Paid Members Gus Mears Posted August 4, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted August 4, 2018 James Hildreth should be in the test team. I don't care who is preordained to be next off the rank, or what style of selection Ed Smith appears to be using. It's idiocy that he hasn't been and he's had yet another belting season. I think there are worse things for this line-up than a seasoned country pro in the middle order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted August 4, 2018 Author Paid Members Share Posted August 4, 2018 England have done nothing but pick seasoned county pros though and they have all done nothing. Vince, Stoneman, Malan, Westley - all been around for years and all failed. Like all them, Hildreth has spent too much time picking up bad habits in the county Championship, they need to go with someone who will learn at the top, like Clarke or Kohler-Cadmore. Before they go the same way as those aforementioned players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Gus Mears Posted August 5, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted August 5, 2018 (edited) All of the players you have mentioned have a worse record over a fewer number of years. There is a significant difference between selecting Stoneman due to 12 good months, Vince because 'we think he'll suit Australia' and Westley for a fine spell at Essex, partially in division 2, than Hildreth for 10 good years in division 1. His average is between 6-9  better than all three of those and he's done it consistently and entirely against division 1 opposition. I think arbitrarily choosing only based on record or in a Duncan Fletcher mould is a poor idea in general. I don't think it should be beyond the wit of selectors to identity those players with 'It', whatever that may be, while also giving an opportunity to someone with a fine record over many years.  While, for the most part, I would lean towards getting young guys with something special in and moulding them, Hildreth is an outlier. I don't know if he would translate to test, because you never do. But I have a shit load more confidence in him than any of the other potential options at present. Edited August 5, 2018 by Gus Mears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted August 5, 2018 Author Paid Members Share Posted August 5, 2018 I think if they really felt he would have a chance of doing it at test level they would have given him a shot by now, especially considering how much you lot have banged on about him over the years, they've tried out everyone else, after all. His average may be better but the point still stands - he's been playing county cricket too long, hasn't played England Lions stuff (that I recall) and there are plenty of quality young players they should be looking at and trying to build into the side. We should only be resorting to Hildreth and other county vets if the cupboard was bare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PowerButchi Posted August 9, 2018 Moderators Share Posted August 9, 2018 (edited) So, Pope batting at 4 today. 3 wicket keepers in the first XI. Have England ever had that before? Obviously we had two somewhat often in the 90s, in Stewart and any one of Rhodes or Russell, but I've never known 3.  EDIT: I have found this game http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/13339/scorecard/426420/bangladesh-vs-england-1st-odi-england-tour-of-bangladesh-2009-10 Prior, Kieswetter and a (very much pushing it) Paul Collingwood on the basis he kept wicket once against the West Indies. So it's probably not a legit shout.  EDIT AGAIN: Ah! This definitely doesn't count but it's interesting Quote At Lord's in 1986, England used four keepers in the same Test against New Zealand. The regulations were not so binding in those days. So with Bruce French injured, first Bill Athey (who was in the team) kept, then Bob Taylor (who was in a hospitality box), then Bobby Parks (who was Hampshire's keeper). Nowadays, such extravagances are not permitted – otherwise we can be sure that Alec Stewart, in attendance with his media duties, would have answered his country's call.  Edited August 9, 2018 by PowerButchi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Lion_of_the_Midlands Posted August 9, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted August 9, 2018 3 wicket keepers in the side and Ben Foakes who is the best keeper at the minute isn't one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted August 9, 2018 Author Paid Members Share Posted August 9, 2018 There are a couple of others who could contend for a place as well. Billings has mostly been crap but he's there or thereabouts, Alex Davies at Lancashire, Ben Brown at Sussex. Weird how there are so many around at the moment, it's not unique to England though, it's just the way things have gone. It's not like Colin Metson batting at 11 for Glamorgan anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Lion_of_the_Midlands Posted August 9, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted August 9, 2018 It's the Gilchrist effect. You can't just keep wicket now. Poor Colin wouldn't even get in the stiffs these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted August 9, 2018 Author Paid Members Share Posted August 9, 2018 Do anyone see the Mind Games segment that Sky ran during the first test? It was really good. Mark Alleyne was on talking about how Jack Russell used to put batsmen off by not brushing his teeth. Can't see Dhoni doing that somehow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PowerButchi Posted August 9, 2018 Moderators Share Posted August 9, 2018 Jack Russell is wonderfully mental anyway. Burning his match day y-fronts on a lamp, banning team mates from going to his house, using the same tea bag for 500 years... I love him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted August 9, 2018 Author Paid Members Share Posted August 9, 2018 My favourite Jack Russell story was when he spraypainted his favourite pads blue for the 1996 World Cup because he refused to wear new ones. Brilliant keeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Lion_of_the_Midlands Posted August 10, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted August 10, 2018 (edited) When the ball swings England are a different team. Jimmy Anderson was virtually unplayable. Yadav's review was worse than any of Shane Watson's reviews. Edited August 10, 2018 by Lion_of_the_Midlands 2 L's in ball dingbat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Bifkin Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 How fucking fat has Ian Botham got? You can almost hear him gargling butter when he talks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted August 10, 2018 Author Paid Members Share Posted August 10, 2018 He sounds out of breath whenever he manages so much as a sentence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PowerButchi Posted August 11, 2018 Moderators Share Posted August 11, 2018 (edited) The rain as done a massive favour yesterday. Perfect for our Traditional English Seamers. Steve Watkin would have taken 9/58. Hopefully now our team of wicket keepers puts the foot on the throat. 300 today will win the match. So I predict we'll be all out for 139, they'll make a gamey 200 and rain over the following days will make it a draw. Edited August 11, 2018 by PowerButchi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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