2nd Test, Lord's, London

[mr_mister]

That's an all-rounder too far. Also Leach likely will bat above Broad now

 

[91Jmay]

Bairstow credit must be running out somewhat. Foakes a wierd player who suits overseas almost more than England (particularly slow pitches overseas) had a **** year though. Reckon this could end up an all time bad series. At least under Waugh/Ponting they were ATG team, this Aussie side are above average but no more (probably barely above average as well).

Have to say it feels like cricket is dying in this country. I don't say this because we lost an Ashes test badly, but because we won the World Cup and it was forgotten after about a week (and no, not because it was a tie or whatever people honestly just didn't give a ****). There is little to no hype around the Ashes compared to Championship clubs signing goalkeepers and the raw numbers on the reductions in people playing over the last decade (10% drop, and now under a million club players, both genders, somehow in a country of ~70MM people).

https://thecricketpaper.com/feature...-youth-turning-their-back-on-playing-cricket/

Then you see this (admittely year old) piece where club chairmen are blaming "Generation Snowflake" on 15 year olds leaving the game, and it is little wonder why.

I see the powers that be have made the usual noises about needing to get into state schools again. Until that happens at any meaningful level, we are ****ed - if we managed to increase state school participation by 20% though - that's the only way to save English cricket.

 

[wrongun]

Bairstow credit must be running out somewhat. Foakes a wierd player who suits overseas almost more than England (particularly slow pitches overseas) had a **** year though. Reckon this could end up an all time bad series. At least under Waugh/Ponting they were ATG team, this Aussie side are above average but no more (probably barely above average as well).

Have to say it feels like cricket is dying in this country. I don't say this because we lost an Ashes test badly, but because we won the World Cup and it was forgotten after about a week (and no, not because it was a tie or whatever people honestly just didn't give a ****). There is little to no hype around the Ashes compared to Championship clubs signing goalkeepers and the raw numbers on the reductions in people playing over the last decade (10% drop, and now under a million club players, both genders, somehow in a country of ~70MM people).

https://thecricketpaper.com/feature...-youth-turning-their-back-on-playing-cricket/

Then you see this (admittely year old) piece where club chairmen are blaming "Generation Snowflake" on 15 year olds leaving the game, and it is little wonder why.

I see the powers that be have made the usual noises about needing to get into state schools again. Until that happens at any meaningful level, we are ****ed - if we managed to increase state school participation by 20% though - that's the only way to save English cricket.

Sad state of affairs. Would you attribute this to the perception of cricket being elitist? And if so, why is that? I admittedly don’t know much about English cricket beyond the counties.

 

[Pothas]

People have been predicting the death of cricket ever since it was invented.

 

[Test_Fan_Only]

That's an all-rounder too far. Also Leach likely will bat above Broad now

The whole squad is lacking in batting, no where near the best that could have been picked. Where is Sibley and Northeast? But Denly is a waste of space so putting someone in who can at least bowl would be an improvement.

 

[wpdavid]

Sad state of affairs. Would you attribute this to the perception of cricket being elitist? And if so, why is that? I admittedly don’t know much about English cricket beyond the counties.

Although most of the youth players are at private or selective schools, I don’t think that’s the main factor that puts off other youngsters. Lots of children play the game at younger ages, but most of them drop out before becoming adults.

My son is 17, played enthusiastically from ages 8 to 15, but doesn’t play now. As mentioned in the article that 91Jmay posted, the main issue with adult cricket is how long it lasts. His junior matches were either 20 or 24 overs a side, which was fine; done and dusted within three hours and not much time when he wasn’t actively involved. Adult matches were 40 or 45 overs a side and, although the other players were wonderfully inclusive, it was simply far longer than he wanted to spend playing cricket, especially now he’s old enough to be doing all sorts of other things at the weekend.

I remember talking with a couple of coaches a couple of years ago and suggesting that 30 overs a side would be better for adult teams below 1st and 2nd XI standard, maybe with individuals having to retire if they reached 75 runs. Those good enough to make hundreds would probably be happy playing longer games for the better sides anyway. And they just didn’t get it. They couldn’t accept that the world had moved on since they were teenagers. The outcome, hardly any of the youth players at the club stick around to play adult cricket.

It didn’t help that my son’s experience at Under 16 wasn’t much fun. Previously he had played in a two division league with the best players and teams all in Division 1. His side was in Division 2, and that worked fine. However, most junior leagues don’t run in Year 11 (Under 16) due to GCSE exams, so his side joined a smaller league after those exams had finished. This one pitched reasonable players against guys who were District or even County standard, which was obviously a complete waste of time. Again, the organisers had no clue why this might be a problem. I doubt whether it happens in many other sports.

Regarding the state schools, most young cricketers go to private or selective schools, so there isn’t much demand for the game at the non-selective schools. My son’s school organised a few games in Years 7 and 8 (Under 12 and Under 13), but the standard was dire. It doesn’t help that the cricket facilities in these schools are dreadful. So what you also see is youngsters at these schools dropping out of club cricket at 13 or 14 as they know they are being left way behind children at the private schools and selective schools.

 

[Spark]

Bairstow credit must be running out somewhat. Foakes a wierd player who suits overseas almost more than England (particularly slow pitches overseas) had a **** year though. Reckon this could end up an all time bad series. At least under Waugh/Ponting they were ATG team, this Aussie side are above average but no more (probably barely above average as well).

Have to say it feels like cricket is dying in this country. I don't say this because we lost an Ashes test badly, but because we won the World Cup and it was forgotten after about a week (and no, not because it was a tie or whatever people honestly just didn't give a ****). There is little to no hype around the Ashes compared to Championship clubs signing goalkeepers and the raw numbers on the reductions in people playing over the last decade (10% drop, and now under a million club players, both genders, somehow in a country of ~70MM people).

https://thecricketpaper.com/feature...-youth-turning-their-back-on-playing-cricket/

Then you see this (admittely year old) piece where club chairmen are blaming "Generation Snowflake" on 15 year olds leaving the game, and it is little wonder why.

I see the powers that be have made the usual noises about needing to get into state schools again. Until that happens at any meaningful level, we are ****ed - if we managed to increase state school participation by 20% though - that's the only way to save English cricket.

I’m firmly of the belief that if things continue on their present course, the ECB post 2005 will go down along with Rugby Australia post 2003 in “how to be given a huge, obvious opportunity to massively grow the game and turn it into a national sporting powerhouse and instead proceed it to run it into the ground because appeasing sectional interests, old prejudices, and outright greed were considered more important”.

 

[BoyBrumby]

That's an all-rounder too far.

Would feel happier to see Curran or Woakes at 4 than Denly, even if neither bowled a ball.

 

[wpdavid]

Bairstow credit must be running out somewhat. Foakes a wierd player who suits overseas almost more than England (particularly slow pitches overseas) had a **** year though. Reckon this could end up an all time bad series. At least under Waugh/Ponting they were ATG team, this Aussie side are above average but no more (probably barely above average as well).

Have to say it feels like cricket is dying in this country. I don't say this because we lost an Ashes test badly, but because we won the World Cup and it was forgotten after about a week (and no, not because it was a tie or whatever people honestly just didn't give a ****). There is little to no hype around the Ashes compared to Championship clubs signing goalkeepers and the raw numbers on the reductions in people playing over the last decade (10% drop, and now under a million club players, both genders, somehow in a country of ~70MM people).

https://thecricketpaper.com/feature...-youth-turning-their-back-on-playing-cricket/

Then you see this (admittely year old) piece where club chairmen are blaming "Generation Snowflake" on 15 year olds leaving the game, and it is little wonder why.

I see the powers that be have made the usual noises about needing to get into state schools again. Until that happens at any meaningful level, we are ****ed - if we managed to increase state school participation by 20% though - that's the only way to save English cricket.

My take on the matter is that those running the game have twice been guilty of killing whichever bird it was that laid the golden eggs; short term cash flow at the expense of long term development. The first time was selling the TV rights to Sky in 2005 and the second one was doubling the number of group matches in the Twenty20 tournament so that it now dominates the domestic season. Look back to when we were ranked number 1 in 2011, and all of those players were developed before the second point. Since then, how many players have we seen establish themselves in the test side? Root and Stokes. To a much lesser extent Ali and Bairstow. Out of goodness knows how many we have tried. And it's hard to see how the 'Hundred' is going to improve matters from next year.

 

[wpdavid]

Bairstow credit must be running out somewhat. Foakes a wierd player who suits overseas almost more than England (particularly slow pitches overseas) had a **** year though. Reckon this could end up an all time bad series. At least under Waugh/Ponting they were ATG team, this Aussie side are above average but no more (probably barely above average as well).

Reminds me a bit of 1989, so forgive me if that was before your time. I'm actually being unfair to the batting line-up in 1989, but they weren't yet an ATG side and should never have walloped us as massively as they did.
As for Bairstow, he loses sympathy due to his occasional very public whines. It's hard to imagine Foakes scoring less runs than current Bairstow, but also it's hard to see Foakes enjoying the sort of run that Bairstow enjoyed a couple of years ago. Personally I'd just pick one keeper and get Sam Curran in the side. I don't see Buttler as fireproof either, fwiw.

 

[fredfertang]

How newspapers are dumb enough to suggest taking 6-for and scoring 100 in a 2nd XI game boosts his Ashes chances, certainly confirms we shouldn't read them in the first place.

And I dunno if I'm being soft but rocking up bowling - apparently a **** load of - short stuff to teenaged 2nd XI batsmen seems pretty off.

You've rather missed the point - try reading the papers over the last few weeks if you want to get the real significance of that performance

 

[Burgey]

I’m firmly of the belief that if things continue on their present course, the ECB post 2005 will go down along with Rugby Australia post 2003 in “how to be given a huge, obvious opportunity to massively grow the game and turn it into a national sporting powerhouse and instead proceed it to run it into the ground because appeasing sectional interests, old prejudices, and outright greed were considered more important”.

I’m just surprised JMay is here. He went missing after day two of the last test and has only just resurfaced.

 

[Burgey]

Would feel happier to see Curran or Woakes at 4 than Denly, even if neither bowled a ball.

Woakes is the best cricketer on either side whose name isn’t Steve Smith.

 

[GotSpin]

I’m firmly of the belief that if things continue on their present course, the ECB post 2005 will go down along with Rugby Australia post 2003 in “how to be given a huge, obvious opportunity to massively grow the game and turn it into a national sporting powerhouse and instead proceed it to run it into the ground because appeasing sectional interests, old prejudices, and outright greed were considered more important”.

100% agree

 

[aussie tragic]

...and back to the 2nd Test, interested to see if Harris over Bancroft and Hazlewood over Siddle.

I also think Curran should be first pick, just not sure who to not pick with Woakes, Broad and Archer

 

[Lillian Thomson]

I can’t see Woakes being left out at Lords.

 

[Test_Fan_Only]

Surely Curran is not going to be picked ahead of Archer, Broad or Woakes. If the pitch is like it was for the Ireland test I wonder whether he might be picked ahead of Leach.

 

[BoyBrumby]

The only was Curran plays is ahead of Denly. Would back him to score more runs too.

Alec Stewart (hardly an unbiased observer, but anyway) reckons young Sam will end up as a batting all-rounder so this could be the time the selectors grasp the nettle. It's not as if he hasn't scored runs under the pump before either.

 

[trundler]

He's exclusively scored under the pump.

 

[mr_mister]

His bowling is dreadful compared to his brother so he oughta be a batting all rounder