Bairstow and Roy were magnificent Contrary to India
I had a hunch that Jonny Bairstow would be desperate to play with a fantastic innings from India at Edgbaston and that I was delighted to be proved right by his match-winning ton. Jason Roy was brilliant too and is now the heartbeat of this England team.
Roy played a cover drive from the next over and the feeling of relief around the floor was palpable. I could feel fans thinking:”Yes, this is England again. This is the assurance and confidence we need to win this match.”
Roy looked magnificent and it was hard to believe he’d been out injured and only facing balls in the nets for 2 weeks.I don’t mind admitting I had clammy palms when Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni were constructing a partnership. I wouldn’t have been surprised when they’d achieved the run rate of 12 an over and if Pandya got I felt great relief.
I backed Chris Woakes to be our top wicket taker but was still pleased when Liam Plunkett eclipsed him. Pudsey is this a phlegmatic personality but he trains so tough and it means a lot to him. He was brilliant on his return to the team.
In general, I still think England’s victory against South Africa has been the most complete performance we’ve seen from them in this World Cup. However, the performance against India was very good indeed. They rose to the strain and thrived on the must-win scenario. Hopefully, that will be repeated against New Zealand on Wednesday.
England would relish Edgbaston return
I can not really explain England’s powerful recent document at Edgbaston (10 wins in a row in all formats). Maybe the wicket was spot on for them on Sunday. Or perhaps it merely suited India less. I understand Virat Kohli known as the border”crazy short” afterwards and said it satisfied the team batting first. However, India had the chance to exploit it. Additionally, there are crazy short boundaries in India therefore I don’t really see Kohli’s point.
England could end up playing India at Edgbaston again at the semi-final. They’d be happy with this, as it is great if you have a ground you know you’re playing nicely. The Evaluation teams I played in were always thrilled to go to Trent Bridge because we had a formidable listing there and always thought we would win.
Roy and Rashid can glow against Kiwis
I am up at The Riverside Ground now (Monday) and, by taking a look at the wicket, I think Moeen Ali should come back in the side. This pitch is quite gradual and it’ll turn. It does not really match fast bowlers so I would seem to break one.
Mark Wood has found great rhythm, therefore that I wouldn’t take him out. It might seem crazy but if I had been picking the side, I’d break Jofra Archer and deliver Moeen back. As I can not be certain that will happen, I will back Adil Rashid to be our top wicket taker at 7/2, as I definitely feel this is a spinner’s pitch.
In terms of top England run scorer, I am trying to get Jason Roy at 3/1. There’s a lot of positivity about him and it was remarkable just how great he looked coming back into the side on Sunday. For me, he’s the man for England now.
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