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      Cricket

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      Don77
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4623: Aug 20, 2022 04:09:16 am
      Lost by an innings to what is a very good South African side - especially their bowling. They've got genuine pace in Nortje and one of the world's best in Rabada. On top of a couple of other solid bowlers. They're decent with the bat and South Africa always field well. Whereas we're very much in transition where our best players have probably already had their best days and those coming into the side just aren't quite up to scratch. Even though we won the series against New Zealand, we didn't play that well as a team. It was really down to the individual brilliance of Root and Bairstow.

      I don't want us to go back to the 90s where two bad Tests on the spin saw you out the side only to be brought back in in a couple of weeks time because your replacement has had his two best Tests. But at the same time, I don't want us to become too loyal to people who constantly fail. I know we've struggled to find a decent pair to open the innings ever since Strauss called it a day but now that Cook has gone as well, we look very poor at the top of the order. Crawley just isn't it cutting it, Lees looks solid at times but doesn't make the big scores, Pope has something about him as everyone says but is still very inconsistent especially as a number 3 and then Root comes in and we're already two or three down for not even a hundred runs. And as good as Rooty is, he can't always bail us out of the sh*t.

      The skipper has hit one century in two years, which isn't enough especially if he wants to use himself as a specialised batsmen rather than the all-rounder - though he did bowl a fair bit in this Test to be fair. Foakes may be our best keeper but his lack of runs, will have people questioning whether a great gloveman is worth more than a great batsman who can also keep wicket to an acceptable level. When you've got Bairstow, Buttler and Billings all capable of taking the gloves then Foakes will be under pressure.

      And then we've got Broad coming in at eight, which just makes our tail too long. I know he's got a Test match century to his name and the other three (Potts, Leach, Anderson) can all do a job and hang around a while but we really do miss a bowling all-rounder like Woakes.

      The whole "bazball" style of play is difficult to criticise because when it works like the New Zealand series, it's the greatest thing we've ever seen. But when it falls on it's arse like it did in this Test then it looks very silly. I wouldn't blame the tactics too much for the result though because I just think South Africa are, right now, a better side than we are. As I would of said New Zealand were but they let us off the hook a lot of the time.

      A good summary.

      SA don't just have better players. They play the game properly.

      Sorry, but bazball is rubbish. We might win the odd one but long term we won't be winning much including this series.

      We didn't bat for a days play across 2 innings. That's pathetic.

      Great test teams, in any era can attack when it calls for it, and defend. I think of us in 2005, and that great aussie team. Fantastic attacking players who played the game as it flowed.

      This reckless play has taken us backwards in 50 over and t20. It's got no future in the 5 day game. It wont win in Australia or SA or India.

      The captain needs to start leading from the front ... making big runs. Not hacking his way to 25 and out giving 3 chances on the way.

      A purple patch from bairstow and Root can't cover up this flawed way of playing. Australia will win 4/5 nil here If we play like this and there's no way we are getting anything from this series.
      chats
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4624: Aug 20, 2022 10:20:05 am
      It's still early days for the McCullum era, there was a good new coach bounce earlier in the summer but there were definitely some mitigating factors behind that. New Zealand squandered some good positions and Bairstow was in a patch of form he might never find again. India came just for one test match with a few players injured whilst England were in Test rhythm having played 3 recent ones which might have given them an edge.

      The problem he's got is whether there's talent coming through to come in and perform in this side. Crawley certainly needs to be dropped and there are big question marks around Lees and Foakes too. Lees gets starts but can't convert and if we're going with Broad at 8 then whoever plays at 7 needs to be a capable batsman and Foakes hasn't shown that yet. But who comes in for these 3?

      Got to ask some questions about the preparation too. All well and good trying to push the Hundred with it being the new money maker but it's harming the test side here. The XI that played should have been playing a County Championship game last week to get back into the mindset of the longer form.
      waltonl4
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4625: Aug 20, 2022 11:01:55 am
      I would rather go to Australia with Bazball than go there looking sheepish and looking to take a beating no shame in having a go. Lets see how the next few tests go. I remember heavy metal football evolved into a winning team but still an exciting team
      dunlop liddell shankly
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4626: Aug 20, 2022 06:23:30 pm
      A good summary.

      SA don't just have better players. They play the game properly.

      Sorry, but bazball is rubbish. We might win the odd one but long term we won't be winning much including this series.

      We didn't bat for a days play across 2 innings. That's pathetic.

      Great test teams, in any era can attack when it calls for it, and defend. I think of us in 2005, and that great aussie team. Fantastic attacking players who played the game as it flowed.

      This reckless play has taken us backwards in 50 over and t20. It's got no future in the 5 day game. It wont win in Australia or SA or India.

      The captain needs to start leading from the front ... making big runs. Not hacking his way to 25 and out giving 3 chances on the way.

      A purple patch from bairstow and Root can't cover up this flawed way of playing. Australia will win 4/5 nil here If we play like this and there's no way we are getting anything from this series.

      I get what you're saying mate and part of me agrees with it because I'm not a massive fan of that style of play for Test cricket. But the way we turned our fortunes round in white ball cricket was by being fearless and just going hard regardless of the situation we found ourselves in. Now in Test cricket, there's no need to play that way to the extreme we have been because there's so much more time in the game and I do think "bazball" got away with a lot of criticism during the first few Tests of the summer because we won. But we really shouldn't of if New Zealand took advantage when they had us under the kosh.

      But I am willing to give it some more time because as I said yesterday, we're still trying to find a team that's good enough to play Test level for England - regardless of the style we play. We're short of genuine quality in a number of areas. So whether that's playing the defensive style we had under Root or the aggressive style under Stokes, this side isn't good enough right now. And on top of that, bazball is still in it's infancy so the players are still trying to come to terms with it - especially when it's such a change from the way we were playing in the Caribbean.

      And finally we have to consider the number of injuries we've got at the moment, especially in the bowling department. We seen with Nortje how dangerous express pace can be. We've got that in Archer, Wood and Stone who are all out injured right now. We're also missing Woakes, who offers us a bit with the bat down the order. Mahmood and Fisher are both out as well. Curran and Robinson have just recently returned. So we're reliant on the very experienced pair of Anderson and Broad, who've played the full summer and Potts who's also had a long time bowling.

      A lack of a genuine world class spinner has meant that the seamers have to had get extra overs in their legs as well. And the poor quality of spin bowlers coming through has been an issue for some time now.

      The problem he's got is whether there's talent coming through to come in and perform in this side. Crawley certainly needs to be dropped and there are big question marks around Lees and Foakes too. Lees gets starts but can't convert and if we're going with Broad at 8 then whoever plays at 7 needs to be a capable batsman and Foakes hasn't shown that yet. But who comes in for these 3?

      I think Foakes is the easiest to replace because it doesn't have to be like for like. You can bring in an extra batsmen to deepen the line-up and give Bairstow the gloves. You would have to believe that they're going to give Harry Brook a go at some point. And although being a white-ball specialist, I think Livingstone because of his ability to offer something with the ball as well, is a shoo-in to get a go at some point.

      At the top of the order, I remember saying the day Cook retired that he'd end up being asked to come back. He's still scoring plenty of runs for Essex and it wouldn't surprise me but I do kind of hope they don't. The Kent pair of Daniel Bell-Drummond and Ben Compton are both possibilities if you're looking at who's scored runs at the top of the order this season at County level. Compton I think will certainly get picked at some point, Bell-Drummond maybe not because he's already 29. And after that it's the tried and failed Keaton Jennings who is back scoring runs for fun with Lancs.
      chats
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4627: Aug 21, 2022 09:15:47 am
      I think Foakes is the easiest to replace because it doesn't have to be like for like. You can bring in an extra batsmen to deepen the line-up and give Bairstow the gloves. You would have to believe that they're going to give Harry Brook a go at some point. And although being a white-ball specialist, I think Livingstone because of his ability to offer something with the ball as well, is a shoo-in to get a go at some point.

      At the top of the order, I remember saying the day Cook retired that he'd end up being asked to come back. He's still scoring plenty of runs for Essex and it wouldn't surprise me but I do kind of hope they don't. The Kent pair of Daniel Bell-Drummond and Ben Compton are both possibilities if you're looking at who's scored runs at the top of the order this season at County level. Compton I think will certainly get picked at some point, Bell-Drummond maybe not because he's already 29. And after that it's the tried and failed Keaton Jennings who is back scoring runs for fun with Lancs.

      Compton and Brook are decent shouts. Livingstone needs to do more in the white ball game where he's disappointed this summer.

      McCullum's latest comments seem to suggest Crawley will keep getting a go anyway.
      dunlop liddell shankly
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4628: Aug 24, 2022 12:04:18 pm
      Robinson to replace Potts for the second Test.

      But the batting line-up remains unchanged. F***ing comical selection. Even if it works out that we win the Test and Crawley, Lees and Foakes all score centuries, I'll believe they shouldn't of had the chance to get those runs. They should be dropped, two of them at the very least.
      chats
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4629: Aug 26, 2022 11:05:36 am
      Got to hammer home the advantage today with the conditions. Shocker of a call by Elgar to bat first.
      dunlop liddell shankly
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4630: Aug 26, 2022 11:47:15 am
      Bairstow and Crawley both gone this morning.

      And I know Crawley looked a bit better in this Test and hung on well last night but it's now three scores of 50 or above in 37 innings since his double hundred against Pakistan. Whether Stokes and McCullum want him as their opener or not, they've got to say enough is enough.

      Inside edge from Foakes for four has given us the lead.
      dunlop liddell shankly
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4631: Aug 26, 2022 12:55:29 pm
      Foakes given out, LBW by Maharaj. It's been reviewed but don't think he'll get this one overturned.

      Possibly height.

      Pitched outside leg. Wow!!!

      It's starting to turn anyway.
      dunlop liddell shankly
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4632: Aug 26, 2022 04:08:24 pm
      Hundred for Stokes!!!

      Fantastic partnership with Foakes that has put us right in control of this Test.

      Lead by 160 with still 4 wickets remaining.
      dunlop liddell shankly
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4633: Aug 26, 2022 04:19:34 pm
      Stokes out going for a heave on the leg side and getting caught by Elgar at mid-off.

      Given the way the game is going, I don't really mind that. As long as the tail doesn't hang around too long, we could have an hour or more bowling at them tonight then another big push in the morning.

      Lead by 170.
      dunlop liddell shankly
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4634: Aug 26, 2022 05:14:25 pm
      Century for Foakes!!!

      We were talking on here about him not scoring enough runs but he's answered that in this innings with three figures.

      Lead up to 242.
      David Wright
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4635: Aug 26, 2022 05:23:37 pm
      Great to see our batters showing a bit of "bottle" by taking on the South African bowlers, look forward to watching the highlights later this evening !
      __Tickle__
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4636: Aug 26, 2022 07:38:39 pm
      Just some normal batting with some good hitting in between. Stokes gave himself a platform to build his innings and Foakes is a reliable stick at number 7.

      This test will ask questions now of Leach. It's turning and he should play  big part in the wickets tomorrow.

      Root may get some overs tomorrow too.
      dunlop liddell shankly
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4637: Aug 27, 2022 01:51:55 pm
      We could repay them with an innings defeat at this rate.

      Three down and still over 150 behind
      waltonl4
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4638: Aug 27, 2022 06:03:09 pm
      innings and 85 runs and some young lad called Anderson bowling like a demon.
      chats
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4639: Aug 28, 2022 09:56:43 am
      Excellent win and fair play to Foakes who I doubted. South Africa had a nightmare from the toss right through the match but you still need to advantage and England did just that.
      FATKOPITE10
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      dunlop liddell shankly
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4641: Sep 10, 2022 05:40:56 pm
      We dismissed them cheaply for 118. Five-for for Robinson and four for Broad. Jimmy got his usual early wicket as well.

      In reply, Crawley once again failed with the bat. Harry Brook on debut looked decent before rain took the players off and then back out in the space of half an hour or so. On return, he lobbed it out to long leg and caught for 12.

      Pope looking good again, on for another half century but needs to convert this one into a big score in my opinion. Nine 50s, two 100s now in his career.

      For them, Rabada has been unusually poor with the ball.
      dunlop liddell shankly
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4642: Sep 10, 2022 05:58:31 pm
      Stokes went stupidly, after already being dropped playing one his daft yahoo wellies.

      Pope also gone, having failed to convert to three figures again.

      15 ahead, 6 down. Broad and Foakes in together now.
      dunlop liddell shankly
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4643: Sep 20, 2022 06:48:14 pm
      Looks like it's gonna be an extremely comfortable victory in the opening T20 against Pakistan.

      50 for Hales and and Harry Brook steering us home.

      Need 5 off the last 9.
      FATKOPITE10
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4644: Sep 20, 2022 07:05:38 pm
      Good win for England
      dunlop liddell shankly
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      Re: Cricket
      Reply #4645: Sep 22, 2022 05:46:59 pm
      2nd T20.

      We've hit 199, setting Pakistan to chase 200 from their innings and they've made a flier to their knock. 59-0 off the powerplay.

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