Australia/England/India Tri Series Jan/Feb 2015

[Durhamfootman]

Any way.......... Aussies have cheated

the last time we had one of these triangular things, and England won the first one, they said "best of 3" and made England beat them again, before they took their ball home. As soon as they win the first, they leg it sharpish, before England get a chance to thrash them twice

[bigfluffylemon]

Australia have definitely put one over on England by holding MJ back until Perth, his best venue and the one where he would no doubt do damage. If England faced him in say, Hobart, he might not have fired on a sluggish pitch and England would not be as worried. Now they have to face him in the WC opening match on the back of a performance that will have revived memories of last summer. Well played, Lehmann. Well played.

I cannot be alone in wondering what on Earth Ravi Bopara is for? His bowling is barely used, and when it does it's unthreatening (if at least usually reasonably economical, at least on slower pitches when he's harder to get away), and he seems to have two kinds of batting innings: a quick slog then get out cheaply when England need quick runs at the end of an innings, or a slow, scratchy painful 20-30 when England are struggling. I can't remember the last time he played an innings of substance that actually guided England home or made a modest target into a good one. And yet we have no allround alternative. Given England tend to give Moeen the full ten, I'd be tempted to treat him as the allrounder and bring in Ballance to bolster the batting (ooh, alliteration).

England's death bowling is still crap, but we knew that.

[Aidan11]

For me England just need to make one adjustment - the coach.

and I have just read something to see that there is a ready-made replacement right here on CMS.

Durham Footman, you time in the sun has arrived.

but I've never driven a coach

(actually, I have... lorry too, but that would ruin the gag)

I don't drive a coach but I've been on the outrage bus plenty this series.

[Arthur Crabtree]

As so often with England in ODIs, a few good individual performances palliate the suffering of the outcome. Bell and Anderson had very good series, and Moeen (who started drifting the ball again, having lost that in Sri lanka) and Finn (though still lacking in pace, and less effective away from the WACA and the Gabba) were above par. England had a hunch that spin would be a liability in Australia, but that wasn't the case. And Moeen still gave the impression (after his successful tour of SL) that a game winning innings will happen on a good day. Though the knee is starting to jerk against Moeen at the top of the order.

Two players are experiencing a bit of a backlash at the moment. Chris Woakes has been bowling too many loose deliveries and doesn't give the impression he will offer anything with the bat. As a new player, some inconsistency has to be tolerated, and his 4-40 against the Aussies in Sydney gave that game the illusion of a close finish. Really he needs some guidance from the bowling coach about his line and length (is he being asked to bowl short so as not to replicate Anderson in their new ball spells, and so not utilising any swing?). I'm less content to defend Bopara (I've been critical of him for a long time, so now isn't the time to change) but getting him out the side would seem to necessitate a complete overhaul of the side. Though that can't be absolutely dismissed as a bad thing.

The rest doesn't really inspire optimism. Morgan got a hundred against the Aussies and little else. Broad was rusty. Taylor batted well against India but not Australia. Buttler and Root looked good at times, but weren't major factors overall. England played positively and with some palpable optimism. Under pressure, their batters didn't become wholly defensive, and the bowlers took a lot of wickets. As ever they were underwhelming in the last ten overs in both disciplines, where matches are won. But my impression is that they are good enough to beat some of the weaker teams in the World Cup and are unlikely to crash out early.

[sussexpob]

If Bopara isn't going to be there to bowl a lot, then they need to leave him well alone. His batting at the top level last about 2 series in 2013, and ever since and before that, he was a tame nurdler who didn't score quickly, and didn't score huge innings. Never had the heart for international cricket, he seems very self defeatist imo.

Mo hasn't really batted well, but who cares? If he can bowl like has has done so far and even tail off to become a useful late order hitter, he is worth his place in the side. With Ali's well known short ball question marks, it might actually be better to consider him in Bopara's current role at 6, and get him away from fresh new ball attacks?

Chris Woakes is not a ODI player, he is too expensive and tame against nowadays line ups.

Taylor looks capable of making scores, but he wont survive in the team unless he can do it much quicker. He seems to be a guy that is comfortable batting in low scoring affairs and below the rate, but has yet to really cut loose and prove he has the balls to strike the ball and force the issue.....

[Arthur Crabtree]

That's what Taylor does do for Notts. He has a phenomenal county record and might be the best Lions bat ever. If you look to promote by virtue of excelling at a lower level, then Taylor should be picked.

Woakes may well not be a white ball bowler, but England can't uncover any white ball bowlers. they have to stick with someone. Bowlers tried at Lions level have struggled. Difficult to know what to do.

[Making_Splinters]

We have to accept that Ali is not going to score runs every game. He's up at the top to hit the bowling, that's a risky way of playing and unless you're really bloody good - for example Warner - then anything above a 50% success rate is worthy of a place. Also worth noting that he's justifying his place with the ball alone at present.

Taylor is someone who starts off slow then gets going. One thing he is good at is rotating the strike.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Exactly right about Moeen. People complain he bats one way, when that's his job.

[rich1uk]

Exactly right about Moeen. People complain he bats one way, when that's his job.

my complaint has been I just think he tries to hit the ball too hard and crosses the line between aggressive and reckless

I want to see him play the way he does and with that sort of intent , but that doesn't mean he should be trying to hit the cover off the ball all the time and end up losing his balance through the shot which is only doomed to fail

I've said a few times that I want both openers playing aggressively and that we worry about rebuilding if we lose an early wicket rather than do that while we still have 10 wickets in hand, and with taylor and root at 3/4 I think we have the right players to cope should one of the openers go early

ali has done well , doesn't mean I don't think he can do even better

[sussexpob]

We have to accept that Ali is not going to score runs every game. He's up at the top to hit the bowling, that's a risky way of playing and unless you're really bloody good - for example Warner - then anything above a 50% success rate is worthy of a place. Also worth noting that he's justifying his place with the ball alone at present.

That wasnt the point (that he has to score every game) but there were some concerns coming into Australia that his technique might be opened up against quick bowlers on bouncy pitches.....to a certain extent, its happened, as he didnt have a great series.... so from a short term perspective, playing him at 6 in the Bopara role (or the role Bopara should adopt because he needs to bowl more) might suit our World Cup chances a little more?

Who knows, not a strong point really, as knowing who top open now Hales has been discredited by England seemingly just adds another problem.

[Making_Splinters]

We have to accept that Ali is not going to score runs every game. He's up at the top to hit the bowling, that's a risky way of playing and unless you're really bloody good - for example Warner - then anything above a 50% success rate is worthy of a place. Also worth noting that he's justifying his place with the ball alone at present.

That wasnt the point (that he has to score every game) but there were some concerns coming into Australia that his technique might be opened up against quick bowlers on bouncy pitches.....to a certain extent, its happened, as he didnt have a great series.... so from a short term perspective, playing him at 6 in the Bopara role (or the role Bopara should adopt because he needs to bowl more) might suit our World Cup chances a little more?

Who knows, not a strong point really, as knowing who top open now Hales has been discredited by England seemingly just adds another problem.

Messing Ali around is completely the wrong way to go. If his technique isn't going to hold up then it's completely irrelevant where he bats. Having Ali at the top of the order is a positive move, he has the freedom to come and out and go for the fences. If it doesn't come off then its not a big issue. Having him down at 6, then him not coming off in a chase can be a big problem.

We should accept that Ali isn't going to score big every game, but when he does he'll put England in a strong position. It's about time that England were prepared to take a gamble to win games.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I know Moeen's only starting out, but he has got the fifth best SR of any world opener against top eight sides since 2010. So far, that's what he's about, and what he should be mainly judged by. And he's had some success. He's not an idiot, he must know there are alternate ways to bat.

This is how he compares with other England openers since 2010. Don't forget, none of the others offer another string, apart from CK's keeping.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine ... pe=batting

There will be some anxiety about him getting out to a short ball from Mitch1, but it was pretty awesome.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Fair point if he's over-hitting. But that's a problem of technique rather than intent.

[Dr Cricket]

Not sure that technique since he never did that in the few odi in England against india or any first class/Test match.
Definitely more intent than Technique.
Sehwag suffered the same thing in ODI where field restriction, looking for boundaries was more difficult and he generally got out or looked different to what he was in Test matches especially at his peak where he would make batting look so easy during 06-2010 and he never really did it in ODI even at his peak.
Sehwag always maintain Test was easier because of bigger gaps and placing the ball would get you boundaries and the pressure to score quick wasn't really there.

[meninblue]

Moeen has batting average:SR of 31.76:102.27 with 1*100 and 3*50 in 17 matches. To me he justifies his selection in this England team even on his batting performances.
Add to it , 17 wickets in 17 innings at eco rate of 4.69 is good addition from a non specialist bowler. I think he is the only non specialist bowlers who is successfully bowling his quota of 10 overs more often than not than other non specialist bowlers. He has not jsut given flexibility to this England side in ODI format, but he has probably been the top 3 players for England in all series he has played in his short ODI career.

To me he should be the first selected England player. Pick him first at this point of time and then pick the rest 10.