The worst part about today’s results is that I bet we all expected it. Too many players seriously off their red ball game, it’s alright some blaming the drag of the World Cup campaign but the Aussies seem to have come through it in decent nick. The problem is I can’t think of a solution to it as it stands, there’s a couple to bring in but too many of this squad look totally shot including Rooty.
Joe was quick to dispel that as a theory GB.
The ECB really does need to look at itself. It has, through Strauss mainly, focused exclusively on the 1 day W Cup and we have won it BUT that's a once in a lifetime event and whilst it's contested every 4 years it goes nowhere near having the revenue effect ( which is their major driver) of a biennial Ashes series.
The world cup will be long forgatten when we haven't beaten Aus home or away for a decade. I keep a close eye on the cricket and, as far as I can remember Burns, Broad & Anderson are the only ones to have had more than a single game of 4/5 day cricket this season( the Ireland game some 10 days of celebration after the WC- and look at how that was going- apart)
What sort of a way is that to prepare for the biggest cricket international rivalry we engage in?
It's like Wilder playing 10 or so 5 a sides and then saying 'go on lads, it's a bit longer, it's a different ball but youll be alright, we've been great at the 5 a side stuff'.
There is no route to become or develop a real test player these days, no graft,grind and relentless pressure on a player to knuckle down and play a long, survival innings, no route to bowl 20 overs a day all day and every day.Indeed we are now curtailing the number of CC games played , down by 2 this year and next year you wont play all the teams in the league home and away , you'll play some twice and some once and don't get me started on the 100.
FFS, we've just won the W Cup and what do the ECB do to capitalise on this, to maintain the momentum? Make thedomestic 50 over comp a 2nd XI competition from next year by playing the daft 100 at the same time.
Fancy a day out next year watching a combined team of Durham and Yorks player along with a few mercenaries ,called the Northern Superchargers ( honestly) managed by Darren Lehmann playing the Oval Invincibles with a line up from Kent & Surrey and some more mercenaries at Headingley in a sort of game that the rules havn't been decided on yet?
No me neither and, seemingly, not many of the current base of county members