Cricket

I’ve got absolutely zero time for Michael Vaughan. He already started but assume he’s sharpening his pen for his Telegraph column.

I don’t think Moeen enjoys test cricket any more and he’s not centrally contracted so why should he make the sacrifice.

Loved him as a captain, hate his brexity bantery persona now.

I get that, but why go on this tour then? I imagine maybe he wanted to see if he could enjoy it again and - especially considering his rough time in Sri Lanka - has proved to himself that he doesn't. It just seems strange to leave now after a (relatively) good performance rather than in Sri-Lanka when he was isolating or being ignored in favour of Bess. Still, I think I'm just sad he's leaving, love him as a player and what you see of him as a person. Big loss to this team.

Disappointed we didn't up more of a fight this morning. Woke up, checked the score and stayed in bed. Will check the highlights for the Moeen show.

Sad to see he's heading home - but I can't quite believe the instant pile on from Vaughan criticising his decision. It's clear he's got some personal issues and it looks like something in these bubbles is not working for him. Given Vaughan must be familiar with this type of thing given his experience of being in a dressing toom with Trescothick and Jonathan Trott, you'd think he'd be a bit more understanding of the strains international cricket can put on you.

Maybe it's selective quoting from the BBC, but it doesn't come across well. I doubt he's gone home because he just can't be bothered. Vaughan just always sounds like a prick to me.

Edit - didn't click post and now we've all said the same thing!

Also - just realised Vaughan and Trott didnt overlap in the national side - and Vaughan was a cunt when Trott had issues. He doesn't learn does he.

He knew Boycott would have to go eventually, so saw a gap in the market for a bumptious arsehole and has goatsed it with both hands.

This popped up on my youtube too. A good watch as to why Ashwin is in another league. Even the analyst with slowed down zoomed in replays of his variations can't pick which ball is which.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgOIyVRrh5M

I get that, but why go on this tour then?

It’s a short career. I never begrudge a sportsman for trying to wring out every opportunity, even if he went into the tour knowing it was going to be tough for him.

Nail on the head.

Vaughan is such a gammony cunt, everything black and white. There’s no way I could have coped with being shut in a hotel room for 10 days full stop, to then go out and show the character Mo did on the pitch after sitting out 3 tests on the bounce is extraordinary. I’m glad he’s done what he needs to do for his well-being.

Yep totally agree, didn't mean my question to be read as querying his decision to leave, rather if the issue was falling out of love with test cricket why go? But that's irrelevant really. Always worth remembering that we have no idea what is going on in his private/family life and to judge any such decision is insensitive and inhumane. Reminds me of the current situation with Liverpool recently - people slating Klopp for decisions/demeanour only for it to be revealed that his mum has just died in horrible covidy circumstances and he wasn't able to attend the funeral...

if the issue was falling out of love with test cricket why go?

At a very basic level, he’s probably earned decent money for that trip.

If this was the sole reason and he knew that it would be a strain on his mental health and that he would be at high risk of coming home I think this would be a valid reason for some criticism tbh. I very much doubt it was that! I would say more likely a gentle pressure from Ed Smith, Silverwood and/or Root and he was trying to please against his concern for his own happiness.... this team really needs Mo in India, but clearly not working for him. There are clearly so many dynamics at play we can't hope to know/understand.

Michael Vaughan keeps harping on about the ‘rotation’ policy - and why would you change a team that has just won a very good test - you play your best team against India , in India .... yet then states this year is all about the Ashes ... ?
But surely the point of the rotation is so we have a big group of players who can come in and out , who have all experienced high pressure test games , know what is expected and are comfortable with it, and being in the squad bubble ..and therefore not getting slated by the press when they bollox up their debut at the Gabba , Wacca etc etc

The only point on which I might be inclined to agree with him is Buttler going home after 1 test of this series. I would have thought keeping disruption to a minimum (i.e. anyone resting or rejoining comes/goes midway through the series) would make sense but as per previous messages, who knows what personal factors may be at play...

Proof of his fucking idiocy: https://twitter.com/rickburin/status/1361672830430179330/photo/1

Fucking hell. He's clearly gunning for a seat next to beefy in the House of Lords.

When you look at the schedule I think the Butler thing makes sense. If you look at Sri Lanka/India as one series because of the bubble requirements - he's played three tests out of seven. He's still been away from his family since the start of the year and now he gets a short break before he'll be in endless bubbles through the summer with the ashes to follow. Also, good to see how foakes fits under serious pressure, and having a decent keeper in India is hardly a bad thing.

Also, rotating Jimmy is the only way you're going to keep him fit. If he plays back to back tests with three days rest there is a really good chance he'll prang himself, probably in the first innings.

I'm not suggesting it doesn't make sense to rest Buttler, am also pleased that Foakes gets his games and I agree entirely re rotating Jimmy and Broad. I would just suggest that - and especially with Buttler being a senior figure and notional vice-captain - why not either let him leave after the Sri Lankan series or wait another week and leave with all the other returning players? These series are so intense I just can't see why you would inflict more disruption between games than necessary? Assuming there is no personal reason I think this feels like a strange move and I would have preferred to have kept such upheaval to a minimum.

Loads of people go to work knowing it’ll put a strain on their mental health because they need to earn money.

I would have preferred to have kept such upheaval to a minimum

Agreed. I’m very surprised how much they’re rotating the team at the start of an Ashes year. Suspect it’ll settle down a bit in the summer.

Broad and Anderson have been around long enough that they can drop in at any time and do the business but it’s more surprising with batsmen/WK (although I have got a big on Foakes despite what I may have previously said in this thread).

Sure, we could argue forever around whether Mo 'needs' to earn this money - I'm not being insensitive and I don't personally believe for a minute that he went out there solely to earn money and without care for the possible impact on the team of his sudden departure. My only point being if that had been his thought process it would not be beyond criticism.

Clearly rotation to a degree is the plan - especially amongst those multi-format players for whom the past year has been mad and this one is likely to be madder - but I think England have been unlucky. I'm sure Mo and Archer were pencilled in as definites for this series and players around whom we could build our bowling attack. Mo's quarantine/subsequent withdrawal and Jofra's injury are just bad luck.

Does Bairstow come back into the squad for the final two tests? If so does he get his spot at 3 back immediately?

RE Moeen I listened to a podcast last night saying he had always been clear from the beginning that he was going home after this test, it was the plan and everyone accepted it (as it has been for all of the resting players - laid out well in advance). What appears to have happened is the management asked him if he'd consider staying out longer after his performance in the most recent test test. As a father and family man (and knowing he's back out again in a few weeks for the white ball stuff, plus IPL and summer bubbling for England white ball stuff) he refused. Joe Root then threw him under the bus by going public and saying 'Mo has decided to go home' rather than 'it was always the plan that Mo would go home now and as an environment we are prioritising the rest and mental health of our players' - which, incidentally, is exactly when he said when asked about Buttler leaving the test before. I'm not suggesting anything sinister, but it really does seem as if the England team have presented this in a way that leaves Mo looking bad and I just had no idea why they've done so! They must have been upset with him refusing to stay out, but that seems grossly unfair...

Interesting take on it here (similar to what's owl just said), doesn't paint ed Smith in the best light either and highlights how moeen has been dicked around over the years.

Glad to see the there's been some back tracking today.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/india-v-england-2020-21-spurned-moeen-ali-begins-the-long-kiss-goodnight-after-choosing-to-leave-india-tour-1252037?platform=amp

Interesting that Hales didn't sell in the IPL auction, must be a real dickhead considering the IPL and England treat him like he's radioactive despite getting big runs

Still lots of tickets for Eng v NZ (June half term) available on Lords.org at the moment. Can only buy 2 for each day though. Got two each for the first two days but might get randomly refunded if they have to reduce capacity due to Covid.

Also lots of singles around the stands for Eng vs India (mid-Aug).