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5 for !
Wow - what a morning!
Blimey… Wish I’d been watching this instead of working.
2 or 3 screens, 1 of which is reserved for cricket is essential.
5 for 8 in 6.2
This is the only problem with test cricket – one sessions and a few overs in and the result is already known.
What idiot wrote this!
It might still be over by lunch tomorrow (whatever lunch is call now) but it might well be fun getting there. Messy watching I suspect.
For ****s Sake...
Oof
Too high 😃
Make it count Johnnie
lucky boy
Unbelievable. What is Sibley thinking?
Christ on a bike
innings defeat
Over by tomorrow lunch seems optimistic!
Jeepers, what are you playing at Johnnie? Got away with that one.
Hmmm, over by tea and tiffin?
FFS, next ball.
Root to be hero or villain here...
YEEESss
A run
Over by tomorrow lunch seems optimistic!
Revised my opinion already! Bloody edit button disappeared after 15mins.
9-47 today
Bairstow won't play test cricket again, a pair and he was already borderline.
Ridiculous shot, terrible review, 3 down. A lot on Stokes and Root now and the former hasn't been in great nick.
To be fair to Stokes he hasn’t played a lot.
Pray for rain - we're winning 🙂
Innings defeat avoided = success
Stokes switching to ODI mode
when every other ball has your name on it it's probably a good strategy
Stokes switching to ODI mode
20/20 mode might be even better.
lucky lucky boy
20/20 mode might be even better.
Steady on old bean.
Revised my opinion already! Bloody edit button disappeared after 15mins.
15 mins is an eternity when measured against the speed of an England batting collapse.
Seriously, this is farcical. He's a good part-timer but that's what Root is with the ball and for him to take 5-8 before lunch on the second day against the tail yes but still a tail that made a ton last time out and who are brought up on spinning decks, does no good at all for cricket.
It's supposed to be a contest between bat and ball. 25 wickets down now and 4 batsman have managed to get into the 20's.
Tuffers is channeling Boycott
66/6 What the Devil is going on?
Most of the wickets have been to balls that go straight on tho have they not?
66-6 we need an excited puppy now to get that tail wagging!
Come on the rain 🙂
So how many day two results have we had in test cricket?
I went for a bike ride this morning. Just getting my lunch and suddenly remembered the cricket was on.
Have I missed much? 😂
Most of the wickets have been to balls that go straight on tho have they not?
I was thinking that too. They seem to be playing against spin that isn't spinning. Not sure if it's brilliant bowling or the pitch.
plenty are, plenty aren't. Natural variation is the term used.
It's not a case of spinning the ball or not; some spin bowlers can (or claim they can) spin every delivery but 'control' whether the seam is in a vertical plane where it will land on the seam and bite and bounce as a consequence, or with a change of wrist angle send it down with the seam in a horizontal plane so it lands like a flying saucer on the smooth(er) leather part and then not grip but skid on.
Sceptics would say if they can't tell whether it'll turn or not, how TF does the batter, so you just gamble and allow for the turn that they're trying to get. And get it wrong sometimes.
A 4.5 session pitch should not be turning enough for Root to take 5-8
If you're watching C4 coverage - I am Alastair Cook and I claim my own £5
(I wish I was.... man crush!)
Root and Leach to open the bowling then?
Thanks for the explanation jonv.
The spin vs skid above has an analogy in the 'wobble-seam' that Broad and Anderson use sometimes. It introduces an element of natural/random variation that the bowler can't predict, so nor can the batsman. Half a bat's width is often all the movement you need.
Apparently Shaun Pollock could naturally cant the seam a few degrees over from the vertical and thus 'seam' the ball one way or the other intentionally. Wobble seam achieves similar, but much easier.
Traditionally finger spinners had an 'arm ball' that was effectively a swing delivery pushed off of the index finger. But it is relatively easy to spot if you're watching the ball closely. A better disguised variation is what jon describes above - just pushing the ball out without quite as much over spin means it might pitch on the flat part of the ball and skid.
The finger spinners who had the best arm balls tended to be the ones who got very side on and put a lot of 'body' into their action (Robert Croft, John Emburey, Tim May). Spinners like Ashwin and Swann 'rip' the ball harder with a front on action, meaning the 'skidder' is a better option than an arm ball.
Well that was disappointing. India better again but the pitch not good enough really. Lots of Indian fans feel similarly according to a chat group I'm in.