General Cricket Discussion

[Aislabie]

@wasteyouryouth I've decided to throw up a Bazball batting order for every side that I can think of with the guys they have carrying on from our previous discussion.

Starting with Australia...

David Warner
Nic Maddinson
Travis Head
Steve Smith
Glenn Maxwell
Cameron Green
Josh Inglis

• Warner is tailor made for this approach and he's the perfect opener you'd want from this era. Partnering him will not be the stodgy Khawaja from Queensland but it'll be Maddo who has honed the art of Bazballing on the roads of Junction Oval and MCG.
  
  
• Over at three Labuschagne will make way for a promoted Head in a very Pope esque move as Head's deficiencies against spin are shielded and he's just purely tasked with deploying those drives instead (yes Labu has the superior test SR over Head by 0.01 but Head's the more aggressive one and a side could always use more Head, trust me).
  
  
• There's no stopping Smith from playing in this lineup though, he's the best since Bradman and he'll be unburdened in this lineup with encouragement to play like the side's seven down. Maxwell will finally get justice in this side for all those years of FC performances and he'll be backed to the end.
  
  
• Green's the most traditional batter in this side but his raw talent and balance he offers means he'll have to grudgingly play in this side... we'll make a Stokes out of him soon enough. Carey's got some impressive aggressive performances in this side but Inglis is a different class when it comes to hitting and so it'll be the British born keeper who will play ahead of him.

With noted activist Cummins leading the side and the Aussie version of nighthawk in Mitchell Starc also present... this side will be a mighty challenge for Baz's boys!

This is excellent content, although I cannot help but feel Travis Head would be a better Bazball opener than Nic Maddinson - his game is more fundamentally sound, and he also has scored rapid Test centuries before. Labuschagne can easily stay at three and just up his strike rate and then the rest all fits together pretty nicely. Now for a couple of these for myself; first, New Zealand:

Tom Latham
Tom Bruce
Glenn Phillips
Kane Williamson
Daryl Mitchell
Tom Blundell
Cole McConchie

Colin Munro and Colin de Grandhomme would have both walked into this one if not for retiring from red-ball cricket. Latham is 50/50 but his recent ODI exploits swung it for me; Tim Southee comes in as Nighthawk (TM) if it comes to it.

Janneman Malan
Joshua Richards
Tony de Zorzi
Rassie van der Dussen
Tristan Stubbs
Heinrich Klaasen
Wiaan Mulder

 

[Bevab]

This is excellent content, although I cannot help but feel Travis Head would be a better Bazball opener than Nic Maddinson - his game is more fundamentally sound, and he also has scored rapid Test centuries before. Labuschagne can easily stay at three and just up his strike rate and then the rest all fits together pretty nicely. Now for a couple of these for myself; first, New Zealand:

Tom Latham
Tom Bruce
Glenn Phillips
Kane Williamson
Daryl Mitchell
Tom Bruce
Cole McConchie

Colin Munro and Colin de Grandhomme would have both walked into this one if not for retiring from red-ball cricket. Latham is 50/50 but his recent ODI exploits swung it for me; Tim Southee comes in as Nighthawk (TM) if it comes to it.

Janneman Malan
Joshua Richards
Tony de Zorzi
Rassie van der Dussen
Tristan Stubbs
Heinrich Klaasen
Wiaan Mulder

NZ are perhaps the most difficult side to build a Bazball team with (ironic considering that it used to be his team once) so props to you for putting together a functional NZ side. Munro, CdG and Roscoe would have all benefitted from this approach I believe. Phillips is their best bet for a peak Bazball player and Bruce is a wildcard pick that I’m surprised I didn’t think of (not sure about him batting twice in an innings though). I’m not aware of how McConchie plays but Bracewell could always come in if he brings his LO hitting here. Finn Allen is another potential pick too… there’s no way he doesn’t play at least a couple of tests before his retirement.

 

[Aislabie]

I don’t think even Baz would push middle order batters into a test opening spot (even one with ‘limited’ limited overs opening experience like Inglis). The former two are fairly defensive too… is there no one else who’s even remotely in the class of Warner when it comes to aggression?

He absolutely would - Ben Duckett hadn't opened in years before this, and Zak Crawley 's pre-Baz runs had all come at number three so there's an argument that he was only an opener by virtue of happening to open

 

[Satan666]

TikTok - Make Your Day

Very nice!

 

[Bevab]

@wasteyouryouth @Aislabie time to do one for India, probably the easiest one to do.

Rohit Sharma/Mayank Agarwal
Shubman Gill
Shreyas Iyer
Virat Kohli
Rishabh Pant
Ravi Jadeja
Srikar Bharat

• The hipster in me wants to unleash Shaw here but Rohit’s got a very healthy strike rate himself as an opener and Mayank does the same too. The latter acts as the former’s backup as Rohit’s issues with fitness are well documented. Rohit’s a slightly slow starter but once he’s settled he can switch gears ludicrously well. Mayank can be swapped in for those games that need aggression right from the start.
• Gill’s perfect as the other opener. An extremely positive batter from the start, he’s got his issues with consistency and throwing away good starts but he is so glorious in full flow. The rich man’s Crawley in every sense.
• Shreyas is an easy choice at three as this is where he bats for Mumbai and the other competitors are all very defensive. He has a glaring weakness against the short ball and also issues with the moving ball (like Pope vs spin of any kind) but he’s another one who looks glorious when he gets it right.
• Kohli at four is a natural pick. Plays aggressive cricket with intent right off the bat and can back it up on the field too. He’ll also act as captain of this side because why not?
• Pant is perhaps the best Bazball player in test cricket right now. A rich man’s Bairstow if you will. In fact he is so essential to this side functioning well that we’ll play him as a specialist batter to keep him fresh for just smashing spinners and entertaining everyone else.
• Now Jadeja might appear limited in limited overs cricket but he’s a bonafide star in tests and can be very aggressive as proven by a career SR close to 60 and can also be conservative if needed. We won’t need the latter in this side and we will embrace the former. What we will also embrace is his ability to bowl lengthy spells with the ball that are very economical. Another player that fits the Bazball criteria in all three departments.
• Bharat at seven is just to free up Pant for slogging and to be the best gloveman in the world. A very Foakes like role if you will. He can also hold a bat adequately. If we need more batting depth, there’s always SKY or Sarfaraz Khan to debut instead here. Now that I think about it… Sarfaraz probably deserves to be in this side with the monstrous numbers he’s putting out there.
• Shami and Siraj are both capable of being nighthawks in this lineup while Bumrah can more than replicate Leach’s role as the guy who sticks around and can also score. Bumrah can also be the nighthawk in a pinch as the OG nighthawk will attest to.

The fact that this side could so easily play Bazball and are arguably even more suited to it makes it maddening that the Indian cricket side never tried to get Baz or even a Hesson in as their head coach. Speaks volumes about how much interest they truly have in wanting the side to meaningfully progress rather than in their own twisted and controlled way.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

@wasteyouryouth @Aislabie time to do one for India, probably the easiest one to do.

Rohit Sharma/Mayank Agarwal
Shubman Gill
Shreyas Iyer
Virat Kohli
Rishabh Pant
Ravi Jadeja
Srikar Bharat

• The hipster in me wants to unleash Shaw here but Rohit’s got a very healthy strike rate himself as an opener and Mayank does the same too. The latter acts as the former’s backup as Rohit’s issues with fitness are well documented. Rohit’s a slightly slow starter but once he’s settled he can switch gears ludicrously well. Mayank can be swapped in for those games that need aggression right from the start.
• Gill’s perfect as the other opener. An extremely positive batter from the start, he’s got his issues with consistency and throwing away good starts but he is so glorious in full flow. The rich man’s Crawley in every sense.
• Shreyas is an easy choice at three as this is where he bats for Mumbai and the other competitors are all very defensive. He has a glaring weakness against the short ball and also issues with the moving ball (like Pope vs spin of any kind) but he’s another one who looks glorious when he gets it right.
• Kohli at four is a natural pick. Plays aggressive cricket with intent right off the bat and can back it up on the field too. He’ll also act as captain of this side because why not?
• Pant is perhaps the best Bazball player in test cricket right now. A rich man’s Bairstow if you will. In fact he is so essential to this side functioning well that we’ll play him as a specialist batter to keep him fresh for just smashing spinners and entertaining everyone else.
• Now Jadeja might appear limited in limited overs cricket but he’s a bonafide star in tests and can be very aggressive as proven by a career SR close to 60 and can also be conservative if needed. We won’t need the latter in this side and we will embrace the former. What we will also embrace is his ability to bowl lengthy spells with the ball that are very economical. Another player that fits the Bazball criteria in all three departments.
• Bharat at seven is just to free up Pant for slogging and to be the best gloveman in the world. A very Foakes like role if you will. He can also hold a bat adequately. If we need more batting depth, there’s always SKY or Sarfaraz Khan to debut instead here. Now that I think about it… Sarfaraz probably deserves to be in this side with the monstrous numbers he’s putting out there.
• Shami and Siraj are both capable of being nighthawks in this lineup while Bumrah can more than replicate Leach’s role as the guy who sticks around and can also score. Bumrah can also be the nighthawk in a pinch as the OG nighthawk will attest to.

The fact that this side could so easily play Bazball and are arguably even more suited to it makes it maddening that the Indian cricket side never tried to get Baz or even a Hesson in as their head coach. Speaks volumes about how much interest they truly have in wanting the side to meaningfully progress rather than in their own twisted and controlled way.

I'd play Shaw instead of Gill, mostly for vibes but also because I'd want someone to set the tone. I think Mayank would be decent too and it's even tough on Rahul. Hardik at 7 in SENA or Washington Sundar at 7.

I do think an Indian Bazball team wouldn't really be complete without SKY, I think there might not be a batter out there who can manipulate the field to his will like him.

I'm not sure how long Foakes will last once Jonny Bairstow is fit. I know it's only one match, but how could they drop Brook now? He deserves at least as much rope as Crawley has had. Only change I could envisage, is at the top, if Duckett can't cement himself in the side. If everyone is fit and in form England might actually be struggling with who they should pick. Which is a very rare occurrence in test cricket.

 

[Aislabie]

@Bevab @wasteyouryouth - Sri Lanka are the most interesting one to think about for me personally, because they are usually the ones either who are either setting a trend or first to follow. So let's look at what their resources look like by making a shortlist:

Kithuruwan Vithanage - A middle-order attacker; has a Test strike rate of 76. BUT he's not played FC cricketvsince 2020 and is batting dreadfully.
Kusal Perera - Hugely high ceiling but limited consistency; has a Test strike rate of 72.
Sadeera Samarawickrama - Has a Test and first-class strike rate both in the 70s.
Niroshan Dickwella - Has a strike rate in Tests of 66 and first-class of 75; doomed to never score a century.
Dhananjaya de Silva - A middling Test strike rate of 56, but he's been the team's best player under pressure for a while.
Kusal Mendis - Has flattered to deceive for a while now, and scores his runs at only 55.
Dimuth Karunaratne - A noted defensive grinder who scores his runs at 50, but there are a lot of runs. Hasn't even played T20 since 2018.
Angelo Mathews - 100 Tests at a sub-50 strike rate, but a career tally of 75 sixes suggests another gear to his batting, especially against spin.
Pathum Nissanka - Has a very slow Test strike rate so far, but a first-class strike rate of 61 suggests he can be unshackled at least a bit.

Sadun Weerakkoddy - A first-class strike rate of 93 and over 100 sixes. Tbe perfect cricketer.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa - He scores his FC runs at nearly 90, but hasn't played FC cricket since 2020. Livingstonesque.
Lasith Croospulle - A first-class opener who strikes at 85, and recently far quicker.
Ravindu Fernando - A strike rate of 82 promises greatness but only one 100 so far so maybe not ready.
Lahiru Udara - Scores his FC runs at 74 and he's only getting quicker
Minod Bhanuka - A first-class stike rate of 72, and highly rated enough to have already played a Test.
Nishan Madushka - A decent strike rate, but a better average of nearly 60 is beating the door down.
Gayan Maneshan - A first-class career strike rate of just 53 isn't much, but a 10-six, 100-ball 150 in his last FC game caught my attention.
Wanindu Hasaranga - A decent number 7 or 8, has a Test strike rate of 86.
Lahiru Samarakoon - Probably just a number eight, but he hits bombs and bowls seam-up.
Tharindu Ratnayake - He biffs it from number eight or nine, and in the innovation era he's a spinner with 239 FC wickets at 29.76 bowling with both arms.

So, my Bazball Sri Lankan XI is as follows:

1. Pathum Nissanka - A potentially great opener, now free to express himself.
2. Kusal Perera - The memory of the Jayasuriya aesthetic is too strong. Alternatively Nishan Madushka.
3. Minod Bhanuka - Give him at least 10 Tests of rope to see what happens. Alternatively Kusal Mendis.
4. Angelo Mathews - The closest thing to Roooooooooot. Injury replacement Nishan Madushka.
5. Sadun Weerakkoddy - Got to get in someone who might score like Harry Brook. Alternatively Minod Bhanuka.
6. Dhananjaya de Silva - He's the captain now.
7. Niroshan Dickwella - It's his spot. Alternatively this is Sri Lanka; everyone can keep wicket.
8. Wanindu Hasaranga - The most attacking all-round cricketer in Sri Lanka. In seaming conditions Chamika Karunaratne is a replacement.
9. Tharindu Ratnayake - Two spinners in one really. Or be sensible and stick with Prabath Jayasuriya.
10. Asitha Fernando - A wonderfully accurate seam bowler.
11. Lahiru Kumara - The team's enforcer, bowls gas.

 

[Satan666]

'Test cricket is the pinnacle. It needs looking after' - Ben Stokes on England's methods

Stokes hopes England's attacking style can "change the way [the format] is played"

www.espncricinfo.com

Agreed with stokes but the AUS and WI teams of the 80s, 90s, 00s played an attacking style of Test cricket in those days. At one point for almost a couple years give or take all the Aussie batsmen were averaging over 50!



Warning Alert: This clip contains disturbing stuff for those that are T20/IPL inclined. Watch at your own risk.

 

[Bevab]

I'd play Shaw instead of Gill, mostly for vibes but also because I'd want someone to set the tone. I think Mayank would be decent too and it's even tough on Rahul. Hardik at 7 in SENA or Washington Sundar at 7.

I do think an Indian Bazball team wouldn't really be complete without SKY, I think there might not be a batter out there who can manipulate the field to his will like him.

I'm not sure how long Foakes will last once Jonny Bairstow is fit. I know it's only one match, but how could they drop Brook now? He deserves at least as much rope as Crawley has had. Only change I could envisage, is at the top, if Duckett can't cement himself in the side. If everyone is fit and in form England might actually be struggling with who they should pick. Which is a very rare occurrence in test cricket.

If you want Shaw in there I think he should be in place of Rohit. Gill’s an extremely aggressive bloke in tests and proved it in Aussie conditions too. Rahul’s been a very different opener since he’s come back (SR of around 40) so he is unlikely to make it here given how often it appears that he doesn’t seem to be batting for the team 100%. Hardik and Sundar both are decent shouts but I doubt they’d want to risk the duo with how fragile they are in tests again this early. Doubt there’s the need for another all-rounder too when Jadeja is ready.

SKY was good in his last couple of seasons in Ranji I think… it was a certain AbD fan who said this once as a reason to fast track him in the side. You really can’t go wrong with him or Sarfaraz in the side as the latter’s got a Bradman like record in Ranji cricket now.

It would feel harsh on Foakes if he is dropped as he shouldn’t be competing against Brook as a batter. He’s in the side primarily as the keeper. For all the talk of Bazball… it was under the same bloke that NZ played one of the stodgier keeper batters in Watling for years and he loved the guy too. I do think Baz rates having a specialist keeper in the XI and a guy who offers a point of difference to all the aggression. Bharat may play for the same reason too but I realise I might be the only one pushing for his selection other than the Andhra side.

 

[Bevab]

@Bevab @wasteyouryouth - Sri Lanka are the most interesting one to think about for me personally, because they are usually the ones either who are either setting a trend or first to follow. So let's look at what their resources look like by making a shortlist:

Kithuruwan Vithanage - A middle-order attacker; has a Test strike rate of 76. BUT he's not played FC cricketvsince 2020 and is batting dreadfully.
Kusal Perera - Hugely high ceiling but limited consistency; has a Test strike rate of 72.
Sadeera Samarawickrama - Has a Test and first-class strike rate both in the 70s.
Niroshan Dickwella - Has a strike rate in Tests of 66 and first-class of 75; doomed to never score a century.
Dhananjaya de Silva - A middling Test strike rate of 56, but he's been the team's best player under pressure for a while.
Kusal Mendis - Has flattered to deceive for a while now, and scores his runs at only 55.
Dimuth Karunaratne - A noted defensive grinder who scores his runs at 50, but there are a lot of runs. Hasn't even played T20 since 2018.
Angelo Mathews - 100 Tests at a sub-50 strike rate, but a career tally of 75 sixes suggests another gear to his batting, especially against spin.
Pathum Nissanka - Has a very slow Test strike rate so far, but a first-class strike rate of 61 suggests he can be unshackled at least a bit.

Sadun Weerakkoddy - A first-class strike rate of 93 and over 100 sixes. Tbe perfect cricketer.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa - He scores his FC runs at nearly 90, but hasn't played FC cricket since 2020. Livingstonesque.
Lasith Croospulle - A first-class opener who strikes at 85, and recently far quicker.
Ravindu Fernando - A strike rate of 82 promises greatness but only one 100 so far so maybe not ready.
Lahiru Udara - Scores his FC runs at 74 and he's only getting quicker
Minod Bhanuka - A first-class stike rate of 72, and highly rated enough to have already played a Test.
Nishan Madushka - A decent strike rate, but a better average of nearly 60 is beating the door down.
Gayan Maneshan - A first-class career strike rate of just 53 isn't much, but a 10-six, 100-ball 150 in his last FC game caught my attention.
Wanindu Hasaranga - A decent number 7 or 8, has a Test strike rate of 86.
Lahiru Samarakoon - Probably just a number eight, but he hits bombs and bowls seam-up.
Tharindu Ratnayake - He biffs it from number eight or nine, and in the innovation era he's a spinner with 239 FC wickets at 29.76 bowling with both arms.

So, my Bazball Sri Lankan XI is as follows:

1. Pathum Nissanka - A potentially great opener, now free to express himself.
2. Kusal Perera - The memory of the Jayasuriya aesthetic is too strong. Alternatively Nishan Madushka.
3. Minod Bhanuka - Give him at least 10 Tests of rope to see what happens. Alternatively Kusal Mendis.
4. Angelo Mathews - The closest thing to Roooooooooot. Injury replacement Nishan Madushka.
5. Sadun Weerakkoddy - Got to get in someone who might score like Harry Brook. Alternatively Minod Bhanuka.
6. Dhananjaya de Silva - He's the captain now.
7. Niroshan Dickwella - It's his spot. Alternatively this is Sri Lanka; everyone can keep wicket.
8. Wanindu Hasaranga - The most attacking all-round cricketer in Sri Lanka. In seaming conditions Chamika Karunaratne is a replacement.
9. Tharindu Ratnayake - Two spinners in one really. Or be sensible and stick with Prabath Jayasuriya.
10. Asitha Fernando - A wonderfully accurate seam bowler.
11. Lahiru Kumara - The team's enforcer, bowls gas.

I haven’t got much experience with the SL domestic system so a lot of these names are relatively new to me. Just pointing these out from what I do know…

• Assumed Mathews hit most of those sixes when he was fitter and a different player but apparently twenty of those came in his last twenty tests. Not bad at all… his SR is still hovering in the low 40s so I doubt he’ll be a fixture in this side. Kusal Mendis (ugh) will probably make it instead as he does have the useful hitting potential in him that hasn’t been completely unlocked. A Baz like coach could bring that out. Alternatively Chandimal has a mostly defensive record in his career but his two best career years have had two high SR peaks for him so he’s another bloke that can clearly be aggressive when he is in form and coaxed to be that way.
• DDS is another surprise, he has a very healthy SR for someone who I thought was nothing more than a blocker. Fits in perfectly just like Perera and Nissanka at the top.
• Hasaranga is unlikely to play at eight IMO. Sri Lanka tried it and found it to be gash because he didn’t have the control over dictating the pace of an innings. It also appears that his batting comes unstuck frequently against quality bowling (or maybe it’s because I don’t remember him doing anything with the bat against us). Ramesh Mendis should be his replacement, the bloke can also hold a bat adequately and play at a high SR as shown by his FC record and is the current incumbent in the side.
• Rajitha has to be there as Kumara’s inevitable injury replacement as has already happened before.
• Kamindu Mendis is another name that could make the shortlist. FC SR of 60 and average of 66 and can also bowl with both arms. Just treat him with the respect of a batting all-rounder instead of a bowling one and he’s good to go.

It would also be a totally Sri Lankan thing to pluck a young nets bowler from nowhere with limited domestic experience or an experienced tape ball batter to debut once deciding upon a new strategy and bamboozle all of our predictions.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

If you want Shaw in there I think he should be in place of Rohit. Gill’s an extremely aggressive bloke in tests and proved it in Aussie conditions too. Rahul’s been a very different opener since he’s come back (SR of around 40) so he is unlikely to make it here given how often it appears that he doesn’t seem to be batting for the team 100%. Hardik and Sundar both are decent shouts but I doubt they’d want to risk the duo with how fragile they are in tests again this early. Doubt there’s the need for another all-rounder too when Jadeja is ready.

SKY was good in his last couple of seasons in Ranji I think… it was a certain AbD fan who said this once as a reason to fast track him in the side. You really can’t go wrong with him or Sarfaraz in the side as the latter’s got a Bradman like record in Ranji cricket now.

It would feel harsh on Foakes if he is dropped as he shouldn’t be competing against Brook as a batter. He’s in the side primarily as the keeper. For all the talk of Bazball… it was under the same bloke that NZ played one of the stodgier keeper batters in Watling for years and he loved the guy too. I do think Baz rates having a specialist keeper in the XI and a guy who offers a point of difference to all the aggression. Bharat may play for the same reason too but I realise I might be the only one pushing for his selection other than the Andhra side.

 

[Bevab]

There definitely was an attempt under Kohli to do something along those lines. Not as aggressive like England but Kohli did want more ‘intent’ in the lineup as he spoke of often to derision. He played Dhawan for far too long because he offered that. Shaw and Gill both got chances earlier than Easwaran and Panchal because of it. The axing of Pujara for that single test was partly due to it. Rohit played ahead of Rahane in SA due to it. I’m surely missing a few other examples here too.

Of course in true Kohli fashion he did not have the guts to truly back it up and twisted at the first sign of trouble often (or stuck with ones when they did not deserve it) leading to random team generator which is the worst that could happen as you need players to feel secure when trying a risky approach like Bazball or even Kohli’s version of intent.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

I'm not sure how long Foakes will last once Jonny Bairstow is fit. I know it's only one match, but how could they drop Brook now? He deserves at least as much rope as Crawley has had. Only change I could envisage, is at the top, if Duckett can't cement himself in the side. If everyone is fit and in form England might actually be struggling with who they should pick. Which is a very rare occurrence in test cricket.

Ollie Pope retains gloves as Mark Wood returns for Multan Test

Smog could pose start-time issue as England add extra bowling option to line-up

www.espncricinfo.com

 

[wasteyouryouth]

Devon Thomas, who was keeping in the CPL a few months ago, now has two test matches wickets including the number 1 test batter.

 

[asprin]

Ollie Pope retains gloves as Mark Wood returns for Multan Test

Smog could pose start-time issue as England add extra bowling option to line-up

www.espncricinfo.com

How in the world do you manage to make the same GIF applicable for any type of situation.