16 Comments
Dec 26, 2021Liked by Jarrod Kimber

Really love how you go to the ROOT of the issue, unlike experts littered across the media, plebians like me believed that sacking Root from captaincy and making Stokes in charge would fix it all, based on these expert opinions.. but seriously you revealed in a lovely manner💘

Expand full comment

Crawley averages 18.04 in test cricket if you ignore his one big score, which is less than Stuart Broad ! How on earth the selectors think Zak is part of the batting solution is beyond me ...

Expand full comment

Regarding their spin options I don't know why they're not giving Matt Parkinson an opportunity, he has an first class average of 23, they've just tried him in ODIs and judging him by that!

Expand full comment

Why is it that England have not produced enough test quality batters of late? Is it because the county scene incentivises "bits and pieces" players? Or is it because the pitches are not true enough, and therefore batters do develop the ability of making big scores.

Expand full comment
author

I think the pitches play a role, I also think coaching has played a part. But in truth it could just be a weak playing era.

Expand full comment

As an Australian outsider, Ben Brown from Sussex seems to have a good record. Could he be an option for England? Also, what do you think of Josh Bohannon?

Expand full comment
author

Brown bats six and seven, and I think there is a perception that his runs wouldn't translate to Test cricket. They feel the same with Foakes. Brown has only batted less than 20% at 5 or higher. Bohannon will get a shot soon, assuming he'll come in to bat three if Malan struggles. They have ease him in around number six though if they can.

Expand full comment

Thanks for the reply. I didn’t realise that Brown batted so low, but it makes sense for a wicketkeeper. Has Malan opened much in First Class cricket? He’s coming in so early that England could potentially open with him.

Expand full comment
author

No, opened about 20 times out of nearly 400 innings. Mostly he has batted four. A little at five, and some at six.

Expand full comment
Dec 26, 2021·edited Dec 26, 2021

Bohannon is very inexperienced, would be a bit soon for him in my opinon but he is technically sound and is a good thought for the future.

Ben Brown has been ignored for years and I don't have a clue why, thousands of runs averaging 40 and usually bats at 3.

Expand full comment
author

He usually bats six or seven. Only batted at three in six matches.

Expand full comment

And yet this same set of batsmen did well in South Africa last year..

Expand full comment
author

And yet I have talked about consistent runs…

Expand full comment

I get that but a lot of the graphs were about 2021 when they had a torrid time in India which most teams do and then underperformed against the world's top two teams at home, but last year they did well againsr south africa in south africa which this Australian team didn't and a few also did decently in sri Lanka - they also had few scores against pakistan and west Indies at home - if they were that shit then they would be consistenly shit - they're spectacularly bad in australia and India so they dont have the technique for all conditions but even the world test champions new zealand were pummelled in australia - next year Aus tours a few Asian countries - their averages will go down dramatically then too

Expand full comment
author

They had one batter in Sri Lanka, so let's be honest there. I have been talking about England's batting for a long time. This isn't a new thing. I went back and looked at their new batters in the last six years. I showed that their batting has struggled for nine years. They've been shitter this year, but they were also fucken terrible in 2019. It's all in the piece.

Expand full comment

They haven't been consistent and but if they really could not bat they would be shit everywhere but in the south africa tour of 2019/20 they had 6 batsmen average above 45. In ashes 2019 only two Australian batsmen averaged above 35, Smith and marnus, and same with England only two batsmen averaged above 35, stokes and burns. In that Sri Lanka tour 2020/21 apart from root, buttler had an average of 65 and bairstow averaged 46 so it wasn't just one batter. England travel a lot more than say Australia, Australia has a batting decline too being over-reliant on Smith and marnus overseas - in that 2018 south African tour the highest averaging Aus batter was Tim Paine!

Expand full comment