Michael Vaughan's captaincy

[Craig]

It wouldnt surprise if gives it up or loses it within the next 12 months.

I mean I have to agree with Rik here that is not suited to the job and in all honesty Mark Butcher is suited to it. However, for some reason Butcher doesnt want it. Maybe he is worried over it when he last had it in 1999?

It has affected his batting greatly and his form has IMO dropped he is making starts and not going on with them. Or getting out for less then 20 and it is a regular occurance.

The only thing he has done with the bat is that hundred he made in Sri Lanka which helped England drew that Test. It was probably IMO his best Test innings he has played.

Agree or disagree? why?

 

[Tim]

Butcher would only be a short term solution considering his age...they need to go for someone younger.

What about Flintoff or Collingwood?

 

[Craig]

Collingwood is yet to brake into the team on a regular basis.

I'm not sure whether or not Flintoff has the leadership qualities about him.

Either that or Marcus Trescothick. With Butcher he is only 32?

 

[Tim]

Yeah but South Africa took the same punt on Graeme Smith who had hardly cemented his place in the South African side. He wasn't even picked for the World Cup last year until Rhodes was ruled out with injury.

I don't see the point in giving the captaincy to a 32 year old...they need to make a long term investment in someone.
Anyway, I haven't seen too much of Vaughan as captain..is he really that bad?

 

[tooextracool]

Yeah but South Africa took the same punt on Graeme Smith who had hardly cemented his place in the South African side. He wasn't even picked for the World Cup last year until Rhodes was ruled out with injury.

I don't see the point in giving the captaincy to a 32 year old...they need to make a long term investment in someone.
Anyway, I haven't seen too much of Vaughan as captain..is he really that bad?

hes not a bad captain...not as good as hussain but not bad. problem is that his batting has been seriously affected. he has the potential to become the best player in the world IMO but since hes become captain he really hasnt done anything at all. i think if he doesnt perform in this series against the WI he should step down...not butcher and definetly not trescothick, id go for collingwood but does he have any captaincy experience like smith?

 

[iamdavid]

Trescothick - Ive seen him captain before & he really didnt impress anyone , seemed to lack ideas & just go with the flow , to slow in making the key changes to the feild & bowling attack.

Butcher - IMO he'd do the best job if he got it , but there are several things against him. He's getting a bit old , didnt set the world on fire last time & he's not in the ODI side , I reckon they'd want someone to captain both sides.

Thorpe - To old , not in the ODI side & he apparently dosent want it anyway.

Hussain - IMO the best English skipper for at least a decade , would do a good job again but he had his time & it would be viewed as a very negative & backward step to offer it to him again.

Flintoff - It would be a huge burden on a relatively young man to combine the rolls of captain & allrounder , look at what it did to Ian Botham , the man Freddy is most frequently compared to.
Id just let him keep winning matches for England rather that adding the captaincy to his workload.

Collingwood - I reckon he's got the mental characteristics to be a great captain , a real hard worker & he wouldnt shirk the challenge in the middle of a demanding battle , but as yet he's only a part timer in the test side despite being a ODI regular.

Read - Like Collingwood I reckon he's got the attitude to lead the side well , but historically keepers havent made great captains & Im still not convinced his batting is good enough to hold down a test spot in the long term if Geriant Jones continues to pile on the runs for Kent.

Giles - I actually reckon he'd made a pretty decent skipper , mentally he's up to it , but I really dont think he should be in the side half the time.

The quick bowlers - Johnson & Kirtley arent even in the team half the time.
I actually reckon Simon Jones could be a half decent skipper , again its his attitude , he's shown he's willing to do the work off the feild & he'd be prepared to die on the wicket for the good of his side , but he's still not cemented his place & I think there are better options.
IMO Hoggard should just worry about his bowling , getting the captaincy would be the least of his worries.
Mentally I dont reckon Harmison's up to it , he's been proven in the past to be pretty soft & I wouldnt want to burden him with it just when he's starting to deliver the goods with the ball.

Rikki Clarke indeed


If I were in charge & Vaughan were to step down / cop the axe Id choose Collingwood for the ODI side & Butcher in tests.

 

[Andre]

This alledged 'form slump' of Michael Vaughan's baffles me. He's not in a slump at all - it's just that people don't understand that he had a golden match of nearly a ton a match and that the streak wasn't going to carry on forever.

He's been in the job for less than a year!

 

[Craig]

Well has his performances have been up and down to say the least.

 

[marc71178]

It has affected his batting greatly and his form has IMO dropped he is making starts and not going on with them.

But the thing is, his form had actually dropped before he got the captaincy (also it's a lot to expect him to maintain the sort of form he was in for a long time!)

 

[luckyeddie]

No obvious candidates - I guess it'll be Vaughan until Rikki Clarke does take over then.

<quack> Harmison?

 

[Craig]

Actually his form wasnt too bad before he got it.

He made a 40-odd and that 156 at Birmingham before he got it.

 

[Craig]

No obvious candidates - I guess it'll be Vaughan until Rikki Clarke does take over then.

<quack> Harmison?

Harmison?

Was the duck at the Castle Keys of late?

 

[luckyeddie]

Harmison?

Was the duck at the Castle Keys of late?

<quack> I think we'll just leave Steve Wayward-Harmison as the bowling saviour of England at the moment.

Willis captained England

<quack> He was rubbish

They won more than they lost

<quack> He had Botham to call upon

Harmison will have Rikki

<quack> So I've heard

Eh?

 

[Craig]

Ah Rikki Clarke.

I predict 5000 Test runs and 200 Test scalps for Rikki :wow: :saint: :P :P

 

[iamdavid]

Ah Rikki Clarke.

I predict 5000 Test runs and 200 Test scalps for Rikki :wow: :saint: :P :P

And I can see a test century for Neil Pickup :P

 

[mavric41]

Ah Rikki Clarke.

I predict 5000 Test runs and 200 Test scalps for Rikki :wow: :saint: :P :P

That will happen when I predict the winning Lotto numbers 10 weeks in a row.

 

[Langeveldt]

Seeing as there is no viable alternative, ive got no problem with Vaughan keeping it...

 

[Neil Pickup]

And I can see a test century for Neil Pickup :P

Ashes 2014/15 - Fifth Test - SCG - Series tied at 2-2

Australia 371
Clarke 121
Harmison 5/113

England 232
Cook 71, Bridgforth 52
Hoitink 4/77

Australia 330
Kremerskothen 82
Harmison 7/109

Last over of day 5...

End of over 136 (11 runs) England 449/9 (trail by 20 runs)
SG Howman 28-8-114-1 - Paddington End
DR Bridgforth 166* (229b 22x4 3x6) NS Pickup 91* (68b 13x4, 4x6)

So one over left in this pulsating series, England need 21 to win the Test and regain the Ashes whilst Australia need one wicket to win the Test or a draw to maintain the urn. Aussie skipper Scott Kremerskothen forces everyone back onto the ropes. It's 26-year-old seamer Dave Hoitink to bowl it, with 22-year old batsman David Bridgforth facing, and rabbit leggie Neil Pickup at the other end, who has somehow made 91* in a festival of bat-swinging reminding older viewers of ex-Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, the Test record holder with 783 wickets.

136.1 Hoitink to Bridgforth, FOUR, tries to unnerve the youngster with a bit of short stuff, not a chance, cracking pull shot through midwicket
136.2 Hoitink to Bridgforth, no run, jaffa, beats the Leicestershire batsman all ends up, too good to get an outside edge though
136.3 Hoitink to Bridgforth, FOUR, oh dear, rank half volley on Bridgforth's pads, whipped away, deep backward square has no chance
136.4 Hoitink to Bridgforth, three runs, mixed blessings for England, Bridgey creams Hoitink through the covers but Clarke makes a fine stop on the rope and England have to settle for three, Pickup facing
136.5 Hoitink to Pickup, FOUR, despair for Hoitink, Pickup didn't even see that, blockhole yorker which flicks the outside edge of the stationary bat and goes for four behind the keeper
136.6 Hoitink to Pickup, SIX, incredible! Pickup closes his eyes, swings, Hoitink's slower ball gets middled and flies out of the stadium and into the centre of Sydney.

The SCG falls into a stunned silence as the two batsmen embrace and the silence is replaced by the raucous singing of the Barmy Army. Hoitink sits, head in hands, in tears, as beer cans rain down onto the Australian players, England have won the Ashes, and Dave Hoitink's Public Enemy Number One

End of over 137 (21 runs) England 470/9
D Hoitink 39-6-188-6 - Randwick End
DR Bridgforth 177* (233b 24x4 3x6) NS Pickup 101* (70b 14x4, 5x6)

England 470-9
Bridgforth 177*, Pickup 101*
Hoitink 6/188

England win by one wicket

Yes, I do need to get out more.

 

[iamdavid]

Ashes 2014/15 - Fifth Test - SCG - Series tied at 2-2

Australia 371
Clarke 121
Harmison 5/113

England 232
Cook 71, Bridgforth 52
Hoitink 4/77

Australia 330
Kremerskothen 82
Harmison 7/109

Last over of day 5...

End of over 136 (11 runs) England 449/9 (trail by 20 runs)
SG Howman 28-8-114-1 - Paddington End
DR Bridgforth 166* (229b 22x4 3x6) NS Pickup 91* (68b 13x4, 4x6)

So one over left in this pulsating series, England need 21 to win the Test and regain the Ashes whilst Australia need one wicket to win the Test or a draw to maintain the urn. Aussie skipper Scott Kremerskothen forces everyone back onto the ropes. It's 26-year-old seamer Dave Hoitink to bowl it, with 22-year old batsman David Bridgforth facing, and rabbit leggie Neil Pickup at the other end, who has somehow made 91* in a festival of bat-swinging reminding older viewers of ex-Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, the Test record holder with 783 wickets.

136.1 Hoitink to Bridgforth, FOUR, tries to unnerve the youngster with a bit of short stuff, not a chance, cracking pull shot through midwicket
136.2 Hoitink to Bridgforth, no run, jaffa, beats the Leicestershire batsman all ends up, too good to get an outside edge though
136.3 Hoitink to Bridgforth, FOUR, oh dear, rank half volley on Bridgforth's pads, whipped away, deep backward square has no chance
136.4 Hoitink to Bridgforth, three runs, mixed blessings for England, Bridgey creams Hoitink through the covers but Clarke makes a fine stop on the rope and England have to settle for three, Pickup facing
136.5 Hoitink to Pickup, FOUR, despair for Hoitink, Pickup didn't even see that, blockhole yorker which flicks the outside edge of the stationary bat and goes for four behind the keeper
136.6 Hoitink to Pickup, SIX, incredible! Pickup closes his eyes, swings, Hoitink's slower ball gets middled and flies out of the stadium and into the centre of Sydney.

The SCG falls into a stunned silence as the two batsmen embrace and the silence is replaced by the raucous singing of the Barmy Army. Hoitink sits, head in hands, in tears, as beer cans rain down onto the Australian players, England have won the Ashes, and Dave Hoitink's Public Enemy Number One

End of over 137 (21 runs) England 470/9
D Hoitink 39-6-188-6 - Randwick End
DR Bridgforth 177* (233b 24x4 3x6) NS Pickup 101* (70b 14x4, 5x6)

England 470-9
Bridgforth 177*, Pickup 101*
Hoitink 6/188

England win by one wicket

Yes, I do need to get out more.

firstly you've got Kremerskothen playing for Australia , funny things can happen but not that funny.

Then theres the 'Pickup hits 5 sixes in 70 ball century'

Match firgures for DA Hoitink 61-12-265-10

 

[Craig]

It would look better if you didnt concede the 21 runs off that over.