Off Topic England - Cricket

109/1
This is all about a warm up for the Ashes.

 

Aye. Basically a training game to get some runs in the bank

 

Hmm bye bye Creepy

 

Unfortunately Creepy Crawley will 100% open batting v Aussies.

 

Crawley is a top player, he just lacks consistency. I think we should stick with him, for now. Him and Duckett have all the makings of a top class opening partnership.

 

They will def stick with him for the Ashes. You're right about the consistency thing. He's a bit flakey too but I hope he has a good summer!

 

We need him to have a good summer if we're going to win the Ashes. He's very inconsistent.....I hope he'll be able to repay the faith being shown in him. I wondered if they would have Bairstow opening with Duckett and retain Foakes.

 

100 for Duckett

 

They'll have to give their wickets away these two and let the others have a bat

 

100 for Pope. Well played

 

Not his most fluent innings, but hopefully runs in the bank for the main gig

 

Ducket gone

 

Ball doing a bit now. Amazing how that so often happens when they change it

 

Been wondering if there was any real point in playing this match against Ireland. Yes it can be classed as a warm up before the Aussies but Ireland were never going to give the team the work out needed. Now we could be faced with the likes of Brook, Stokes and Bairstow rusty before the real stuff starts. I also hope that the bowlers sitting this one out will be fit

 

Leachy ruled out of the Ashes. Shame that, does Ali come in or Rashid?

 

Think Ali retired? And I think Rashid more or less said that tests weren't for him. ( He wasn't for them either mind!).

Big blow though, especially with Anderson at 40, Broad catching him up and Robinson not being the fittest, we needed Leach, even if sometimes to give the seamers a rest. And I can't see Ben bowling too much on his one leg.

No idea who they'll go to. Possibly Ahmed, despite his youth. Maybe Bess. But it's a bare cupboard, and emphasises Australia's superiority in the bowling line ups, which I'd say will be decisive this summer.

 

That is rotten ****ing luck. Unless Moeen can be tempted out of retirement, think it will be four seamers and Root as the spin option

 

It was like a footy pre season game.
Got the lads together and played a game.
In preparation for the ashes

 

Different culture under McCullum and Stokes. They are all off to play golf this weekend, incidentally it's round the corner from where I'm staying in Loch Lomond. Might pop in for some fanboy action

Previous regimes would have had full training sessions every day and naughty boy nets

 

Absolutely. They want the players to enjoy it firstly. And play their natural game! Great to watch. It’ll go wrong from time to time, but it’s got non cricket people watching