Off Topic Cricket Thread

It’s all going to be fine, Chris Woakes has said that the team is 100% behind their captain Joe Root, who in turn has claimed that there are no better players qualified to play for England available.

 

Joke. Livingstone, Billings ? Yes predominantly one day players, but only because they don't get enough longer form cricket to play in our summer. The entire set up of County cricket needs to be revamped, playing the 4 day games at the start and then the end of the season is pathetic and more games of this ilk need to be implemented. We should've appointed Gillespie as Head coach when we had the chance, his achievements at Yorkshire were outstanding. God knows who they'd appoint if Silverwood goes. Giles as overseer of everything was an utterly clueless decision.

 

Who would you have as captain? I agree that Root is a poor skipper, but I don't see a natural replacement. Buttler would be the obvious choice, but his place in the team must be in doubt (we really should pick a proper wicket-keeper). I think Stokes might be a good pick - and his place is guaranteed - but he should probably be ruled out due to his recent mental struggles.I don't see anyone else from within the current group.

How about a Brearley-type appointment in Eoin Morgan for a year or two until a natural replacement emerges?

 

Agree with Morgan but another candidate is Foulks when fit, better keeper than Buttler & can score runs

 

Good question and I don’t have a good answer. I suspect any of the current squad would struggle with the responsibility. I don’t think Stokes should be there, he’s not fit, but if he was available they would have been crucified if they chose not to take him. The idea of picking Morgan as a captain rather than the notional best batting line up, when the batting has been so weak, is counter intuitive but there is very little to lose. I’m not familiar enough with county cricket to say if there are better options than Morgan who is a short format specialist, isn’t he?

What they really have to do is split the roles of coach and chief selector. In cricket this makes no sense. It didn’t work when Illingworth did it, it doesn’t now.

 

I'd certainly pick Foakes for his wicket-keeping, but I don't think he has a lot of captaincy experience.

I think only Vince and Billings are possible candidates from outside the current squad. I like both of them but neither would be certain of their place long-term. Morgan is indeed a short-form specialist as a player, but his captaincy and motivational skills might make him worth a short-term appointment.

 

Your not serious surely ? If Vince ever gets back in the test team then we should just pack up test cricket ! He shouldn't be anywhere near the side along with Jennings. Sibley needs to sort out his stance and movement along with Burns. Hameed has the technique but unfortunately for him he plays with low hands and has just batted on the bounciest wickets in the world, not very well thought out by the selectors just like every other decision. Morgan is a no go, will be retiring from 1 day cricket next year and never really cut it in test cricket. His 1 day form has been very poor since our World Cup win and has only held down his place because of his outstanding leadership. Stokes is a maverick and I wouldn't like him as captain, it could only end the same as Bothams did, and he'd lose all confidence in his performances. Buttler , nah, not a nasty enough individual in my eyes or a real leader. Plus his form has been abysmal, Folkestone should be keeping wicket end of. Other choices are thin on the ground but maybe a left field choice or a promising youngster could be given a go while we don't have to get battered by the Aussies again for a while. I honestly think that the management and the hierarchy being changed is more of an immediate issue before it reaches terminal status. The appointments of Silverwood and Giles were completely wrong, it's vital the next ones aren't or we'll be in for many more years of pain !

 

Haven't got an answer then?

 

Me neither unfortunately, our test team is in the same state our 1 day team was before Bayliss took charge and Morgan became captain. There is no easy fix, and it's gonna take a good while to regain where we were when we were number ranked team in the world. A thorough clean out is required but the next appointment of director of cricket and head coach is vital. The backroom staff will be crucial too, I'd like to see Alec Stewart given some role behind the scenes and try and get Atherton in as batting coach if he can be persuaded out of his Sky contract !

 

What do you mean me neither? I did at least try to come up with an answer. Anyone who says Root should be relieved of the captaincy should do the same. Who's your next captain?

 

Your missing the point pal, it makes no difference who the next captain is the entire set up is wrong ! Personally don't think it will make a blind bit of difference who's captain. I don't believe Root is astute or ruthless enough, Buttler probably shouldn't be in the side on his batting exploits so would be a silly choice. I've stated why I wouldn't want Stokes to be captain and Anderson and Broad are too old to hand it too. Everyone else left isn't a guaranteed starter or shouldn't be. I'd like to see Billings and Livingstone in the side and given a chance, Billings has captained Surrey with some success so start afresh and hand it to him. He's young enough to carve out a test career if given the chance. Jeez plenty of batsmen that have failed miserably over and over again certainly have been !

 

Billings is captain of Kent and a wicket keeper I believe.
Never played a test, but looks a good batsman imo.

 

Billings is decent one-day batsman, keeps wicket and is an excellent fielder when not keeping. Not sure about him being a good enough Test batsman, though, and he can hardly be given the England captaincy unless he's shown he can keep down a place in the team. Which goes back to my point of having to stick with Root until someone emerges, or maybe give it to Morgan as a stop-gap.

 

Think England a caught between a rock and a hard place regarding the captaincy....... No obvious successors to Root,...... It doesn't help that the ECB are seemingly obsessed with white ball cricket, main strike bowlers both coming to the end of their careers, injuries to key players like Archer, Stokes....... openers that seem incapable of seeing off the new ball at the start of an innings....... all adds up to what we are seeing in current series......

The County Championship needs to be played throughout the summer, if you have to have white ball cricket, have a T20 and 50 over competition and ditch the stupid 100 format........ Also stop the importation of overseas players and the helping hand it gives England's opposition in helping them acclimatise to English conditions, how stupid is that? Australian state sides don't allow England players to go over there to get use to conditions.......... they still have their Sheffield Shield along side the Big Bash and it's not doing them any harm at the moment......

I see that Eoin Morgan has been mentioned as a stop gap captain but I'm not sure he has played any red ball cricket in the last 3 years, why would he give up earning good money playing white ball to be on a hiding to nothing captaining the Test side.....

All in all it's a shambles of the ECB's making......

 

Morgan wasn't good enough at Test level (something he admits himself), only averaging 30. I only suggested him as possible stop-gap when thinking back to Mike Brearley taking over from Botham all those years ago. Brearley wasn't good enough as a batsman either, but was an excellent captain and motivator. I think Morgan is too. Whether he'd want to do it is another question.

 

We could do worse than simply play our one day side.

 

I don't believe there is any rule that stops English players playing for states in the Sheffield Shield, but is starts late Sept and the pay isn't that great. There are quite a few playing T20, Big bash, cricket though.