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England Cricket

SteveTreacle said:
I take the point about the lack of England and international stars in the Blast, but why could they not have used the Blast in the same way they are plannning to do for the Hundred, i.e. include the England players and overseas players, and play a 3-4 week tournament during the summer holidays, with the showpiece finals day (with the semis and final) at the end - there are no plans for such a finals day in the Hundred, which is madness as it's easily the best and most colourful day in the domestic season.
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My first choice would have been to play the Blast in one block as you mentioned above, and make all the centrally contracted players available. It could have been achieved, but frankly there's just too many old dinosaurs in suits in the counties and the ECB to make it impossible.

One problem the ECB always faced is that we have too many traditional counties in our setup to run a t20 franchise with them as they do in the IPL or BBL. With 8 sides, you can get an England world cup winner or two in each side, in 18 you're struggling.

One thing I really don't see, is the downside of the experiment.

The hundred doesn't replace the blast, which is still for the existing counties after all and I would expect would still be well attended, and the existence of the counties isn't under threat through this existence either. If the experiment fails then there's no real loss as far as I'm concerned.

As I understand it (I've linked a cricinfo thing on it below) the money is also supposed to be collected centrally and then paid out equally to the various counties. So whilst I'm sure Surrey are getting some cash in for the use of their stadium, the revenue from all of the Hundred goes to the ECB for redistribution (supposedly).

Btw - I've got a mate at work who's a member and surrey, and all the members hate it too apparently. Also through knowing him, I've been to plenty of Surrey t20 games on a freebie, and it's basically the same crowd every time.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/explainer-will-the-hundred-make-a-profit-1222261
 
Imagine being Dom Sibley right about now.

Opening the batting in India, (currently) 85 not out and about to carry his bat through the day, working hard and grafting for the best of the team, probably batting the best he ever has done for England, and maybe his career.

And then Joe Root rocks up at the other end, knocking fluid 118 not out (currently) off barely 2/3 as many balls as you, making it look like he's batting against under 11s!

Pretty humbling sport cricket innit
 
Gills 58 said:
Delighted to be able to watch proper cricket on TV at last (don't do Sky).

Root class again.
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Bit of a silly comment re Sky - they're cricket coverage is dedicated and excellent. I am enjoying C4's coverage though - bit of luck there's no horse racing on at this time of day!

However, I fully agree on Root. Absolute class. He, Smith, Kohli and Williamson formed a Fab 4 a few years ago of a breakaway best in the world, but in recent years, his form has dipped a bit and he's dropped back in to the pack a bit with the likes of Labuschagne, Stokes and Ali probably surpassing him. However, class is permanent and his current amazing form puts him well back in the Fab 4 - I personally think at their best, he's a notch ahead Williamson; he's also not as much of a tosser as Smith and Kohli and much much better to watch than the hugely ugly Smith.

Great stuff from England. Even is we do lose a wicket or two before close, which is customary, we're still in a box position to go on and get the 400+ we'll need in India, plus we've taken time out of the game and kept the indian bowlers out there in the heat for a day, with us bowling last on a pitch that will deteriorate. There will be some huge questions and challenges for our spinners, who I am not convicned by and were sketchy in Sri Lanka in very favourable conditions. I'd have personally rather seen Broad and Ali play, both of whom have more experience in those conditions.

This is set up for a tight series and I hope England do not regret, what, for me, is a reckless rotation policy, meaning that we'll at no stage in this series be playing out best XI, with Bairstow at home for three tests and Buttler going home after this test - the Indians must be laughing their heads off that two of our best players of spin are being rested, largely thanks to the fact that they played in the IPL in before Christmas.
 
We're going to need to get 500-550 here. This pitch looks like you need mega mega first innings runs, I seem to recall us getting 400 last tour, before india got 700 odd and won by an innings...

I'm of the opinion that the rotation policy is a necessary evil. There are 17 tests this year, and if we want to be competitive in the ashes at the end of the year, then we will have need to have rotated our side throughout the year, to give them time away from bubbles, which are driving people mad.

With your point on the IPL, I do get where your coming from, but would make two points.

1. It's a short career, and the cricketers can earn so so much playing that it's frankly really harsh to deny them going.
2. There's a world t20 this year, and playing in the worlds best t20 tournament is definitely going to be good preparation for it.
 
SteveTreacle said:
Bit of a silly comment re Sky - they're cricket coverage is dedicated and excellent. I am enjoying C4's coverage though - bit of luck there's no horse racing on at this time of day!

However, I fully agree on Root. Absolute class. He, Smith, Kohli and Williamson formed a Fab 4 a few years ago of a breakaway best in the world, but in recent years, his form has dipped a bit and he's dropped back in to the pack a bit with the likes of Labuschagne, Stokes and Ali probably surpassing him. However, class is permanent and his current amazing form puts him well back in the Fab 4 - I personally think at their best, he's a notch ahead Williamson; he's also not as much of a tosser as Smith and Kohli and much much better to watch than the hugely ugly Smith.

Great stuff from England. Even is we do lose a wicket or two before close, which is customary, we're still in a box position to go on and get the 400+ we'll need in India, plus we've taken time out of the game and kept the indian bowlers out there in the heat for a day, with us bowling last on a pitch that will deteriorate. There will be some huge questions and challenges for our spinners, who I am not convicned by and were sketchy in Sri Lanka in very favourable conditions. I'd have personally rather seen Broad and Ali play, both of whom have more experience in those conditions.

This is set up for a tight series and I hope England do not regret, what, for me, is a reckless rotation policy, meaning that we'll at no stage in this series be playing out best XI, with Bairstow at home for three tests and Buttler going home after this test - the Indians must be laughing their heads off that two of our best players of spin are being rested, largely thanks to the fact that they played in the IPL in before Christmas.
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Why is it a silly comment about Sky?
I didn't slag it off. I've heard the coverage is good and I've seen some when at the gym.
I don't do BT either.
 
MedwayModernist said:
From what I hear from the guys in my club who are involved in local governance in Bromley, the issue is not so much that not enough kids are playing cricket, but that they are all joining mega clubs that have links with their various junior school teams, so a club like Bromley CC might have 2 colts sides at each age group, whereas my club struggles for one all encompassed colts sides most years.

Our club (Bromley Town) will be fine for a few years yet, but we mainly exist by current members getting mates along to join in, who like it, stay, and bring more in themselves. It's not exactly the most robust method of growing a club, but we ultimately only need to get 22 players out on a weekend to keep moving forward (21 if you account for the overseas) and with the game being one you can play for a long old time in to your life, we don't actually have too much turnover. That said I feel for clubs like Wickham Park, who are in a similar boat to you it seems, as quite often there isn't really any club loyalty there, and a few of the Indian mates, whilst almost always gun cricketers, might simply decide they don't fancy it anymore one year and move on, screwing the cricket club out of almost an entire XI in on go.

FWIW, I think that the issue that the ECB need to do is to try and spread the game out from it's traditional heartlands, or even back in to formerly vibrant heartlands.

Grammar and private school kids from middle class areas in Kent etc are ALWAYS going to play cricket ffs. Their parents will be able to pay for cricket on TV, so you don't really need to work much to get them interested.

I was very much not your typical demographic, but basically after 2005 happened, I got hooked and play every week now. You need that exposure to the masses to try and get people playing.

To that end, I think the hundred is a good idea, as it is a simple method to get the best players playing together, to be played on terrestrial tv, so allow kids to see the simplest and easiest form of the game to watch and get in to. That's all the BBL is in Australia after all, and it's been a great success.

Unlike the t20 blast (which I enjoy), all the best England players will be available to play against each other (Stokes vs Archer anyone?!), along with plenty of other internationals, which just makes it an easy sell to the youth.
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Ive tried to get my boys into cricket.

My eldest never really got into it. Too much standing around fielding, not enough involvement in the game really. A bit less of q social side than his rugby/football. Its a shame, as he was one of the best of his peers, but he got 2 overs batting, and two overs bowling. The other 1-2 hours was fielding. Its hard, as i completely understand the reasoning behind the format, to make sure every kid gets a chance. But its just not worked for him.

Would also say, our two local clubs, they all do coaching on friday nights. I'll be honest, it takes some real motivation to want to go down there on a friday evening. We have clubs on every night, and the weekend too. It might just be me, but i just want to chill out on a friday night.

In nice weather its more amenable, to sit with a beer while they play, but its 50:50, and not fun if weathers anything less than hot. Its not ideal really. Plus, its peak season is in summer, when we spend a lot of time on holiday too. So this year he missed alot as well. He ended up quitting just before the transition to hard ball as he wasnt going often enough to prove himself/ be allowed to move up to hard ball. Catch 22 really.

My other son (6 years old) is enjoying it though. He enjoyed the all stars last summer, but again missed a fair bit due to being away or called off due to bad weather. But hopefully he gets more into it than my other boy. He certainly seems more engaged atm. I think he'll be a decent batsman.
 
Gills 58 said:
Why is it a silly comment about Sky?
I didn't slag it off. I've heard the coverage is good and I've seen some when at the gym.
I don't do BT either.
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I've got both, and have been so glad to have them during the return of sport over the last lockdown. Sky's cricket coverage is exceptional, and BT's rugby coverage is great too.

It STILL feels like a con though, because when I first got sky sports, it had ALL the england cricket, and british club and european rugby. Now it just has the home test matches, but no discount...
 
MedwayModernist said:
We're going to need to get 500-550 here. This pitch looks like you need mega mega first innings runs, I seem to recall us getting 400 last tour, before india got 700 odd and won by an innings...

I'm of the opinion that the rotation policy is a necessary evil. There are 17 tests this year, and if we want to be competitive in the ashes at the end of the year, then we will have need to have rotated our side throughout the year, to give them time away from bubbles, which are driving people mad.

With your point on the IPL, I do get where your coming from, but would make two points.

1. It's a short career, and the cricketers can earn so so much playing that it's frankly really harsh to deny them going.
2. There's a world t20 this year, and playing in the worlds best t20 tournament is definitely going to be good preparation for it.
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You may be right re the 500 needed - I remember the test you talk about. However, I think since then, England have re-learnt the ability again to be able to play test cricket and not revert to the white-ball influenced aggression. We demonstrated that in Sri Lank and Root and Sibley did again today. Our bowlers also are quite happy to bowl more negatively, if required, and realise that they aren't going to be a threat every ball as they would in England - Anderson and Broad did this wonderfully in Sri Lanka and I think Archer and Broad have the ability to do that too - for me it's a shame we're not going in with our best team in the first test. Aside from the absentees, I'd have loved to have seen Broad and Anderson and would have happily sacricfied a spinner for Broad. I hope the spinners prove me wrong, but I don't have full faith in them to do what they need to - i.e. hold up an end in the first innings and take wickets in the second innings.

I fully appreciate the need for rotation with a lot of cricket played now and the added complication of bubbles, but I'd rather see rotation occur for series like Sri Lanka and skipping the IPL. I get the point about cricketers career being short, but a central England contract is apparently worth between £1-£2m, depending on whether it's test, white ball or both (and there's a lot of add-ons with endorsements and sponsors). I really think the ECB should get a clause in the contract to ensure that players play all Tests and ODIs/IT20s they're signed up for with rest coming by not going to the IPL and BBL etc., in the same way that England players barely play any county or domestic white ball cricket. I get the IPL may be good practice for the T20 World Cup, but we've got an array of international T20s lined up, including against the likes of India - i.e. the best.

Such a a shame Sibley went at the end there - he deserved a ton for his application and india didn't really look like or deserve that third wicket. However, there is some encouragement for Anderson and Archer that the new ball (I believe it is an Indian ball and not the dreaded Kookaburra) will offer something even on a dead track, even if only for a short time. If Jimmy and Joffra hit their straps, they could easily knock 3-4 over before the shine wears off, which makes it a different game. Nice to be positive!
 
SteveTreacle said:
I fully appreciate the need for rotation with a lot of cricket played now and the added complication of bubbles, but I'd rather see rotation occur for series like Sri Lanka and skipping the IPL. I get the point about cricketers career being short, but a central England contract is apparently worth between £1-£2m, depending on whether it's test, white ball or both (and there's a lot of add-ons with endorsements and sponsors). I really think the ECB should get a clause in the contract to ensure that players play all Tests and ODIs/IT20s they're signed up for with rest coming by not going to the IPL and BBL etc., in the same way that England players barely play any county or domestic white ball cricket. I get the IPL may be good practice for the T20 World Cup, but we've got an array of international T20s lined up, including against the likes of India - i.e. the best.
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Quick bit of googling, central contracts are worth £700,000 a year for tests, and probably get topped up to an even million if you also get a white ball contract and play well - so that is obviously a very good salary if you play well.

https://www.thecricketer.com/topics...ment_contract_who_has_a_central_contract.html

But, Jos Buttler got paid £440,000 odd pounds for his six weeks work in the IPL...

Ben Stokes got £1.2 MILLION.

So, I just don't see how you can keep the best players happy if you don't allow them to ply their trade playing in the IPL to have a chance to make this kind of cash, especially when playing in the IPL will help their development for the world t20 for england later in the year - fingers crossed it goes ahead.

I really like what Silverwood is doing with this batch of players. We've seen with the Andy Flower generation what can happen if you don't manage players workloads.

Have you seen the Edge documentary btw, really good watch.
 
MedwayModernist said:
Quick bit of googling, central contracts are worth £700,000 a year for tests, and probably get topped up to an even million if you also get a white ball contract and play well - so that is obviously a very good salary if you play well.

https://www.thecricketer.com/topics...ment_contract_who_has_a_central_contract.html

But, Jos Buttler got paid £440,000 odd pounds for his six weeks work in the IPL...

Ben Stokes got £1.2 MILLION.

So, I just don't see how you can keep the best players happy if you don't allow them to ply their trade playing in the IPL to have a chance to make this kind of cash, especially when playing in the IPL will help their development for the world t20 for england later in the year - fingers crossed it goes ahead.

I really like what Silverwood is doing with this batch of players. We've seen with the Andy Flower generation what can happen if you don't manage players workloads.

Have you seen the Edge documentary btw, really good watch.
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Given I've just paid £130 for a Lord's ticket for the summer and £90 for an Oval one (and they were far from the dearest and they both sold out all four first days within under a day), maybe they should be increasing those central contracts and de-incesntivising them playing in franchise tournaments around the world, which means they miss international duty!
 
Nice to see our players in this and the Sri Lankan tour playing and applying themselves properly to Test cricket. So much better than the slap amd tickle approach as if it were a one day game that blighted our performances for a few years.

Ps, county fixtures just out. Not enough games at my end of the county - as usual
 
I'm very lucky to live just 20 minutes from Trent Bridge. Seen some cracking games there - including witnessing Broad's 8-15 when he skittled the Aussies! My lad brought two mates who'd never watched cricket before. We had to keep telling them it wasn't always like this.
 
Gills 58 said:
Why is it a silly comment about Sky?
I didn't slag it off. I've heard the coverage is good and I've seen some when at the gym.
I don't do BT either.
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Apologies. I took your comment to mean that "proper cricket" wasn't on Sky as in it's coverage is shit, so I stand corrected!
 
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