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The Cricket Thread

Buzzing for Wednesday and the 1st Lockdown Test Match

Wonder how we will line up
I'm going with the below

Burns
Sibley
Denley
Crawley
Pope
Stokes
Butler
Bess
Archer
Broad
Anderson
 
England opener Dom Sibley has lost 12kg after receiving a "wake-up call" on the aborted tour of Sri Lanka in March.

"Training in that heat, I saw some of the lads running after a big session and it was a bit of an eye-opener for me," said the 24-year-old.

"I was sitting on the plane home thinking that I needed to do something."

Sibley will play his first home Test when England begin their three-match series with West Indies on Wednesday.

The Warwickshire batsman averages 40.22 from six Tests, having made his debut in New Zealand in November.

He was due to play in Sri Lanka, only for the two Tests to be cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, a player previously nicknamed 'The Fridge' learnt more about the demands of international cricket on that tour.

"For the first time in my career I felt a little bit self-conscious about my physique and my weight," Sibley said. "I was probably carrying too much weight.

"I saw how fit some of the guys are, especially the senior guys, and how impressive they are in their training."

Sibley said his weight loss is down to a mixture of diet and training, saying he has not done anything "drastic".

In the first Test against West Indies he will resume his opening partnership with Rory Burns, which was broken up in South Africa after Burns suffered an ankle injury.

"I've always been someone that hasn't been the fittest in the squad," Sibley said. "Whether it's been at Surrey or Warwickshire, I've always been coasting a little bit in that aspect.

"I've had taps on the shoulder before, but I haven't done anything about it. It was probably a bit overdue, me having that wake-up call.

"I don't feel much different. People have said I look different, which is obviously nice. Regardless of whether it leads to runs or not, it was just something that I needed to do."

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106/5 - good use of reviews by Windies. Don’t understand why we batted first either.
Not sure the tail will add much either so a lot required from Stokes and Buttler.
 
Had a bit of a sad realisation the other day that 'my' England team is all-but gone now. I'd say roughly '09-'15 were the years I was really into it. Bell, Cook, Strauss, Prior, Pieterson of course...once Jimmy & Broady go that really will be the end of that great side.

I don't know, I just somehow can't muster the same enthusiasm for the string of anonymous faces we've trotted out these last few years, Stokes aside. Not the same.

Or maybe it's just that there's a bit of the glory hunter in me afterall, in spite of my affilation with Spurs...:D
 
Had a bit of a sad realisation the other day that 'my' England team is all-but gone now. I'd say roughly '09-'15 were the years I was really into it. Bell, Cook, Strauss, Prior, Pieterson of course...once Jimmy & Broady go that really will be the end of that great side.

I don't know, I just somehow can't muster the same enthusiasm for the string of anonymous faces we've trotted out these last few years, Stokes aside. Not the same.

Or maybe it's just that there's a bit of the glory hunter in me afterall, in spite of my affilation with Spurs...:D

I think they need to get rid of the “boys” club mentality to move onwards. Essex have won everything in 3 years and have not had much of a sniff of a player being picked. Lawrence maybe is or isn’t ready, I don’t think he is but if he was playing for Australia he would get a call up should they need, they proved that by plucking the form guy from the shield in the ashes that no one had heard of. We plucked for Denly who should have started his career in his pomp 10 years ago (to prove my point about giving younger form a go). Porter the bowler broke all sorts of records 3 seasons ago didn’t get so much as a sniff of a call.

It’s all about the same selection of players going round in circles, even Pope had to jump through hoops to get a chance, got plucked out mid game in the ashes after a first innings knock of 200 and was then sent home and England picked an out of form Roy and we lost.

We have young and exciting players but with Root he seems to have comfort in his mates, it’s ok leading your mates into battle as you trust them, but is it all to comfy when you lose and you don’t have bottle to drop them?
 
Think 2nd test will be:
Burns
Sibley
Crawley
Root
Stokes
Pope
Butler (love Butler but I’d have Foakes personally)
Bess
Archer
Broad
Anderson

looks a better side to me and I think we’ll win, we are notoriously slow starters in test series it seems, always seem undercooked (not their fault this time)
 
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