The creekit

[Vampire]

Unfortunately, as has just happened, Butler doesn't appear able to catch the simple chances, which are likely to occur more frequently in English conditions than the flying catches.

Buttler Fingers has already missed too many straight forward chances in this series. Some of them have been very costly - eg Masood scoring more than a hundred more after being dropped in the first test.

Missed chances can be very expensive in test cricket - not just the batter you drop but the effect on momentum in the game and the extra runs at the other end in a partnership that should have already been broken.

Looking at your keeper options, I’ve seen nothing that persuades me that Buttler Fingers will score sufficiently more runs than Foakes in test cricket to compensate for those he will cost you behind the stumps. ODIs a different matter.

[kennyb41]

"Anderson's quest to reach 600 was again hampered by a dropped catch - wicketkeeper Jos Buttler missed Masood, the fourth chance the pace bowler has seen go down in the match."

You HAVE to have a decent goalie. Bring on Foakes.

[metalsmurf]

Nice for Jimmy,good job it didn't go wider than 1st slip as they are not bothering with any others

[Tommy]

There was a spell late on today where Dom Bess and Dom Sibley were bowling to eat up the overs before the new ball and I think it might have been the shittest period of test cricket I’ve ever seen in my life. Absolutely no idea what was going on there given that Root is an above acceptable part time spinner and indeed snaffled a wicket in the next over.

[Bobbycollins]

I'm a bit confused about the recruitment of Dom Bess by Yorkshire. I would have thought that if he's bowling well, he'll be playing Test cricket, thereby requiring a replacement in County matches and if he's not bowling well...

[Tommy]

Dom Bess seems like a nice lad but I remain thoroughly sceptical about his long term prospects as an international cricketer.

[Tommy]

In case anyone doesn’t know - the Poms & Sheep Shaggers T20 Cricket Team on BBC1 versus Pakistan today for the first time in two decades.

[Bobbycollins]

England's bowling in the T20 series against Pakistan was at best "pie-throwing" and has failed to take a single wicket during the power play in the last three T20s. Yet we can apparently afford to leave out David Willey, who won two man of the match awards and man of the series against Ireland. Does Ed Smith actually watch any cricket?

[Tommy]

I was under the impression that this was very much a second string team? Aren't the likes of Roy, Stokes, Buttler and Willey among others basically a shoo-in for the WC? Mahmood and Gregory looked...well, a bit pish in the past couple of matches if we're being honest (though were still one ball away from beating Pakistan again).

[Bobbycollins]

I dunno - Roy is injured, Stokes is absent for family reasons, Buttler has been playing in the Test series and Willey just seems to have been left out. Ed Smith gave an interview in The Cricketer in which he explained Willey's absence from the two white ball squads to play Australia "The fact is with David is that we are preferring some other people to him, and that’s a very difficult decision,” Smith explained.
“It’s, of course, very disappointing from David’s point of view, who’s playing good cricket and still has ambitions to be in all the England white-ball sides. That’s one of the unfortunate consequences of having a lot of strength in depth.
“We work hard on trying to establish strength in depth but the downside from an individual point of view is that sometimes players who have done well still can’t find a place in the squad, and that’s the situation with David".
Smith's reference to Willey still having ambitions to play white ball cricket for England, doesn't sound as though Smith regards him as a shoo-in.

[Tommy]

Baffling if so. You have to wonder what the poor lad has done. He's been consistently good with both bat and ball basically every time he's been called upon.

[metalsmurf]

I dunno - Roy is injured, Stokes is absent for family reasons, Buttler has been playing in the Test series and Willey just seems to have been left out. Ed Smith gave an interview in The Cricketer in which he explained Willey's absence from the two white ball squads to play Australia "The fact is with David is that we are preferring some other people to him, and that’s a very difficult decision,” Smith explained.
“It’s, of course, very disappointing from David’s point of view, who’s playing good cricket and still has ambitions to be in all the England white-ball sides. That’s one of the unfortunate consequences of having a lot of strength in depth.
“We work hard on trying to establish strength in depth but the downside from an individual point of view is that sometimes players who have done well still can’t find a place in the squad, and that’s the situation with David".
Smith's reference to Willey still having ambitions to play white ball cricket for England, doesn't sound as though Smith regards him as a shoo-in.

A kick in the teeth for him to be left out in favour of Archer who has done nothing to warrant his place.
In white ball cricket Willey takes wickets and can throw the bat a decent amount.
Archer doesn't seem to offer anything other than pace and frequently fails to do that, he doesn't bat either.

[Tommy]

It might seem churlish to complain given that we won the WC and had a fairly good go of it in the Ashes too but I'm still not sure about Archer. Maybe there's a player in there but I'm not sure we've seen him yet.

[metalsmurf]

It might seem churlish to complain given that we won the WC and had a fairly good go of it in the Ashes too but I'm still not sure about Archer. Maybe there's a player in there but I'm not sure we've seen him yet.

It's very possible his pace will come into play in Aus and SA.

[AndyPaul]

It might seem churlish to complain given that we won the WC and had a fairly good go of it in the Ashes too but I'm still not sure about Archer. Maybe there's a player in there but I'm not sure we've seen him yet.

He strikes me as someone who believes his own hype too much

[BC]

Archer was absolutely excellent in the world cup. It was harsh on Willey, but certainly the right call. Willey should've taken the slot vacated by Plunkett mind. And I'd certainly have him about now.

Archer was also brilliant at Lord's and effective, but different, at Headingley. Not shown it since, but not sure where to apportion blame. Probably a mixture of himself, Root, injury and tactics.

[Bobbycollins]

Whilst I'm moaning in general about cricket, can anyone explain to me why the start times for T20 games with no TV coverage or crowds in attendance can't be changed to reflect local weather forecasts. Today's Yorkshire match has been abandoned without a ball bowled, although had it been played at any time during the day, the game would have been played to a conclusion. Personally I hate these evening matches, as more often than not, it's like watching cricket in mid winter, wearing six coats and watching ice form on top of your beer.

[theboil]

Whilst I'm moaning in general about cricket, can anyone explain to me why the start times for T20 games with no TV coverage or crowds in attendance can't be changed to reflect local weather forecasts. Today's Yorkshire match has been abandoned without a ball bowled, although had it been played at any time during the day, the game would have been played to a conclusion. Personally I hate these evening matches, as more often than not, it's like watching cricket in mid winter, wearing six coats and watching ice form on top of your beer.

spot on and still nothing done about the old chestnuts e.g. supposed bad light, very slight drizzle, umpires waiting for the clock to tick over etc.
cricket instead of continually shooting it self in the foot could get on with the bloody game.

[Tommy]

Hobgoblin of Little Minds innit.

[Wakefield White]

That was one epic collapse from the cons, wow.