Cricket thread up to ODI World Cup
Now that the cricket season has resumed after the farce that is The Hundred which writes off a full month of the season right at its peak, we're got a number of ODI games in preparation for the World Cup in India which starts in less than 4 week's time.
England playing today against New Zealand in the first of a 4 match series with, I believe, a squad based on that selected for the World Cup, plus Harry Brook.
Brook played today as an opener, having been added to the (provisional) World Cup squad as batting cover having originally been left out of the provisional squad. I think both Brook and maybe Duckett, on the batting side, could consider themselves a little unlucky to have been left out, but a case can be made for each of those included as well. As with the Ashes, it's hugely disappointing that Stokes is unable to bowl; he's worth his place as a batsman but it does upset the balance of the team that he can't be used as a back up seamer as well.
Although I fully accept that cricket, especially where there are a number of games in relatively quick succession, places a lot more stress and strain on the bodies of the quick/seam bowlers rather than those of the batsmen, I do wonder if we've got the balance of the squad right; we're taking 6 quick/seam bowlers when it's likely we'll only play 3 in any one match given the likely conditions we'll find in India. That means 3 out of the 4 players rested from the 15 man squad for each game will be out of those 6 bowlers, meaning that 8 out of the other 9 will be selected to play every game; this doesn't allow much flexibility for any illness, injury or lack of form towards the top of the order.
England's provisional World Cup squad: Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
PS Has the "Miscellaneous" thread category been removed, or did I imagine that there used to be such an option?
England playing today against New Zealand in the first of a 4 match series with, I believe, a squad based on that selected for the World Cup, plus Harry Brook.
Brook played today as an opener, having been added to the (provisional) World Cup squad as batting cover having originally been left out of the provisional squad. I think both Brook and maybe Duckett, on the batting side, could consider themselves a little unlucky to have been left out, but a case can be made for each of those included as well. As with the Ashes, it's hugely disappointing that Stokes is unable to bowl; he's worth his place as a batsman but it does upset the balance of the team that he can't be used as a back up seamer as well.
Although I fully accept that cricket, especially where there are a number of games in relatively quick succession, places a lot more stress and strain on the bodies of the quick/seam bowlers rather than those of the batsmen, I do wonder if we've got the balance of the squad right; we're taking 6 quick/seam bowlers when it's likely we'll only play 3 in any one match given the likely conditions we'll find in India. That means 3 out of the 4 players rested from the 15 man squad for each game will be out of those 6 bowlers, meaning that 8 out of the other 9 will be selected to play every game; this doesn't allow much flexibility for any illness, injury or lack of form towards the top of the order.
England's provisional World Cup squad: Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
PS Has the "Miscellaneous" thread category been removed, or did I imagine that there used to be such an option?
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