The summer of cricket 2020

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A very strong position for England with runs on the board and a series lead in hand.

Pakistan going to have to produce something special from here to rescue the series

And fitting that Buttler hits the winning runs with a monster six.

Good win for England. Very comfortable, unlike Friday! A team that looks in better shape for the upcoming T20 World Cups by the day.

Convincing win for England. Hope they don't relax now and mess up the third game ...

Apparently they take top spot in t20 from Australia if they win it. For all that means.

Happy with today. Though we should keep in mind Australia have come in cold so maybe aren't quite at their best.

alfie wrote:Convincing win for England.  Hope they don't relax now and mess up the third game ...

Apparently they take top spot in t20 from Australia if they win it. For all that means.

Happy with today. Though we should keep in mind Australia have come in cold so maybe aren't quite at their best.

Aus did get 4 warm ups in so they've played as much in this format as England have, and some of the England players this is their first white ball game since South Africa. Buttler being one of those, he didnt seem rusty.

guildfordbat wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:I think Stokes/Morgan can more than cover off the finisher role, Morgan's now done it a few times (did it well in SA).

Also if they do bring in Livingstone, he would be very adept at that role.

I very much subscribe to the theory you want your best most destructive bats facing as many balls as they can in T20s. I will quote something young Guildfordbat often quotes, from one Alec Stewart, when he talks about Jason Roy in T20s for Surrey- "If he's facing 40-60 balls in a T20 game, we win the game". I totally agree with that re: Buttler too.

Ultimately we're being picky here!

Thanks, Olly. I had let that one go for a while. Must remember to use it again soon. Not least because it's right.

How many balls did Buttler face today Guildford

Gooseberry wrote:

alfie wrote:Convincing win for England.  Hope they don't relax now and mess up the third game ...

Apparently they take top spot in t20 from Australia if they win it. For all that means.

Happy with today. Though we should keep in mind Australia have come in cold so maybe aren't quite at their best.

Aus did get 4 warm ups in so they've played as much in this format as England have, and some of the England players this is their first white ball game since South Africa. Buttler being one of those, he didnt seem rusty.

Yes I know they had warm up internal games ; but you know as well as I do that they are no substitute for competitive cricket. Buttler would hardly be rusty after six Test Matches - albeit a different format. My point stands , I think.

Doesn't mean England should not be delighted with these results. Just don't get too carried away with it ...

Buttler is certainly doing his best to support Olly's preference for his use as an opener in t20 at the moment

Although the actual sample size is small (just 11 games) , his stats do suggest it might be his best position.  The question really is : is playing him there the best option for the team.

I am happy (as I think is Morgan) to keep the experiment going. It is probably not doing young Banton any favours ; but you can't have everything. Would caution though against going overboard like Warne , who declares Buttler has to open because he does what no one else can do in the position. Which of course is not true : just a couple of weeks back , for example ,  Banton did virtually the same thing against Pakistan - a 31 ball score of 46 and a 71 off just 42...

More to the point is the thought that Buttler might do it more consistently And that is what we will presumably find out going forward. The other question is how much is lost by not having Jos available as a finisher ; and this is less of a problem if Moeen is really back in his old form with the bat , as these last few games might suggest.

As Morgan says , they need a squad. And with Stokes and Roy presumably available at some future time that is something that looks to be forming quite nicely. The spin back up for Rashid being the main caveat : need to see whether Moeen can still fill the role ; and single overs won't tell us.

The more flexibility the better I say.

guildfordbat wrote:When Moeen's stars are aligned, he's very fine attacking player against spin.

Speaking of Alfie's flexibility, when everyone is back and Moeen is "carded" to come in at 7 again, I think this is an example of where they could be flexible in the order. If they've got spin on from both ends, and we lose a wicket, it would make sense to send in Moeen...because he is clearly an excellent hitter of spin early on, both down the ground, and on the slog sweep too. Also handy if you want to keep a right hand/left hand combination going.

As for Aus...don't really understand why Finch went with Zampa for the 19th over. If Richardson is in the side, surely part of his role is bowling at the death, seeing as he doesn't get the new ball? Thought it was an odd choice, particularly after England took down Zampa late on in the 1st T20 too. Also gives some credence to the idea you should get your best death option bowling that 19th over (Cummins in this case)...like England did with Jordan in the first game.

I'd imagine the Aussies will make some changes? There has been a lot of talk about Philippe...and Carey hasn't exactly covered himself in glory so far. Maybe Hazlewood or Meredith in for Richardson?

Buttler to miss the final t20i - going to spend some time home with his family, having gone straight from the test bubble to the one day bubble.
Should be back for the ODIs all being well

Banton to open in his absence with Billings in the middle order

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

guildfordbat wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:I think Stokes/Morgan can more than cover off the finisher role, Morgan's now done it a few times (did it well in SA).

Also if they do bring in Livingstone, he would be very adept at that role.

I very much subscribe to the theory you want your best most destructive bats facing as many balls as they can in T20s. I will quote something young Guildfordbat often quotes, from one Alec Stewart, when he talks about Jason Roy in T20s for Surrey- "If he's facing 40-60 balls in a T20 game, we win the game". I totally agree with that re: Buttler too.

Ultimately we're being picky here!

Thanks, Olly. I had let that one go for a while. Must remember to use it again soon. Not least because it's right.

How many balls did Buttler face today Guildford

Good spot, Olly! 54 balls faced by Buttler equating to exactly 9 overs. If you could have guaranteed he would still have been there at the end, I would have guaranteed our winning - just as Stewart did with Roy.

https://www.cricviz.com/is-dawid-malan-in-englands-first-choice-team

Really interesting article on Malan and England’s top order in t20s.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:https://www.cricviz.com/is-dawid-malan-in-englands-first-choice-team

Really interesting article on Malan and England’s top order in t20s.

For some reason it wouldn't play on my iPad. Will try again on a different device. But I'd think he is at the moment given his stats and the form he's in. Fields OK too ; and could bowl in a pinch.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Buttler to miss the final t20i - going to spend some time home with his family, having gone straight from the test bubble to the one day bubble.
Should be back for the ODIs all being well

Banton to open in his absence with Billings in the middle order

Reckon he's earned a rest ! On the other hand he's in such a magic run of form it seems a pity to break it. But family time is important , even more so in the current crazy times.

Good that it gives Banton another shot in his preferred spot...although goose may not agree I'd imagine he's made a fair case to be considered a squad player , mainly covering top order.

I think tht also signals that Buttler is absolutely England first choice opener.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

guildfordbat wrote:When Moeen's stars are aligned, he's very fine attacking player against spin.

Speaking of Alfie's flexibility, when everyone is back and Moeen is "carded" to come in at 7 again, I think this is an example of where they could be flexible in the order. If they've got spin on from both ends, and we lose a wicket, it would make sense to send in Moeen...because he is clearly an excellent hitter of spin early on, both down the ground, and on the slog sweep too. Also handy if you want to keep a right hand/left hand combination going.

As for Aus...don't really understand why Finch went with Zampa for the 19th over. If Richardson is in the side, surely part of his role is bowling at the death, seeing as he doesn't get the new ball? Thought it was an odd choice, particularly after England took down Zampa late on in the 1st T20 too. Also gives some credence to the idea you should get your best death option bowling that 19th over (Cummins in this case)...like England did with Jordan in the first game.

I'd imagine the Aussies will make some changes? There has been a lot of talk about Philippe...and Carey hasn't exactly covered himself in glory so far. Maybe Hazlewood or Meredith in for Richardson?

Ramprakash made an interesting point about Moeen against spin about a year ago. Basically saying that Moeen coming down the wicket is one of the easiest batsman to read as when he's coming down he will be stood completely still just before the ball is released, whereas if he's staying in the crease he will usually be shuffling on the spot. Whilst easy to read he is difficult to stop though given how quick and precise his footwork when getting to the pitch. Against spinners such as Zampa who try to beat batsman in the air more than off the pitch Mo can be lethal.

I agree that I like how much flexibility the batting order potentially has though. It will be interesting to see where the order heads when Stokes is back. Whether they will use Stokes as the 6th bowling option with Moeen moving to 7? Whether Stokes bats ahead of Morgan? Does Root even get considered in that 'finisher' role at 6 given he can play all round the wicket? Or will they favour having the power of Banton or Roy in the middle order with the potential to push them up the order when the circumstances demand?

1.Buttler (wk)
2.Bairstow
3.Malan
4.Stokes
5.Morgan (c)
6.Root/Banton/Roy
7.Moeen
8.Jordan/T Curran
9.Rashid
10.Archer
11.Wood

Lots of players who can bat up and down the order. Horses for courses. It seems that Silverwood and Morgan are settled on having Archer and Wood in the side to attack early in the innings which is a plan with the ball I really like.

I guess a lot of it comes down to what the balance of the team is with regards to the make up of the batting order. Currently, as highlighted in the CricViz article, if Curran is going to bat 7 with a longer tail England probably feel that they need an 'anchor' at three in Malan (or Root). But when Stokes comes back, which he surely will even though T20 is clearly his weakest format both with bat and ball, he will slot in and with Moeen (or whomever ends up there with the flexible line up) at 7 do you need an anchor at 3? Or can you gamble with the more destructive player and just hope one or two of the 7 come off?

Stokes trended to become more of a second anchor in the ODI side now which I think was an important evolution of the side which perhaps dropped their ceiling in terms of smashing huge scores but definitely limited the variance in their batting performances and has stopped the complete blow outs we saw in the initial part of their development as an ODI side. Which I think they can learn from with the T20 side and stick with a Root/Malan at 3 as when you are in the KO stages of a tournament the last thing you want is to be rolled for 110 and never give yourself a chance.

I think it is pretty clear that Banton is currently much more comfortable batting vs pace than spin, and Bairstow has struggled a bit against express pace this summer but dominated in the IPL where the attacks are spin heavy, albeit starting in the PP. Perhaps that could be a swap in the order? Although you would expect spin to open a lot in a WT20 in India.

Also, the current trend in limited overs bowling is express pace and mystery spin. You don't really see the slower ball specialists of conventional spinners go as well, which is why I like England having Archer/Wood/Rashid. Shame there isn't a second wrist spinner to turn too who can bat a little bit.

On a side note, I unfortunately found myself listening to KP and Warne debate the make up of the England batting and just found it amusing KP was saying we don't know what goes on inside the dressing room and that should come into team selection.

Quite a few murmurs in the media that Morgan won't play tonight either due to the finger injury he picked up in the last game.

This has me excited we might see Livingstone, when in reality they'll play Denly and I'll get mad

If Morgan is still troubled by the injury , makes sense to miss the "dead" match. Step up Captain Moeen !

Aussies might fancy their chances a bit more with both Buttler and Morgan missing. Nice test for the batting depth...

Ah, it's not a 'dead' match. If England win they're top of the T20 World Rankings, a great and prestigious honour *cough*.

Aussies bowling first this time. Billings and Denly (yay) in for Morgan and Buttler. Marsh, Hazlewood and Wade in for Warner, Cummings and Carey.

Denly in to strengthen the spin bowling ...and to annoy Olly , of course.

Aussie team looks a bit different without Warner (!) or Cummins...who looks a big loss for their bowling. Though Hazlewood is a fine replacement and has the immediate breakthrough. Not what Banton wanted...

Pitch might be a bit tricky to bat on tonight. Third use for this strip and already it doesn't seem to be coming on to the bat.

Yeah, missed Banton’s knock but both Malan and especially Bairstow are really struggling to time it.

24-1 off 5.1 is not what you expect from England!

I think I'd describe most the connections that Bairstow has made so far as 'clothing it'.

Hard to tell whether this is good from Australia, poor from England or a tough pitch. Perhaps a mix of all three.

How to burn your reviews with minimum delay

Have seen some strange use of drs in this series. From both teams.

Quiet power play 33/1. Aussies have mainly bowled shortish and the two paced surface has not been great for stroke play. Wonder what par will be on this ?

7 runs from the first 3 balls from Agar is excellent from Malan in the circumstances. Another boundary from Bairstow and there's a bit of pressure released.

Very good catch from Stoinis ! Aussie out field catching has been excellent in this series. Malan had just been getting into gear so that is a big wicket for the tourists.

Challenges for this somewhat depleted batting lineup...think Rashid might bowl well on this later.

Very slow pitch and accurate bowling = tough to score.

150 might be pretty decent, especially with Warner out of the way.

Mixed bag so far from the spin attack...but despite that last six nearly leaving the county Zampa now has two wickets - not a great shot from Billings.

Pace back now to greet Moeen ...

I'm glad I forgot this was on.

Joe Denly? England arent taking this seriously are they

1/23 from his four is a very nice return for Hazlewood

Moeen v Zampa again...but it's Bairstow hitting another six for his fifty

He was battling early on but he's holding this innings upright on a difficult pitch.

Big wicket and a good return from Agar under pressure.

A lot resting on Moeen now.

Bairstow looked out of sorts in the last game as well so good to see him getting back into scoring mode and underlining that he is going to be a first choice for England. Another big opportunity for Moeen to justify a place as a change bowler batsman.

And speaking of bits and pieces players....All of Austrlias XI have bowled in international cricket, and only Wade (just tests) and Zampa (hasn't got a test cap yet) haven't done it in all three formats.

Rats I've jinxed YJB

Agar has made good ground to take a c&b off that skier...

Denly now and only the bowlers to follow. Getting up to 150 not going to be easy on this. Though Zampa is nearly done.

Nice six for Moeen

king_carlos wrote:Big wicket and a good return from Agar under pressure.

A lot resting on Moeen now.

Well he's got a start now against the spinners. Doesn't look like Maxwell is going to feature tonight as Starc and Richardson have overs left.

Four left. 116/4.

Another excellent boundary catch...Smith just avoided stepping on the edge. So Moeen gone ...up to Denly now.

He's done well to find some "unconventional" places to hit three successive boundaries

alfie wrote:Rats I've jinxed YJB

Agar has made good ground to take a c&b off that skier...

Denly now and only the bowlers to follow. Getting up to 150 not going to be easy on this. Though Zampa is nearly done.

Nice six for Moeen

The plus side is that Aus aren't carrying too much depth in batting either.

Looks like you jinxed Mo too!

I don't think that's out myself.

Denly absolutely Brad Haddin’d that over - glorious edges

Whichever celestial overlord is controlling Denly's innings is definitely trained in the modern arts of WUMing.

Just as we are all wondering how on earth Joe has been selected again he gets 3 extremely streak and extremely valuable runs in the scope of the game.

Starc is excellent in all forms but truly superb in T20.

Gooseberry wrote:

alfie wrote:Rats I've jinxed YJB

Agar has made good ground to take a c&b off that skier...

Denly now and only the bowlers to follow. Getting up to 150 not going to be easy on this. Though Zampa is nearly done.

Nice six for Moeen

The plus side is that Aus aren't carrying too much depth in batting either.  

Looks like you jinxed Mo too!

Jinxing everyone tonight

Denly cops a healthy whack on the helmet from Starc ...that would have your ears ringing at 90 mph !

But 141/5 with one left gives them a chance to post something defendable...Jordan not helping by holing out first ball of the fiftieth...

Rather fizzled out , that innings. Good death bowling from the Aussies has kept it to 145 - which looks a bit light.

But the pitch is clearly not an easy one to bat on ; and , unlike their batting , England are at full strength for bowling. Might be another good contest...

Not quite the first over England wanted from Archer

Extraordinary six by Wade !

Wood gets Wade...deserved that. The Aussie keeper did some damage though with 14 off 9.

Wood has been on the ball here but Archer really hasn't got his length right at all. Fast start for Australia so England will want some more wickets...will be some tricky decisions for Moeen I think.

Jordan up now...

61/1 after the power play leaves Australia with what looks like an easy cruise home...

Stoinis has played really well since coming in. Don't think England bowled too well there...went too short ; and didn't seem to mix their pace up as well as the Australian bowlers did earlier.

Need some Rashid magic or this could be over quite quickly...

Tom Banton is a pretty ropey fielder it has to be said, not for the first time this summer a boundary is scored when he should have easily prevented it.

Just not England's night. How on earth Bairstow managed to lose that high catch after he got his gloves under it is beyond me ...

In fact the fielding has been full of errors all round so far.

Stoinis fell to Curran (who has looked the best of the bowlers ) but they really don't have to hurry after getting away to this fast start.  They messed up a chase last Friday but I can't see them making those mistakes again.

Maxwell gone...and now Finch !

Rashid Magic...

87/4

They couldn't , could they ?

More Rashid Magic ! Smith c&b with his last ball ...

Terrific spell

Moeen on himself now with Australia needing just 45 more ...but five down. Should still do it easily enough as Rashid is bowled out...

Aussies all but home now...The Rashid spell gave them problems but Marsh is having no problems with Wood and Archer.

In truth England really haven't been at the races tonight. Batting a struggle , bowling mostly untidy and fielding just not sharp at all. As someone pointed out earlier , it isn't quite a "Dead" rubber as the number one ranking was at stake ; but it certainly looks as if they haven't had the same focus .

Credit to the Aussies though , to be fair. They bowled and fielded very well ; and the way they attacked from the off when they batted put them so far ahead of the game they could afford to have a bit of a middle innings wobble.


Marsh and Agar taking them home comfortably , no silly shots . Just need 15 off the last three. Piece of cake...

Warne rabbiting on about how Archer should have bowled ahead of Curran at the death ; but it's nonsense really...apart from the fact that he's gone round the park tonight , once they got down to needing five per over with five wickets in hand this was only going one way.

Gone to the last over - just - but really this has been a comfortable win for Australia.

2-1 for the series ...a fair result. A bit annoying that England couldn't keep their foot on the neck after two wins but we will see how the fifty over stuff goes...

Oh well. Three more ODIs then this strangest of cricketing summers can end, internationally at least. Hope the players in the bubble aren't too weary of it all.