very very weird mix. Unbelievable strengths. Unbelievable weaknesses
 
Silly Point said:
They usually go well at home. Think the Aussie steamers will struggle as usual over here. I may change my mind as the series gets closer mind when the nerves start to kick in!
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Their stock "steamers" (great description btw) are always decent. Without really having an X factor quick (bar maybe stark-but I feel he's a bit long in the tooth).
 
chunkylover53 said:
We are in a really odd position when you think of it

2 openers very much unproven
1 batsman who really belongs in the 3-5 roles and no one else even putting up a case
3 world class (at least potentially) seam bowling all rounders (stokes, woakes, curran). None of whom are really really top class with the ball
A very very good spinning all rounder
3 (potentially) world class keeper batsmen
2 top class seamers who are nearing the end

It’s a very very weird mix. Unbelievable strengths. Unbelievable weaknesses
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Its weird but I don't think the weaknesses are as clear as you think

We just need to accept they are going to do things differently, I think the top order could change a lot, and I expect more players to come in who maybe aren't dominant in the CC

I used to be against that but I think its a totally different era

Nobody can persuade me now that Jos Buttler playing in sold out ODIs and 20/20 for 5 years, plus dominating the IPL, isn't a better grounding for high profile text cricket than the CC

The likes of Stoneman etc are good players but they eventually fade because they aren't used to the pressure

The lions were playing today, top 2 scorers were Roy at 3 and Billings at 6, who was captaining. I think under Smith these are the type of players who will come in

Maybe the CC should be used to blood young talent and then we can identify it, rather than just picking best scorers etc

As for the current team, be interesting to see the tactics in windies where the pitches will be flat and slow.
 
The Rat said:
Its weird but I don't think the weaknesses are as clear as you think

We just need to accept they are going to do things differently, I think the top order could change a lot, and I expect more players to come in who maybe aren't dominant in the CC

I used to be against that but I think its a totally different era

Nobody can persuade me now that Jos Buttler playing in sold out ODIs and 20/20 for 5 years, plus dominating the IPL, isn't a better grounding for high profile text cricket than the CC

The likes of Stoneman etc are good players but they eventually fade because they aren't used to the pressure

The lions were playing today, top 2 scorers were Roy at 3 and Billings at 6, who was captaining. I think under Smith these are the type of players who will come in

Maybe the CC should be used to blood young talent and then we can identify it, rather than just picking best scorers etc

As for the current team, be interesting to see the tactics in windies where the pitches will be flat and slow.
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Interesting post

I still think we struggle in the top 3. And we will struggle without genuine top class bowlers (rather than those who bowl a one day style with slower balls etc).

Also. Sam Billings can fuck off
 
chunkylover53 said:
Interesting post

I still think we struggle in the top 3. And we will struggle without genuine top class bowlers (rather than those who bowl a one day style with slower balls etc).

Also. Sam Billings can fuck off
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:lol: said that half to wind you up

I think he could be abetter 4 day player than one day player

Yeah the top 3 is an interesting one, you are probably right but I think people need to stop obsessing slightly on the cook, strauss, trott model of a top 3 , its never gonna happen with the players available. If Stokes could average say 37=38 there and take wickets in England, then you could say that is more than enough.

We have good bowlers still, Jimmy, Broad, Woakes I fancy them against the Aussies, we have 2 good spinners IMO, the key is are any of the new lot Stone, Porter, Overton etc, up to the job

Jennings
Burns
Bairstow
Root
Stokes
Buttler
Foakes
Ali
Curran
Broad
Anderson

Canny team in the Ashes that, exciting anyway.

When Broad and Jimmy retire, if Curran and Woakes are our new ball bowlers in England :lol:. You could have 11 genuine batsman in the team, interesting thought like. Means you don't need a tradtional top 3 grinding it out

Rambled a bit there, but you get the point am making
 
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The Rat said:
For me Bairstow at number 3 in Colombo with Curran out injured

He never bowled or needed to bowl



It’s for the very reason I praise him, his finger prints are all over this style of play

I think cook going has helped root and we won this with basically no cook, jimmy or broad

I hope we produce English wickets in ashes as we play our best exciting cricket on results pitches

Who on earth wants to watch cricket on flat Australian and Indian pitches
Click to expand...

I still fancy Bairstow as an opener, but up to him - but yes, bring him in.

Also, Stone for Anderson.

Terrific series win... Really fantastic effort. Credit to the spinners, but also - we've seen three great hundreds. The two from Foakes and Root are right up there with the very best of England abroad.

The Rat said:
:lol: said that half to wind you up

I think he could be abetter 4 day player than one day player

Yeah the top 3 is an interesting one, you are probably right but I think people need to stop obsessing slightly on the cook, strauss, trott model of a top 3 , its never gonna happen with the players available. If Stokes could average say 37=38 there and take wickets in England, then you could say that is more than enough.

We have good bowlers still, Jimmy, Broad, Woakes I fancy them against the Aussies, we have 2 good spinners IMO, the key is are any of the new lot Stone, Porter, Overton etc, up to the job

Jennings
Burns
Bairstow
Root
Stokes
Buttler
Foakes
Ali
Curran
Broad
Anderson

Canny team in the Ashes that, exciting anyway.

When Broad and Jimmy retire, if Curran and Woakes are our new ball bowlers in England :lol:. You could have 11 genuine batsman in the team, interesting thought like. Means you don't need a tradtional top 3 grinding it out

Rambled a bit there, but you get the point am making
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We'll see how he develops, but I'd be amazed if Curran turns into a new ball bowler. I certainly think he'll end up a batting all-rounder and may be he'll end up as a top order batsman. His technique is absolutely superb and he just seems too small and slow to be anything other than an occasional fourth or even fifth seamer.

So much could happen given his age. But Stuart Broad was a batsman transitioning to a bowler when he was a teenager, and I wouldn't be surprised if Curran goes the other way.
 
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Comeback_Kenwyne said:
I still fancy Bairstow as an opener, but up to him - but yes, bring him in.

Also, Stone for Anderson.

Terrific series win... Really fantastic effort. Credit to the spinners, but also - we've seen three great hundreds. The two from Foakes and Root are right up there with the very best of England abroad.



We'll see how he develops, but I'd be amazed if Curran turns into a new ball bowler. I certainly think he'll end up a batting all-rounder and may be he'll end up as a top order batsman. His technique is absolutely superb and he just seems too small and slow to be anything other than an occasional fourth or even fifth seamer.

So much could happen given his age. But Stuart Broad was a batsman transitioning to a bowler when he was a teenager, and I would be surprised if Curran goes the other way.
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Bairstow is never an opener in red ball cricket man
 
chunkylover53 said:
Bairstow is never an opener in red ball cricket man
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He's not a number three either - but The Rat is right, we need to open our minds a bit to the unconventional: this team is going to experiment with batting order, Root has said so himself.

What's interesting about Bairstow is that he has remodelled his technique twice in his career already. Once when deficiencies were exposed in his early career, twice to become an ODI opener. I agree, he seems like he lacks the soft hands to be top order in England (but I reckon he could bully the fuck out of opening bowlers in Australia, where the bounce is true). But he's as good an idea as Buttler or Stokes or Ali at three. They are all 6s and 7s.

So either we don't play them all, or we crowbar them in. I say crowbar. They can all win matches.
 
Comeback_Kenwyne said:
He's not a number three either - but The Rat is right, we need to open our minds a bit to the unconventional: this team is going to experiment with batting order, Root has said so himself.

What's interesting about Bairstow is that he has remodelled his technique twice in his career already. Once when deficiencies were exposed in his early career, twice to become an ODI opener. I agree, he seems like he lacks the soft hands to be top order in England (but I reckon he could bully the fuck out of opening bowlers in Australia, where the bounce is true). But he's as good an idea as Buttler or Stokes or Ali at three. They are all 6s and 7s.

So either we don't play them all, or we crowbar them in. I say crowbar. They can all win matches.
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Bairstow averages 30 over the last 2 years. He barely deserves a place in the team
 
Last test odds

Sri Lanka 5/2

Draw 11/4

England 10/11

Now England have a knack of losing a dead rubber, so for me that 5/2 could be the value to take, with a cover on the draw, if there’s weather about

Might get involved if England drift, in play, for a possible arb
 
Comeback_Kenwyne said:
I still fancy Bairstow as an opener, but up to him - but yes, bring him in.

Also, Stone for Anderson.

Terrific series win... Really fantastic effort. Credit to the spinners, but also - we've seen three great hundreds. The two from Foakes and Root are right up there with the very best of England abroad.



We'll see how he develops, but I'd be amazed if Curran turns into a new ball bowler. I certainly think he'll end up a batting all-rounder and may be he'll end up as a top order batsman. His technique is absolutely superb and he just seems too small and slow to be anything other than an occasional fourth or even fifth seamer.

So much could happen given his age. But Stuart Broad was a batsman transitioning to a bowler when he was a teenager, and I wouldn't be surprised if Curran goes the other way.
Click to expand...

I think he could specifically be a new ball bowler in England as he swings it as much as anyone I have seen recently, its his 2nd and 3rd spells that might be the problem, although he also reverses it.

I could see Bairstow as an opener for sure

I am not convinced Jennings will be a success in England, but it doesn't matter for me, he really can play spin well, we almost have a ready made batsman there for everytime we tour. Just takes brave selections.

chunkylover53 said:
Bairstow averages 30 over the last 2 years. He barely deserves a place in the team
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Give over man, he was in as an all rounder, batting lower down the order, often with the tail, taking massive risks

People need to stop this obsession with just averages like, it doesn't remotely tell the true story at all.

Bairstow is one of the best red ball players in England, and he Root and Bayliss know this

Comeback_Kenwyne said:
He's not a number three either - but The Rat is right, we need to open our minds a bit to the unconventional: this team is going to experiment with batting order, Root has said so himself.

What's interesting about Bairstow is that he has remodelled his technique twice in his career already. Once when deficiencies were exposed in his early career, twice to become an ODI opener. I agree, he seems like he lacks the soft hands to be top order in England (but I reckon he could bully the fuck out of opening bowlers in Australia, where the bounce is true). But he's as good an idea as Buttler or Stokes or Ali at three. They are all 6s and 7s.

So either we don't play them all, or we crowbar them in. I say crowbar. They can all win matches.
Click to expand...

You have to play them all, find a way, they are the best cricketers in England, who cares about where they bat

That is the attitude of Smith, Bayliss and Root, and I am on board with it

One thing about Bairstow is everytime he is challenged, and actually gets his head round it, he succeeds.

Also Foakes had a poor year last year, I want him in the side, but its not guranteed the Aussies will not be all over him, its totally different cricket, same with Jennings etc

I've been totally guilty of worrying about averages in the past, but only tells part of the story IMO
 
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