Off Topic Sport Other than Football - formerly the Ashes Thread

St Helens beat Penrith Panthers to win the World Club Challenge.
Massive achievement - first win for a British team since 1994.

 

It continues to be a delight to watch the England cricket team.
They are playing a different game to everyone else in world cricket - and doing it brilliantly. Let’s hope they can keep it going through the Ashes this summer and in India next winter.
Somebody always stands up with a great performance. Anderson last night, Broad the night before and Brook is already a superstar - his third motm award in his 5 Tests so far, averaging nearly 80 with a strike rate of almost 100!!

 

I played the game at county level (many years ago tbf) but I never did understand why there was this slow / overly technical approach to 3/5 day games and a little more ambition in the one day game. It was made out that the longer version was 'real' cricket, but to my mind it was just to fill the time.
There have been individual players who have broken the mould over the years, but this team has taken it to a different level

 

The England seam bowling attack is starting to look rather good for The Ashes, with lots of options to choose from depending on conditions. We have swing kings such as Anderson, Broad & Woakes, gas men such as Archer, Wood & Stone, then hit the deck men such as Robinson, Stokes and Overton. Lots of options there but we still lack a top class spinner.

 

I think Leach can do enough. He could do with cutting out the bad ball every over, which makes him expensive, but he does take wickets. But if we have a typically English summer, the weather and pitches will hopefully mean that the seamers will get the job done, as is often the way. The Aussies don’t play the swinging ball too well (Warner is a walking wicket for Broad) so preparing helpful pitches, allied to English overhead conditions should be enough.

 

Summer can't come soon enough the state of the Aussie team at present

 

Leach is solid enough and clearly popular, but no real game-changer
Rehan Ahmed is thought of very highly isn't he? Didn't tear the earth up in Pakistan first tour, but could be that person.
Otherwise, if you're playing a 'white ball' offensive game in tests you may as well go for Rashid, as he contributes more with the bat and has been more consistent with his obvious spin talent.

 

Rehab Ahmed may be a bit too raw to bowl his leg spin in English conditions and Rashid would struggle to bowl 20 overs in a day with his shoulder problem.
I think Stokes backs Leach and will play him.
I also think Crawley will be axed for Bairstow and Stokes may open.
But nothing is out of bounds for this England side.

 

Wasn't aware of Rashids injury. And I didn't realise he was 35 either!!

 

James Anderson age 40, Test ranking #1

 

IMHO tis more about doing the basics right in
bowling ( "line and length" etc) on yer typical overseas
"baked" pitches, than some radical rethink of how to
approach attacking in batting and bowling.

 

It’s a fact that they’ve been bowling teams out consistently and cheaply. Some radical field placing’s have helped, as has Stokes’ fearless captaincy. He’s not afraid to concede runs to buy a wicket. And he has some exceptionally good bowlers, which obviously helps.
But the biggest factor for me is the quick scoring. It puts so much pressure on the the opposition. The last Test saw a declaration after 58 overs, enabling the bowlers to have almost two hours in very helpful conditions under the lights. It gave them an advantage they never lost. In the pre-Stokes era, they’d have been 150-3 and probably would have collapsed to 200 all out in those conditions. Instead they had a healthy 329 runs. Then when New Zealand limited the deficit on first innings, they pulled away again quickly because the likes of Duckett and Brook, in particular, are able to score 150 in a session.
Long may it continue - the whole summer for starters.

 

Harry Brook

New to Test cricket, but already playing like an A game Kevin Pietersen

 

Harry Brook - Take a bow, son!
That's some start to a Test career! Just WOW!

 

4 centuries and the most runs scored in first 9 tests! Amazing!

 

I make the scoring rate for this innings around 5/over
(I think 3/over has traditionally being considered to be
a decent scoring rate in test cricket) .

So if you take the heuristic that a 350 first innings total
is a prerequisite to at least draw the game, England
have effectively given themselves 4 days to bowl
twice and bat once.

 

When Test cricket started in 1877 it took England 15 years as a team to hit 20 sixes. Brook has reached that mark in 4 Tests and one incomplete innings v Pakistan and NZ

 

Watching Wales v England is painful. Politically described as a game 'for purists' when in fact the correct terminology should be '****e'!