ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

(10-03-2015 18:23 )snookered147 Wrote:  England have played ODIs in a test match style and stubbornly refused to admit that this approach has ever been wrong.

I don't think they're stubborn at all. I think they're out of touch. I suggest the problem with England players is that they don't play county cricket. Their experience of county T20 is very limited and their experience of county 50 overs matches almost zero, and as a result they have fallen behind the latest tactics and innovations in the limited-overs game. What's more, I think the players of other countries are honing their limited-overs approach in the IPL and the Big Bash, and England's players don't participate in those much either. So I don't think England are stubborn, so much as increasingly clueless. This is what I'd like to see addressed, because if they just sack Moores as coach and make him the scapegoat then I can't see much chance of there being any improvement.

35th match of the World Cup

Pool A
Scotland v Sri Lanka (at Hobart)

Sri Lanka 363/9 (50 ov)
Scotland 215 (43.1 ov)

Sri Lanka won by 148 runs

Scotland's bowler Majid Haq has been sent home from the Cricket World Cup after posting a race-related tweet.

He tweeted: "Always tougher when you're in the minority!

And here was I thinking that he didn't get picked because he's a rubbish spinner. The Sri Lankan batsmen would have clobbered him all over the park

^^^
Oh I agree England are clueless and out of touch but I still maintain they are stubborn as well.
Have England learnt nothing from the way opposition teams have played both against England and other competing nations?
Surely to goodness realization should have kicked in by now that other international teams are playing ODI cricket completely differently to England.
Either they haven't been paying attention to how the rest of the world play the game (which I find very hard to believe) OR they have been watching but declined to react positively to it hence my accusation of being stubborn.
Other competing nations are flexible with their team selections where as England stuck rigidly to the same losing side until the do or die match against Bangladesh.
Other bowling attacks regularly using the yorker notably in the death bowling while England stuck rigidly to ineffective short pitch bowling that got smashed all over the place.
Other nations looking to dominate with the bat early with big hitters while England try to unsuccessfully nudge and nurdle.
So yes it is clueless but also stubborn imo.
England have been in a minority of one because they have failed to take on board how every other nation is adapting to the modern game. The rest of the world have been providing all the evidence England will ever need that their approach is wrong but the message has simply not got through.

36th match of the World Cup

Pool B
South Africa v United Arab Emirates (Wellington)

South Africa 341/6 (50 ov)
United Arab Emirates 195 (47.3 ov)

South Africa won by 146 runs

(11-03-2015 19:30 )snookered147 Wrote:  The rest of the world have been providing all the evidence England will ever need that their approach is wrong but the message has simply not got through.

And most likely it never will. Instead of waiting endlessly for the message to get through, England need to select players who have grown up and learnt the game in the new era of one day cricket. That's the way to catch up with the rest of the world - pick players who are already experienced in playing this modern game and who play it naturally. If we wait for the message to get through we will only see what happened in this World Cup happen again in 4 years' time.

Interesting how the message has got through to all the other major nations then .
Speaks volumes really .

England's last match in this years World Cup takes place in the early hours.
Their opponents are minnows Afganistan.

It should be an easy victory. Shouldn't it

England won the toss and Afghanistan will bat first. Ali and Woakes are injured, so 2 changes had to be made and Bopara and Tredwell are in.

Rain stopped play
Afganistan 62-4.

Play to commence on a reduced over match