Cricket

[SuspectUsual]

And, adding to that, taking away from the retirements of two of the women's team's greatest batters.

Yep. Just a shame neither of them made a score

 

[DelW]

Yep. Just a shame neither of them made a score

Indeed, an unfortunate way for two excellent careers to end.

First innings Beaumont 2, Knight 6
Second innings Beaumont 0*, Knight 13
* first ball duck

About the only positive to have come out of this match is that Amy Jones has done much better reverting to batting at no 6 than she's managed recently as a white-ball opener. Highest score in each innings (unless our tail does something extraordinary today) with two half-centuries, and the best strike rate in each as well. Though her wicket keeping stats suffered from some wayward bowling, with 23 byes in India's second innings.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

When Capsey was dismissed, the score was 59-5 and a recovery of sorts saw England end day 3 on 130-6. That still leaves them needing a further 327 runs on day 4 to win with their last four wickets remaining.

 

[SteveHFC]

Agree that the McCullum announcement was poorly timed, but was apparently made because news was beginning to leak. Whilst the result isn't good from an England point of view, I've enjoyed what I've seen of the test match. Pleased to see Amy Jones get some runs again, and Sophie Ecclestone has had a decent game - second innings bowling & batting particularly (she's just got her 50).

Not entirely surprised that Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight have retired from international cricket, Beaumont particularly given she's clearly no longer in contention for the white ball sides. Both have served wonderfully over the years, and I'm sure have plenty more to offer the sport, whether that be playing domestically, getting involved behind the scenes, or in the commentary world.

(edited to add): As I hit the post button, India took the final wicket. A thoroughly deserved win for India - they were excellent.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

(edited to add): As I hit the post button, India took the final wicket. A thoroughly deserved win for India - they were excellent.

England were all out for 186 in their 2nd innings. India won by 270 runs.

 

[Rover]

I think the writing was on the wall for McCullum particularly after the last ashes debacle and then the poor showing against New Zealand. It was a fascinating time with Bazball, quite a rollercoaster ride at times and thoroughly entertaining but you can't treat every test match as though it's a 20/20 match. Andy Flowers next?

 

[Purple Train]

Andy Flower next?

I hope so but it's unlikely. I'd go for Jonathan Trott.

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

Bazball. Gone not soon enough for England.

We all said it was a crock and we have been proven rather right.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Today's 1st ODI went the way many expected with India only losing four wickets in passing the England total.

 

[Rover]

Their 14th defeat in 20 ODI's, once again they just weren't good enough in all departments.

 

[75A]

Sad to see that Sir Gary Sobers has passed.
He was my first sporting hero.

 

[Purple Train]

Sad to see that Sir Gary Sobers has passed.
He was my first sporting hero.

Yes, very sad indeed - a true legend of the game. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

 

[Peeled Apples]

Sad to see that Sir Gary Sobers has passed.
He was my first sporting hero.

Yes very sad news, one of the true greats.

 

[D1511]

An incredibly dignified man throughout his whole life, and probably the best all-round cricketer of all time. He will be very sadly missed.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Sad to see that Sir Gary Sobers has passed.
He was my first sporting hero.

Very sad news indeed. Feel privileged to have seen him play - for the West Indies Touring Team at Northampton in 1966,
I still remember the feeling of awe that I had.

 

[Rover]

God rest his soul, one of the all time greats, 6 sixes in one over.

 

[Trackman]

Sad to see that Sir Gary Sobers has passed.
He was my first sporting hero.

Yes, RIP Sir Gary.
He used to come our local cricket club, not on a fee but used to present trophies to young kids and speak to them about cricket - a true grassroots cricket ambassador.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

3rd ODI

After 40 overs of their 50 overs, England are 268-1 against India.

Duckett on 130 not out and Bethell 91 had an opening stand of 192.

England really opened up in the last 10 remaining overs, losing Duckett for 141 and Brook for 14, to finish on 387-3

Root ... 74 not out from 48 balls with 9 x 4

Buttler ... 41 not out from only 13 balls, with 3 x 6 and 4 x 4

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

UPDATE

India 360-7 (50 0vers)....they had an opening stand of 147.

Rohit 138 from 110 balls with 5 x 6 and 17 x 4
Gill 77 from 84 balls with 1 x 6 and 10 x 4
Kohli 74 from 60 balls with 3 x 6 and 4 x 4

England win by 28 runs

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Jul 2026 ==

Has anything changed in regards to the wide rule in the County Championship?

Noting the addition of all recently introduced season tournements, such as The Hundred, will the County Championship have any long-term future?

 

[Rover]

The county championship's problem is the length of play, 4 days of 6 hours each day for a full match midweek, so crowds are never going to be high coupled with minimal TV exposure. I've no interest whatsoever in the Hundred, it took me a few years to come to terms with 20/20 which is just a whack every ball exercise but can be entertainng but then I'm an oldie who remembers John Player, Benson and Hedges et al.

As for the County Championship it will have to survive in some form as where would the test cricketers come from but it is heavily subsidised by the ECB so as long as that continues it will have a future.

 

[SuspectUsual]

The county championship's problem is the length of play, 4 days of 6 hours each day for a full match midweek, so crowds are never going to be high coupled with minimal TV exposure

County Championship matches are generally played Friday to Monday at the moment, but agree about the TV coverage

 

[janb]

To be fair, all the County games are streamed on YouTube which at least allows a few more people to watch.

 

[3rd rail land]

I reckon people have less patience these days so want more action than you'll get with a first class match. When I was much younger I would happily watch an entire days play from first to last ball but these days I prefer to have the livestream on in the background than go see my local county play a first class match in person. That said my local county does 'free after tea' so I've headed to the ground quite a few times for the final session of a day.

Whilst the longest form of cricket is probably still my favourite I do like limited overs cricket. Sometimes I just fancy seeing players to try to score off every ball and sometimes I like seeing a player build an innings but for it not to take as long as the first class stuff. Plus you can do a days work and then afterwards go see a T20 match on a weekday. For a one day or first class game you have to book a day off.

The county championship is definitely less popular than it once was but isn't going to become extinct. There is less of it played since I don't believe teams play 16 fixtures a season like they used to but without domestic first class competitions test cricket would become a thing of the past.

What I don't like is The Hundred. It just feels like the ECB thought they were missing out by not having a franchised competition which inevitably has become all about money with teams being sold off. I especially don't like the timing as it means my local county has to field what feels like their youth team with a couple of first team regulars in the One Day Cup as so many players are away at The Hundred and as a result always do poorly.

 

[SuspectUsual]

The county championship is definitely less popular than it once was but isn't going to become extinct. There is less of it played since I don't believe teams play 16 fixtures a season like they used to but without domestic first class competitions test cricket would become a thing of the past.

The decline of the county championship coupled with the introduction of central contracts has meant that newly-appointed England test captains have precious little experience of captaining teams in the longer form of the game when stepping into the role

Average of the last 10 = 53

Average of the 10 before that = 126

Joe Root = 4 games

Ben Stokes = 0 games

Makes me wonder whether "Bazball" might to some small extent have been designed around this lack of experience

What I don't like is The Hundred. It just feels like the ECB thought they were missing out by not having a franchised competition which inevitably has become all about money with teams being sold off. I especially don't like the timing as it means my local county has to field what feels like their youth team with a couple of first team regulars in the One Day Cup as so many players are away at The Hundred and as a result always do poorly.

The Hundred is an absolute abomination, and pretty much everything that the critics pointed out before it first started has happened

 

[ainsworth74]

County Championship matches are generally played Friday to Monday at the moment, but agree about the TV coverage

To be fair, all the County games are streamed on YouTube which at least allows a few more people to watch.

Indeed I would argue in some respects the Championship is in a better position than it has been for some time! Most of the matches are now played over a weekend so there's a reasonable opportunity for anyone to get to a game not just retirees. But more importantly they're all streamed on YouTube by the counties (increasingly with multiple camera angles with at least one actual camera operator tracking the ball, gone are the days of one camera on a stick statically pointed at the wicket!) meaning that it's easier to actually watch. I've seen more Championship cricket in the last few years than I had in the decade before because I could chuck it on YouTube. Also does seem to draw a bit of a crowd as well. The Durham streams seem to get a few thousand watching. Not gangbusters numbers to be sure but far more than I can ever recall seeing at a game!

Main thing with Championship is to not mess around too much with the format and no-more stupid trials like with the Kookaburra ball a year or two ago. You'll never really grow it as a format but it does produce good and entertaining cricket for those that enjoy First Class cricket.

The Hundred is an absolute abomination, and pretty much everything that the critics pointed out before it first started has happened

Yeah personally I'm not as opposed to the idea of a franchise league as some are but try and shoehorn in another format was barmy. It wasn't even required to get BBC and Sky interest, they thought they'd be getting a T20 league! If you really did want shorter matches at least go for the T10 format as that is a somewhat recognised format that is played elsewhere. But no some mad 100 ball format instead. No reason you couldn't keep other bits of bobs either even if you did for for a T20 format. I actually think the idea of a bowler being able to bowl two overs (or sets or whatever they call it) in a row one form each end is quite interesting for instance.

But a whole new format played nowhere else? Barmy. Totally barmy.

At least this season they've not utterly mangled the Blast like they have done previously. Blast has been played in one nice block with quarter finals and Finals Day all happening as a coherent part of the season (though the gap between QFs and Finals Day was too short!). Unlike last season where the group stage wrapped by the middle of July and then the QFs and Finals Day weren't until the start of September!

Poor 50-over cricket really is on it's last legs though. Part of me wonders if we shouldn't just put the whole format to bed as a sport? Does cricket really need T20, First Class and 50-over? We've axed formats before. Anybody remember 40-over cricket? Perhaps the ICC and the cricket boards should think about axing 50-overs entirely?

 

[SuspectUsual]

Anybody remember 40-over cricket?

And wasn’t the Gillette Cup 60 overs at some stage?

 

[Haywain]

And wasn’t the Gillette Cup 60 overs at some stage?

It was 65 overs in the first season, and then 60 until 1999 when (as the NatWest Trophy) it dropped to 50.

 

[janb]

Poor 50-over cricket really is on it's last legs though. Part of me wonders if we shouldn't just put the whole format to bed as a sport? Does cricket really need T20, First Class and 50-over? We've axed formats before. Anybody remember 40-over cricket? Perhaps the ICC and the cricket boards should think about axing 50-overs entirely?

If it was up to me I'd abolish 50 over as a format. T20 at around 3 hours is enough time to sink into something as an audience for a short form format, and should be less physically demanding on the players.

I think at the moment though there is probably still too much money being made in ticket sales, broadcast revenue, beer sales etc... for the governing bodies to want change.

 

[Purple Train]

I really enjoy 50-over cricket and would be sad to see it go. I missed out on a ticket for the Yorkshire vs Hampshire game today at Scarborough but I went past the ground and it's pretty full as far as I can see; when I went last year there were a lot of youngsters too in spite of the temptation of the Hundred. Of course it may well be an outlier but I really don't think 50-over cricket is on its last legs in spite of the ECB's best attempts to kill it. Test and first-class cricket will always be the ultimate form of the game, but as a spectator I'd far rather pay for a full day's excitement in a format with at least some ebb and flow (rather than hit and hope cricket) than shell out for four days' worth of absorbing cricket if I want to see a complete game!

 

[DarloRich]

Yeah personally I'm not as opposed to the idea of a franchise league as some are but try and shoehorn in another format was barmy.

i still think the Blast and the Hundred will merge when the current Sky TV deal for the blast ends. I think that is 2028. After that a frnachised 20/20 EPL is my guess.

 

[Bald Rick]

i still think the Blast and the Hundred will merge when the current Sky TV deal for the blast ends. I think that is 2028. After that a frnachised 20/20 EPL is my guess.

Agreed. A franchised EPL could be massive in terms of commercial opportunity.