The Cricket thread

Interesting paragraph in the paper this morning. The ECB are considering extending the number of first class counties to 21 and splitting the championship into 3 groups of 7 to allow for more 20/20 cricket to be played [a subject for debate in itself] and subsequently would be looking for 3 more teams to join.2 of the teams are Scotland and Ireland and a possible third option is....a joint Devon and Cornwall team. Lots of questions to be asked-where would the team play, where would the finance to build suitable facilities and attract adequate players come from, would the support be forthcoming from the public etc. Love to see first class cricket down here and I guess the example of Durham would be a good one as to what can be achieved, although that was very much a long term project. I think there was a proposal for Devon to become a first class county back in the 1950's which came to nothing and perhaps this will go the same way but cricket does have a very staunch base along the south coast of the county especially in the Torbay area and the two counties have produced some good players over the years. Maybe the success of Exeter Chiefs has influenced thinking on this matter, it'll be interesting to see what happens-no decision is expected until after the end of the season but they are looking to implement the new structure by 2017,which seems like a very short timescale to set up a brand new county structure but we'll see.

Greenskin wrote:

Interesting paragraph in the paper this morning. The ECB are considering extending the number of first class counties to 21 and splitting the championship into 3 groups of 7 to allow for more 20/20 cricket to be played [a subject for debate in itself] and subsequently would be looking for 3 more teams to join.2 of the teams are Scotland and Ireland and a possible third option is....a joint Devon and Cornwall team. Lots of questions to be asked-where would the team play, where would the finance to build suitable facilities and attract adequate players come from, would the support be forthcoming from the public etc. Love to see first class cricket down here and I guess the example of Durham would be a good one as to what can be achieved, although that was very much a long term project. I think there was a proposal for Devon to become a first class county back in the 1950's which came to nothing and perhaps this will go the same way but cricket does have a very staunch base along the south coast of the county especially in the Torbay area and the two counties have produced some good players over the years. Maybe the success of Exeter Chiefs has influenced thinking on this matter, it'll be interesting to see what happens-no decision is expected until after the end of the season but they are looking to implement the new structure by 2017,which seems like a very short timescale to set up a brand new county structure but we'll see.

 
Forward thinking required. Central Park to become a sporting hub with football, rugby, basketball, ice hockey ?.........and county cricket ground ??? Makes sense for the county ground to be in the largest city and on the border with Devon/Cornwall.

Won't happen though.

It would be great wouldn't it?

In the part of the world I come from rugby and cricket are the only two sports people care about. Whenever Somerset used to come to Truro and play they'd always get good crowds, and I'm sure Devon is no different. It's such a pain to have to go all the way to Taunton or Bristol to watch first-class cricket, so to have something in Plymouth would be fantastic.

As Tring says, though, it won't happen. Far too much forward thinking required for the cretins who run the city council.

If Devon were to bid for a first class cricket i imagine they would place any proposed cricket ground in the middle of devon rather than place it in Plymouth or Exeter.

Another excellent test match but England well up against it, will be chasing at least 400 by the look of things. What a good side NZ are to watch and although I always want England to win, certainly wouldn't begrudge such an excellent and entertaining team a victory in this one. Pity it's only a two test series, the Ashes will have to go some to match up to the fare on offer so far.

Greenskin wrote:

Another excellent test match but England well up against it, will be chasing at least 400 by the look of things. What a good side NZ are to watch and although I always want England to win, certainly wouldn't begrudge such an excellent and entertaining team a victory in this one. Pity it's only a two test series, the Ashes will have to go some to match up to the fare on offer so far.

This test will end in a draw with England series win but there is alot Bayliss will gather from the 2nd test that he can work on for the Ashes. Not that im expecting an England win in that but a far more competitive series unlike the last one will do going forward.

Headingley looked absolutely freezing today. Did anyone else see Broad bowling in about three jumpers?

Angry wrote:

Greenskin wrote:

Another excellent test match but England well up against it, will be chasing at least 400 by the look of things. What a good side NZ are to watch and although I always want England to win, certainly wouldn't begrudge such an excellent and entertaining team a victory in this one. Pity it's only a two test series, the Ashes will have to go some to match up to the fare on offer so far.

This test will end in a draw with England series win but there is alot Bayliss will gather from the 2nd test that he can work on for the Ashes. Not that im expecting an England win in that but a far more competitive series unlike the last one will do going forward.

Big trouble, England 62-4,Root gone for 0.All of a sudden England have major batting problems-Bell totally out of it and looks like Ballance has been found out by top level left armers, of which there'll be plenty later in the summer. Can't see England saving this one with the type of players due in next, Cook is the only hope.

going abit tits up now innit

Greenskin wrote:

Angry wrote:

Greenskin wrote:

Another excellent test match but England well up against it, will be chasing at least 400 by the look of things. What a good side NZ are to watch and although I always want England to win, certainly wouldn't begrudge such an excellent and entertaining team a victory in this one. Pity it's only a two test series, the Ashes will have to go some to match up to the fare on offer so far.

This test will end in a draw with England series win but there is alot Bayliss will gather from the 2nd test that he can work on for the Ashes. Not that im expecting an England win in that but a far more competitive series unlike the last one will do going forward.

Big trouble, England 62-4,Root gone for 0.All of a sudden England have major batting problems-Bell totally out of it and looks like Ballance has been found out by top level left armers, of which there'll be plenty later in the summer. Can't see England saving this one with the type of players due in next, Cook is the only hope.

If only they took the Boycott attitude at the crease and just batted safely all day instead of going for glory they would be in a better position. Oh well

Bollocks.

Come on Cook.

Angry wrote:

Greenskin wrote:

Angry wrote:

Greenskin wrote:

Another excellent test match but England well up against it, will be chasing at least 400 by the look of things. What a good side NZ are to watch and although I always want England to win, certainly wouldn't begrudge such an excellent and entertaining team a victory in this one. Pity it's only a two test series, the Ashes will have to go some to match up to the fare on offer so far.

This test will end in a draw with England series win but there is alot Bayliss will gather from the 2nd test that he can work on for the Ashes. Not that im expecting an England win in that but a far more competitive series unlike the last one will do going forward.

Big trouble, England 62-4,Root gone for 0.All of a sudden England have major batting problems-Bell totally out of it and looks like Ballance has been found out by top level left armers, of which there'll be plenty later in the summer. Can't see England saving this one with the type of players due in next, Cook is the only hope.

If only they took the Boycott attitude at the crease and just batted safely all day instead of going for glory they would be in a better position. Oh well

It's a different era isn't it?

Boycott's negativity batted England out of as many Tests as he saved.

Cornish Chris wrote:

Angry wrote:

Greenskin wrote:

Angry wrote:

Greenskin wrote:

Another excellent test match but England well up against it, will be chasing at least 400 by the look of things. What a good side NZ are to watch and although I always want England to win, certainly wouldn't begrudge such an excellent and entertaining team a victory in this one. Pity it's only a two test series, the Ashes will have to go some to match up to the fare on offer so far.

This test will end in a draw with England series win but there is alot Bayliss will gather from the 2nd test that he can work on for the Ashes. Not that im expecting an England win in that but a far more competitive series unlike the last one will do going forward.

Big trouble, England 62-4,Root gone for 0.All of a sudden England have major batting problems-Bell totally out of it and looks like Ballance has been found out by top level left armers, of which there'll be plenty later in the summer. Can't see England saving this one with the type of players due in next, Cook is the only hope.

If only they took the Boycott attitude at the crease and just batted safely all day instead of going for glory they would be in a better position. Oh well

It's a different era isn't it?

Boycott's negativity batted England out of as many Tests as he saved.

Don't agree with that actually. Boycott was not a slow player in the peak years of his career and if you look at England's record against Australia in the series that he played, then it doesn't read at all badly-damn well in fact in comparison to what has been the case since. For sure he lost some of the brilliance towards the end of his career but still managed to score 700 runs in two series against the number one pace attack in cricket history and he also set up the famous Botham innings at Headingley in 1981 by blunting Lillee, Lawson and Alderman. Underrated one day player too-held the one day record [146 in a Gillette cup final] for years and played some very good innings for England in that format-he tends to get blamed for England's slow batting in the 1979 world cup final but the problem was that Brearley was at the other end-the logical choice was Gooch, may have been a different story then. No, a great opening batsman in any era and would walk into the current England team, no substitute for genuine all time class.

Fair enough. The jury will always be out I guess.

I did see on Twitter he hit more sixes than Bradman. I know that's a bit of a blunt tool but to be ahead of Bradman in any kind of batting statistic takes some doing.

Cornish Chris wrote:

Fair enough. The jury will always be out I guess.

I did see on Twitter he hit more sixes than Bradman. I know that's a bit of a blunt tool but to be ahead of Bradman in any kind of batting statistic takes some doing.

If I could be granted one wish to go back and watch one innings in cricket history, then it would have to be to see one of Bradman's major innings. Seen some film of him and the thing that strikes you is the incredible bat speed through the ball that he obtained. Some of his contemporaries said that he freakish in that he saw the ball out of the bowlers hand a split second quicker than anyone else and was thus able to position himself earlier to play his shot, which is one of the cornerstones for any great or even good batsman. Some say that field positions and bowlers tactics have become more sophisticated since he played and they have indeed but that doesn't really explain why Bradman scored at twice the average of his peers and just about anyone else who has played the game. There was also the longevity factor-he was still scoring as prolifically in 1948 [after losing 6 years of his career the war, mind boggling to think what may have been] as in 1928 and would almost certainly have been the same in 1968,1988,2008 and 2028.Must have been some player.

Shit, Stokes is out.

The rain yesterday came at the wrong time for England. They had enough time to bat properly and actually win the Test Match (unlikely though that was), but scoring 400 in a day is never an option.

Batting for survival is always harder than actually chasing a target and we have a brittle middle order at the moment. The Aussies will hammer us.

Today's attendance: 2,127.

This ain't looking good. Cook goes for a gritty 56. 157/7 with plenty of time left.

All over and England could have no complaints. Some thinking for the powers that be to do before the Ashes but well done to NZ, thoroughly deserved victory for a highly watchable team.

Brendan McCullum has to take a lot of credit for that. They were probably the best team to watch at the World Cup and that's obviously filtered through to the Test side.

That really was a whacking though wasn't it? Not filled with optimism for the Ashes...

What the hell's going on? England 408-9,highest ever score in 50 over cricket and world record stand between Rashid and Buttler [who is a major talent] and McCullum rolled over already. False dawn or a new England?

Greenskin wrote:

What the hell's going on? England 408-9,highest ever score in 50 over cricket and world record stand between Rashid and Buttler [who is a major talent] and McCullum rolled over already. False dawn or a new England?

Big win that, hope it's the start of a different mindset for one day cricket - there's some catching up to do. It won't come off every time, but at least the caution of Cook and Moores is now history.

Great TMS moment at the start of the match, Aggers and Tuffers were really building up the new England side, a new dawn for English cricket etc, how much they were looking forward it, some really exciting players at the top of the order.

First delivery of the match, Aggers on commentary with a real sense of anticipation in his voice.....'and he's out first ball'.

It got better after that though.

Christ almighty, where did that come from?

Alec Stewart tweeted that he wondered whether Morgan was going to enforce the follow on. Good stuff.

Good gracious me, NZ 398-6 from their fifty overs. Is 400 the new 300? Where will it all end-1500 for no wicket? Don't know what Kenny Barrington would have made of it all.

tis all mad, a few years back 250 was half decent.

still prefer the test cricket though