England cricket team

[muckthenuts]

This New Zealand team is a credible standard of opponent imo, they've got an awesome side. Quality result and amazing test match!

[DungBeetle]

Always feel this happens in every sport England compete in. Before this test match we were shite and one win later there's much to be hopeful for.

We've beaten New Zealand. Big deal. I'll start feeling better once we've had a credible result against a better class of opponent

There aren't too many better sides than NZ at the moment imo.  In England conditions probably only Aussies and SAF offer a tougher test.

[TightEnd]

that was a very exciting test series

shame it is only two matches

NZ great value for this win, aggressive cricket, quick scoring

they scored 350 in 70 overs at the start, normally sides take 100-120 overs to score that many

this gave them 30-50 overs in hand which they needed with the rain delays

for england

the positives

cook back in form

stokes has arrived

buttler a solid 7

anderson, still, and wood's emergence

broad's wickets


the negatives

ballance and bell are in no form

what to do with mo ali? can he be the fifth bowler and front line spinner? if not, should he play?

broad going at 5-6 an over


the ashes are going to be tough, as aus are nz in style and agressionbut better with more depth

england's top six is going to have mitch, starc, hazlewood and harris coming at them with the ball. nasty

[TightEnd]

England ODI squad: Morgan (capt), Billings, Buttler, Finn, Hales, Jordan, Plunkett, Rashid, Root, Roy, Stokes, Taylor, Willey, Wood

exciting selection

roy, hales, billings, taylor and willey are some of the best one day players in the county game. all high strike rate bashers

[Woodsey]

Saw hales the other weeks here in notts, immense innings. Think he hit 6 consecutive sixes from his strike at one point.

[vegaslover]

that was a very exciting test series

shame it is only two matches

NZ great value for this win, aggressive cricket, quick scoring

they scored 350 in 70 overs at the start, normally sides take 100-120 overs to score that many

this gave them 30-50 overs in hand which they needed with the rain delays

for england

the positives

cook back in form

stokes has arrived

buttler a solid 7

anderson, still, and wood's emergence

broad's wickets


the negatives

ballance and bell are in no form

what to do with mo ali? can he be the fifth bowler and front line spinner? if not, should he play?

broad going at 5-6 an over


the ashes are going to be tough, as aus are nz in style and agressionbut better with more depth

england's top six is going to have mitch, starc, hazlewood and harris coming at them with the ball. nasty

I personally think the Aussies will thrash us. Our batting will not hold up against their bowlers and our bowling unit is very average.

As good as he is Anderson is past his best imo and no longer consistent enough.
Broad has done his usual of pull out a couple of performances when his place is under thread. Will no doubt spend all summer trying to bounce out the Aussies and getting smashed all over the place.
Stokes is not a test standard bowler.

[nellberg]

that was a very exciting test series

shame it is only two matches

NZ great value for this win, aggressive cricket, quick scoring

they scored 350 in 70 overs at the start, normally sides take 100-120 overs to score that many

this gave them 30-50 overs in hand which they needed with the rain delays

for england

the positives

cook back in form

stokes has arrived

buttler a solid 7

anderson, still, and wood's emergence

broad's wickets


the negatives

ballance and bell are in no form

what to do with mo ali? can he be the fifth bowler and front line spinner? if not, should he play?

broad going at 5-6 an over


the ashes are going to be tough, as aus are nz in style and agressionbut better with more depth

england's top six is going to have mitch, starc, hazlewood and harris coming at them with the ball. nasty

I personally think the Aussies will thrash us. Our batting will not hold up against their bowlers and our bowling unit is very average.

As good as he is Anderson is past his best imo and no longer consistent enough.
Broad has done his usual of pull out a couple of performances when his place is under thread. Will no doubt spend all summer trying to bounce out the Aussies and getting smashed all over the place.
Stokes is not a test standard bowler.

will be a tough summer against the aussies. just judging it on the bowling attacks we are (rightly) proud of jimmy as a very good test bowler, but harris is equally as good. i think hazlewood will be superb in our conditions once he adjusts to pitching it up half a yard further than he does back home, either of the left arm mitchs could wreck havoc (though starc needs to prove his progression with the red ball) and lyon is streets ahead of any spinner we have. tough first assignment for bayliss!

[buzzharvey22]

Im still not convinced about Ben Stokes, but think he is crucial if we stand any chance of competing. Would love him to prove me wrong, but i just think he is lacking about 15% in one of his disciplines to be good enough.

How Adil Rashid hasn't played in at least one of the matches against the Windies and New Zealand is just insane. All our eggs in one bearded basket.

One of my major worries, which is quite ironic as Cook is considered such a boring captain, is that we really struggle to strangle opponents. Teams just seem to get away when they start having a go at us, we've seen this with New Zealand this summer and Australia in recent history. Australia have great, attacking pace bowlers, but what is equally as impressive is the way when a partnership starts to form against them, Clarke can switch his field round, and get Watson, Lyon and even Harris, to bowl to plan and shut off any runs, leading to build up in pressure and a wicket. I'd quite like England to mould stokes in Shane Watson, tell him to focus on his batting, and bowl a constant top of off stump line.

A big positive from me is Jos Butlers keeping. Think its come on leaps and bounds in two pretty difficult destinations to keep at.

[TightEnd]

can he just play as a fielder?

https://amp.twimg.com/v/28d92086-0024-4f12-a926-aa7f366c0245

wowzers

[vegaslover]

can he just play as a fielder?

https://amp.twimg.com/v/28d92086-0024-4f12-a926-aa7f366c0245

wowzers

Think England have really missed him in the field.
Put him in at 3 instead of Bell, been batting well for Sussex

[buzzharvey22]

can he just play as a fielder?

https://amp.twimg.com/v/28d92086-0024-4f12-a926-aa7f366c0245

wowzers

Wow.

Anyone else think Alistair Cook is a bit unlucky as captain? I'm not saying he's a good captain, just he never seems to get that slice of luck. Quite a few times vs NZ the ball flew through the vacant slip position. Yes that could be his fault for having fielders in the wrong place, but you can only have to many, and you need a bit of luck that it goes to one.

He also doesn't ever seem to bring someone who has a golden arm. Watching the WI vs Aus game tonight, and Clarke throws the ball to Steve Smith for an over. The one ball he actually managed to land on the pitch is a rank long hop, which is top edged to a fielder? Never seems to happen for poor Alistair.

[kp24]

England ODI squad: Morgan (capt), Billings, Buttler, Finn, Hales, Jordan, Plunkett, Rashid, Root, Roy, Stokes, Taylor, Willey, Wood

exciting selection

roy, hales, billings, taylor and willey are some of the best one day players in the county game. all high strike rate bashers

The batting is very exciting I'm little surprised vince isn't in the squad I know he hasn't started the season well, the bowling is a worry though but it's definitely the right thing to do to go new younger players.

[kp24]

that was a very exciting test series

shame it is only two matches

NZ great value for this win, aggressive cricket, quick scoring

they scored 350 in 70 overs at the start, normally sides take 100-120 overs to score that many

this gave them 30-50 overs in hand which they needed with the rain delays

for england

the positives

cook back in form

stokes has arrived

buttler a solid 7

anderson, still, and wood's emergence

broad's wickets


the negatives

ballance and bell are in no form

what to do with mo ali? can he be the fifth bowler and front line spinner? if not, should he play?

broad going at 5-6 an over


the ashes are going to be tough, as aus are nz in style and agressionbut better with more depth

england's top six is going to have mitch, starc, hazlewood and harris coming at them with the ball. nasty

Great series it's a shame it was only two games a great advert for cricket and love the attitude and the spirit nz play the game,I certainly think the ashes will be closer than the whitewash naysayers

[TightEnd]

What a great picture from last night

[Longy]

It has been a brilliant tour having nz over, they have brought a great brand of entertaining, competitive cricket while playing the game in the right spirit, which England seem to have responded to in a similar manner. Going to be a bit downer when we get the Aussies, all snarling and full of bluster and the fact that they will probably beat us.

Surprised to see Rashid left out of the 14 man squad going to camp in Spain, which will presumably make up the test ashes squad. I think rolling the dice and taking some risks is the way we may somehow win the ashes.