First Test: New Zealand v England. 22-26 March.

[meninblue]

New Bunch:

Joe Root - 53.28
Jonny Bairstow - 39.12
Dawid Malan - 33.64
Mark Stoneman - 27.07
James Vince - 22.70


Old Bunch:

KP - 47.28
Alaistair Cook - 46.35
Trott- 44.08
Bell - 42.69
Strauss - 40.91


So much difference in performance.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Four of those five are among the eleven highest run scorers for England ever.

Still got bowled out for 51 in Kingston.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Good game for Vince to miss.

[Durhamfootman]

58?

50 *modded* 8?

27/9?

hells teeth

has Eddie Jones taken over as England coach?

[Durhamfootman]

I'd completely forgotten that this started today

I wish I hadn't remembered

[Arthur Crabtree]

Might be Collingwood in charge soon at this rate?

[sussexpob]

Might be Collingwood in charge soon at this rate?

At this rate, Id take him at 6

[Arthur Crabtree]

England's away record is horrific.

Ashes 0-4
India 0-4
BD 1-1
SA 2-1
Pak 0-2 (neutral)
WI 1-1
Ashes 0-5
NZ 0-0

What was going on in SA?

[sussexpob]

No surprise is it. Its almost like the formula for success is wrong

Same approach + passage of time = same results.

[sussexpob]

Its hard to justify much thats going on.

The ECB are in chaos with the counties. The coach doesnt want the job. His staff havent made any positive impacts on our players. The selectors have furnished the team with spinners who average nearly 50, and openers who average in the low 30s. The youngsters arent appearing from the academy. The captain has stopped scoring runs and wouldnt know what leadership means even if you opened the dictionary at the right place and put your finger next to the word. ODI team aside, the whole structure is rotten. Every single aspect, totally rotten.

Its been like this, and still Strauss is implementing ideas from a failed manifesto. They continue to dig themselves into failed ideology, while they self congratulate themselves for being so clever. English cricket needs meaningful change.

I dont think this is anywhere near the best team we have in county cricket.

[backfootpunch]

New Bunch:

Joe Root - 53.28
Jonny Bairstow - 39.12
Dawid Malan - 33.64
Mark Stoneman - 27.07
James Vince - 22.70


Old Bunch:

KP - 47.28
Alaistair Cook - 46.35
Trott- 44.08
Bell - 42.69
Strauss - 40.91


So much difference in performance.

The averages of the old bunch were much higher for most of there career too

All of them finished off poorly in the last 2 or 3 series

you are forgetting Matt prior too and Collingwood

Our batting line up is as shadow of what it was

[bigfluffylemon]

Who from county Cricket would do better?

Root is pretty much undroppable - he still passed 50 5 times in the Ashes, he hasn't become terrible overnight. But every other member of the team is vulnerable apart from perhaps Anderson. Broad and Cook are looking long past their best, and the others show flashes of quality but are highly inconsistent. Even Bairstow and Stokes.

My one bright side (if there can be one) is that after the 51 in Jamaica, England got the kick up the backside they needed to drop some players who had been cruising and make major changes behind the scenes, and we won the Ashes later that year. Let's hope the same happens here.

[sussexpob]

Who from county Cricket would do better?

Id give Sam Northeast a go. Coming into his peak, hes improved a lot, and there was always something about him. A competent technique, and seems to have learnt to build innings better now. Have any candidates been better than Robson at the opener slot? Id give him another go, in fact I wouldnt have dropped him.

Livingstone is performing well consistently and Id have played him over Vince before the Ashes. Scored 88 in the warm up game. Joe Clarke looks a prospect. Dan Lawrence. Gubbins is smashing the North around for fun and seems to be maturing a lot recently. Ben Foakes to come in as a keeper and moving up Bairstow to concentrate on batting is another option.

And I can only conclude Nick Browne must be shagging some England selectors daughter, because he averaged over 40 again this year, career average of 45, and he didnt even get near a lions squad mention.

Also, Id be inclined with the current team to ignore form and play Hameed with a whisper in his ear he will be given 20 tests. Cant have been nice to come away with a disaster tour with a plus 40 average in India, and then not even make the next squad.

Sort of player management that leads to scores of 58

[yuppie]

Didn't Ballance, Cook and Stoneman have the best county averages last year?

Maybe the problem is actually country cricket? Perhaps county cricket can not produce test cricketers that can play in foreign conditions?

[bigfluffylemon]

Kane gets his hundred before the prayed-for rain arrives.

It's probably going to need to rain for the next three days solid to save England. The forecast is bad, but not that bad, especially for Sunday.