Cricket

[evertonianstu]

Beaten by New Zealand!:blink:

Anyone else like this game out of interest? England are poor at the moment but test cricket is a good watch. Just hope this 20/20 doesnt threaten it in the long term

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Havn't NZ lost a few players to the 20/20 competition in India too?

 

[evertonianstu]

Havn't NZ lost a few players to the 20/20 competition in India too?

Dont know how many mate but their best fast bowler, Shane Bond, was lost to them a month ago when he signed up for that competition. Im pretty sure his test career with the Black Caps is over now.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Pity they didn't sign up Steve Harmison. He typifies our malaise post 2005. Should have been our own Curtley Ambrose but instead is the wettest fast bowler in world cricket.

 

[Cal]

England cricket has gone to the pits.

I've got no enjoyment for it anymore, playing or watching, dno why cus i used to love it.

Vaughan's a good captain but he doesnt have much luck, what with injuries to Freddie and Harmison looking like a 2nd's player - county level.

 

[evertonianstu]

Pity they didn't sign up Steve Harmison. He typifies our malaise post 2005. Should have been our own Curtley Ambrose but instead is the wettest fast bowler in world cricket.

Worrying to see our inexorable decline since then. Thats why i think your theory, covered in the rugby thread, has a lot of weight in it. There is something wrong with the mindset in this country. Ok, it was a great series in 2005 but the outcome of it was completely over the top. Knighthoods handed out, open top bus tours, autobiographies and even a celebritisation (probably not a real word but sod it, my brain isnt working) of that team has, i think, taken a lot of hunger and even a sense of grounding from these players. I know a lot have had injury problems but no one can tell me that any of those players who won the ashes in 05 are performing anywhere near the same level now.

Seems to me that the attitude of a lot of them is not what it is supposed to be and what should be expected from a test cricketer

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Has to raise question marks about just what our fast bowlers do in training because no other country suffers from such injury epidemics amongst their quicks. It's not always easy to compare eras but many seamers of old would bowl a damn site more than ours do and very rarely get injured, yet ours are forever breaking down with something or other.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I think for me the difference has to be mental. The thing that impresses me most about the Aussie team is that when they get into a position to win, they go for the jugular and inevitably get the win. If you look back to the time when this hasn't happened it's nearly always a remarkable win. Think of the Laxman/Dravid test or Brian Lara winning single handedely in Barbados. Fantastic test matches, made more so by their rareity.

Yet time after time since 2005, and to an extent even in that series itself, England have been in positions to win and failed to do so. In this last test Sidebottom put us back into a winning position and we bottled it. That's what seperates the good from the great. Our batsmen typify this unfortunately. Plenty are adept at getting 50's but few go on to get massive 100's. We continue to pick Strauss despite him averaging around 35 since his annus morabilis when he first broke into the side.

 

[Bundy]

NZ has a good side? Why are you surprised to lose to them?

 

[monty]

NZ has a good side? Why are you surprised to lose to them?

I wasn't mate and I think the others are just pissed off. You did lose good players to India so if your side was bolstered with added strength you'd have turned us over that worse. Nationally our football, rugby and cricket sides are [Poor language removed] although they've had millions invested in them so it is no insult to you we are just self harming

 

[Bruce Wayne]

NZ have an excellent one day side but the test side isn't good. The rankings don't lie and you're down in 7th for a reason. Plus you've only played I think 8 tests in 2 years so England should expect to get results against you.

 

[evertonianstu]

Sorry Bundy (I take it you are a Kiwi) but NZ havent really got a good test side. Their recent form has been terrible and when i watched them before Xmas on SKY, they were totally outplayed and thrashed by South Africa.

Im not trying to be disparaging but thats the truth. You have lost many of your best players, its a team in transition and England should have been capable of seeing them off. Nevertheless, they totally outplayed England in the one-dayers and the first test and deserved their victory.

The ultimate outcome from an England point of view though is that if we struggle against the Black Caps we can forget any ambition of hotfooting it with the Aussies, India and South Africa.

 

[Bundy]

Sorry Bundy (I take it you are a Kiwi) but NZ havent really got a good test side. Their recent form has been terrible and when i watched them before Xmas on SKY, they were totally outplayed and thrashed by South Africa.

Im not trying to be disparaging but thats the truth. You have lost many of your best players, its a team in transition and England should have been capable of seeing them off. Nevertheless, they totally outplayed England in the one-dayers and the first test and deserved their victory.

The ultimate outcome from an England point of view though is that if we struggle against the Black Caps we can forget any ambition of hotfooting it with the Aussies, India and South Africa.

Nah mate, i'm Australian. But I think the kiwi's try a little bit harder when playing Australia, so maybe that is where i get my perception from, bit of a rivalry there much like when England play Australia

 

[Cal]

Sorry Bundy (I take it you are a Kiwi) but NZ havent really got a good test side. Their recent form has been terrible and when i watched them before Xmas on SKY, they were totally outplayed and thrashed by South Africa.

Im not trying to be disparaging but thats the truth. You have lost many of your best players, its a team in transition and England should have been capable of seeing them off. Nevertheless, they totally outplayed England in the one-dayers and the first test and deserved their victory.

The ultimate outcome from an England point of view though is that if we struggle against the Black Caps we can forget any ambition of hotfooting it with the Aussies, India and South Africa.

They have got a decent test side, Mcullum is great wicketkeeper batsmen, Vettori - great spinner, Fleming, Oram.

Scott Styris (sp?) was a ledge.

 

[monty]

They have got a decent test side, Mcullum is great wicketkeeper batsmen, Vettori - great spinner, Fleming, Oram.

Scott Styris (sp?) was a ledge.

Agreed Cal, that side isn't half as bad a team as it is made out to be. The world rankings used to be close but as the Indians get stronger we get weaker match by match as proven by results