Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

yuppie wrote:I am struggling to think of a worse top order for England in the last 20 years.

I think 20 years, you are being kind. In all seriousness, the emergence of Trescothick, Vaughan and Butcher finally batting well after 2000 to say 2003/04, until Strauss/KP/Bell arrive, along with Thorpe makes early 2000s a non starter. 2005-2013 we had a frequently competitive team. Post 2013 it slowly declines to now.

Pretty much leaves you with 1999 or winter of 2000.

Lords test in 1999......

Alec Stewart - Just been sacked as captain and struggling to keep his career together. Didnt register a 100 in a year
Mark Butcher - Couldnt buy a run before 2000.
Hussain - A bit like Root has been, the sole batsman on form
Aftab Habib - The worst player ever to be picked for England
Mark Ramprakash - The worst player ever to be picked by England 20 times
Chris Read - He ducked a yorker in this test.
Graeme Thorpe - The era of the bad backs, Thorpe wouldnt play much until he got the injury and pain past him, and would flourish again, but he was a shadow of himself at the time

I cant remember what test it was in South Africa in 1999/2000, but I think at one point the top 7 was...

Atherton.... who was essentially what Cook was now at that stage.
Butcher..... one year away from finding form, but still averaging like Jennings is now
Hussain..... I think the year after taking the job as was captain, he had a horror show. Averaging somehting like 12 in as many test matches (thats from memory)
Darren Maddy.... who FC average suggested he was lucky to even get in a county XI
Chris Adams..... sorry Chris, I love you, but only in a Sussex shirt. Terrible
Gary Hamilton.... who registered 2 ducks and then never was seen again
Flintoff..... who averaged 13 for the first 4 years of his career.

If you could capture a single test match worth of form, or isolate the batters to how they were at the time, I think this line up has to be the worst in decades

Doesn't help our numbers 4,5,6 and 7 are all number 7s really

All 4 of them would be very useful counter attacking number 7s but no good as middle order players

We desperately need an opener and a number 3, someone to take the shine off the ball, so the when the ball gets soft like it is now we are only 2 or 3 down and the middle order can cash in

Typical moeen dismissal, playing nicely then commits batting suicide

Mo goes, but its been a handy innings...

That was knowhere near full enough to be sweeping

going well, then?

what with England being pathetic, Durham being pathetic, Newcastle Utd being pathetic and the Brits getting a thrashing in the tennis, I wonder why I *modded* bother

Always looked like it was going down leg that

Poor decision from the umpire

Unlucky for Rashid that both reviews had already been wasted

Durhamfootman wrote:what with England being pathetic, Durham being pathetic, Newcastle Utd being pathetic and the Brits getting a thrashing in the tennis, I wonder why I *modded* bother

It's an encouragement to get out into the garden.

50 for Curran

At what stage do we bat Curran at 3

In overseas conditions when he won;t be effective as a mainline seamer, no reason why he can't bat 6/7 and be 4th seamer...

sussexpob wrote:At what stage do we bat Curran at 3

Try him as opener with cook?

50 partnership between Curran and Broad

The first 30 or 40 overs of India's innings will be vital

Looks much easier to bat once the ball gets older