English Domestic Cricket

[MUFC1987]

What a game. Terrible pitch though, just dangerous really. Trego hitting Ervine in the throat may stay with me for a while.

Pollard looks the business for us. Bat, ball or in the field.

 

[King Pietersen]

:laugh That is ridiculous. Lost 6 wickets for 4 runs from the last 18 deliveries. Pathetic. How on earth did we manage to bollocks that up? Hilarious that only 1 batsman managed double figures too, awful. Good effort from Somerset at the end though, Pollard and Thomas were magnificent. Any chance of us stealing Thomas? Best death bowler in England AFAIC.

 

[War]

:laugh @ Chaminda Vaas opening the batting.

 

[treva]

Recording the highlights of the Somerset game. Interested to see how bad the pitch really was. 7 wickets for 4 runswith Hampshire needing just 15 more to win? Unbelievable.

 

[War]

We must remember that all these innings are against county bowlers so we might as well disregard them as the county bowlers are all so dreadful...

:laugh. You cant mock the facts. But of the list of performances KP listed some can be discounted, while some cant be taken serious.

- Prior opening the batting & scoring 90 @ that rate. Certainly can be discounted. Since we all know of his struggles opening the batting in ODIs & T20s againts international quality bowlers. Thats why he was dropped. Hamish Marshall opening the bowling should tell you everything..

- Alex Hales performances can be taken seriously. Just watching him bat its fairly obvious he is natural power-hitter & is one of the more exciting young talents we have. I certainly expect him to play appear in the ODI & T20 side within the next 2-3 years. He just looks the part.

- Ian Blackwell's performances can be looked at in two ways. He scored his runs opening the batting, thats not a position if he ever gets recalled to England side that he will ever play or have success in @ international level.

But Blackie is always an interesting player. I know the selectors have an eye on him. So good runs this season could but him in consideration for the 2011 WC as the spin-bowling all-round. Battling with Yardy & Patel.

- Bell performances just shows he is very good form. Nothing more.


- Ross Taylor & Pollard are proven T20 players worldwide. They have done what the counties have signed them for.

 

[Mike23]

:laugh @ Chaminda Vaas opening the batting.

He did score a half century though!

 

[Chewie]

He did score a half century though!

His first ever T20 one too :o

 

[War]

He did score a half century though!

Yes but we are talking about a retired Chaminda Vaas here. Even at his peak as international batsman, he would have never opened in a T20 even an emergency situation for SRI. Since obviously he would be joke opening againts international new-ball bowlers.

So the fact that a retired Vaas can come to English domestic cricket & do well opening in a T20. Is just another disheartening sign for the county game.

 

[MUFC1987]

It's called a pinch hitter. He opened, he probably swung the bat a lot and got a bit of luck. It's hardly the death knell of English Cricket. There are plenty of sub-standard players who have flayed International attacks once or twice, I doubt said International teams went into panic mode just because someone once scored a 50 against them though.

 

[War]

It's called a pinch hitter. He opened, he probably swung the bat a lot and got a bit of luck. It's hardly the death knell of English Cricket. There are plenty of sub-standard players who have flayed International attacks once or twice, I doubt said International teams went into panic mode just because someone once scored a 50 against them though.

I'm not saying its the death of English cricket. But SRI would have never opened with Vaas in a pinch hitting role.

What is troubling is that for the longest while in domestic cricket. Alot of retired pros & test match failures from ENG & overseas have tended to play in domestic cricket & have done well.

The likes of Hick & Ramprakash test failures continuing to dominate county attacks nearing age 40.

- Caddick opening to bowling for Somerset nearing age 40 & doing well after he retired & being one of the leading wicket takers in FC cricket.

- Mushtaq Ahmed dominating county batsmen. But when picked for Pakistan he coudn't replicate that same level of effectivness @ international level.

- Ottis Gibson being the leading wicket-taker in our 1st Division in 2007 @ age 38. A player who is pure county journeyman & even the woeful windies would never have picked.

- Makhaya Ntini this season after being dropped after being piss poor in test cricket between 2008-2009/10. Suddenly coming to county cricket & having a good season for Warwickshire.

- Mark Ealham doing well in FC cricket @ an advanced age as well. After he was a clear test match failure. Why didn't young players push him out?.

- Darren Gough still managing to do well in List A cricket circa 2004-2006 & being foolishly picked by the ENG selectors. When it was obvious he had declined horrifically as force at international level.

And the list goes on..

 

[MUFC1987]

Well, incase you didn't notice, Domestic cricket is not of the same standard as Test cricket, so of course players who don't have glittering Test careers are going to do well, that's just life. It happens everywhere. The thing that gets me though, is that if it was some 20 year old dominating, you'd be saying exactly the same thing, only about young players and showing how weak it is. It just seems like we can't win with you or something.

 

[War]

Well, incase you didn't notice, Domestic cricket is not of the same standard as Test cricket, so of course players who don't have glittering Test careers are going to do well, that's just life.

Yes of course domestic cricket & international cricket isn't of the same standard in most countries except for AUS & SA in the modern era.

But in England the gap has widened considerably since the 70s. When where the best team in the world during the 1950s. Plus during the 60s & 70s. County cricket was of a very high standard.

We have had a situation in England where too much test failures/discarded players/player past their international peak local & foreign come to county cricket & dominate. WHich isn't good for English cricket, since those players doing well aren't aiding in the development of the talented local players.

It happens everywhere. The thing that gets me though, is that if it was some 20 year old dominating, you'd be saying exactly the same thing, only about young players and showing how weak it is. It just seems like we can't win with you or something.

Surely seeing a 20 year old local english batsman or fast bowler/spinner being the leading run-scorer/wicket-taker in doemstic cricket (divison 1 or 2). Is better than seeing than seeing Rampraskash, Di Venuto or Mushtaq Ahmed or Charl Willoughby doing it??

 

[MUFC1987]

It seems to me that you're changing what you're saying here. Of course everybody would love to see 21 year old English players come in and take their places, but they're not for a reason. Those players you mentioned are there on merit.

Your comparisons with Australia and South African domestic systems seem odd to me. I mean sure, they don't have as many overseas players, but I'd say that's down to how many teams there are. Yet, you still saw Jason Gillespie go home after the 2005 Ashes, where he looked terrible and take wickets at 21 in the Pura Cup. Then you see the likes of Darren Lehmann, still feasting on Aussie bowling attacks into his later years, so for me it happens everywhere. The issue on overseas/kolpak players is a different one to this age debate for me.

 

[angryangy]

I agree that one good score by a hack shouldn't mean repercussions for the greater competition, but it does seem as though the competition is favouring the batsmen a little bit excessively. There might be a lack of quality bowling on offer, but I suspect there's also a general lack of killer instinct. Fatal risks are a habit in T20; it should be possible for fairly average talents to beat the batsman by out-thinking them. Ross Taylor is especially true of this; he's a danger-man, no doubt, but not a superman. He has weaknesses that are visible in international cricket; there's no excuse for not knowing.

 

[MUFC1987]

T20 is about big scores, which is why everyone on the county circuit has brought their boundaries in, so they're tiny. Hence why players are scoring more, as shots which would be caught in the deep are easily carrying for six. It's not ideal, but it's what the crowd wants to see and Counties need the money from full houses.