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The Cricket Thread

Maybe time to give Woakes a break. He’s not at his best in overseas conditions at the best of times, but added to that he looks very out of sorts. We can’t keep allowing the opposition to get such strong starts.

21 from his opening two overs against this opposition is poor.
 
Maybe time to give Woakes a break. He’s not at his best in overseas conditions at the best of times, but added to that he looks very out of sorts. We can’t keep allowing the opposition to get such strong starts.

21 from his opening two overs against this opposition is poor.

I certainly think they'd be better trying something else rather than hoping he will bowl himself into form in games - I mean, why pack the squad so full of seamers if you are not prepared to actually use two of them?
 
I certainly think they'd be better trying something else rather than hoping he will bowl himself into form in games - I mean, why pack the squad so full of seamers if you are not prepared to actually use two of them?
If they bring Willey in for Woakes then we have too many left armers who are very similar and I would be a bit wary of throwing Atkinson in as he is very inexperienced. I think they are paying for bringing Stokes when he can’t (won’t) bowl
 
If they bring Willey in for Woakes then we have too many left armers who are very similar and I would be a bit wary of throwing Atkinson in as he is very inexperienced. I think they are paying for bringing Stokes when he can’t (won’t) bowl

If Atkinson is too inexperienced then why is he there? Its not like there were not other options - Brydon Carse would fit perfectly as a like for like, or they could have brought Liam Dawson as a good all round option. The fact is, what they are doing now is not quite working with the ball.
 
If Atkinson is too inexperienced then why is he there? Its not like there were not other options - Brydon Carse would fit perfectly as a like for like, or they could have brought Liam Dawson as a good all round option. The fact is, what they are doing now is not quite working with the ball.
Agree that what they have now isn’t working but I wouldn’t have picked a player who has played less than 20 first class matches for a World Cup - bit too much like Theo Walcott
 
Agree that what they have now isn’t working but I wouldn’t have picked a player who has played less than 20 first class matches for a World Cup - bit too much like Theo Walcott

There I do somewhat disagree; I would have preferred Carse myself just because he is the kind of heavy ball bowler who takes the pressure off Rashid in the middle overs, but with Atkinson, he's played enough top level cricket over a few years, so its not like they've picked an ingenue who has literally just started.
 
There I do somewhat disagree; I would have preferred Carse myself just because he is the kind of heavy ball bowler who takes the pressure off Rashid in the middle overs, but with Atkinson, he's played enough top level cricket over a few years, so its not like they've picked an ingenue who has literally just started.
5 one day matches? Certainly not an experienced player in my book
 
That is a great recovery from Afg.. esp as compared to Pak yesterday who went from 140/2 to 190 all out. Fair play to Afg..

Now we need to chase this down in 25 overs
 
I’m a bit surprised to see Afghanistan competing in an event like this? Is it controversial in cricket circles?
Not at all. Not sure I've even heard it mentioned previously.

I guess the key difference with say Russia, is that the current rulers in Afghanistan have not invaded another country, they haven't gone beyond their own borders. We may not like the current people in charge but that's another matter and then we are in the murky area of sport and politics.
 
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Been out this afternoon but following the game on BBC Sport. I’ve come in to pick it up again at the start of the over in which Woakes was dismissed. I’m guessing the calamity I’ve seen is a fair reflection of the entire game?

England set themselves up to lose this match by allowing Afghanistan to get off the a blistering start, by bowling either short and wide of off stump or too full. We’ve been plying catch up for the majority of the match.

Win or lose, and the latter seems likely now, this is an embarrassment. I get it that the opposition know how to exploit conditions in India, but so many of these players play IPL that we can’t use that as an excuse any longer.

Shockingly bad.
 
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