England must stop players from playing in IPL to improve Test side: Mickey Arthur

[Artaxerxes]

Former Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur believes England players need to stop participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in order to improve their Test side.

England's Test squad came under criticism after suffering a 4-0 humiliation in the five-Test Ashes series in Australia. The Ashes defeat has led to the departure of head coach Chris Silverwood, batting coach Graham Thorpe and managing director Ashley Giles.

Arthur, who joined English county Derbyshire as head of cricket after stepping down as Sri Lanka coach late last year, said county cricket is not to be blamed for England's poor performance in tests in recent years.

"England haven't scored enough runs. It's as simple as that," Arthur told The Times. "If you want to lay the blame, you can lay it right there. County cricket isn't to blame.

"For so long county cricket has been a really good producer of international players. I don't think there's a problem with the system ... If you want the strength early season, unfortunately, you are going to have to stop the players going to the IPL.

"They are playing there in the early part of the season just before the first tests. You need your best players playing county cricket to prepare for that."

 

[shaz619]

How many of them even play in the IPL, we need to stop blaming that circus

 

[Rana]

How many of them even play in the IPL, we need to stop blaming that circus

He is 100% right

The priorities are wrong for the upcoming players. An England u19 player said it is his dream to play IPL and CPL. They are no longer playing cricket to aim for 10,000 Test runs

 

[Thanos]

I think he hasn't got any coaching job from IPL.

 

[silentkiller187]

I think he hasn't got any coaching job from IPL.

so if anyone says anything about ipl that carries any negative connotations its because they weren't offered a job there? interesting..

 

[Thanos]

so if anyone says anything about ipl that carries any negative connotations its because they weren't offered a job there? interesting..

Well, I think practically. No one bites the feeding hand. If Micky was earning crores like other coaches of IPL, he wouldn't have said that.
People get courage to speak only when they've nothing to lose. Simple human nature.

Moreover I ain't saying what he said is wrong. World cricket is getting affected by T20 leagues. But why cherry pick IPL only to blame.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Nah they're still going to be rubbish or mediocre, even if they did...

 

[Rana]

so if anyone says anything about ipl that carries any negative connotations its because they weren't offered a job there? interesting..

He has a point

People who make money from IPL will not ever speak against it or Indian policies in general

 

[sweep_shot]

Modern English players are way too interested in LOI cricket. It is why Test performance is declining.

I think modern England Test side has too many LOI batsmen. They need to find Test specialists.

 

[silentkiller187]

He has a point

People who make money from IPL will not ever speak against it or Indian policies in general

yes definitely works that way, once your under ipl wing then its hard to speak out against them, but i wouldnt go as far as to say people who havent been offered a job in IPL will negatively speak out about it because of that, mickey has a job in county cricket he offered his view on that just so happened to mention ipl.

 

[Thanos]

Had Micky said that test cricket is getting affected due to T20 leagues and player's priorities have changed, most of us would've agreed.

But blaming IPL only for England's poor performance in test is plain stupid.
Which two teams recently outperformed England in test cricket? Australia (4-0) and India (leading 2-1). And players from both of these countries participate in IPL.

Is he saying only England players lose their focus from test cricket due to IPL?

 

[U$ofA]

so if anyone says anything about ipl that carries any negative connotations its because they weren't offered a job there? interesting..

Well, if someone says anything positive about the IPL then they are accused of wanting an IPL contract. So why not the other way around. If you doubt me, all you need to do is browse the forums and you will find innumerable posts saying this exact thing.

 

[Rana]

Had Micky said that test cricket is getting affected due to T20 leagues and player's priorities have changed, most of us would've agreed.

But blaming IPL only for England's poor performance in test is plain stupid.
Which two teams recently outperformed England in test cricket? Australia (4-0) and India (leading 2-1). And players from both of these countries participate in IPL.

Is he saying only England players lose their focus from test cricket due to IPL?

It’s not plain stupid. No other league is causing the boards problems the way IPL is. Players are threatening to retire if they are not permitted NOCs to participate in IPL, do they threat their boards for other leagues?

 

[U$ofA]

It’s not plain stupid. No other league is causing the boards problems the way IPL is. Players are threatening to retire if they are not permitted NOCs to participate in IPL, do they threat their boards for other leagues?

This is between the player and his board. The IPL is running a legal business in a sovereign country. It is just that things are getting inconvenient for other boards. Cannot blame the IPL. Neither is it the IPL's fault.

 

[HitWicket]

Had Micky said that test cricket is getting affected due to T20 leagues and player's priorities have changed, most of us would've agreed.

But blaming IPL only for England's poor performance in test is plain stupid.
Which two teams recently outperformed England in test cricket? Australia (4-0) and India (leading 2-1). And players from both of these countries participate in IPL.

Is he saying only England players lose their focus from test cricket due to IPL?

You've missed his point. No players are missing Australian/Indian domestic FC games in order to play in the IPL. Infact Australia will delay the arrival of involved players at the IPL this year to ensure they complete the Sheffield Shield first. He's pointed out the IPL specifically because it's the only league which English players miss FC county cricket in order to play on.

 

[Thanos]

You've missed his point. No players are missing Australian/Indian domestic FC games in order to play in the IPL. Infact Australia will delay the arrival of involved players at the IPL this year to ensure they complete the Sheffield Shield first. He's pointed out the IPL specifically because it's the only league which English players miss FC county cricket in order to play on.

IPL has become scapegoat for everyone to put blame rather than focusing on actual problems.

Don't expect to perform better from your team in tests if you priorities LOI over red ball.
These Buttlers, Birstows, Pants, Pandyas will perform once in a blue moon. No one can help if you keep these kinda players in test team.

 

[HitWicket]

IPL has become scapegoat for everyone to put blame rather than focusing on actual problems.

Don't expect to perform better from your team in tests if you priorities LOI over red ball.
These Buttlers, Birstows, Pants, Pandyas will perform once in a blue moon. No one can help if you keep these kinda players in test team.

It's one contributing factor among many, but it's still a factor.

The argument there would be that the likes of Buttler and Bairstow would perhaps be better test players if they had been playing more FC cricket. There was a period when Bairstow was quite possibly the best test match wicketkeeper-batsman in the world. He started becoming a limited overs regular and playing more and more limited overs cricket (and as a result less FC cricket) and flaws began to appear in his technique that caused him to drop off a cliff in test cricket.

There's also the argument that even if players are not quite test match standard they raise the standard of the competition and therefore challenge other up and coming prospects more, resulting in then developing into better players and being more suited to test cricket.

 

[cricketjoshila]

So did Micjey Arthur stopped players of the teams he was coaching? Or since he has no job now, this is his ticket to get some aor time?

 

[silentkiller187]

So did Micjey Arthur stopped players of the teams he was coaching? Or since he has no job now, this is his ticket to get some aor time?

he is director of cricket at derbyshire, he already has a job, he was asked how england could improve their test team, he said stop players going to ipl and let them focus on county cricket, valid answer being blown out of proportion

 

[The lone Ranger]

So did Micjey Arthur stopped players of the teams he was coaching? Or since he has no job now, this is his ticket to get some aor time?

No, looks like he has only problem with England players participating in IPL. He is more than happy for players he's been coaching getting IPL contracts.

 

[silentkiller187]

No, looks like he has only problem with England players participating in IPL. He is more than happy for players he's been coaching getting IPL contracts.

yes he is happy for players to play ipl, but when it interferes with domestic cricket he feels cricketers should put domestic cricket first, he is a domestic county director now so he is putting the interests of his county first, people should really look at the context of what's happening and what is being said before coming up with conspiracies.

 

[HitWicket]

No, looks like he has only problem with England players participating in IPL. He is more than happy for players he's been coaching getting IPL contracts.

The IPL never clashes with Sri Lanka's FC competition.

 

[Savak]

Giving Populist statements but do nothing else - The Mickey Arthur style.

 

[IMMY69]

Mickey has a point.
You really want all your players playing country cricket at the start of the season.
Even if they are not test specialists, just their participation would increase the standards of the county game.

 

[cricketjoshila]

he is director of cricket at derbyshire, he already has a job, he was asked how england could improve their test team, he said stop players going to ipl and let them focus on county cricket, valid answer being blown out of proportion

Person who coached different international teams and didn't stop them from going to the IPL wants English players to be stopped.

This guy plays to the galleries to hide his incompetence.

Btw he is absolutely wrong in comparing old county cricket to now. Once upon a time most international players would go to play county as all international cricket stopped during that time. Those days are gone. Now only those without a IPL contract go to play the first half of the county season.

Its a weak system now and thats why they have such issues. Else English season now goes till September, if a player misses 4 to 6 weeks he still has many weeks to play.

Btw how many Aussie test cricketers play the entire Sheffield shield? How many Indian test cricketers play the entire Ranji? How many English test cricketers play the IPL?

 

[cricketjoshila]

yes he is happy for players to play ipl, but when it interferes with domestic cricket he feels cricketers should put domestic cricket first, he is a domestic county director now so he is putting the interests of his county first, people should really look at the context of what's happening and what is being said before coming up with conspiracies.

He is just playing to the galleries. He did it when he was with Pakistan too.

 

[silentkiller187]

Person who coached different international teams and didn't stop them from going to the IPL wants English players to be stopped.

This guy plays to the galleries to hide his incompetence.

Btw he is absolutely wrong in comparing old county cricket to now. Once upon a time most international players would go to play county as all international cricket stopped during that time. Those days are gone. Now only those without a IPL contract go to play the first half of the county season.

Its a weak system now and thats why they have such issues. Else English season now goes till September, if a player misses 4 to 6 weeks he still has many weeks to play.

Btw how many Aussie test cricketers play the entire Sheffield shield? How many Indian test cricketers play the entire Ranji? How many English test cricketers play the IPL?

this is why i say look at the context, he was asked how county cricket could be improved and englands test fortunes, he said something along the lines of if the best players go to ipl at the start of the county season it doesnt help, which makes complete sense like i said non issue which has been blown out of proportion, as a director of a county team he has every right to make that statement

 

[shaz619]

He is 100% right

The priorities are wrong for the upcoming players. An England u19 player said it is his dream to play IPL and CPL. They are no longer playing cricket to aim for 10,000 Test runs

Our issues run deeper, there is an obsession with white ball cricket and it has been thanks to pioneers like KP and Morgan, so while we failed in limited overs for a while the sloggers were always there and it translated to white ball success and in doing so we forgot how to play red ball cricket or paid much attention to it at the FC level.

The U19 player wanting to play in the IPL and CPL is a good example of that obsession, we’ve not had a focussed programme to do well in Tests unlike in ODI’s/T20I’s

 

[HitWicket]

Person who coached different international teams and didn't stop them from going to the IPL wants English players to be stopped.

This guy plays to the galleries to hide his incompetence.

You're completely ignoring the fact that the international teams he has coached didn't have a big chunk of their FC domestic season clashing with the IPL which is the main crux of the issue.

Btw he is absolutely wrong in comparing old county cricket to now. Once upon a time most international players would go to play county as all international cricket stopped during that time. Those days are gone. Now only those without a IPL contract go to play the first half of the county season.

And so do you not think England's best players playing for the majority of the competition would help improve the standard...?

Its a weak system now and thats why they have such issues. Else English season now goes till September, if a player misses 4 to 6 weeks he still has many weeks to play.

An international player who goes to the IPL would be available for 2 county championship games during the English summer. Both of those games would be after all the summrrs tests had been played.

Btw how many Aussie test cricketers play the entire Sheffield shield? How many Indian test cricketers play the entire Ranji?

Not many but it's not being suggested they play the entire competition, that's clearly not feasible with the international schedule. Just that they get some games in and ideally play some in the run up to the home series as preparation and to improve the overall standard.

 

[Thanos]

The Ashes defeat wouldn't have happened if Burns, Sibley, Hameed and Pope spent April-May playing County cricket instead of IPL.

 

[NishanKonar]

Somehow IPL affects the England players - not Australia or New Zealand whose top players are also playing in IPL

Joe Root did not even play in IPL but somehow he was poor in Ashes due to IPL !

 

[cricketerB94]

Yep, England never lost a test series or Ashes before 2008 when IPL invented. I have never watched IPL live, but I think it's getting too much blame.

 

[HitWicket]

Somehow IPL affects the England players - not Australia or New Zealand whose top players are also playing in IPL

Joe Root did not even play in IPL but somehow he was poor in Ashes due to IPL !

Yet another person who's missed the point so I'll copy my above post:

You've missed his point. No players are missing Australian domestic FC games in order to play in the IPL. Infact Australia will delay the arrival of involved players at the IPL this year to ensure they complete the Sheffield Shield first. He's pointed out the IPL specifically because it's the only league which English players miss FC county cricket in order to play on.

 

[U$ofA]

Yet another person who's missed the point so I'll copy my above post:

You've missed his point. No players are missing Australian domestic FC games in order to play in the IPL. Infact Australia will delay the arrival of involved players at the IPL this year to ensure they complete the Sheffield Shield first. He's pointed out the IPL specifically because it's the only league which English players miss FC county cricket in order to play on.

I would say no more than 15-20 Eng. players play in IPL (not sure what the 2022 number is). Of which majority of them are not red ball cricketers. I would say no more than 3-4 (even that maybe a high number) out of the 15-20 actually have talent for red ball cricket and are in the scheme of things regards to Eng test team.

So from all the 100's of players in county cricket, the couple that are in the IPL is the problem?

 

[James]

How many of them even play in the IPL, we need to stop blaming that circus

Quite a few of them have to be fair. And there have been further acquisitions this year.

Some, it must be said, have deliberately excluded themselves this year to focus on domestic red ball cricket. Meanwhile, others who were available have gone unsold, likely due to the recent poor England performances and English Cricket being particularly out of vogue at this time.

I agree that the IPL is an easy target and a lazy explainer, and it gets blamed for England’s numerous failings far too readily. I do nevertheless think that there indeed may be a “limited” link to be found, in that the IPL window does overlap with an important phase of the County Championship in April and May.

This impact on the English season is fairly unique amongst the Test playing nations, because the English spring months present the best opportunity that centrally contracted England Test players have at any point in the year to get some first class “non-international” cricket under their belts — but, if a certain player who would otherwise be in his county dressing room (such as a Buttler or a Stokes) also has an IPL contract, then they will miss their chance back home for yet another year; and, in theory, this could go on for many years consecutively.

So, yes, I do not tend to agree with sweeping statements in this arena. England’s shortcomings in Test cricket are much too complex and multifaceted to be explained away by the Indian Premier League. However, in a very specific and limited way, I believe that there could be a link.

 

[Raja111]

From next year, Crawley, Burns, Lawrence, Sibley, pope, Hameed, broad, Anderson, Robinson should stay away from IPL which might increase the chances of them winning the Ashes and improving in Test cricket.

 

[IndianMafia]

Former Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur believes England players need to stop participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in order to improve their Test side.

England's Test squad came under criticism after suffering a 4-0 humiliation in the five-Test Ashes series in Australia. The Ashes defeat has led to the departure of head coach Chris Silverwood, batting coach Graham Thorpe and managing director Ashley Giles.

Arthur, who joined English county Derbyshire as head of cricket after stepping down as Sri Lanka coach late last year, said county cricket is not to be blamed for England's poor performance in tests in recent years.

"England haven't scored enough runs. It's as simple as that," Arthur told The Times. "If you want to lay the blame, you can lay it right there. County cricket isn't to blame.

"For so long county cricket has been a really good producer of international players. I don't think there's a problem with the system ... If you want the strength early season, unfortunately, you are going to have to stop the players going to the IPL.

"They are playing there in the early part of the season just before the first tests. You need your best players playing county cricket to prepare for that."

By the way the only person who hit a century in the ashes from England was bairstow, who actually plays the IPL.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Yet another person who's missed the point so I'll copy my above post:

You've missed his point. No players are missing Australian domestic FC games in order to play in the IPL. Infact Australia will delay the arrival of involved players at the IPL this year to ensure they complete the Sheffield Shield first. He's pointed out the IPL specifically because it's the only league which English players miss FC county cricket in order to play on.

Root
Hameed
Sibley
Pope
Burns
Anderson
Broad
Bess
Crawley
Lawrence
Overton
Leach
Robinson


How many IPL matches and seasons have these guys played? Combined.

Out of the 18 squad members for ashes how many have played the IPL?

 

[Thanos]

It's one contributing factor among many, but it's still a factor.

The argument there would be that the likes of Buttler and Bairstow would perhaps be better test players if they had been playing more FC cricket. There was a period when Bairstow was quite possibly the best test match wicketkeeper-batsman in the world. He started becoming a limited overs regular and playing more and more limited overs cricket (and as a result less FC cricket) and flaws began to appear in his technique that caused him to drop off a cliff in test cricket.

There's also the argument that even if players are not quite test match standard they raise the standard of the competition and therefore challenge other up and coming prospects more, resulting in then developing into better players and being more suited to test cricket.

One of the factor, could be (that too to a very very limited extent).
"THE" factor? Not at all.

I mean if we look at England's test squad, only players who play in IPL are Birstow, Buttler, Woakes and Archer and Stokes.
Stokes was on break, Archer injured and Woakes pulled out of IPL. And they all are bowlers.
That leaves Bairstow and Buttler.

Everyone knows Buttler was always a white ball player, they just tried him in tests because Foakes and Bairstow didn't perform well.

Now Bairstow, that's just one player out of whole test squad. So no one can be sure that IPL is sole reason of his failure in test cricket. Even if he had not played IPL, I doubt he was as good as likes of Smith Root who can change the course on their own.

If you ask me, I would blame England cricket for test cricket downfall.
They prioritised LOI over red ball. First introduced T20 and then Hundreds. Why blame others when you wanted to play fataafat cricket.

Another reason could be their strategy to go bang bang from ball one in ODIs even when wickets are falling could be one reason. They've won WC using that template but their batsmen don't have patience to build inning which is core of test cricket batting.

 

[HitWicket]

Root
Hameed
Sibley
Pope
Burns
Anderson
Broad
Bess
Crawley
Lawrence
Overton
Leach
Robinson


How many IPL matches and seasons have these guys played? Combined.

Out of the 18 squad members for ashes how many have played the IPL?

You're still completely missing the point. The issue isn't just the test players at the IPL, it's ALL of the English players at the IPL lowering the standards of county cricket.

I would say no more than 15-20 Eng. players play in IPL (not sure what the 2022 number is). Of which majority of them are not red ball cricketers. I would say no more than 3-4 (even that maybe a high number) out of the 15-20 actually have talent for red ball cricket and are in the scheme of things regards to Eng test team.

So from all the 100's of players in county cricket, the couple that are in the IPL is the problem?

They may not all be test cricketers, but they'll nearly all improve the standard of county cricket by participating. You've also got to consider the fact that maybe they haven't developed into test cricketers because they're barely been playing any FC cricket. Take Livingstone as an example, he was initially viewed as a serious test prospect, since then he's barely been playing any FC cricket consistently and completely dropped off the radar.

 

[MenInG]

Mickey losing his temper on Twitter

 

[Mp812]

Somehow IPL affects the England players - not Australia or New Zealand whose top players are also playing in IPL

Joe Root did not even play in IPL but somehow he was poor in Ashes due to IPL !

Maybe Root was just watching IPL.
And that is why his poor form in Ashes. Thats the most logical explanation if the focus is on blaming ipl no matter what

 

[PakLFC]

IPL offers players to become millionaires within days. Unless the ECB can offer the same it is likely English players would much retire from international Cricket then quit the IPL. They will be happy to play two months of Cricket every year for a few million. Mickey would do the same if he was playing.

 

[Rajdeep]

Wonder if more blame will to the IPL after losing another series in West Indies

 

[Fenrir]

Too much T20 cricket has adversely effected English test cricket.Many people predicted this was going to happen.They were right.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Too much T20 cricket has adversely effected English test cricket.Many people predicted this was going to happen.They were right.

No. England has been a mediocre test side for most part of the last 2 decades. They performed exceedingly well only when they imported KP and a few other foreign cricketers. KP played T20 all over the world still was their best test batsman.

 

[Justcrazy]

IF IPL is not harming Indian Test cricket, I do not see how it is affecting English Cricket. If Mr Arthur logic is applied first victim should be Indian cricket.

 

[latecut]

Micky Arthur should blame ECB who introduced T20 to the world in the first place. If there was no T20, there would be no IPL. So England and ECB are responsible for IPL and therefore this supposed poor performance of England test team.

 

[Kianig89]

Why making IPL and T20 the scapegoat its because of t20 that now even no.8 to 11 can bat and there is acrobatic fielding and insane hitting good players are always able to cope with all formats ask Cummins Warner Marsh etc

 

[cricketjoshila]

Since they cannot import players anymore......

 

[maqbool]

Why only IPL? Why not T20blast , Hundred…etc?

 

[happydavy]

Mickey may have a point when it comes to improving test performance but that's because he might think test cricket is everything a player wants to accomplish. Players may have a different view all together, they may want a balance of test, T20, money etc etc, so it's unlikely they may feel so strongly for test cricket that they would put everything at rest just to improve in test cricket. And that's true for every cricket nation, india would be a better test team if players don't play IPL but is that Indian players want? We know the answer.

 

[Gilly]

England just need to manage their players better, rest players and adjust payments to players so that being available for test cricket is not going to reduce your earnings.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

IF IPL is not harming Indian Test cricket, I do not see how it is affecting English Cricket. If Mr Arthur logic is applied first victim should be Indian cricket.

Is Ranji trophy and other domestic cricket is going on when IPL is happening.. Whoever is missing 4 day cricket for IPL , will be the victim.

 

[Ab Fan]

The Hundred is a poor man's IPL.

 

[shamaan]

The Hundred is a poor man's IPL.

The hundred isn't better than psl so definitely not better than ipl.

 

[HitWicket]

Why only IPL? Why not T20blast , Hundred…etc?

The IPL reduces the standard of English FC domestic cricket (and has also reduced the standard of the test team at times), he blast and hundred do not.

 

[HitWicket]

Since they cannot import players anymore......

Not sure what you're on about here, if anything the qualification rules for the England team have become even more relaxed in recent years.

 

[iniqbal223]

so if anyone says anything about ipl that carries any negative connotations its because they weren't offered a job there? interesting..

true; just like many journos dont speak any ill of pathetic Misbah and Babar captaincy and not able to produce any neutral view

 

[Hitman]

Jonny Bairstow defends decision to play in the IPL instead of County Championship

Jonny Bairstow has defended his decision to play in the Indian Premier League instead of the early stages of the County Championship after blitzing 136 runs off 92 balls on the final day of the second Test against New Zealand to swing the game in England’s favour and earn himself the player of the match award.

Bairstow returned to England on 23 May following his stint with Punjab Kings in the IPL, giving him just 10 days to reacclimatise to red-ball cricket and prepare for the start of the Test summer. He then scored one and 16 in the two innings of the first Test at Lord’s and eight in the first innings of the second, before clicking spectacularly into form in the final two sessions of a dramatic Test at Trent Bridge.

“A lot of people were saying I shouldn’t be at the IPL and I should be playing county cricket,” Bairstow said. “But you are playing against the best in the world at the IPL. Being able to have those gears, to be able to switch them up and switch them down, is important. People say it would be fantastic if you had four games of red-ball cricket under your belt. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen in the current scheduling of everything and we’re very fortunate to be able to play in some of the best competitions against the best players in the world.

“When it comes to pressure situations, the more you’re able to put yourself under pressure the better. Because it’s those situations that you’ve gone through in the past, whether that be in the IPL, in one-day cricket or in red-ball cricket, that you’re able to call upon on evenings like that. And those opportunities and environments, whether they be for good or bad, are the things that [mean] you’re able to produce performances like we as a group have done in this game, in the last game, and hopefully will do going forward.”

Bairstow scored only 12 off the first 24 balls he faced at Trent Bridge on Tuesday, before slipping into top gear and pummelling 124 off the next 68. In all his innings featured only 18 singles, with 21 boundaries including seven sixes.

“The amount of pride that it gives me to play Test cricket for England, first and foremost, is huge. And then also to make the contributions that have done, especially when you can say backs are against the wall or it’s tricky periods of play,” he said.

“I’m hugely proud of the fact that sometimes when the chips are down, you have to stand up. That might be something that you’re born with, it might be something that you have deep down that springs out of you at those moments. But as a cricketer, that’s something I’m very proud of.”

Joe Root’s first-innings century at Trent Bridge has helped him overtake Marnus Labuschagne and return to No 1 in the International Cricket Council’s Test batting rankings. It was the Yorkshireman’s fourth Test ton of 2022 and he now has seven in the last 12 months.

Labuschagne has scored a total of 505 runs in that time (in 14 innings) at an average of 38.8 while Root has managed 1,480 (in 27 innings), averaging 57.8. Steve Smith is third in the rankings, ahead of Pakistan’s Babar Azam and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson.

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...ay-ipl-cricket-instead-of-county-championship

 

[Rana]

One fluke innings on the most flattest track on earth and now English players were right to prefer IPL )

 

[James]

One fluke innings on the most flattest track on earth and now English players were right to prefer IPL )

Wasn’t a fluke. Was a very controlled knock with good shot selection. He played the bowling and the field settings on their merits at the time. Just because he was hitting boundaries doesn’t mean it was a reckless innings. Maybe you could watch the innings back and reflect.

 

[Rana]

Wasn’t a fluke. Was a very controlled knock with good shot selection. He played the bowling and the field settings on their merits at the time. Just because he was hitting boundaries doesn’t mean it was a reckless innings. Maybe you could watch the innings back and reflect.

Fortune will favour the brave more often than not and it did on this occasion, on one of the flattest tracks in the world. Or are you going to deny Trent Bridge hasn’t been a road for English cricketers in the last 6-7 years or so?

If he got out for zero or a well made 30-50 as sometimes these cameos end up, would you expect him to be paying a tribute to IPL in the Gaurdian?

 

[James]

Fortune will favour the brave more often than not and it did on this occasion, on one of the flattest tracks in the world. Or are you going to deny Trent Bridge hasn’t been a road for English cricketers in the last 6-7 years or so?

If he got out for zero or a well made 30-50 as sometimes these cameos end up, would you expect him to be paying a tribute to IPL in the Gaurdian?

Nobody else scored such a quick ton on the same pitch. And he didn’t get out for zero or a well made 30 or 50 though did he, he scored a fantastic hundred. He has nine Test hundreds now — all scored at a brisk rate — this one was just faster. It’s not a fluke innings on any objective or sensible grounds.

 

[IMMY69]

Bairstow sublime innings is exactly the reason for why he should be playing 4 day cricket prior to the summer Tests...

Its a talent thats taken away from the county first-class game and it deprives others the experience of playing with and against him.

 

[U$ofA]

Bairstow sublime innings is exactly the reason for why he should be playing 4 day cricket prior to the summer Tests...

Its a talent thats taken away from the county first-class game and it deprives others the experience of playing with and against him.

Just out of curiosity, what would/does Bairstow make playing county cricket?

 

[Mp812]

Pay the test cricketers what they would have earned playing IPL and they wont play IPL . It is as simple as that.

 

[Mp812]

I had ROFL when I read that if Mickey was still playing even he himself would have prefered IPL over tests. Funny but ironic eh? I am willing to bet even Michael Holding would put his hands up seeing the $$$$ . All players are human and its natural that people will always prefer big bucks in short period rather than being purist but poorer compared to old team mates of the past

 

[U$ofA]

Pay the test cricketers what they would have earned playing IPL and they wont play IPL . It is as simple as that.

Unfortuanetly, not based on reality at all. Where are going to get the $$$ to pay test cricketers IPL type money? Majority of the tests lose money. The opposite of IPL which makes money.

 

[U$ofA]

I had ROFL when I read that if Mickey was still playing even he himself would have prefered IPL over tests. Funny but ironic eh? I am willing to bet even Michael Holding would put his hands up seeing the $$$$ . All players are human and its natural that people will always prefer big bucks in short period rather than being purist but poorer compared to old team mates of the past

He did do that. Back in the Packer days. That was the IPL of those days. He put his hand up as high as he could. He turned his back on international cricket in favor of "IPL" of his playing days.

 

[MenInG]

Nasser Hussain:

Eoin Morgan talked some time ago about getting as many of his white-ball players to the IPL as possible so it could act as their finishing school and you can see the dividends that are being reaped from that approach.

Jos Buttler was a freak anyway but add the IPL experience he has now and the fantastic campaign he has just enjoyed with Rajasthan and you are seeing a special talent in the form and belief of his life.

Then add someone such as Liam Livingstone who had that swagger and hitting potential anyway but now, with added belief from playing in the IPL, immediately reaches the level required to cement a place in this star-studded side.

The culture has changed all the way through English cricket in terms of the mentality towards the white ball. Those two at the end of the innings sum it all up.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/c...undaries-one-day-cricket-Netherlands-win.html

 

[Mp812]

Nasser Hussain:

Eoin Morgan talked some time ago about getting as many of his white-ball players to the IPL as possible so it could act as their finishing school and you can see the dividends that are being reaped from that approach.

Jos Buttler was a freak anyway but add the IPL experience he has now and the fantastic campaign he has just enjoyed with Rajasthan and you are seeing a special talent in the form and belief of his life.

Then add someone such as Liam Livingstone who had that swagger and hitting potential anyway but now, with added belief from playing in the IPL, immediately reaches the level required to cement a place in this star-studded side.

The culture has changed all the way through English cricket in terms of the mentality towards the white ball. Those two at the end of the innings sum it all up.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/c...undaries-one-day-cricket-Netherlands-win.html

Ouch Naseer said that .Really?

 

[HitWicket]

Just out of curiosity, what would/does Bairstow make playing county cricket?

His England contract includes payment for paying county cricket so it's hard to say exactly. His England contract gets docked about £200k for playing a full IPL though.

 

[Cricfan4eva]

Nasser Hussain:

Eoin Morgan talked some time ago about getting as many of his white-ball players to the IPL as possible so it could act as their finishing school and you can see the dividends that are being reaped from that approach.

Jos Buttler was a freak anyway but add the IPL experience he has now and the fantastic campaign he has just enjoyed with Rajasthan and you are seeing a special talent in the form and belief of his life.

Then add someone such as Liam Livingstone who had that swagger and hitting potential anyway but now, with added belief from playing in the IPL, immediately reaches the level required to cement a place in this star-studded side.

The culture has changed all the way through English cricket in terms of the mentality towards the white ball. Those two at the end of the innings sum it all up.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/c...undaries-one-day-cricket-Netherlands-win.html

While watching that innings I was just thinking, what if Bairstow got out and another one of infamous Eng collapse leads them to lose the test. Will Bairstow still be praised for his knock or will he be vilified for the approach and be sacked because he chose IPL over county?

I mentioned when Key and co. took over it is going to be a breezy summer because it is at home and beating sides like NZ and India wont be tough task because England are a capable unit at home. Root's poor captaincy and Silverwood's directionless coaching is what made them weak at home.

Let's see how long it is before likes of Bairstow are asked to be removed because of their IPL first approach during summer once results goes sour. Because IPL is the favourite punching bag for some elite English experts.

 

[U$ofA]

His England contract includes payment for paying county cricket so it's hard to say exactly. His England contract gets docked about £200k for playing a full IPL though.

His IPL contract is in the vicinity of $875k/season. So he still comes out ahead after ECB deduction. One would say that is simple math for him.

 

[IMMY69]

Just out of curiosity, what would/does Bairstow make playing county cricket?

I am not saying they shouldn't play IPL or PSL or XYZ.
However there needs to be a balance and the IPL window is just too big and is only going to get bigger.

I'm record as saying that I would run around naked in Mumbai if the money was right so I don't even begrudge the players making silly money BUT I want to see great test cricket snd I also want to see a top England Test Side and for others to on the county circuit to flourish... for true to happen the very best players needs to be playing and supporting the county circuit.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Why do Indian fans keep getting excited about Baitstow and Buttler? Have we found even one batsman like Bairstow and Buttler through IPL in the last 15 years lol? We have to keep going back to Dinesh Karthik and present him a finisher.

I see desperation from some fans when they keep praising foreign players and try to prove a point that IPL has helped them which was surely not the point when BCCI started IPL lol. I am sure these guys will be proud of Bairstow and Buttler even if they hammer Indian bowlers in the only test we are going to play against England soon.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Just out of curiosity, what would/does Bairstow make playing county cricket?

I wasn't wrong about you when I said most of your discussion revolves around business side of cricket and money. You weigh everything with money. Ask Pujara what did he gain by playing county cricket? He got back his place in the Indian team. There is something called 'experience' which you can't buy from money. You have to actually play in those conditions to gain that experience.

Pride and representing your country should come first for a sportsperson. If you want money then don't aspire to become a legend in a game because you will be remembered for your performances in International Cricket. Nobody will remember your performances in a TikTok League. As an example, Bairstow's inning will be remembered for a long long time.

 

[daytrader]

IPL or not, England is becoming a fearsome team with so much talent coming through the ranks evident from their bench strength. They play a different XI for tests and LOIs and smash all formats

 

[shamaan]

IPL or not, England is becoming a fearsome team with so much talent coming through the ranks evident from their bench strength. They play a different XI for tests and LOIs and smash all formats

Smash all formats they are just about average in tests.