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

he might move straight into England mentoring/coaching

there won't be many players to win away test series in Australia, India, South Africa and Pakistan

Sounds like he's been the unofficial coach.

Durhamfootman wrote:there won't be many players to win away test series in Australia, India, South Africa and Pakistan

He had that stalwart series in 10-11 in Australia. But don't think he did so well there otherwise.

hardly any England players get to win down under. what was it..... 1986/7 and then nothing until 2010/11. Wins in India are rarer than hens teeth. Pakistan tours hardly ever happen and SA series seem to be vanishing through lack of interest, so it would be quite the achievement for some one else to match it

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Brendon McCullum has informed Jimmy Anderson this will be his last summer as an England player.

If this is true, then I find it hugely disrespectful.

Anderson should get to decide when he quits, not be told.

Anderson confirms first Test of the summer- v WI- will be his last for England.

sussexpob wrote:

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Brendon McCullum has informed Jimmy Anderson this will be his last summer as an England player.

If this is true, then I find it hugely disrespectful.

Anderson should get to decide when he quits, not be told.

it's better to quit than to be left out. There is no suspicion of any acrimony, outwardly at least. It seems to have been an amicable discussion

a poor time for Potts to forget how to take wickets

sussexpob wrote:

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Brendon McCullum has informed Jimmy Anderson this will be his last summer as an England player.

If this is true, then I find it hugely disrespectful.

Anderson should get to decide when he quits, not be told.

Not when appearance is a matter of selection, he shouldn't. It looks to me like McCullum has told him he won't feature in plans, but we are giving you a farewell test.

There's no rule that says he should get a farewell test, or be told. Sure, Anderson's efforts over the decades deserve it - and that is showing him the respect warranted.

England really do need to build an attack that doesn't have Anderson, imo.

I am rather sad to see Jimmy finishing up but I suppose it was coming soon enough one way or another. I would assume from what one hears of McCullum it would have been a respectful conversation , probably more along the lines of "look we have to build for the future so don't want to take you touring again : do you want to finish with a nominated home game or just leave it to us and risk being chopped off at some time over the summer" ? Once the decision to quit is agreed it probably makes sense for Jimmy to go out after Lord's and leave the deck clear so best all round...

The only snag being if the usual injury list mounts up they could yet end up looking a bit silly before the end of the Sri Lanka series ;)

Ah! Buliding for the future. I remember that from last time it happened..... we dropped our two best bowlers for some worthy young guns, then lost a series to one of the worst statistical batting line ups to play in test cricket post the Victorian era. It all paid off a few years later when we failed to win the Ashes and got smashed apart in India. What a plan that was.

The future back in 2021...

Matthew Fisher.... 1 test where he looked toothless vs a pub XI batting line up. Currently averaging over 40 for the year in Division 2.
Saqid Mahmood.... Hasnt taken a wicket in a year. Coming off a devastating back injury.
Craig Overton... played a few games, made Bonner and Blackwood feel like Lara and Viv. His last test ball bowled is still officially a live ball, as it has yet to reach the batsman.

And then we have the other younger guns who are under ECB contracts.

Josh Tongue... not bowled a single ball in 9 months, another with a serious injury.
Gus Atkinson... pulled out the IPL citing injury concerns. Has already had 4 stress factures to the back. Played 2 games this year, and then hasnt been fit.
Matt Potts... cant currently buy a wicket to save his life. Averages 60 this year.
Brydon Carse.... Averaging 286 this year for his 1 wicket...
John Turner... not played. In fact he has 4 wickets in the CC in his career (hes 23). Very inspiring.

Spin prospects from our last series this year....

Hartley.... 1/178
Bashir.... 4/300

England Lions bowlers from the last series in India this winter.

Tom Lawes... 5 wickets this season so far.
Callum Parkinson..... 2/100.... 2/206... 5/140...
Oliver Price.... 1/250 this season
Dan Mousley... has 5 wickets in 27 games in FC career
Jack Carson... Currently facing a possible lengthy time out with a back injury.

Players who have been picked for the Lions in the last 2 years and have bowled, or have been picked as Developmental players on ECB contracts.

Sam Conners... Averages 37 a wicket
Jamie Overton... No wicket in his last 5 innings bowled, more of a batter now
Sam Cook.... kicking ass.
Matt Critchley... Averages 40, basically a batsman
Thomas Prest.... 4 wickets in 11 FC games... turned into a LO batter specialist
Jacob Bethell.... 1 for 281 runs in his FC career
Tom Abell... now 31, only has 64 FC wickets
Mason Crane.... He's rubbish
Liam Patterson White ... averages 33 in FC
Lydon James... Averages 35 in FC
David Payne... Averages 30, now nearly 34 years old
George Scrimshaw... 18 FC wickets... cant get a county game
Jake Linton... 3 FC wickets and over 3 (got to be the most bizarre Lions pick ever)
Benny Howell...Also over 30, not very good, cant get a game


So Aside from Sam Cook, who was dropped from the Lions in recent times because he doesnt bowl quickly, Jamie Porter who was picked before that for the Lions and dropped for the same reason, we basically have not a single player taking wickets right now who is a standout performer who deservesa test call.

Those players that have in recent times are all long term injury concerns.

Dropping an all time legend to shoe in an out of form player who can't take wickets in April against Derbyshire is hardly a great idea.

Hopefully it's not too late to get him to reconsider.

Geez, are our bowling stocks that bad?

Let's not forget that even our best prospects like Archer and Robinson we manage to break through mismanagement.

On the other hand, Anderson didn't land in the test team fully formed. He was in and out for years and wildly inconsistent - think he averaged over 35 in his first 20 or so tests. It was only around 2009 when he became more consistent. So hopefully some of the young lads are still in development and will come good.

With injuries and retirements, it's difficult to know what will be England's pace attack this summer. Looking at bowlers already capped and still active, I've got J&C.Overton, Saqib Mahmood, Potts, Fisher, Robinson, Stone, T&S.Curran, TR.Jones, Ball, Wood, Woakes.

Assuming Tongue and Archer are injured. Woakes isn't going to play away Tests. Most of these are definitively dropped.

Had a bit of a laugh at SP's typically gloomy summation of the bowling stocks ... but have to admit the early season figures for some of the likely prospects are seriously underwhelming.

To be honest I tend to agree that the immediate future (after Broad and Anderson) looks challenging to say the least. One of the reasons why I was relieved that Stokes insisted on reversing that West Indies tour selection mistake. Replacing a pair that that was never going to be easy or achievable overnight (refer back to what happened to English Test bowling after Statham/Trueman , or Willis/Botham , finished up, for examples) Sometimes there is no easy solution to a problem. But bringing them both back - absolutely correctly I think - meant that the replacement problem was inevitably going to surface again a couple of years later. As it has.

Broad retired last year and Jimmy for all his astonishing fitness was highly unlikely to spearhead the attack in Australia at 43 . Personally would have preferred to have him continue anyway- as he apparently wanted after India - and reviewed things later in this summer ; but I can understand why they might want to have a bit more space to trial options in two home series which ought to be less pressured than coming tours. If the replacements don't succeed in stepping up it may be embarrassing of course ; but life after those two great bowlers was going to be inevitable sooner or later so it seems rather pointless to fuss over a probably minor timing issue. Jimmy sounds as if he is OK with it , even if not exactly what he'd have chosen himself.

So who will be the likely lads ? I am rather bemused at the lack of success so far this year of Potts - who looked a very handy type in his early Tests. Is it all down to the great Kookaburra Ball Experiment ? Tongue impressed too on debut but seems another injury- prone fellow. Cook has form on his side so maybe we will see him tried - though I gather he isn't exactly a highspeed option. Suspect the immediate load is still likely to depend a lot on Woakes (at home anyway) , Wood and hopefully Robinson if he can recover his zip. But whatever way you cut it , Broad and Anderson are going to be missed.