Gethelred
Moderator
- May 1, 2016
- 30,838
- 59,682
- AFL Club
- Carlton
- Moderator
- #201
Exponentially? Can this be demonstrated, mathematically?Well what else can you do when the players you’ve got just aren’t up to it? You’ve picked this core group of guys who you backed in to play ‘normal’ cricket over the course of a couple of years and it was simply horrible.
You pick a new group and the results immediately improve exponentially on what they were in the two years before.
The question I have is whether the degree to which England's results improved resembles a regression to the mean rather than anything drastic. In short, I think they've underperformed since around 2014 and it's taken them this long to actually get their arses into gear.
I very specifically said, 'I dunno'. I want to see how they go down here - and in SA - before I actually profer a verdict in any direction.The series results - ie. winning the ashes and winning in India, aren’t the results you crave, but you draw one of them, and the other you are probably going to lose regardless, so you probably have to just cop those anyway. I agree it’s not PROVEN, yet, but I think when you look at a combination of resources at their disposal, and results achieved, you can’t not say that it’s been a success.
And - again - the whole complaint about Bazball is that it's making a mountain out of a molehill and/or the whole 'moral victor' thing. The point of a coach is to try and find ways to improve, and to this point the excessive celebration of what could simply be a regression to the mean - taking wild advantage of the policies of the Bayliss era in promoting short form players and predicating selection based on batting speed - is what is causing criticism.
At least, outside of the criticism England rightfully cop anyway.