First Test: England v New Zealand, May 21-25.

[captaincolly]

It was just a great test match. The one thing I was pleased about was that England didn't drop their heads and fought right to the end.
It's annoying though that if we hadn't been bowled out when we were, Cook would never have declared and it would have ended in a draw.
Well played both teams

A great game of cricket. The Stokes hundred special in many ways and his strike rate gave England more time in the end to get the 10 wickets today. Only disappointment is that it's only a 2 test series.

[m@tt]

Switch on after the play off final and witnessed the last few wickets. New Zealand must have had money on England, the way that they batted today leaves a lot to be desired.

Mind, half these players were India a week ago

Some odd batting towards the end but damage was done early when there was a lot of good bowling. Maybe some deliveries could have been left but that's nothing abnormal.

[m@tt]

Stokes qualifies by the currently pretty strict ECB regulations, because he came to uk at school age (I think the cut off is 14, but that's possibly not quite right). I'm not sure about Stokes, but I've heard of youngsters with talent being brought to the UK before that cut off point, just to beat the seven (?) year qualification that is incurred afterwards.

I thought Stokes' parent had a connection with the north west actually?

Regulations are here.

If you move to England before 18, you have to here for four years. Otherwise it is 7 years, but pre-2012 was 5 years. Anyone who became eligible under the 5 year rule remained eligible. Stokes debuted in 2011 but given that he moved here aged 12 (?) he would have been eligible from when he signed his first pro contract for Durham.

[The Waugh Twins]

Stokes qualifies by the currently pretty strict ECB regulations, because he came to uk at school age (I think the cut off is 14, but that's possibly not quite right). I'm not sure about Stokes, but I've heard of youngsters with talent being brought to the UK before that cut off point, just to beat the seven (?) year qualification that is incurred afterwards.

I thought Stokes' parent had a connection with the north west actually?

He moved to Cumbria when he was about 10 or 11 years old because his dad got a job coaching a local rugby team.

Does anyone care? He grew up here

Yes I care, because I am of the opinion you should have citizenship to play for that country. He obviously does so that's settled. k.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Thanks Matt.

Something that shouldn't be forgotten from the game is the sportsmanship and goodwill that the Kiwis brought to the match. A lot of the cricket I've seen in recent times has been hard to take. I'd like to think the Kiwis are a model for other teams to follow. The NZ captain was very impressive after the game.

[The Waugh Twins]

Having said that, the negative nay sayers like my self will be temporarily silenced.

Cook captained well, batted well, Stokes won the match, Ali took wickets, Broad bowled with some pace for once.

Time to focus on Ballance. What a poor test he had!

Cooks didn't captain well at all, and got very lucky in the end thanks to a brilliant team effort. Considering the runs he had to play with, he only ever had a completely attacking field as soon as a wicket would fall. During any long partnerships (not many mind you) he started putting blokes on the boundary to save runs. Pretty bloody mad if you ask me.

Cook scored runs and that's awesome, but I can see him hurting this side. Hope he doesn't mess Stokes up. Cooks another Ponting, sorry Ricky.

[The Waugh Twins]

Thanks Matt.

Something that shouldn't be forgotten from the game is the sportsmanship and goodwill that the Kiwis brought to the match. A lot of the cricket I've seen in recent times has been hard to take. I'd like to think the Kiwis are a model for other teams to follow. The NZ captain was very impressive after the game.

Very well said just as I get sucked into another pointless argument with Sussex.

[m@tt]

Thanks Matt.

Something that shouldn't be forgotten from the game is the sportsmanship and goodwill that the Kiwis brought to the match. A lot of the cricket I've seen in recent times has been hard to take. I'd like to think the Kiwis are a model for other teams to follow. The NZ captain was very impressive after the game.

McCullum speaks very well. Doesn't look it, what with the muscles and tattoos he isn't your typical cricket captain, but is certainly someone to listen to.

And nice to see them shaking Stokes' hand after he reached three figures. Would like to see more of it across the game in general. Not to see we don't see displays of respect in the game, but when you support an England side that has become a bit too insular and grumpy over the past few years, it would be nice to see more of it. It's just little things, like Trott removing his cap when he shook Dravid's hand at the end of his final innings here.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Having said that, the negative nay sayers like my self will be temporarily silenced.

Cook captained well, batted well, Stokes won the match, Ali took wickets, Broad bowled with some pace for once.

Time to focus on Ballance. What a poor test he had!

Cooks didn't captain well at all, and got very lucky in the end thanks to a brilliant team effort. Considering the runs he had to play with, he only ever had a completely attacking field as soon as a wicket would fall. During any long partnerships (not many mind you) he started putting blokes on the boundary to save runs. Pretty bloody mad if you ask me.

Cook scored runs and that's awesome, but I can see him hurting this side. Hope he doesn't mess Stokes up. Cooks another Ponting, sorry Ricky.

Well, you agree with each other. Sussex was just listing the cheerleading that has followed in the wake of the game. Though a certain amount of this is inevitable, and really not such a bad thing. As long a it isn't used to settle old scores or used to deny long lasting concerns.

[Dr Cricket]

not sure where to post this but did anyone catch cricket writers this week if so what was said.

[m@tt]

Cook's captaincy was pretty good today. The declaration was taken out of his hands as we were bowled out - I wanted us to bat positively for an hour, and we scored 49 runs in 11 overs and about 50-55 minutes.

He kept catchers in and rotated the bowlers well. Root got a wicket and Ali got one in his first over of a new spell.

In terms of the game as a whole, we didn't bowl well with the first new ball in the first innings. Same old story, bowling slightly too short to make the ball talk. Yes it's the bowlers who bowl but the captain does need to notice it and demand change.

So a good game for Cook both as batsman and captain, but we all know he's only a loss away from criticism - at least when it comes to the captaincy. His batting does seem to be sorted again now.

[m@tt]

Time to focus on Ballance. What a poor test he had!

Some are way ahead of you! Already seen him receive plenty of criticism during the game. A couple of low scores and apparently he should be dropped. He's become the new Trott in more ways than one (well the Test version of the ODI version of Trott, if that makes any sense). Some are saying his technique will never work, despite him averaging 51 for Yorkshire and 56 for England.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Thanks Matt.

Something that shouldn't be forgotten from the game is the sportsmanship and goodwill that the Kiwis brought to the match. A lot of the cricket I've seen in recent times has been hard to take. I'd like to think the Kiwis are a model for other teams to follow. The NZ captain was very impressive after the game.

McCullum speaks very well. Doesn't look it, what with the muscles and tattoos he isn't your typical cricket captain, but is certainly someone to listen to.

And nice to see them shaking Stokes' hand after he reached three figures. Would like to see more of it across the game in general. Not to see we don't see displays of respect in the game, but when you support an England side that has become a bit too insular and grumpy over the past few years, it would be nice to see more of it. It's just little things, like Trott removing his cap when he shook Dravid's hand at the end of his final innings here.

Great post and nice to read that point about Trott.

The Kiwis came to the game without the anger that I'm used to seeing. In turn, it probably meant England changed a little too. But NZ led this.

Brendan said that NZ had a fresh start around how NZ were perceived by the public, and they accepted that they weren't liked. I've never seen NZ as bad guys, but they were a model here.

After Sydney, Cook talked about philosophy and ethics, and my ears tuned in because I like that kind of stuff. A few months later, he was defending Anderson at Trent Bridge and manhandling the Sri lankans. my impression is he meant ethics and philosophy in a corporate way, which means image. England's behaviour got worse.

But the Kiwis have led the way. My impression is that other pressures will mean England will revert to type in time. But they have had a glimpse of a more wholesome ethics and philosophy, for its own sake, in this game.

[captaincolly]

not sure where to post this but did anyone catch cricket writers this week if so what was said.

They all seemed to think that Gillespie was going to be the new coach and were surprised at the headlines in most of the press - this was when NZ had taken a first innings lead and looked on top - about how Cook was under pressure given that Straussy had already effectively said he would be captain for the rest of the summer regardless of results. The suggestion was that Root would probably take over as skipper at the end of the summer.
At least one of them said that they felt the Ashes series would be much more competitive than a lot of people think.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Time to focus on Ballance. What a poor test he had!

Some are way ahead of you! Already seen him receive plenty of criticism during the game. A couple of low scores and apparently he should be dropped. He's become the new Trott in more ways than one (well the Test version of the ODI version of Trott, if that makes any sense). Some are saying his technique will never work, despite him averaging 51 for Yorkshire and 56 for England.

While it's not right, they were a pair of the worst dismissals imaginable. Yet, that technique has worked for him. Obviously he'll get a lot more chances to settle this. Steve Smith doesn't look right either, and he's arguably the best at the moment.

My hunch, from looking at the stats, is that England demand their top three block, whatever their talent or inclination. I wouldn't be surprised if GB played a little differently under a less proscriptive coach.