Ashes Thread | Page 21 | Vital Football

Ashes Thread

Probably just that cricket is much more popular, and appreciated, there than here.
Shortening the game here is just to try and increase attendance of people with no real interest in cricket. Most of those people wouldn't even contemplate sitting for 5 days at a game. At a T20, it's more like being at a football match with beer.
In throwing money around at players to play the T20 type stuff, its focused younger lads on it. If I were a young cricketer these days, with ambition to make a living out of it, that's where I'd be looking!
I doubt 4 day county cricket generates much money at all. Sadly, as we know, sport is all about money.
 
None of the players I mentioned yesterday average over 35 some of them below 30! Worse even the regulars of the 80s and 90s.
Make no mistake this is a terrible England who went without home series in a very long time last summer.
 
plumbob said:
Probably just that cricket is much more popular, and appreciated, there than here.
Shortening the game here is just to try and increase attendance of people with no real interest in cricket. Most of those people wouldn't even contemplate sitting for 5 days at a game. At a T20, it's more like being at a football match with beer.
In throwing money around at players to play the T20 type stuff, its focused younger lads on it. If I were a young cricketer these days, with ambition to make a living out of it, that's where I'd be looking!
I doubt 4 day county cricket generates much money at all. Sadly, as we know, sport is all about money.
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Yes, maybe it's just that. Sad, really, as it probably relegates the long-form England team to second-class status in perpetuity.
 
Davidimp said:
Australia have declared, giving themselves an hour to bowl out England before the close...
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2 down quickly, 5 or 6 by close if Root or Malan go.
All too predictable. No doubt Lyon will take 3 or 4 wickets to rub in our woeful selection.
Even with 2 quicks out of the game, they are better than us.
 
plumbob said:
2 down quickly, 5 or 6 by close if Root or Malan go.
All too predictable. No doubt Lyon will take 3 or 4 wickets to rub in our woeful selection.
Even with 2 quicks out of the game, they are better than us.
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An opening batsman caught at mid-on. There has to be an argument for saving on the carbon footprint and not bothering with these tours in future - the ECB staff, coaches and players clearly don’t care enough about Test match cricket to justify it.
 
As I say bar Root they average between 28 and 34! You aren't going to win many tests with averages like those!
Arguably the worst England team in my lifetime and the teams of the 80s and the 90s could be absolutely terrible!
 
I think I will revise my optimistic prediction at the end of day one when I said that a draw was looking like the best option for England.
I think if we manage to take the match to a fifth day that is about as optimistic
as I can get!!
 
NottyImp said:
I'd say short-form, rather than specifically one-day. The advent of T20, the IPL and the failure of the ECB to find a way to support county cricket has crippled England's test team.
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I sort of typed that a bit wrong ,I meant the T20 and all the other forms of a quick slog type of cricket . As you probably do , i remember the days of the 50 over John Player League , all games played on a Sunday . Big crowds attended those . And the other oneday day comp was the Gillette Cup , played as a know out comp . perfectly acceptable .

As for county cricket , i agree whole-heartedly . Again going back to yester year touring sides used to stay forthe summer , play 5 tests , and in between the tests , used to plsy agains the counties . Thus bringing in crowds who couldnt get to test matches, but could see the excellent touring sides at their county grounds .

Like football , the sport has been spoilt by money , the root of all evil .
 
cheshireimp said:
As you probably do , i remember the days of the 50 over John Player League , all games played on a Sunday . Big crowds attended those . And the other one day day comp was the Gillette Cup , played as a know out comp . perfectly acceptable .
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The JPL was 40 overs (mostly)

Gillette Cup 65 overs for one season, then 60 and finally 50 overs.

The "other one day comp" was the Benson and Hedges, 55 overs (later 50).
 
This day/night concept seems wrong to me. Either play day time or evening, but not in the same game.

In football and rugby, it is often said that the pitch/weather is the same for both sides

One of the disadvantages of cricket is that the toss can be a major influence; the state of the pitch will vary game to game and during a game; the weather can make a difference, but is unpredictable and is natural. Deliberately adding differing conditions and ball types in the same game seems an unnecessary and false dimension
 
stokeimp said:
This day/night concept seems wrong to me. Either play day time or evening, but not in the same game.

In football and rugby, it is often said that the pitch/weather is the same for both sides

One of the disadvantages of cricket is that the toss can be a major influence; the state of the pitch will vary game to game and during a game; the weather can make a difference, but is unpredictable and is natural. Deliberately adding differing conditions and ball types in the same game seems an unnecessary and false dimension
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To be fair, the pitch changes throughout the 5 days (4 if its England playing). The atmospheric conditions are also open to change. Winning the toss can be a massive decider in who wins, especially if you win it and choose to bat on a green pitch that is clearly going to help the bowlers!
But, it's true, the day/night thing does look like it amplifies the change in conditions. Sadly, the difference in the 2 sides looks so big that it won't massively impact on the inevitable outcome of the series.
 
Wouldn't matter what time it starts England will find a way of being utterly useless.
Cheapest seats for the trentbridge test on days 1 to 3.... £70!
They can do one! Drops to a bargain £40 for day 4!
Absolute piss take, didn't mind paying so much when they were winning, not now I won't.
 
As Davidimp has already said the batsmen’s averages are so different in the two sides apart from Root.

They were when we played NZ at home in the summer, we also haven’t got a world class spinner, haven’t had since Swann.

I said to my youngest before the series, Foakes ought to be starting as he is by far the best gloveman in the country and started to get back into a bit of form with the bat towards the end of last season for Surrey.

There was a stat mentioned on fox this morning, something like England have dropped nine or eleven catches since the start of these ashes and the Aussies haven’t dropped any.
 
I think I'm less partisan watching cricket than football, so I've often watched losing series and enjoyed them "for the cricket".

But you want your sude to have a chance and a complete mis-match leading to drubbing after drubbing just isn't... cricket.
 
The aussies got hammered by an under strength India this time last year, make no mistake this is a very poor English side with a weak captain, don't care what anyone says Root isn't a leader.
 
Davidimp said:
The aussies got hammered by an under strength India this time last year, make no mistake this is a very poor English side with a weak captain, don't care what anyone says Root isn't a leader.
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Who would you have else in charge, given that they would have to start every match each series. I think that would leave only Stokes ? As has been said before, sadly the averages state what a poor side we are, and in the bowling department we have more injuries than Lincoln.
 
bbh 11 said:
Who would you have else in charge, given that they would have to start every match each series. I think that would leave only Stokes ? As has been said before, sadly the averages state what a poor side we are, and in the bowling department we have more injuries than Lincoln.
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They have two options IMHO appoint Morgan, great captain but probably too old(but Brearley got away with it!) The other option is go for a youngster like South Africa did with Smith. Ever since he took over as captain we've got progressively worse.
It's a tough one I agree but things are clearly wrong and I'm not convinced that the players are playing for him.
 
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