England's Summer of Cricket 2022 as Joe Root Steps Down

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Joe Root has decided to step down from the captaincy. Main problem now is - who should take over?

Stokes is the only one really in contention. But should he be lumbered with the captaincy? His workload is immense as it is. But if he doesn't take the job, then who?

Let's hope Root's stepping down doesn't effect his batting! Captaincy cares hardly showed in his stats over the last few months.

Leach obviously recovered well so reasonable he plays - Parkinson got some good experience but logical enough to think if Leach was first choice a week ago he still should be. I did think the extra seamer might have been tried but presumably Stokes feels fine to bowl despite the minor scare at nets the other day.

Still a long tail but not a lot they can do about that. Was pleasing to see Foakes doing a good support job for Root the other day - should boost his confidence. Can't see him making big scores but sensible displays like that can go some way to extend what is still (at present) a pretty fragile looking batting list.

Hoping for a far better return from the specialist bats to assist Root this time round. Fair criticism thrown at them ; but worth noting that even without Root's scores England's main batsmen manged 131 between them against a total of 50 from NZ's from the two innings...suggesting it wasn't an easy pitch to bat on against the new ball. Remains to be seen what this next one will be like...

The idea of a Moeen return was broached by the England coach himself, and he suggested even Buttler could be a serious possibility. there were speculations that Moeen might not be totally closed to the idea... But at his age, think that's probably like the Return of ABD for South Africa. Quite unlikely to happen, howsoever mediocre the English spin options are at the moment.

Everyone has a lot more faith in sports teams to make decisions that are best for the players health and for the team than me! Hopefully you are all right and Leach is completely recovered.

Rashid has been mooted about wanting a come back too. I wouldn’t touch either him or Moeen again. My only takeaway is how toxic was the dressing room culture that they wanted out under Silverwood and now are happy to come back in.

JDizzle wrote:Everyone has a lot more faith in sports teams to make decisions that are best for the players health and for the team than me! Hopefully you are all right and Leach is completely recovered.

Rashid has been mooted about wanting a come back too. I wouldn’t touch either him or Moeen again. My only takeaway is how toxic was the dressing room culture that they wanted out under Silverwood and now are happy to come back in.

I'd question whether Leach was concussed or not in the first place, it was convenient for him to fail the initial stage of the protocols so a replacement could be called up. Hopefully the protocols have been followed correctly but it wouldn't be the first time a team has bent them to suit.

Not sure England were gaming the system to get Parkinson in? If they thought he was the better bowler he would have played to start with. Leach's batting and fielding are both better than Parkinson's - the guy who actually batted below Jimmy Anderson!

VTR wrote:Not sure England were gaming the system to get Parkinson in? If they thought he was the better bowler he would have played to start with. Leach's batting and fielding are both better than Parkinson's - the guy who actually batted below Jimmy Anderson!

That wouldn't be the issue though, if Leach was carrying a niggle in his shoulder for instance you wouldn't be able to replace him but say it's concussion and you can.

Got you, didn't realise you were referring to another injury. Doesn't look to be the case here, but do agree it's a system that could be open to abuse

JDizzle wrote:Everyone has a lot more faith in sports teams to make decisions that are best for the players health and for the team than me! Hopefully you are all right and Leach is completely recovered.

Rashid has been mooted about wanting a come back too. I wouldn’t touch either him or Moeen again. My only takeaway is how toxic was the dressing room culture that they wanted out under Silverwood and now are happy to come back in.

Mo's burnout in Test cricket probably goes back further than Silverwood to be fair. Up and down the order. First choice spinner. Batter who can bowl spin. Bit of both. Then he struggled with the travel that comes from England's ridiculous schedule.

His batting was very found out by Test seamers. Bowl short or hang it just outside off are easy game plans for Test bowlers. Given Mo came to spin later being found out as a batter was probably tough mentally. Even if his bowling was the more useful skillset at Test level he will view himself as a batter. Being 'worked out' must be a brutal thing.

Dilly's shoulder always seemed the main barricade there. Plus his issues with the Yorkshire setup at one time meaning he wouldn't have played FC cricket if fit to do so.

Cricinfo reckoning that Nicholls will return and will replace CdG, with the top four remaining untouched and Mitchell and Blundell moving down a place. Wagner or Henry to come in for the unloved Patel.

England's team unchanged as is known. Huge pressure on the top three, all of whom can't be too far away from the drop. Will be interesting to see how Anderson and Broad cope with back-to-back tests.

No problems with the weather which means you can count the draw out. Root and Foakes humbled me last time, but I can't see the Kiwis losing two on the bounce.

Williamson tests positive for Covid and is out of T2.

Swift recovery Kane - but England will be desperate to capitalise.

Minor boost for England, but nothing substantial. Williamson not in any sort of form and his captaincy is nothing special, but he is a talismanic figure for New Zealand. Of course, the Kiwis may gain extra motivation which will enable them to win it for Kane.

Wonder how he got Covid but no else did. Hope the test still goes ahead later.

England win the toss and bowl - NZ would've done the same.

NZ team is - Latham, Young, Conway, Nicholls, Mitchell, Blundell, Bracewell, Jamieson, Southee, Henry, Boult

Still no Wagner

Conditions don't look too bad, so I'm surprised at the thinking of both teams, but a chance for England to put instant pressure on the yet-to-fire Kiwi top four.

Slightly surprised at the decision to bowl first. But bowling first didn't do any harm in the end last week so I suppose it is hardly a shock. Likely to be something for the seamers early on at least. Trust the three England boys had enough rest with the early finish , so should be good to go again.

NZ prefer Henry over Wagner : guess they expect movement throughout. Certainly they aren't bothered about the possibility of spinners having anything to interest them ...

Looks a good batting day to me. Only the merest hint of swing and the bounce is good, outfield's fast.

Latham left well in the first test, always a good sign for a batsman, and he's doing the same here.

No great movement first few overs. Maybe as the lacquer wears off we will see a bit more ?

Young very watchful. Latham a couple of nice shots already. Some slightly risky singles being taken though !

It was a good toss for England to lose last week (albeit they squandered their advantage by stumps on day one), seems like a good one for NZ to lose this week. Broad's pace also seems down, a lot of his deliveries around 79-80mph.

Solid start NZ so far. Broad not quite on it this morning though Anderson has bowled some testing stuff. Potts time now...

They forgot Guildford's golden toss rule - look down, look up and then choose to bat first

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:They forgot Guildford's golden toss rule - look down, look up and then choose to bat first

Sure a lot of people thinking that at the moment : bats not looking troubled at all. But also remember Benaud's policy of not judging a "send in" choice at 11.30 - wait until 6.

Does seem all very straight up and down at present though. Wonder if they will be seeking to change the ball soon

Certainly if they negotiate this first hour NZ will be well pleased. Nearly there...

Good over rate for a change !

Duty281 wrote:Broad's pace also seems down, a lot of his deliveries around 79-80mph.

Should have given Potts the new ball instead to get him wound up.

47/0 off the first 14 a very good hour for NZ

England might be happy to take a drink break. Bit more for Stokes to think about re bowling changes than early on at Lord's ...

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:They forgot Guildford's golden toss rule - look down, look up and then choose to bat first

Yep, on winning the toss, the captain has two options. Bat or think about it and then bat. 

Back your batters to put scoreboard pressure on the opposition. Ok, that's a dinosaur approach but what's wrong with that? Dinosaurs ruled the earth for about 175 million years which is considerably more than us. 

Anyway, Latham and Young playing well more than an hour into this Test and backing me up as they take the score to 54/0.

England struggle with the old ball, so the fact they've done very little with the new ball and taken no wickets in the first fifteen is a huge concern. Leach will be getting through a score's worth of overs today. Stokes will have to bowl a handful which isn't ideal with his side strain.

It'll be an interesting test to see if England can bowl dry, restrict the run-rate and put pressure on the Kiwis that way, something that the hosts usually find difficult to do.

That lbw shout from Potts? Stokes calling it right not to review on height but I want to see Foakes getting involved there and sticking his oar in. Whilst his glovework is close to immaculate, he needs to impose himself on the team and the match.

Worst possible start to Stokes' spell : short rubbish , hit for four - and a no ball to boot

And another no ball now !

All NZ at present. Rattling along at nearly four per over...

I remember when England scored 400 in a day at Edgbaston in 2005, NZ might fancy doing the same at Trent Bridge today.

Stokes has no radar, Broad's bowling lollipops and the ball's doing nothing.

New Zealand are doing it again - two wickets in two balls. Out of nothing.

Ha... Just when nothing is happening and I leave the room for two minutes...bang ...bang !

Good ball from Stokes ; careless shot from Latham...two nice catches.

84/2 and two new men in...

Sir Geoffrey strikes!

Good low slip catch by Crawley to get rid of Young off Stokes. And now Latham goes  - fine take by Potts off Anderson although possibly with a touch of Hollywood about the dive. 

Although I was far from happy with our decision to bowl, I did feel Duty was being a bit quick in fearing the visitors might have posted 400 tonight. Those two wickets will certainly slow down the scoring rate.

guildfordbat wrote:Sir Geoffrey strikes!

Good low slip catch by Crawley to get rid of Young off Stokes. And now Latham goes  - fine take by Potts off Anderson although possibly with a touch of Hollywood about the dive. 

Although I was far from happy with our decision to bowl, I did feel Duty was being a bit quick in fearing the visitors might have posted 400 tonight. Those two wicketswill certainly slow down the scoring rate.

Or not another 18 added in three overs since...

Like the NZ approach today. Busy ; not too many risks but they've been keen to run and quick to pounce on anything loose.

The two wickets bring England back a bit into it ; but still NZ session if these two make it to luncheon. One more over ?

108/2. Twenty boundaries in one session!

England fortunate to get two wickets in that session. The one to dismiss Young was a good set-up and dismissal, but Latham gifted his wicket with a poor shot.

Definitely a good toss to lose. If New Zealand don't make 400+ on this (they can take longer than a day if they wish!) it'll be a chance missed. Anderson the pick of the bowlers by far. Alfie may need to leave the room eight more times.

guildfordbat wrote:That lbw shout from Potts? Stokes calling it right not to review on height but I want to see Foakes getting involved there and sticking his oar in. Whilst his glovework is close to immaculate, he needs to impose himself on the team and the match.

I was hoping his runs in T1 might add some confidence there. It's all too easy as a keeper-batter to let batting form affect keeping. I've felt that might've been the case with Foakes not asserting himself, being less vocal than he has been in CC and making uncharacteristic mistakes with the gloves.

It's an interesting thing in cricket that 'form' with the gloves is so rarely spoken about. In fact just about the only time it's mentioned is when someone points out it's lack of discussion. Goal keepers get talked about that way, wicket-keepers should too.

Especially with keeping really as if you're unsettled or lacking confidence you tend to tense up, get hard hands, move too early or too late, etc. Keeping is best done relaxed from personal experience (albeit in a different universe to Foakes ability wise!), it's tough to be relaxed as a modern keeper if you're having a torrid time with the bat.

I've not seen any action this morning but reading back here is it even more dire than the scorecard suggests...?

alfie wrote:

guildfordbat wrote:Sir Geoffrey strikes!

Good low slip catch by Crawley to get rid of Young off Stokes. And now Latham goes  - fine take by Potts off Anderson although possibly with a touch of Hollywood about the dive. 

Although I was far from happy with our decision to bowl, I did feel Duty was being a bit quick in fearing the visitors might have posted 400 tonight. Those two wicketswill certainly slow down the scoring rate.

Or not  another 18 added in three overs since...

Like the NZ approach today. Busy ; not too many risks but they've been keen to run and quick to pounce on anything loose.

The two wickets bring England back a bit into it ; but still NZ session if these two make it to luncheon. One more over ?

Yeah, not - so far anyway. I do feel though that 2 more wickets in the middle session are quite possible and that may even start to give us the edge. First session to NZ, as you say, Alfie - not nearly as much though as when they were 84/0.

No change after lunch. England continue to pitch it up, NZ continue to score. Run-rate over 4.5.

England have to drag their lengths back.

king_carlos wrote:Keeping is best done relaxed from personal experience...

A bit like moving house I'd expect.

Hey honey! Don't drop that refrigerator! It might help if you bend the knees a bit bit more... and relax if you can.

And when you're finished - can you help me look for my cricket scorecards? They must be in one of these boxes somewhere....

Runs continue to flow...England forced to set slightly more defensive fields : this is a fast scoring ground , in truth.

Ah...so nearly for Broad ! Crawley can't hang on to that at second slip : first one England gave dropped in the series.

Difficult one , in fairness. But Broad will not be happy...

Would have been a simple catch for Root, but Crawley intercepted it like a goal keeper.

Don't want to be dropping Nicholls.

alfie wrote:Runs continue to flow...England forced to set slightly more defensive fields : this is a fast scoring ground , in truth.

Ah...so nearly for Broad ! Crawley can't hang on to that at second slip : first one England gave dropped in the series.

Difficult one , in fairness. But Broad will not be happy...

Thought that was a bad miss. Not so much Crawley failing to hold on but him going for it when it was more for Root and certainly carrying to him. Hussain and particularly Atherton being (overly) sympathetic and talking about England's new style being to go for everything and not hold back - I get that but it needs to be combined with balance and judgement which Crawley lacked there.

Potts has not been good so far

Pal Joey wrote:

king_carlos wrote:Keeping is best done relaxed from personal experience...

A bit like moving house I'd expect.

Hey honey! Don't drop that refrigerator! It might help if you bend the knees a bit bit more... and relax if you can.

And when you're finished - can you help me look for my cricket scorecards? They must be in one of these boxes somewhere....

Oh, and darling, while you find my ear piece, I'm just going to sit in the removals van with the guys and listen to the Test on their radio ....

That was a much better spell from Broad, pace and intensity well up, but NZ got through it without loss due to Crawley's drop.

Sets New Zealand up well for the afternoon.

Potts finding out that this Test Cricket isn't always as easy as it might have seemed last week...though he nearly had one then : not sure Stokes could have got there even had he not stumbled anyway.

Agree , by the way , Crawley would have been better advised to leave that chance for Root. But you don't have much time in slips to make the decision , do you...if he'd held it , would have all been "what a blinder !" We were rather spoiled last match as everything stuck. Unfortunate time to miss one as chances few and far between today...

NZ have a chance to really make the most of this good start. Probably glad to have lost the toss now the way things have turned out

Now ...has this carried ? Potts claiming it...

TV umpire says no. Not going England's way this afternoon.

Was a good spell from Broad , and Jimmy looking quite dangerous here ; but NZ bats still unmoved and looking good at 158/2. England need some magic from somewhere.

Stokes provides the magic with one that moves away late to get Nicholls. Not a comfortable stay on his return to the game.

161/3. Any time NZ threaten to pull away, England drag it back.

Ha ... Done it again : believe it or not I left the room to close a passage door just as Stokes bowled to Nicholls

Just have to keep mobile I think...

alfie wrote:Ha ... Done it again : believe it or not I left the room to close a passage door just as Stokes bowled to Nicholls

Just have to keep mobile I think...

Alfie you're not allowed back in your living room for at least the rest of today

Didn't need to move for that one ! Top bowling from Anderson ...the dangerous Conway gone and 169/4 looks a lot different...

Some good bowling over the last forty five minutes or so . Getting some reward for it at last. Two new bats together now so the run up to tea will be significant.

Lovely from Ole Jimbo, deserved as well. Frustration for NZ that all of the top four faced more than fifty balls, but none made a substantial score.

Now it's the partnership that caused England strife in the first test.

Oh dear, Root's dropped a sitter.