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

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Duty281 wrote:What do we think of the future of ODI cricket as a whole, because its demise is once again being discussed?

Wasim Akram thinks ODI cricket should be put out of its misery; Mark Ramprakash says that Stokes' ODI retirement could be the beginning of the end for ODI cricket; but Ravi Shastri says there should be fewer T20Is.

My view is that ODI cricket should stay, and it's T20i cricket that should be abolished. T20 should remain franchise/domestic only. No need for a T20 World Cup when the IPL and such exists. If T20i cricket does stay, I think there should be no three format players, only two formats maximum. I'd be very disappointed if 50-over cricket died on an international basis.  

No format will die as long as they are generating revenues.
And much as I used to call them Meaningless-Masala-ODIs, these games as well as meaningless T20Is generate more revenue then tests.
Instead of 5 to 7 ODIs per series earlier...now limited over series comprise of 3+3.
Test Matches, "The Premium Form" of the game per purists ( including me) is still the commercially subsidized format of the game.
Now the defeats in ODIs/T20Is don't hurt as much, nor are wins remembered for long, only World Cups stay in memory.
But the international games generate high viewership rating & expensive advertisements (atleast on Indian TV)

As I wrote on the Ind-WI thread, the Indians have stopped complaining about too much cricket.
BCCI has found peace by putting out as many as 2 and a half to 3 squads now...call them Senior (or premium) and A and B squads for international games.
Ensuring prime stars get plenty of rest / rotation......and the pool of contracted players gets bigger and everyone gets full contracted fee, playing lesser games
Recently we have seen 2 Indian series running concurrently and twice VVSL has been India's national coach for a series when Dravid was with another Indian squad at the same time in another series.

If a marquee player Stokes was under BCCI management.....BCCI would have NEVER let him retire, would have done a sweet deal with him guaranteeing his workload across formats and asking him to appear for a very limited number of ODIs and T20Is and also letting him skip B grade test series.

No format will die since even these meaningless ODI&T20Is are indeed generating revenues, that are essential to subsidize tests and pump into FC, junior and women cricket development

36/6 the stuff of nightmares for SA. Robinson having a dream spell...though that was a poor shot in these circumstances.

Jansen batted well at Lord's : not much after him so the tourists will be praying for him to do so again...

Should’ve figured SA would be this bad as soon as Elgar said this is like a “world cup final for us”…

England lose a review...Foakes and Stokes were a bit overexcited then I think. Suppose everyone is pretty revved up at the moment...

Another wasted review. Unnecessarily rash. Always looked high and sliding down leg.

And again...

Bowling so far : 10/10

Reviews : Fail !

Jesus, Elgar is the only player in the batting line up with 1000 Test runs. I'm not sure we've had a team this inexperienced since at least the early 90s

Zondo has been defending pretty well so far...but he's tried a couple of wafts against Anderson there that might have brought trouble. Has to be feeling pressure to score as well , given the situation.

These two have actually nearly doubled the score so are doing a good job in the circumstances. If they can get to lunch...

Here's Jack Leach

In a three day match, we kinda had to collapse to stand a chance of winning anyway. But 69/6 is so bleak.

Was a decent second hour for SA apart from Mulder throwing his away. Zondo and Jansen battled away well against some very good bowling.

Hasn't lasted after the break though as Broad took only a few balls to send Zondo on his way for a fighting 23.

72/7. Jansen and Maharaj batted well together at Lord's : not sure England will start trying to bounce them again too quickly

I swear Broad has the worst luck with simple drops off his bowling - Foakes puts down Jansen with a dolly

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:I swear Broad has the worst luck with simple drops off his bowling - Foakes puts down Jansen with a dolly

He's been unlucky today...and now Pope has missed a harder one at slip. Went for four to add insult to injury : Broad not amused...

He has bowled very well and could easily have a lot more than two by now.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:I swear Broad has the worst luck with simple drops off his bowling - Foakes puts down Jansen with a dolly

And then later in the over Pope puts one down! Tougher, but probably should be taken more often than not

Foakes' place is under real threat I'd say, if his glovework isn't exemplary his batting isn't good enough.

31 overs down and this partnership is taking SA towards at least a chance of posting 150 plus...we know how much easier batting gets against these older balls. If this pair can reprise their Lord's efforts England will be regretting that missed chance...

Maharaj fell cheaply in Manchester - like his colleagues ; but he's a fighter with the bat and is doing a good job here along with Jansen.

Soul Requiem wrote:Foakes' place is under real threat I'd say, if his glovework isn't exemplary his batting isn't good enough.

Well he did get a hundred last start ! And all keepers drop some ; though perhaps he misses a few more for England than his most ardent advocates believed would ever happen. Still reckon he's a pretty good keeper.

Anyway I don't think he is under any immediate threat , especially with Bairstow currently out of action.

Richly deserved five for Robinson.

Takes him to 49 wickets already, averaging 19.6.

Five for Robinson...no mistake by Root and Jansen departs - Foakes will feel better for that

alfie wrote:

Soul Requiem wrote:Foakes' place is under real threat I'd say, if his glovework isn't exemplary his batting isn't good enough.

Well he did get a hundred last start !  And all keepers drop some ; though perhaps he misses a few more for England than his most ardent advocates believed would ever happen. Still reckon he's a pretty good keeper.

Anyway I don't think he is under any immediate threat , especially with Bairstow currently out of action.

I'd completely forgotten about the century last time out!

His batting overall does need to improve as these drops are happening quite regularly now.

Rewards at last for Broad as Maharaj drags on... 110/9 - which is more than I thought they'd get from 36/6 but still isn't looking too healthy...

118ao. Fine effort from Broad and Robinson, but some of that SA batting left a lot to be desired!

It's not the easiest pitch to bat on, plenty of extra bounce and the new ball does a lot, so SA are still in the game, even though SA don't have a lot of runs to play with.

All done at 118... Broad a well deserved 4/41 along with Robinson's Michelle...

The start the home team wanted. But as we always say , wait until both teams have batted. SA will come out punching with the ball.

Typical Lees innings. A few bright shots and gone... Nice ball from Jansen ; but I'm not seeing a long career for Lees unless he starts to produce some serious scores very soon.

17/1. Can we hope to give Root a bit longer to put his feet up before another one falls ?

Lees is running out of time. An average of 28 in his first ten innings, but in his last eight innings he's only averaged 16.5, taking his career average down to 23.

Zak Crawley is too tall to be a Test opener.

Crawley gone to Jansen...out for just five and a real Shane Watson review waste to boot...

43/2 a familiar sight to Joe Root.

kingraf wrote:Zak Crawley is too tall to be a Test opener.

A shame Will Jefferson never got a go, you'd have had kittens over him!

Pope is looking really good here. Positive but not reckless. I reckon he's on for a proper score. Especially at this ground.

(He'll be out in a minute)

Duty281 wrote:Lees is running out of time. An average of 28 in his first ten innings, but in his last eight innings he's only averaged 16.5, taking his career average down to 23.

I also have a perception that he is getting bowled a lot. Anyone any idea if the stats back that up?

84/2 off 16 at tea. Pope and Root both looking to score whenever they get a chance and closing in on that meagre SA total quite rapidly.

We know Pope likes batting here : he certainly seems confident - though he has had a spot or two of luck with some of his more venturesome sorties down the pitch.

Fair to say the SA bowling has been rather ordinary , apart from Jansen who is having a good match.

VTR wrote:

Duty281 wrote:Lees is running out of time. An average of 28 in his first ten innings, but in his last eight innings he's only averaged 16.5, taking his career average down to 23.

I also have a perception that he is getting bowled a lot. Anyone any idea if the stats back that up?

Bowled 5 times in 18 innings (four times this summer), also been run-out twice.

VTR wrote:

Duty281 wrote:Lees is running out of time. An average of 28 in his first ten innings, but in his last eight innings he's only averaged 16.5, taking his career average down to 23.

I also have a perception that he is getting bowled a lot. Anyone any idea if the stats back that up?

Bowled in five of his 18 Test innings - and lbw four times. So quite a lot - though the overall sample isn't that big. Contrast Crawley , bowled six times in 50 innings. But then again Pope has been bowled 15 times out of 47 so not sure what all that proves...

Hmm. Tea break , Jansen , and a great catch by Petersen does for Joe Root who is having a very poor series against SA.

Just what the tourists needed. (why they omitted Jansen in Manchester is beyond me !)

Brook on debut... Will be a tough start with Jansen and the sometimes erratic but also dangerous Nortje...

Pope hasn't had to run much - 9 boundaries in his 42 so far. Has been very strong on the leg side...fair to say he's been served a few pies...

Brook won't be too unhappy with his first scoring shot

Someone tell umpire Kettleborough he doesn’t have to sprint off everytime he feels a spot of rain

Very annoying shower stopping play...

I looked at the forecast earlier today and thought it was supposed to be bright and sunny around five...but I would never trust a British weather forecast


Brook has started well...

Barely an umbrella up in the stands, which are still pretty packed…yet they’re bringing on the big sheets cos cricket - crowd sound pretty restless

It's been a very disappointing effort from South Africa, Jansen apart. They've played like a team that's mentally on the plane home.

The bowlers haven't shown up today, but I do think some of it is a continuation of the batting performance. Specifically, Elgar is supposedly a rah-rah leader who isn't afraid to get uncomfortable and demand a lot of his players. That's all well and good, but I don't know how effective that kind of "get your sh.it together" sermon is when you look at the scoreboard and he's been rolled again.

Bit of life though at 107/4. If England get all out for 200, words like "cricket is a funny game" will start getting blurted out.

Brooks looks fine enough. Doesn't seem great at getting forward though. Nothing really to glean from the dismissal. England are clearly trying to get a move on to force a result

Rats ...Brook throws it away after the resumption , lofts a pull to give Jansen his fourth...

These breaks in play have worked well for SA ... Last two wickets falling with no addition to the score after resuming...bit careless by England.

Nearly up to the SA score ; but only Foakes and the bowlers after these two so they are not yet in a dominant position.

Fifty for Pope

Not the most convincing shot but he'll take the boundary...important runs in the context of what may well be a low scoring match.

I know they want to be positive but I wonder if England might think about being a little more conservative against Jansen and collecting the easier runs the other end ?

Level scores

Pope has played well but he isn't half having some good fortune...that one leapt at him and might have gone anywhere but flew over slips for another four...Rabada leaking like a sieve though you can't blame him for that one !

Stokes goes, and the "cricket is a funny game" choir begins to warm up. 129/5. If something could go to hand off Pope, this could get interesting

Stokes gone after a rather loose innings all round...SA working their way back into this match and England are guilty of some rather careless batting since tea. Might not end up with a very significant lead at all...

It's been too attacking from England, they could have been positive without being as reckless. Once you roll the opposition for so few in hardly any overs, there was then plenty of time without trying to play T20

Could be 20 wickets in a (abbreviated) day here.

Yeah now Pope has gone ...six out and just the bowlers to come so SA will feel they are right back in the match now.

Not happy with the batting since tea. Positive - fine. But a couple of those dismissals were just very poor shot selection ; and a potentially strong position is being frittered away. Might only need two days to settle this match !

Very poor from England, they've handed a way back in for the opposition. I thought we saw improvement in the last test, where Stokes and Foakes initially grinded and then attacked for a match-winning partnership. But now we're back to swing and hope.

Yeah I was surprised Stokes played so recklessly : he took a completely different approach in Manchester and it worked beautifully ...why change today ?

And since the donated wickets fell , the bowling has suddenly become nearly unplayable at times ...guess the conditions are more bowler-friendly now ; but all the more reason to be just a little more careful until the ball gets really soft , no ?

At least the Night Hawk has raised the 150

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Barely an umbrella up in the stands, which are still pretty packed…yet they’re bringing on the big sheets cos cricket - crowd sound pretty restless

What are these umpires on? Blue sky and they’re taking them off for light!