WI tour of England, July 8-28

[sussexpob]

Guess we will see Chemar Holder getting his debut. Listed as an out and out fast paceman, 22 years of age and touted as a potential test player for some time.

After that it's Cornwall or a couple of all-rounders that might not carry a test attack. So I'd be surprised if it's all change.

Certainly think hope has to go

[mikesiva]

Yes, Chemar would be considered for debut, if another pacer is needed. He did well in the regional FC season, but I'm not sure he's as fast as Gabriel.

Some disturbing news:

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id ... -isolation

"Some of the abuse I have taken over the past few days on Instagram has been racist and I have decided that enough is enough," Archer said. "Since Wilfried Zaha, the Crystal Palace footballer, was abused by a 12-year-old online I drew a line and I will not allow anything to pass, so I have forwarded on my complaints to the ECB and that will go through the correct process."

[sussexpob]

"Some of the abuse I have taken over the past few days on Instagram has been racist and I have decided that enough is enough," Archer said. "Since Wilfried Zaha, the Crystal Palace footballer, was abused by a 12-year-old online I drew a line and I will not allow anything to pass, so I have forwarded on my complaints to the ECB and that will go through the correct process."

It amazes me we are in 2020 and there still seems such a lax attitude to punishing people who do this sort of thing. I cant see why online abuse is treated all that differently to physical. Hopefully whoever is involved will be found and punished.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Surely the social media company is responsible for providing a platform for the racism.

Hard for JA to take the inevitable (non racist) criticism too. It's an unreal world they inhabit. How much praise do you get when things go well and you win the World Cup. If cricket provoked no response, it would be dead. I suppose we all have to review our online attitudes from time to time. But if we couldn't be critical of performances, there would be no point commenting. We'd just be a forum of Nasser Hussains. There can't be no negativity as there would be no discussion.

There I go criticising Nasser Hussain.

[sussexpob]

The article as a whole is utterly stunning to me. I read it and was pressed into thinking what alternative reality Jofra Archer and whoever sanctioned the release of the piece must inhabit. He did something utterly moronic, selfish and reckless, and he feels he is in the position to write entitled "hitting back at my critics"; no Mr Archer, now is the time to shut your flaming cakehole and take what has been the most "Diet Coke punishments" absolutely imaginable.

The fact we are invited to feel sorry for him, or that hes suffered some wanton, disproportionately excessive backlash is frankly laughable. In fact, it seems the team as a whole and Archer himself feel that promoting him as some suicide watch patient all the time is enough to escape all accountability for his actions. "Ive done my time" he proclaims, like someone whos just been released from Alcatraz after a 30 year stint, and not someone who was asked to stay in a deluxe room in a 5 star hotel for a couple of days while he earned 10,000s quid for doing nothing, and had all his needs attended to him.

Its pretty damn well insensitive considering the era we live in to play up such minimal isolation as some extraordinary punishments. Those Fickle plebs you talk about pay your wages, and some of them might have had to do what you did longer while losing their jobs, or not being able to visit dying relatives, or struggling with issues you did have. I find the whole article incredibly bad taste, and flat out wrong.

You put the whole of the ECB and cricket in the country at risk, then its going to take more than 5 days pretending to be Alan Partridge to correct that wrong. live with it son, I have zero sympathy.

[sussexpob]

The greatest England bat in my lifetime got sacked for Whistling. I cant compute this parallel set of standards that seems to exist, which is why I think I take so much offence at Archer seemingly complaining.

If I were Alex Hales I would be starting a court case right now; career over because he cant be trusted on the basis he took a snort of cocaine, but if he had jepordised the finances of the whole of English cricket and done something that could have bankrupted the ECB and shut down the national game....nah, 5 days rest in bed and then back to the nets, and as an apology for having to do that for the public facing, we will flood the press with stories about how bad you are feeling and how much we care, and what a great guy you are.

Joke this ECB. Absolute joke.....

[sussexpob]

I look forward in a weeks time to reading someone else on the fringes of the squad got sent home for breaking team trust, because they took the piss ot of Jimmy Andersons haircut.

[Arthur Crabtree]

The article as a whole is utterly stunning to me. I read it and was pressed into thinking what alternative reality Jofra Archer and whoever sanctioned the release of the piece must inhabit. He did something utterly moronic, selfish and reckless, and he feels he is in the position to write entitled "hitting back at my critics"; no Mr Archer, now is the time to shut your flaming cakehole and take what has been the most "Diet Coke punishments" absolutely imaginable.

That's true. Saying he'd served his time was surprising. Like it was a minor infringement of which too much was made.

Time to move on, and all. He was just following his instinct...

[Arthur Crabtree]

Inevitably if you take five wickets people will say you did well. If you take 0-100 they won't. Maybe form (and fortune) is fickle and public opinion shadows that. People don't praise a fivefer one day and criticise one the next. Even so, negative comment is hard to take, more so when you are trying your hardest. I do have some sympathy for for the scrutiny they are exposed to. And they are mostly quite young.

[sussexpob]

He substitutes that scrutiny for a 10 year career and 700k over the minimum wage. If he don't like it, I suggest he quits and checks out the real world; I'm sure he'd find soon enough he'd get strict targets and criticism for bad work for his 8 quid an hour, and equally back breaking work.

I've got zero time for someone moaning in the current environment they had to spent 5 days isolated in a room, or that there excellent job comes with people criticism.

We all spent months isolated, and a lot of people didn't come out the other side blessed to play the game they love for ridiculous money.

Have some humility for god sake. To knick Jamie vardys wisdom, do sh*t, get banged.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I'm sympathetic to people on minimum wage/ZHC too!

[sussexpob]

I didn't for a moment doubt that

[Arthur Crabtree]

;)

Reasonably points you make.

[westoelad]

Totally agree with all SP says. I suppose in Archer's defence it can be argued he is naive in terms of game and dealing the baggage that comes with it. Stokes appeared to be pretty irresponsible at that age but has grown out of it. It all depends how much he learns and adapts from the experience. I think there's more to the Hales exclusion than taking a few sniffs of the happy backy.

[alfie]

I'm not that bothered by Archer's aggrieved reaction to criticism...at the risk of channelling the "four Yorkshiremen" I note quite a lot of young people (especially talented sportsmen !) these days seem to display a somewhat "entitled" attitude ; so if you are used to general adulation it might be a bit of a shock having to field a battery of negative comments...
(Obviously a torrent of racist abuse is a different animal ; and it is possible the effect that had on him has contributed to over sensitivity to more (or less) reasonable critical comment ?)
In any case I agree putting out this sort of poor poor me article is daft - and frankly I'm surprised it got past his minders. But I imagine all will be forgotten in time , even if it loses him some love in the short term. Possibly he might learn a bit as he gets older too...

One issue though that affects the present situation : if he "struggled to bowl in the nets " ; and appears by his own admission to be a bit rattled at the moment - should England even be thinking of picking him for an important Test Match ? (Some might suggest the counter argument that he needs to get back on the horse quickly but I'm not sure I'd buy that ).

Not talking about leaving him out for disciplinary reasons ; just if his head isn't straight it might be a risk they can do without...especially as there are a number of valid alternatives and the question of which three seamers is "best" for the current situation is far from clear in any case.