Much as I love sitting on my sofa all day watching cricket, it’s not going to be possible today. I’ve got to leave for a work Christmas party. Boo! This leaves me with two options. I can either guess the result (England are currently cruising on 139-2) or leave you guys to fill in the blanks.
As England are the world’s best at snatching defeat from the jaws of almost certain victory, I think the latter option is probably the prudent one. So please feel free to add your own observations below. If this involves praising James Taylor – who looks absolutely superb at the moment – while criticising Pitt the Younger – who failed for what seems like the millionth time in a row today – then so be it.
And just to prove that this blog is the kiss of death for the England cricket team, James Taylor has just holed out in the deep as I’m writing this. Typical. Serves me right for saying something positive for change.
Over to you guys …
James Morgan
Chasing in day time conditions at this venue has massively helped England. Batting second here under lights is notoriously difficult
All thanks to the Captain for selecting Taylor
All thanks to the Captain for the weather
All thanks to the Captain for another ‘brilliant’ performance by England
All thanks to the Captain for another scintilating innings on his return to form
All thanks to the sycophantic commentators in tv and press for making this England team look unbeatable
What’s happening to Moeen? Perhaps he should be batting as far away from Cook as possible so he’s not tainted with the Cook Curse!!!!
We could actually win this series – Cook will be smug – under his captaincy England have won in some pretty tough places. He may well be hanging around for quite some time.
Root showing he knows how to play spin.
I don’t think you can justify having both Cook and Root in the one day team, and Root performs the role of anchor far better given his speed between the wickets, wider range of shots (for example, when Cook is batting the fielding team can safely dispense with long on), and decidedly un-miserable form.
Moeen’s bowling in the series so far: 44-0-234-3 (av: 78, ER 5.3).
Root brings up his third ODI century with a six over cow corner – more importantly for England, reducing the target to five off 11 balls
Evidence of the right one day temperament…
…unlike for some we might mention.
The downside, of course, is that the team will probably be unchanged for the next game, and we look set fair to carry a passenger captain into the world cup.
Being based in Oz means I’ve seen next to nothing of James Taylor, but you can’t help but be massively impressed. Great temperament, solid technique and an inventive range of shots. You’d imagine he’d be rusted on at #3 for the World Cup now.
I’ve never thought Tredwell takes enough wickets, but I suppose that doesn’t matter so much in One Day cricket and you can’t ignore the consistent quality of his performances. Barring injuries, I reckon the side in this game is the World Cup side save Broad for Jordan and Anderson for Woakes.
If Cook hadn’t been banned for a game, he might never have been tried…
Maybe. Although presumably they weren’t going to let him sit for all 7 games?? Whatever. Let’s be thankful for small mercies. Someone who can go through the gears at 3 is a must for this team, and by luck or otherwise, we seem to have found him. Feel sorry for Ballance, who’s done nothing wrong and has been harshly treated IMO – but Taylor and Root in great touch and Morgan showing signs of recovery gives cause for optimism. We need more out of Cook (of course) and Bopara (I seem to have been saying that for his whole career) – but today and yesterday was as close to a complete England ODI performance as I’ve seen in a long time. Hopefully we can follow it up with a win on Saturday.
Although presumably they weren’t going to let him sit for all 7 games??
You are assuming rational thought on behalf of the selectors…
A toast to Captain Dunsel…
Interesting Scyld Berry article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/england/11287440/Sri-Lanka-v-England-Joe-Root-hits-unbeaten-104-as-Alastair-Cooks-side-win-by-five-wickets.html
“Cook was going along fine until he got out…”
Rather than … Cook played all around a straight ball, again.
The rest of the article was fine, good even, but still the wilful blindness to the faults of a captain who has now scored one 50 in the last 20 ODI innings.
Root now has as many ODI centuries as Ian Bell…
And would Taylor even have found his way into the team had Cook not been banned for a game ?
That, to me, is the biggest single indictment against the captain, and the selectorial constipation his continued presence is responsible for.
Feel free to tweet #selectorial-constipation.
:-)
He was going along fine? He would been out for 8 if Sri Lanka had reviewed!
Astonishingly, it gets worse:
“And the luck was not with him either: it was the umpire’s call as the ball was clipping leg-stump.”
No mention of the lbw that should have been. But of course Moeen cops it all for a rank shot.
Sorry, but this has crossed the line into complete insanity. And in answer to Maxie’s query about Berry yesterday, some of us still remember this gobsmackingly poor piece advocating Cook as a possible captain for the 2019 World Cup, while recommending that 2015 be used solely to prepare for 2019 and that Anderson and Bell be jettisoned for good:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/england/11079171/England-must-focus-on-the-Ashes-and-2019-World-Cup-time-to-drop-Ian-Bell-and-James-Anderson.html
I think they write this stuff to wind us up Arron. Nobody could seriously be proposing that we use 2015 as preparation for 2019. Seeing as we gave away the Ashes to prepare for 2015.
“And the luck was not with him either: it was the umpire’s call as the ball was clipping leg-stump.”
In other words – out.
The interesting thing to me, though, is if you excised the comments on Cook, it was a pretty decent article.
The whole journalists/Cook thing reminds me of writers’ self-censorship under the old communist regimes. It’s so clearly out of kilter with the rest of their writing that it borders on demented.
Absolutely clueless stuff.
You never ever go to a World Cup in any sport to ‘prepare’, the preparation is done in between, there are years to prepare for it! You go to a World Cup to give it your all and do the best you possible can, obviously it helps if you give yourself the best chance of doing the best you can, England cricket and Football teams rarely do.
That is some staggering drivel from Berry, it’s truly one of the stupidest things i’ve ever read on the internet, that takes some doing, go a World Cup to prepare for the next one 4 years down the line, what the f……!?!?
Selectorial constipation – great phrase!
goes well with Captain Constipation Cook
I don’t think Berry is all bad by any means. I was genuinely astonished by the “2019” article. He has been superb on the Big Three stuff for a long time, for instance. But, as regards Cook, his blind spot is comparable to Selvey’s or Agnew’s.
As long as we can restrict teams to 230-240 we have a chance. It’s the famous laptop score. Not convinced we can make scores of 280-320 on a regular basis though. But as we have been told constantly the conditions will be completely different in the World Cup.
I’m really glad Taylor is getting a go. Although I’m not sure it’s more luck than judgement he has been given a chance. Root also seems to be coming into a bit of form. Captain better watch out if both Root and Morgan are scoring runs because they can both captain the side.
“if both Root and Morgan are scoring runs because they can both captain the side.”
As could Taylor.
It’s TASAA – There are Several Alternatives, Actually.
TINA is dead, and good riddance!
Suddenly there are alternatives everywhere you look. Won’t make any difference of course because TINA was claptrap in the first place.
All credit to England for winning, but the danger is that this is a paper-over-the-cracks kind of victory.
Cook’s position has long since gone beyond the absurd. But watch out for a scratchy ‘answer-the-critics’ 60 in the next match.
It’s also unwise to be confident that Cook will stand down after the World Cup. His bosses cannot allow the existence of a young pretender.
Absolutely Maxie. Sooner or later Cook will eak out a scratchy, and not very nicey innings of 60 odd. (If he you keep giving him chance after chance for infinity he has to come off one day)
And then he will be carried shoulder high all round London by an assortment of media crazy people. Who will declare they were always right and he should stay captain till he is 40.
I think he will go after the World Cup from the ODI team because England will either fail in which case the ECB will have to sack him. Or alternatively he will win the World Cup. And if that happens he can go out on top.
Its a horrible situation to be in when the thought actually crosses your mind that you want the team you support to fail to bring about lasting change. Winning the Cup with Cook in charge is also becoming a double edged sword.
Why? Presumably the problem with Cook is that (a) he doesn’t score enough runs and (b) he’s not a great captain. If we win the World Cup then, de facto, one or both of those problems will have been solved.
The only reason people would have a problem with England winning the World Cup is if their problem with Cook (or Moores) is personal – or if they’re more concerned with being right than with England being successful.
I don’t think Cook should be in the side either, but I’d be delighted if we won the trophy and he scored a stack of runs.
That’s why I used the crossed my mind reference. We have had success under Cook – which is great, but is that because of him, or almost in spite of him? When England win, are they examining their success and looking to improve? Simply winning games by being fortunate that Plan A is successful isn’t enough. We have to be able to be a side that can win by thinking on our feet, not just relying on immediate success. It doesn’t follow necessarily that victory is down to Cook. He isn’t an instinctive captain, or a particularly inspiring one either. If it turns out that we win and Cook improves and grows into the role I’ll be overjoyed. I’m not grinding an axe with him, I’m viewing him lead a side that is not getting the best of the available talent. And asking why?
“He batted beautifully for his 20” “He batted beautifully for his 30 odd” Look (as the Australians are so fond of saying) the guy is just a political appointee…(th right kind of man we want the England Captain to be!)…it’s cast in stone, the ECB will never capitulate…..let the story unfold….all in it’s own time I would suggest…but..the embedded ones will surely realise, like rats in a sinking ship, they’re clinging to the wrong raft…and oh boy, wont we have some fun then?
Exceptional press conference from the skipper – http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/30436795
High praise for ‘Rooty’ and ‘Sanga’ and a real understanding for the execution of ‘skills’ which his young side appear to be exhibiting. Let us hope that his explanations include an increased understanding of his own faults and flaws.
Never, in my cricket history (for those with a care, back as far as 1980), have I witnessed any person so ill-equipped for the rigours of international captaincy. He is very socially awkward, he is lacking in charm, he is incapable of making English sentences, with meaning. Also, his batting form has been destroyed by his insistence on playing ODI’s. In Tests, Cook knew how to leave a ball. In ODI’s he had to learn how not to (he didn’t), and it ruined his finest quality – patience.
WELL DONE AUSTRALIA AND INDIA – possibly greatest test match ever ? – to think ECB didn’t even send anyone to Philip Hughes’s funeral – shame on england, the pathetic holders of the poor show trophy2014
Well, to be honest I’m not sure that it was really necessary for the ECB to send anyone to the funeral. I think that it was up to individuals if they wanted to go.
That said, the Test Match that just concluded in Adelaide is what the Ashes series should have been like. Hard fought with big scores and entertaining bowling by both sides. Oh, and with an Australian win *smirk*.
HAHAHAHAHA F**K C**K – what a loser!!!!!!!!!!!
“Well, to be honest I’m not sure that it was really necessary for the ECB to send anyone to the funeral. I think that it was up to individuals if they wanted to go…”
WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The start of the end for the captain
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