T20 World Cup Squad

[Perov]

When told to go out and show what he'd got in his locker, Stokes replied "a dent".

[Andy]

When told to go out and show what he'd got in his locker, Stokes replied "a dent".

 

[feralkitten]

Recently back from watching the three games against the Windies.  Watching Dernbach bowl the last over in the 3rd match was one of the most nervewracking times I've had in recent years.  Why is he used as a "death bowler"? There is no feeling of confidence when he bowls.  Both Ravi and Tredwell were doing well, yet neither were "saved" for the last over.  Is the decision made before the game starts and then written in stone?

(and those tattoos are ghastly!)

[IanS]

Dernbach looked a much better option than Bresnan, Stokes and even Broad ( though he was half fit).  Hard to compare to Ravi, the pitch suited him a lot more and he bowled in the easier times.

If you review the stats for the last two T20 series, it's inescapable that Dernbach was the weakest link, however good he may have looked; not that I like tattoos myself.

With only the dead rubber against Netherlands to come, Dernbach's figures have "progressed" to 31-1-334-5. Ranked by economy rate, Dernbach is 193rd out 203 bowlers in the World Cup. It reminds me of another era when it was said to harder to get out the England team than be selected in the first place.

[Andy]

The problem used to be that it was difficult to stay in the England set-up, so teams had no consistency.

The problem is that the England Mgt have rode roughsod over the county game to the extent that they don't look at potential quality and then just stick with the same faces over and over again. I also think the idiots who had back-to-back Ashes series should be shot: there's no opportunity to blood youngsters in quieter series.

I would suggest that they need to rethink the policy on overseas players (ironically) because they've cut the quality of players on the circuit because so few English internationals play for their counties (not that they should go back to the dismal 1980s when we flogged our best players).

Regional domestic cricket will kill remaining interest in the local rivalries, so Mr Mclarin that's not the way forward. Maybe we need to get our younger players invovled in T20 overseas especially on  bunsens - whilst we stop fining clubs for producing perfectly good turning tracks .

[Slogger]

I take Andy's point about the 1980s but looking back it was a golden age for the championship with top test stars and South Africans adorning county sides. I remember a fired up Malcolm Marshall bowling really quickly to Allan Border at Valentines Park.....

[IlfordEagle]

After this latest WC fiasco this must surely be the end for Dernbach for England - surely the worst seam bowler ever to play 1 day cricket for England, at least Ravi did ok, quite well in fact compared to some others!!

[Andy]

I take Andy's point about the 1980s but looking back it was a golden age for the championship with top test stars and South Africans adorning county sides. I remember a fired up Malcolm Marshall bowling really quickly to Allan Border at Valentines Park.....

I saw Wayne Daniel versus AB at Chelmsford. Cut every other ball for four past point.

[firehazard]

I take Andy's point about the 1980s but looking back it was a golden age for the championship with top test stars and South Africans adorning county sides. I remember a fired up Malcolm Marshall bowling really quickly to Allan Border at Valentines Park.....

Yes, remember it well. Though I think the quickest I've ever seen anyone bowl against Essex was a young Imran Khan at Chalkwell Park in 1976. Though age and memory may be exaggerating. And his bowling, though speedy, was all over the shop that day.

[DT]

The problem used to be that it was difficult to stay in the England set-up, so teams had no consistency.

The problem is that the England Mgt have rode roughsod over the county game to the extent that they don't look at potential quality and then just stick with the same faces over and over again. I also think the idiots who had back-to-back Ashes series should be shot: there's no opportunity to blood youngsters in quieter series.

I would suggest that they need to rethink the policy on overseas players (ironically) because they've cut the quality of players on the circuit because so few English internationals play for their counties (not that they should go back to the dismal 1980s when we flogged our best players).

Regional domestic cricket will kill remaining interest in the local rivalries, so Mr Mclarin that's not the way forward. Maybe we need to get our younger players invovled in T20 overseas especially on  bunsens - whilst we stop fining clubs for producing perfectly good turning tracks .

Sticking with players and having consistency in selection is fine but the problem as I alluded to on another thread in this sub forum is that we aren't selecting the correct players for the formats in the first place!!!

[Andy]

DT, it is a very thin line between having a revolving door or a stolid clique. I just don't think that regional cricket or a return to the 'glory days' of 3 day CC and no central contracts are the answers.

Fundamentally, do we have enough kids playing the game at grass roots - indeed those that do mostly become disillusioned with the game, if they do make it into county youth set-up, moving onto soccer if they have the talent or out of the professional game completely?

[nat]

DT, it is a very thin line between having a revolving door or a stolid clique. I just don't think that regional cricket or a return to the 'glory days' of 3 day CC and no central contracts are the answers.

Fundamentally, do we have enough kids playing the game at grass roots - indeed those that do mostly become disillusioned with the game, if they do make it into county youth set-up, moving onto soccer if they have the talent or out of the professional game completely?

The ECB are reaping what they have sown. No proper cricket on free-to-air TV since 2005. I coach children (11-13yo) who have never seen a cricket match either live or on TV.

[Andy]

Nat, it's the double edge of the SkySports sword - plenty of money but little long term benefit at the grass roots. Not helped by a Slurreycentric approach to broadcasting...

[nat]

Nat, it's the double edge of the SKySPorts sword - plenty of money but little long term benefit at the grass roots. Not helped by a Slurreycentric approach to broadcasting...

The dig at Slurrey is irrelevant. The ECB took the geld and although there has been an uplift in some club facilities as a result, the majority of the money has unsurprisingly gone into bigger salaries and bigger playing squads a la football premier league.

It is also no surprise that increasingly the number of professional UK players come from private schools where cricket is still a major part of the curriculum.

[Andy]

Nat, excellent points as well.

However having a dig at Slurrey is always relevant.