England's Summer of Cricket 2021

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Jacks, Crawley, Hain, Stokes, Salt (WK), Lawrence, Gregory, Overton, Saqib, Ball, Parkinson?

Will MacPherson suggests Hales won’t be picked, which is a bit odd given they hinted he would get a chance this summer.

You also have Vince, Duckett and keep an eye out for Harry Brook.

I'd guess Woakes is covid related. That said he'd be my third name on the teamsheet against India after Root and Stokes so I'd be very happy if he got some overs under his belt with Warwickshire.

Morgan saying they will give the fringe guys a chance in this series - a huge one for Mahmood I think, he has a chance to do what Archer did before the ODI World Cup and make himself a must pick over established guys, if he continues to perform well.

If he can perform well, suddenly you have Mahmood, Archer, Wood and Rashid as your four gun bowlers, which I think then allows that number 7 spot to go to a Livingstone/Moeen who are more batting than bowling, as they’re only going to need to bowl 1/2 overs max with Stokes to make up 5th bowler overs.

Getting ahead of myself, he needs to play well again, but England did show with Archer they’re not afraid to make these big calls with big talents, which Mahmood looks like he is.

I’ve decided my ideal XI for the t20 World Cup is;

Roy
Buttler
Malan
Bairstow
Stokes
Morgan
Livingstone/Moeen (matchup dependant)
Archer
Rashid
Wood
Mahmood

Woakes for me is a must pick. Yes, he's not played that much T20i cricket but he's England's best PP bowler and a very reliable death bowler. Plus he adds batting depth. A hugely underrated cog in the ODI side.

1.Roy
2.Buttler (wk)
3.Malan
4.Bairstow
5.Stokes
6.Morgan (c)
7.Moeen/Surran/Livingstone (dependent on conditions)
8.Woakes
9.Rashid
10.Archer
11.Wood

I certainly think Mahmood is deserving of a squad place ahead of Turran or Topley as the first reserve for Archer and Wood though.

Those 14 above, Mahmood, a reserve bat (mine would be Hales but probably Billings or Banton) and a specialist spinner to back up Dilly (Parkinson or Briggs for me but the coaches also love Dawson who is effective in T20). That would make up my 16 man squad heading to UAE.

I love me some Chris Woakes, but I don't think he's a particularly good t20 player, and especially not outside England. There's a reason he went so long not playing a t20i, and isn't really a nailed on pickup in franchise t20 leagues around the world. I'd be taking Jordan ahead of him to the UAE personally

Duty281 wrote:

Just to clarify with Woakes - since the 19th of April he has played a grand total of six T20s (two for his county's second team, two for his county, two for England) and two ODIs. That's all the cricket he has played in that time.

Just keeping a record of overs bowled in 2021 in all forms ahead of the likely India series

Overton 311.0
Broad 276.1
Mahmood 269.3
Robinson 256.0
Wood 244.5
Anderson 216.2
Stone 162.2
Curran 135.0
Archer 102.3
Stokes 99.4
Woakes 49.0

Woakes no first class cricket since Aug 2020, that almost a year!!!!20 overs of l/o cricket and the rest T20s.

Read that Atherton thinks Mahmood will replace Broad when he retires. Don't think so. When Broad and Anderson have gone I see Woakes and Robinson as the opening bowlers. One tall and one shorter as we had with Caddick/Gough, Harmison/Hoggard, Broad/Anderson. The third bowler will be an extra fast bowler like Archer, rotated with Wood, Stone and Mahmood in that order. Stokes will be the 4th bowler. If one of the opening bowlers or Stokes is injured I see Curran as a replacement.

Imagine the lower order batting
7 Buttler
8 Ali (think he will come good again)
9 Woakes
10 Robinson
11 Archer

Would be nice to have stronger lower-order batting, but I don't think Stokes will be entrusted as a fourth bowler with his fitness issues. I like what I've seen of Robinson though it remains to be seen as to whether or not he exists on the same black list that Hales currently inhabits. Only way I see Moeen coming back to the test fold is if Covid forces the first and second teams to miss out which, in all honesty, isn't that unlikely.

England's test resources bowling-wise are rather precarious. Anderson and Broad nearing retirement (well I've been saying that for five years at least, maybe they'll play for ever?), Wood/Archer/Stone all having an array of fitness issues, and Woakes and Curran only useful in home conditions.

Anyway, T20s start tonight v Pakistan. Confident? You should be.

England will be chasing down something big. Pakistan 75/0 after 9. Strangely no sixes (yet).

Not as much as they should be. This has been a diabolical innings from Rizwan, even with those last two boundaries!

I don’t need to be seeing Tom Curran’s crap slower balls anymore

So it’s 233 to win. Rizwan’s innings remains bad. Willey bowled decent I felt. Wonder if England go Bairstow and Roy to open? Malan was originally carded to.

Good chance for Livingstone and Ali to make a statement.

233's not impossible, but Pakistan obviously favourites. The psychological factor of having such a big number on the board can be pivotal.

Malan looks in horrid nick at the moment - chance now for Moeen/Livingstone and then Morgan (who also is out of nick)

Yeah, Malan getting out was a bonus for England, I think. Better out at that point than after making 15 off 24!

Good to see Roy landing a few blows.

Think that could be the game - Bairstow getting out. Fancy he was the one who could demolish the spin in the middle overs and go really big. Roy timing it nicely to say the least though!

Liam Livingstone casually hitting the fastest t20i fifty for England, beating the previous best by 4 balls

Ludicrous

Morgan having a bit of a stinker so far, clothing everything

Livingstone's certainly made an emphatic statement for a place over Ali in the first XI, whatever the result.

13.5 RRR for the last six. Just within reach but Livingstone has to bat through.

Gregory 9 (9) so far along with Morgan’s 16 (15) not really what’s needed

42-ball century from Livingstone, fastest ever by an Englishman. That'll do for me - get him in the regular top six.

Out next ball, shame. That's the game. But what an effort.

Think you can ink Livingstone into the WT20 starting line up. Brilliant knock. Brave from Shadab to keep chucking it up! But he has got his man.

Yeah fair to say Livingstone has separated himself from the other reserves - how you fit him in the top six however, different Q! (Atm on form Malan/Morgan looking over their shoulders, but a long way to go yet - and those warm up games in the sub continent before the world t20)

Incredible knock

Well bowled by Hasnain too - great figures

Super innings from Livingstone. With no one else going big , not quite enough to bring off the huge chase but really I am not worried about the batting however they end up ordering it when everyone is (hopefully) available. An oversupply of good options.

Bowling is the issue. And to be fair this was essentially a reserve attack (still a bit odd that Moeen was not used at all when everyone was getting battered ?) and it is is quite possible none of them will take part in the Wt20. Pakistan might struggle to reach 230 against Woakes Archer Wood Jordan Rashid (or S Curran and a dash of Stokes) but with Babar in form anything is possible...
Problem is that if you play t20 on short boundaries and flat pitch it can just turn into a six hitting contest - and players on both teams are well capable of hitting it right out of the ground anyway. All good fun but it does underline the fact that it is impossible to be sure who will win any single t20 match.

Even in the fifty over business the "better" team will win most of the time. This format , however , will always be highly unpredictable. Which is why I certainly wouldn't be placing any bets on the Wt20 ...

I forgot about Stokes, so I should have said get Livingstone in the top seven! Morgan's probably the 'weakest' batsman of the seven, but the captaincy makes his place secure.

Agree that the format is subject to more randomness, hence more difficulty in picking a winner. I think England/India/West Indies are the three clear front-runners. Behind them in the second-tier of possible winners I would have South Africa, Pakistan and (just about) Australia. Can't see anyone beyond those six as potential winners.

Morgan, Willey and Gregory out, Buttler, Jordan and Rashid come in. England overloading the team with leg-spinners! Pakistan unchanged and have decided to bowl first on an utterly scorching day across England's green and pleasant land.

Lively couple of overs 5 and 6

Blazing innings from Moeen brought to an end now - my fault : I had just tuned in and I seem to have a habit of catching him in moments of failure... Handy little knock anyway.

Run rate excellent. Three wickets gone but still plenty of batting and Buttler is enjoying himself...

127 off twelve...

Buttler timing the ball beautifully - and Livingstone picking up where he left off the other night.

Need plenty though : that bowling lineup might not strike terror into Pakistan later on...

153/5 now as Bairstow finds the long off fieldsman...

Nothing wrong with the scoring rate but England are in danger of running out of batting...longer tail than usual tonight.

But Livingstone has just hit one completely out of the ground ! That has just about gone into orbit

Keep giving him the strike , Tom

If I was Tom Curran, fighting for my place in the squad, I would not have run Liam Livingstone out.

JDizzle wrote:If I was Tom Curran, fighting for my place in the squad, I would not have run Liam Livingstone out.

Horrendous running by Curran, absolutely brain dead cricket

Ah rats...hexed him. Run out. 164/6 and with five overs left they might get bowled out. Going to struggle to get the big 200 plus they wanted now , I think.

Suppose the good thing about losing all these wickets is that Jordan gets a rare opportunity to have a bat...

Used to be a bit of an all rounder in this format but not usually required in recent times.

Curran gone now...they're not compromising on their "full speed ahead" policy. 182/7 with 16 balls left...

Got the 200 ... Just.

Less than it looked like being at halfway but still healthy. Guess there is always a risk when you've lost a couple of early wickets in t20 that with everyone going for it as soon as they walk in you can have a bit of a clatter of wickets and not have top order bats for the late overs...

Will it be enough ? Spin heavy England attack for a change. We will see.

Bit weird, but 200 seems a little light. Should still be enough, though Buttler/Moeen/Livingstone were threatening to take it up to 220+.

Yes you'd normally say 200 is plenty. But these last two games have been such a festival of six hitting it only seems a "decent" total. Think England will want to bowl a bit better than Friday if they're to defend it.
Could be more than half the overs from spinners - technically could be 16 with Moeen and Livingstone as well as Rashid and Parkinson !not expecting that but they do have a bit of flexibility.

Safe start from Pakistan if not rocket like. 35 off four. But they accelerated well the other day so I'd rather like to see a wicket or two early on...

Got my wish...

Strange shot from Babar to a short ball from Mahmood...and he's gone . 51/1 after the power play.

Advantage England , I think.

Moeen gets a rare chance to bowl...

Might be having mixed feelings about it after being launched into the stands and then edged for four . Fourteen off the over.

Pakistan won't die wondering. Parkinson next to the launching pad...

Spin all over and Rashid has his man...neat bit of stumping from Buttler and most unusually the batsman walked even though 'twas quite close...

71/2 and Pakistan are slipping off the pace.

Should be done now, Rashid bowling one of his quality spells.

Three down, required rate over 12.

Good from the spin twins...tight bowling from Parkinson and Rashid has another with a great C&B...

82/3. England were 82/3 too...but a lot earlier !

Tough for Pakistan now.

And a change of fortune for Moeen with two wickets in an over...just about wraps this up , I think.

Jofra Archer plays for Sussex tonight. Some more good news for England.

Good to see Moeen come to the party, do think he is a good option in t20 with his hitting, especially of spin. And to see Livingstone continue his form, that six over the stand was one of the biggest I've ever seen!

Still a bit concerning re: Malan's form and ability to hit vs spin. He's had a stinker of a series so far, and with the backups in form, the pressure is on (same applies to Morgan).

Mahmood very good again, and Parkinson was canny also. Not sure I can see a way into the starting XI for Parkinson (bar a Rashid injury), but you'd think he'll be in the squad as the backup spin option come the World Cup.

With the T20 World Cup in the UAE Mo is a vital option in my opinion. His hitting of spin makes him a genuine option batting up the order but he can also fill that tough 7 role as someone who will hit from ball 1 and bowl.

Livingstone's six is definitely the biggest I've seen. The only hit from an England player I can think of seeming vaguely close would be Freddie putting Brett Lee onto some scaffolding on top of a stand during the '05 Ashes. That Headingley stand is big though and Livingstone cleared it. Ludicrous ball striking.

My two favourite sixes by Englishmen are a) Trescothick against Warne on the first morning at Edgbaston when he pinged him straight back over his head and really laid down the marker that this is how we play him now.

And then b) this one from Morgan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1AA00viotY

What a noise.

JDizzle wrote:My two favourite sixes by Englishmen are a) Trescothick against Warne on the first morning at Edgbaston when he pinged him straight back over his head and really laid down the marker that this is how we play him now.

And then b) this one from Morgan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1AA00viotY

What a noise.

They’re good, but none are quite Jason Roy’s third six off that Steve Smith over in the World Cup semi final

https://youtu.be/y8qNPM_jm6A

Series decider today up in Manchester. Fantastic weather as well. Pakistan have won the toss and will bat.

Morgan and Willey in, Parkinson and T Curran out. The batting for England is absolutely stuffed with Livingstone at 7.

154/6 from Pakistan, mostly down to Rizwan's battling and sparkling efforts. A decent score on this pitch, big boundaries too, but England are favourites at this point. Rashid returned good figures, while Malan's fielding fell short of the top standard again.

Would have thought today was the perfect time for Moeen to bat above Bairstow, with lots of spin being bowled given he plays it well.

Anyhow, Bairstow is out anyway!

Malan modelling himself on a Rory Burns Blast innings goes for 31 off 33 and leaves others to get him and his side out of trouble.

Got to love Livingstone monstering a six in a pressure situation, on his first ball at the crease.

Out next ball. But only six needed off the last.