Monday 31 August 2009

Consistent [ii]

Given the stasis in England's Test match batting order, here's a stat to toy with: Bopara and Denly were England's thirteenth opening partnership in T20 cricket. England have only played 22 T20 matches. As they both got nought on Sunday, how long before number fourteen comes along?

More consistency: England have played Ireland three times in ODIs, in 2006, 2007 and last week. Here are the teams:

2006
Trescothick
Joyce
Strauss
Collingwood
Bell
Dalrymple
Jones
Chapple
Plunkett
Mahmood
Harmison

2007
Joyce
Vaughan
Bell
Pietersen
Collingwood
Flintoff
Nixon
Bopara
Mahmood
Anderson
Panesar

2009
Bopara
Denly
Trott
Prior
Collingwood
Shah
Wright
Rashid
Swann
Bresnan
Sidebottom

Number of players who appeared in all three games: one. Number of opening batsmen: five. Number of wicketkeepers: three. Number of years between fixtures: three.

NB: England have one tactic right: pick Ireland's best player and then let him disappear. 

Update: Thanks to Rob for pointing out Bopara got one on Sunday - should keep him in the team for today at least. The times today has a good piece on the awarding of central contracts, currently bringing IR Bell and Monty out in fear-sweats. The current list of incremental contract holders has a couple of half-remembered names too: Tim Ambrose and Samit Patel. Don't wait by the phone, boys...

3 comments:

Rob said...

Pedant mode on: Bopara got a single

Brit said...

That single felt like a duck, though.

I continue to despair at Mascheranas's absence. He should be first name on the teamsheet and possibly captain too. (Mind you, it must be tricky playing cricket and also being a key member of Liverpool's midfield).

Karthik Krishnaswamy said...

Ha ha. This reminds me of a crazy dream I had recently, in which I was 12 again, watching the 1999 cricket World Cup on TV, and Paul Scholes is batting in the middle order for England, scoring a run-a-ball fifty.