Really awful surrender that. The team looks slow and old. One tournament too many for a few of them IMO. Butler's record as captain is appalling. You need to be exceptional to skipper and keep wicket, and he isn't. Not helped either by having a chancer as coach. A bloke who had five or six years in charge of Aussie women's team, who usually just hammer everyone anyway, and a couple of brief stints before that. And he's the best we could get? I think the saying " He's had their pants down in the interview" sums that up.
I doubt he'd be interested TBH. He has a very good media gig going. Easy money for him , though I'd take him in a second. But there must be dozens, literally several dozen coaches who have better records . Mott came into this job knowing almost nothing about any of the players outside the team, and after six years coaching the Aussie women's team, which is more or less a different sport. A truly bizarre appointment. Rob Key has got a lot right since he took charge, but assuming Mott was his pick, he has committed a right howler there and I've always thought it.
Said it before on this thread, but I think this tournament will be a watershed and there will be a raft of retirements - some less voluntary than others. Of the current squad, I can only see Brook, Root, Curran and possibly Atkinson being around for the next World Cup. Feels like the Aussie team of 2006/7 - cobbled together for one last dance, with no succession planning and 5+ years of poor results following a raft of retirements
Aussies will do the same after the next home series against Pakistan. Can see 4-5 retirements coming at one time. maybe more
Yep. Thought the same. But wouldn't have Root even in this squad personally. Not a popular opinion, but he rarely gets 50 over runs and when he does he gets them slowly, slower sometimes than he gets runs in tough test matches. He gets too far back in his crease and often uses a lot of balls up just to get going. Sat back there means a lot of those early singles he gets in tests don't come. But a lot needs changing. New skipper, newer younger players and a coach who actually has some experience in 50 ODIs. This bloke is a chancer. " We had a look at the ground stats and seen it was a chasing ground". Eh? Let an old bowling attack slog themselves out in a furnace and give first use of a belting track away? Useless.
Suppose it's difficult because we would you break up a winning team just for the sake of succession, especially when the ones coming through aren't as good as what you have in the team? I think the England test team is nearing that phase too - Bairstow is 33, Root will be same age come the next test series, Stokes is no spring chicken, Jimmy should have retired already and there is no way Wood plays many more tests. At least we Crawley, Duckett, Pope & Brook plus some promising youngsters in the Lions squad
I watched a bit earlier and just catching up on the highlights now. Some of the drives are unreal, classy as ****. Looks so easy for him, only a little fella as well. But then again India have had a very special little fella in the past.
Pakistan need an innings from Babar to get him up and running, hasn't lived up to the expectation yet. Rizwan had a decent knock earlier. I expect them to have too much for Afghanistan
Late to the party but Klaasen is also class. Smashed a lot of runs in the hundred earlier this season. SA V INDIA final imo. India to win it.
