I have no idea how we lost that...
Dec. 5th, 2006 07:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lemonbellaActually, I know all too well, but I never expected to see it from this group of players.
In which....
We scored 551-6, Paul Collingwood scored 206, KP scored 158 (again), Hoggy got a sevenfer, and we *still* managed to lose
We suffered a batting collapse the likes of which I haven't seen for a good seven years, and to be honest I never remember them being this bad.
England employed the interesting technique of only having one bowler actually doing anything per match. It worked, briefly, and Matthew Hoggard deserves a medal.
Matthew Hoggard and Paul Collingwood managed to resist beating every single other player to death with their spikes.
Warne was Warne. And I hated him for it.
Strauss 2
Yes he got an *appalling* decision in the second innings but he absolutely has to fire for us to get any dignity back in this series at all, and I'm trying to humiliate him into it.
Cook 3
This is why he should never have been the first choice batsmen on this tour when Trescothick was on board (just think, how much worse this would have been if Colingwood had been left out). He's young and inexperienced and teams are sussing him out. It takes time to find a way to work against that. He hasn't yet, and this tour is going to be crucifying for him.
Bell 4
Seems to have a habit of only scoring in the first innings. Don't get me wrong; I'm not turning up my nose at any type of score at the moment but you really need them in both. Also You're not supposed to fucking run yourself out, you bastard Sorry, I needed to get that out of my system. It was an appalling run out. I initially gave him a 0 but that didn't give me any room to rate Giles.
Collingwood 9
Focus on how you're feeling now - that sick-to-your-stomach feeling of humiliation and betrayal? Now imagine how Paul Collingwood feels. A double century on the losing side and no one even bothered to stick around with him. he'd get a 10 but I think a better strategy would have been to whack it around once Hoggy was out. However, I suspect the note from the dressing room told him to bat overs.
KP 6
Ran himself out on 158 *again*. 158's good I know, but we needed him not to be an idiot in the second innings and he completely undid all the work against Warne he'd done in the first innings. Also, threw the most ridiculous ball in from the outfield and ceded 4 runs in our last ditch effort to keep a hold on the match.
Flintoff 5
He was Herculian in his bowling in the second innings, and I suspect he's out for the rest of the series as a result, but his captaincy was awful (you can't defend 167 - we needed to attack), and his batting terrible. He did have the decency to look *devastated* at the end of the match, so that saves him from a 4.
Geraint 5
Let's get the batting out the way first shall we? It was awful. He was still fourth highest scorer, and anyone who genuinely believes Read would have managed that is both naive and an idiot, but the shot he got out to was atrocious. There isn't any other way to describe it.
His 'keeping was astoundingly good, standing up to the stumps for Hoggard and Anderson. It's a purist's dream and proves exactly how capable he is. It's also incredibly clear what he contributes to the team in the field, and he kept everyone motivated in the first and second innings. My argument that Jones should picked for his wicket keeping remains firm, it's just such a shame that the time purists really would have had to admit how good he is, everyone will focus on his batting.
The Jones decision is not the same as the other appalling selectorial decisions and I hope to god he doesn't get sacrificed. He needs runs, though, and good ones. I never had much hope for his future after Fletcher anyway, but he will be made a scapegoat if we lose the ashes and he doesn’t get runs, and he really doesn’t deserve that.
On a slightly different note, he was very obviously told to wear a helmet in the second innings. I suspect there was a telephone call from Mr Jones.
Giles 0
I genuinely understand the rationale for picking Giles. No one in support of Monty can answer the number 8 question and our history of ashes defeats is collapse after no 7.
But. And it's a big but. Giles hasn't played cricket in a year and it showed – it wasn't that they were both fit and ready, it's that one was and one wasn't. That meant we either needed to bring a different batting spinner or just deal with the consequence of collapsing after 7 (and honestly? Collapsing after 1 is the biggest problem at the moment).
Hoggard 10
Hoggy was amazing. Absolutely astounding, how he kept on coming in I have no idea.
Harmison 4
It’s hard to mark him this time, because he wasn't actually given any overs – and not because he was bowling them down the leg side. However, if there was one time we needed magic Harmy to turn up it was last night.
Anderson 4
Another one without cricket for a year. I find it incredibly hard to believe Mahmood would have done any worse and he can bat a little bit better.
I am angry. What I hate this team most for, though, is that I still have hope. Hope that they can turn this around (if not to draw to at least fight back). I have never had that before. I have also *never* seen a team of such broken players as left the field last night; that's either going to be our downfall or our redemption.
In which....
We scored 551-6, Paul Collingwood scored 206, KP scored 158 (again), Hoggy got a sevenfer, and we *still* managed to lose
We suffered a batting collapse the likes of which I haven't seen for a good seven years, and to be honest I never remember them being this bad.
England employed the interesting technique of only having one bowler actually doing anything per match. It worked, briefly, and Matthew Hoggard deserves a medal.
Matthew Hoggard and Paul Collingwood managed to resist beating every single other player to death with their spikes.
Warne was Warne. And I hated him for it.
Strauss 2
Yes he got an *appalling* decision in the second innings but he absolutely has to fire for us to get any dignity back in this series at all, and I'm trying to humiliate him into it.
Cook 3
This is why he should never have been the first choice batsmen on this tour when Trescothick was on board (just think, how much worse this would have been if Colingwood had been left out). He's young and inexperienced and teams are sussing him out. It takes time to find a way to work against that. He hasn't yet, and this tour is going to be crucifying for him.
Bell 4
Seems to have a habit of only scoring in the first innings. Don't get me wrong; I'm not turning up my nose at any type of score at the moment but you really need them in both. Also You're not supposed to fucking run yourself out, you bastard Sorry, I needed to get that out of my system. It was an appalling run out. I initially gave him a 0 but that didn't give me any room to rate Giles.
Collingwood 9
Focus on how you're feeling now - that sick-to-your-stomach feeling of humiliation and betrayal? Now imagine how Paul Collingwood feels. A double century on the losing side and no one even bothered to stick around with him. he'd get a 10 but I think a better strategy would have been to whack it around once Hoggy was out. However, I suspect the note from the dressing room told him to bat overs.
KP 6
Ran himself out on 158 *again*. 158's good I know, but we needed him not to be an idiot in the second innings and he completely undid all the work against Warne he'd done in the first innings. Also, threw the most ridiculous ball in from the outfield and ceded 4 runs in our last ditch effort to keep a hold on the match.
Flintoff 5
He was Herculian in his bowling in the second innings, and I suspect he's out for the rest of the series as a result, but his captaincy was awful (you can't defend 167 - we needed to attack), and his batting terrible. He did have the decency to look *devastated* at the end of the match, so that saves him from a 4.
Geraint 5
Let's get the batting out the way first shall we? It was awful. He was still fourth highest scorer, and anyone who genuinely believes Read would have managed that is both naive and an idiot, but the shot he got out to was atrocious. There isn't any other way to describe it.
His 'keeping was astoundingly good, standing up to the stumps for Hoggard and Anderson. It's a purist's dream and proves exactly how capable he is. It's also incredibly clear what he contributes to the team in the field, and he kept everyone motivated in the first and second innings. My argument that Jones should picked for his wicket keeping remains firm, it's just such a shame that the time purists really would have had to admit how good he is, everyone will focus on his batting.
The Jones decision is not the same as the other appalling selectorial decisions and I hope to god he doesn't get sacrificed. He needs runs, though, and good ones. I never had much hope for his future after Fletcher anyway, but he will be made a scapegoat if we lose the ashes and he doesn’t get runs, and he really doesn’t deserve that.
On a slightly different note, he was very obviously told to wear a helmet in the second innings. I suspect there was a telephone call from Mr Jones.
Giles 0
I genuinely understand the rationale for picking Giles. No one in support of Monty can answer the number 8 question and our history of ashes defeats is collapse after no 7.
But. And it's a big but. Giles hasn't played cricket in a year and it showed – it wasn't that they were both fit and ready, it's that one was and one wasn't. That meant we either needed to bring a different batting spinner or just deal with the consequence of collapsing after 7 (and honestly? Collapsing after 1 is the biggest problem at the moment).
Hoggard 10
Hoggy was amazing. Absolutely astounding, how he kept on coming in I have no idea.
Harmison 4
It’s hard to mark him this time, because he wasn't actually given any overs – and not because he was bowling them down the leg side. However, if there was one time we needed magic Harmy to turn up it was last night.
Anderson 4
Another one without cricket for a year. I find it incredibly hard to believe Mahmood would have done any worse and he can bat a little bit better.
I am angry. What I hate this team most for, though, is that I still have hope. Hope that they can turn this around (if not to draw to at least fight back). I have never had that before. I have also *never* seen a team of such broken players as left the field last night; that's either going to be our downfall or our redemption.
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no subject
Date: 2006-12-05 07:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-05 07:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-05 07:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-05 07:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-05 07:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-05 09:58 pm (UTC)I agree pretty much with your ratings, especially what you said about Geraint - I think that assessment is spot on - I'm sick to death of people lumping his selection in the same category as Giles' too.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-05 10:16 pm (UTC)To play Geraint is an attacking decision even though everyone paints it otherwise. To play Giles is defensive.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-05 11:29 pm (UTC)When all's said and done, they did well for four days then had a daft couple of hours where they basically threw it away. But they've never been good at finishing a match off, have they? Look at Trent Bridge last year...
I would agree that Geraint is the more attacking option. In the Tests he played in the summer, I thought Read's runs were downright streaky - he looks like a tailender - he wouldn't have lasted five minutes against Warne. Geraint looks like a batsman. And I really don't see much to choose between them behind the stumps.
And I think that Monty should play instead of Giles in the next one. But somehow I don't think it's going to happen.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-06 10:00 am (UTC)Read's runs in the summer were incredibly streaky - he played just past his stumps on all three ocassions and then got out playing onto his stumps. They picked Geraint for batting potential - he's just got to live up to it.
I expect they'll pick exactly the same team, on the logic that they're the ones motivated to put things right.