🙂 never mind captain.

Superb performance from England today, 400 plus runs. I dozed off on the sofa for an hour and bresnan and prior smashed a hundred runs between them 😯

Reckon Strauss will want 500 ahead before bowling. So what, half 12 tomorrow?

400 plus by 2.30 :?, as the they already have a lead of 374 shouldn’t that be 11.30 ?

I wasn’t expecting 180 odd rubs in the last session! 😀

Would the Aussies have reinstated Bell?

I think dravid’s just covered it nicely on the highlights.

Im not sure “reinstatement” is the question, I think probably it’s “would [another] team have tried stumping in that manner?”

Ausies have done all sorts of sneaky / nasty stuff over the years. From the dreaded underarm ball in the one day final to a run out at the bowlers end to claiming catches with a foot over the rope

England haven’t always played by the ‘spirit of the game’ either….

“In 1974 West Indies batsman Alvin Kallicharan was run out by England captain Tony Greig in Port-of-Spain.
Kallicharan was walking back to the dressing room thinking the first day was over when Greig removed the bails.
A furious Kallicharan broke his bat in two and the crowd’s reaction was so heated that he was reinstated the following morning after government intervention.”

And more recently……

“In a one day international with New Zealand in 2008, England’s then captain Paul Collingwood attracted severe criticism for refusing to reinstate Grant Elliott.
Elliott had been run out by Kevin Pietersen after a collision with Ryan Sidebottom and Collingwood chose not to withdraw his appeal, even after the umpire Mark Benson asked him to reconsider.”

In fairness, Colly himself later said he thought he had got it wrong and regretted it but it seemed the right decision at the time.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/jun/26/englandvnewzealand2008.englandcricketteam

He didn’t have the benefit of tea to think it over……

So then, D4 coming up soon….

tough one for India to win from this stage even though they are a great team.
England 2-0 up and No1 in the world IMHO

Wait a mo! It’s day 4? 😀

I actually thought they would declare yesterday as well for the same reason 😳

Great minds, Junky! 😀

I was there on Saturday. Broad hat-trick.
You don’t see that very often, unbelievable turnaround in fortunes.
Plenty of batting left in that pitch though so I would go for 450 lead before declaring. Weather settled and Swann and Trott may have their bowling to some extent affected by injury so it may be three bowlers plus KP. Could be a long slog between the effects of the new balls.

I was following the BBB updates on my phone and suddenly the push notifications went loopy. Looking forward to the next two days…

Did anyone else think (sporting gesture aside) that India’s attitude was poor yesterday? I know England batted really well, Bell especially, but the Indians just didn’t really look that bothered half the time. They were pretty dreadful in the field.

Agree. I think they are seeing the downside of the IPL, many of their players are stright off the back of that season with the monies that entails and are struggling to motivate themselves for the proper games.

IIRC, some of the players didn’t even play warm up games ‘cos they were too tired after the IPL?

If that is the case the won’t remain as #1 for long (and don’t really deserve to either)

So – straight out to swing at it? Or get to a *safe* total (say 420) before getting the signal?

Ouch – looking like they are going to swing….

Enter the man of the moment….

And they’ve just come from a test series in West Indies so their pace bowlers will be tired from that.

It’s a shame Prior didn’t get to another 100.

bat them out of the game as quickly as possible – weather won’t be a factor, only runs. If India bat through 2 days then they will win, can’t see them batting for best part of 2 days and not getting the runs, therefore make the game unwinnable for them first. we are 1-0 up after all.

I’m betting on Swanny being the first batsman to come out to bat with Vaseline logos on the back of his bat for the craic

TandemJeremy – Member
Would the Aussies have reinstated Bell?

If we were playing the Australians they’d have been beaten by tea on day three.

mastiles_fanylion – Member
So – straight out to swing at it? Or get to a *safe* total (say 420) before getting the signal?

Well, now’s the time, then….

I reckon they’ll wait to give Bresnan a chance for a hundred

Well, now’s the time, then….

Hmmm, got there too quickly I think!

Slightly OT but Henry Blofeld is the best commentator ever. Could listen to him all day. 🙂

Blowers + Tuffers = Perfection!

Isn’t he a Bond villain?

His father was the inspiration for the villain, apparently. Was at school with Fleming.

His father was the inspiration for the villain, apparently. Was at school with Fleming.

Tell me that is true 🙂

the tail is wagging, carnage.

It is true, MF. Rather funnier that it could have been one of my relatives that gave the name to a Bond villain, as they were there at the same time and in the same house as well! 🙂

CaptainFlashheart – Member
Blowers + Tuffers = Perfection!

+1

I’m loving the TMS line up this summer. Boycott’s presence gives me a chance to take a break and do something constructive.

Stick o’ rooooobarb

Excellent trivia. That shall be absorbed and saved for the pub.

Tuffers “flan of the biggest flan order”

Blimey – it’s like the colosseum in there…

broads going for a 100 before lunch, 6 6

two 6s for Broad!

Just discovered this website – who needs to watch Sky when you’ve got an almost live Hawkeye?

http://www.espncricinfo.com/england-v-india-2011/engine/current/match/474473.html