: Fri Sep 18, 2009 4:32 pm  

I did something i never thought i'd do. I switched over from a game of cricket involving England.

50-over cricket is rubbish. Sheer, unadulterated rubbish. Watching Nathan Bracken bowl that same bloody 60+mph delivery round the wicket while an England batsman hits it straight into the ground is cricket's equivalent of those Liverpool-Chelsea Champions' League games from a few years ago.

7 games is overkill as well. That's why people are fed up of it.

: Sun Sep 20, 2009 2:40 pm  

7th & Final ODI in Durham

Aus 176

Eng 111/1 (22)

England crusing to victory, even they can't lose from this position, can they?.

: Sun Sep 20, 2009 3:01 pm  

tiger2000 wrote:

7th & Final ODI in Durham

Aus 176

Eng 111/1 (22)

England crusing to victory, even they can't lose from this position, can they?.

With Bopara at the wicket anything could happen

131-2

: Sun Sep 20, 2009 3:07 pm  

We can try

: Sun Sep 20, 2009 3:20 pm  

Eng 141/5

4 wickets for 12 runs

England having a great attempt at throwing it away!.

: Sun Sep 20, 2009 4:06 pm  

Eng 177/6 and win by 4 wickets, and that is that for the summer.

Champions Trophy next up for England on Friday in South Africa.

: Sun Sep 20, 2009 6:05 pm  

Swings and roundabouts, we had a very successful tour in 2006/07 when we won the one day tournament including the Kiwis and Aussies, in the Aussies back yard....I'm sure with a bit of hard work we can be back up to recreate that glorious series in 2010/11.

: Sun Sep 20, 2009 8:26 pm  

Sexual Deviant wrote:

7 games is overkill as well. That's why people are fed up of it.

You can say that again! Barring the single ODI in Ireland, we've played fourteen consecutive international matches of one form or another against the same opposition in the same country in the space of around three months. All these additional ODIs seem to be a sop to the counties who missed out on staging one of the coveted five Ashes Tests, and at least with Australia the tourists this year, a cynical money-making exercise to sell tickets for additional matches against the most attractive opposition.

It can't be a coincidence that the team who win the Test series usually look disinterested and uninspired in the ODIs that follow. It was the same last year when South Africa, who defeated us so impressively in the Test series, appeared to be mentally in the Heathrow departure lounge during the ODIs. And now there are yet more ODIs in South Africa in the uperflous Champions' Trophy, which appears to be merely a scaled down version of the World Cup without the associate member nations. What's the point? Don't the players ever get a break? No wonder England are so ropey in the 50 over games - our domestic 50 overs competition took place almost entirely during April & May and most of our players probably never played in it for their counties.

: Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:21 pm  

Prince of Denmark wrote:

...No wonder England are so ropey in the 50 over games - our domestic 50 overs competition took place almost entirely during April & May and most of our players probably never played in it for their counties.

and next summer there is no domestic 50 over competition at all!.