England V India

[Yorkshire Blue]

Our current pace attack is as good as I've ever seen from an England side; crucially, we're really bowling to a plan. The bowling to Raina, for instance, was as clever as I've seen - patiently following the same line outside off, tempting him to have a wild swing. Which he duly did. And then clean him up with an in-swinger.

Most of the Indian top-order looked genuinely clueless... other than Dravid, and the ball that Bres got him with was really, really special. Full credit to David Saker, and to the England bowlers - this is probably our finest pace attack ever, or if not ever, at least since the likes of Trueman, Statham, Tyson, Bailey and Bedser hunted together in the late 50s and early 60s (with the added comparison of Laker vs. Swann... so maybe this side isn't quite there yet!).

84-0 at c.o.p. was just the icing on the cake. Cook looks in oddly scratchy form - the man is an enigma, given what he did in Oz; but good to see him and Strauss finally put a partnership together. We could really put India to the sword, and this series to bed, if we bat well today.

I think 2005 was a better pace attack, if only for the fact that we fielded 4 of them so we could keep them going longer.

We saw that yesterday after 40 overs they were 111-7, but our quicks will have bowled 13-14 overs each and will have been in need of a break and at the time we wanted a fresh bowler to come in and really turn the screw, we instead had Swann who got carted again.

how many years has Strauss got left?

Difficult to say. Gooch played past 40 and Strauss is similarly committed to his fitness, but if the eyes go (and dropping catches at Lord's was not a good sign in that respect, but that is a difficult catching ground) he could basically be finished as a test batsman. The other thing to factor in is the relentless schedule, but having quit ODIs, that should be a bit easier on him. My best guess is another couple of years. He's got the advantage of there being no opener in county cricket realistically challenging him and his team can carry him for the time being if his form continues to be patchy.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Saker, or Strauss? Saker is contracted until 2013. Strauss will, I suspect, remain captain for quite a while yet. As a guess, he might be tempted to call it a day after a 5-0 England whitewash at home in the 2013 Ashes series.

Are you watching Glenn McGrath? Your boys took a hell of a beating...

 

[Pubey]

Interesting question - he is undoubtedly the next to go as a 34 is a couple of years older than the next oldest (KP I believe), and has actually been in poor form with the bat over the past year or so. That said, like Nasser in the early 00's, that can be overlooked if your team is winning.

He has been remarkably injury free and seems quite a 'young' 34 - compared to say the creaking of Vaughan or Atherton prior to their retirements. I presume he will go either a) once we start losing - which hopefully wont be for a while yet b) When he gets injured and someone comes in and does well (as Strauss did to Nasser's position) or, hopefully, on his own terms on the back of a good series win and he hands over the reigns to Cook. Looking at upcoming fixtures, we have PAkistan and Sri Lanka away. A win away in Sri Lanka would be a big statement. We then play W.Indies and S.Africa at home - a win against S.Africa would mean we have won all recent series against other test playing nations so that would be nice time to go - but then we go away to India for 4 tests, which could be seen as something of a 'final frontier' - and not the kind of test you would want Cook starting off with.

Therefore, ignoring injuries, My guess is he would try to see it out to the India tour in 2013, by which time he will be 36/37 (Still younger then India's middle order and having played far less cricket....). But you just don't know what it around the corner, and no previous captain, although most 'resign' have really gone out on their own terms.

Also, another consideration is the replacements - We have a few lining up for middle order slots, but less openers. Taylor has opened for the Lions and Cobb used to open for England U19, and Hales (notts) is getting decent press, but no one is banging door down by weight of runs......

Good stuff Mark. I don't really follow County cricket but haven't really seen or heard of anyone being lined-up as his replacement at the top of the order, which suggests as you say he's probably aiming for a couple more years (assuming England are winning and he finds some form). If he continues to struggle with the bat then maybe he will bow out, or maybe rest for a series and play some county.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Trott opens for Warwks (and plays like an opener); we could just shove him up the order, couldn't we?

 

[number11]

Good stuff Mark. I don't really follow County cricket but haven't really seen or heard of anyone being lined-up as his replacement at the top of the order, which suggests as you say he's probably aiming for a couple more years (assuming England are winning and he finds some form). If he continues to struggle with the bat then maybe he will bow out, or maybe rest for a series and play some county.

I don't think you will see him playing more than 10 County matches for the rest of his career, whatever happens. Him struggling with bat will be overlooked for as long as England are winning, and he does chip in with a decent knock every now and then to keep the doubts at bay. With him no longer playing the short form of the game he may play a couple of games a year to get some match practice, but otherwise I think he will see it out with England until his captaincy is over and then quit cricket. He seems like a good 'admin' man so will prob get a role behind the scenes if he wants it. These days, once you are in the England team that is your 'team' and it must be strange going back to a county side you have little affiliation with. This has undoubted strengthened the England team and the spirit within, and means it less likely players will play on for the counties once their England careers are over.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Ha, great mind think alike.

Carberry is the short term alternative but my best guess is that the next England long-term opener comes from Yorkshire. There are quite a few potential candidates there in Gale, Lyth and Root. Otherwise the name that intrigues me is Luke Wells. Only 20 years old, he has hit three division one hundreds this season - that's more than Hales who is a couple of years his senior has hit in his entire first class career. He's got the pedigree - and I don't just mean because of his father, Allan, who was a quality bat - but having come through the u19s, which interestingly Hales didn't. I think Wells has been batting at 3, so don't know if he'd be comfortable opening - Sussex currently have Chris Nash opening. He's had a few good seasons, but I see him more as a solid county player than an international prospect (although I think he's about the same age Strauss was when Strauss broke into the international team).

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Couple of years since I saw Nash play. He was solid - the sort of player who would have got into an England team in the 90s. Is he good enough for this lot now, though?

Like the sound of Luke Wells. And I'm still sure that Northeast will step up to the plate, but coming in at 5/6 (with Bell up to 3 and Trott opening).

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Couple of years since I saw Nash play. He was solid - the sort of player who would have got into an England team in the 90s. Is he good enough for this lot now, though?

Like the sound of Luke Wells. And I'm still sure that Northeast will step up to the plate, but coming in at 5/6 (with Bell up to 3 and Trott opening).

Not convinced by Northeast, and last time I saw him he scored a hundred.

I think I'd cry if we had Trott opening, Bell at 3 and Northeast at 5.

 

[MrB]

Otherwise the name that intrigues me is Luke Wells. Only 20 years old, he has hit three division one hundreds this season - that's more than Hales who is a couple of years his senior has hit in his entire first class career. He's got the pedigree - and I don't just mean because of his father, Allan, who was a quality bat - but having come through the u19s, which interestingly Hales didn't.

Let's hope he has a more productive test career! :smile:

Alan Wells

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Let's hope he has a more productive test career! :smile:

Alan Wells

Oops, Allan was the sprinter, Alan was the cricketer.

Yep, was unlucky not to have been picked earlier, then went on a rebel tour. By the time his ban was over, he was on the way down and it looked for a while that the only ball he'd face in his test career would be from Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose. It then looked as if Athers was going to bat it out for a draw, but he fell late on the 5th day to the second new ball and Wells fortunately got a second chance. However with England trying to bat out for a draw I seem to recall he was on a pair for some time, before finally scoring his first runs in test cricket.

 

[Boreham Shrimper]

Strauss out for 87 off a no-ball

England now 191/1

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Bops could easily have come in in this situation. A ball 60 overs old and a tired, dispirited Indian attack, it's more like batting 5 than 3!

 

[number11]

Are you allowed to review a bowled decision? Given how many he has bowled I can't believe he was not being watched like a hawk for no balls.

 

[Cricko]

84-0 at c.o.p. was just the icing on the cake. Cook looks in oddly scratchy form - the man is an enigma, given what he did in Oz; but good to see him and Strauss finally put a partnership together. We could really put India to the sword, and this series to bed, if we bat well today.

I totally agree Matt.

:net:

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I totally agree Matt.

:net:

:smile:

You should try and dig up some of C C Csiders posts from a year or two ago!

 

[MrB]

What a time to be an England Cricket fan. Majestic stuff today, even if the Indians only look vaguely interested now.

 

[Pubey]

Anyone got a good link to an indian perspective about all this. They just didn't look arsed, their fans must be doing their nuts.

 

[BrettieAngell]

Alistair Cook!

Now within 3 centuries of equalling the all-time record by an Englishman, 71 tests, 19 centuries!

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

I totally agree Matt.

:net:

LOL - hindsight is a wonderful thing. I call 20 runs in 4 innings prior to today "scratchy form", and he was laboured when facing Praveen Kumar before lunch today.

But he was invincible after lunch - his relentlessness is akin to a force of nature. Awesome.

Matt

 

[MK Shrimper]

I reckon if and when Cook beats Goochy's 333 England should declare. This India team are so rubbish they can be bowled out pretty cheaply. Besides the weather doesn't look that great so no point trying to rack up a huge total.