The summer of cricket thread 2014

[Paolo69]

If you were fixing it, you'd want it to be a bit more fucking subtle than that, surely?

Yeh and Kohli must be fucking minted now.

I know us English are supposed to like a moan but lose and we're shit and win and it's fixed! That's pushing things a little surely?!

[Reg Smeeton]

The Ishant Sharma bowling no balls which aren't called is a bit strange; then the ump referring if he gets a wicket.  What better way to prevent a Mohamed Asif/Amir bowling no balls to order situation.

[Paolo69]

The Ishant Sharma bowling no balls which aren't called is a bit strange; then the ump referring if he gets a wicket.  What better way to prevent a Mohamed Asif/Amir bowling no balls to order situation.

Yeah it's very odd. A no ball is a no ball regardless of whether it takes a wicket and should be penalised as such. Ishant seems to be one of the bowlers constantly pushing the line and hence it becomes an issue. There's plenty of others too who aren't being called I would summise.

[Summerof69]

The Ishant Sharma bowling no balls which aren't called is a bit strange; then the ump referring if he gets a wicket.  What better way to prevent a Mohamed Asif/Amir bowling no balls to order situation.

I've said for a number of years that this should be called via the 3rd umpire, who does nothing mostly all day up in the TV box. You've got fixed cameras on those lines, and those pictures should be fed straight to the 3rd umpire, who calls the no-ball via the walkie talkies, and then the on field umpires give it.

[Nemo]

Dharmasena doesn't even appear to watch the front line. I'm surprised they haven't just digitised that process.

[Reg Smeeton]

The Indian capitulation, unfortunately, does call into question the future of Test cricket.  I've had my moan about the back to back Ashes, and now we've another next summer. Recently, the Test match program, was stitched up by India, that they'd play more regularly 5 match series with England and Australia, who agreed to it, in order to get more Ashes matches.

Why for example aren't we playing the Saffas....excellent team. The problem with Pakistan is obvious and understandable, but the Lankies are more competitive than India....what's the point of 5 match series, v  a team that can't last 3 days.

It will just drive the grounds to produce Trent Bridge style pitches, to at least see out the time.  Atm, the Kiwis have a decent outfit....a bit thin in a couple of areas, but so are England, would be good for their game to get a few more Tests.

Sadly the Windies are terrible....

Very easy to see in a few years, rather than Tests, more one dayers, probably triangular or 4 teams over here, using up the  grounds which are newly developed...India/Pakistan would get big crowds.

[Samdy Gray]

I see Beefy got into a spot of bother on Twitter this morning.

"Hacked". Yeah, ok.

[Nemo]

Plum middle stump that one, not what I needed first thing in the morning at all.

ODI squad's just been announced, the usual faces plus Hales minus Bopara. Could have been a bit more adventurous for me but it's just not going to happen is it. Given free reign I'd pick something like:

Hales, Taylor/Mooen/Vince, Ballance, Morgan, Root, Bopara, Buttler, Tredwell, Finn, Broad, Gurney

But that's a bit unlikely from England. Would have settled for one more new face in the middle, I don't think you can get away with playing Cook/Root/Bell/Ballance all in one team, decent stability but more than two of those seems a bit much. Still, plenty of games before the World Cup so will be interesting to see if they look outside the existing group.

[kerry red]

Surprised Reg hasn't been on about Wiltshire winning the Minor Counties championship for the first time in 100 years.

Were the celebrations good then, Reg!

[Nemo]

I think it's regionally split now like the JPT and Wilts have only won our half, there's an overall final at some point.

[TheMajorSTFC]

That's correct Nemo, I think they face Staffordshire or Shropshire in the 'final'

[Reg Smeeton]

1902 and 1909. Winning the western region is an achievement....however I'm not sure that Wilts still count Swindon as in the county, when it comes to selection....certainly don't use the CG any longer as a venue.

There always was a sniffy attitude to Swindon cricket, back in the days when both the CG and Swindon BR ground were used, but there was no chance that the toffs, could quite get away with their desired policy of cultural apartheid. 

That opportunity fell into their lap, with the creation of the Unitary Borough of Swindon, which removed services previously provided by the county.

[DMR]

Swindon are only in Glos/Wilts, the lads need to be playing Premier 1 or 2 to really be considered for county selection.

[Reg Smeeton]

Swindon are only in Glos/Wilts, the lads need to be playing Premier 1 or 2 to really be considered for county selection.

Fair enough point....my particular sadness is that the CG doesn't get used for Minor Counties any longer. Also I liked it when Glos played a few games there, or Minor Counties (west) played Gillette/Nat West Cup....I've seen some decent players down the years play at the CG...going back to 67 when Pakistan played Minor Counties in a 3 day game....with the likes of Intikhab Alam and Asif Iqbal.

Others I've seen.....Imran Khan, Courtney Walsh, Alan Border, David Gower all stick in the head.

[Frigby Daser]

Fair enough point....my particular sadness is that the CG doesn't get used for Minor Counties any longer. Also I liked it when Glos played a few games there, or Minor Counties (west) played Gillette/Nat West Cup....I've seen some decent players down the years play at the CG...going back to 67 when Pakistan played Minor Counties in a 3 day game....with the likes of Intikhab Alam and Asif Iqbal.

Others I've seen.....Imran Khan, Courtney Walsh, Alan Border, David Gower all stick in the head.

I agree it's a shame, but the ground just isn't up to it. Despite the best efforts to spruce up the bar area, the pavilion is falling into disrepair. The changing rooms are v poor, the showers a cold dribble... More importantly, the wicket is very slow and low and not conducive to good cricket. It's one of the poorer places to play cricket in the area, sadly. If they could throw money at the pavilion and then dig the square up and start again, maybe they'd get games, but Corsham is a far better bet.