My dear old things, it's STW TMS!

Starting to think cook has got stinky feet. He looks good today thou

39-2

A familiar looking England scorecard.

oh god make the pink ball talk stop. Boycs is repeating himself

[img] [/img]

11 tests in a row for Root with at least a 50, England record, one more to equal world record.

Interested in what happens when the moisture comes out of the pitch

Ton for root

About time he converted - about time for Cook too...

Captain and ex-captain both getting a ton.

Tidy.

It's just bullying though isn't it. oooh wait a pink ball!

flat track, poor county attack and a very soft ball.

I'm pleased to see I didn't jinx Cook - dangerous times now though with Malan having to come out in the twilight with the new ball due.

dangerous times now though

not with 287 on the board 😉

if the old ball is starting to moving around the new ball will be unplayable!

Night time. Let utter carnage ensue

Not necessarily - reverse with the old ball can be much deadlier than a new cherry.

the crowd is going to be smashed at stumps!

the old ball is starting to seam around

they've lost the plot!

Did you hear the bit on TMS earlier today when they were saying the England team have to goto bed at 2am to adjust to the day night format.

Tuffnell was loving it and wished it was around in his day, being ordered by the management to go out late ha

Have the windies left the game plan on the coach

the ball doesn't show up very well on the tv 😯

152 for cook and still going . Windies attack is poor

The Chef is on for a big one here, isn't he?

Quite a score for day 1.

allready in one i would say but yes I can see him batting for three days and perhaps being towards 400 😉

Imagine what the team would be like if it had two openers of his quality and Root!

That was the thinking, Junky.

150 is nothing for Cook on this track, and against this "attack". He could go very big here.

don't see this day night thing adds anything to test cricket in this country

348-3 on first day of a test is pretty much as bad as it gets.

He'll be out first ball tomorrow then 🙂

against this "attack"

BBC had someone suggesting england just start at 30-2 after 10 overs to save time.

Ashes will be much better if they get two openers though

He'll be out first ball tomorrow then

😆

Pleased for Malan too - on TMS they said he'd been sitting nearly 6 hours with his pads on with the potential to be in at any point, and then when it finally came it was in the tricky evening / new ball period and with the last pair having made it look like a piece of piss. So his 28 and having a chance tomorrow afternoon should also be recognised as having been dug out from a hiding to nothing position.

Was boring even though England were winning. Curtis Ambrose's voice made it worth wile though.

Curtis Ambrose

That would be [b][u]SIR[/u][/b] Curtly Ambrose to you!

He does a beautifully mellifluous voice, though, I agree.
See also Whispering Death himself, among many others.

If you like the vocal tone, I highly recommend seeking out some Derek Walcott, a poet from Saint Lucia.

Oh, and the wondrous voice of Don Warrington hamming it up in Death in Paradise, obviously.

That would mean subjecting myself to Death in Paradise, I haven't given up on life yet!

😀

The current state of WI cricket is very sad, but being a regular Visitor out there it encapsulates the "Americanisation " of their culture. The list of current players not available for selection is disgraceful. Holding the CPL T20 tournament at during a test tour doesn't reflect well on the WICB

Agreed, Dan. Have have many conversations in the Caribbean with folks lamenting the state of the game there.

As someone who grew up with the ferocious quicks like Ambrose, Garner and Marshall, and then the glorious batting from Sir Viv, Lara, etc, it saddens me.

Anyway, Chef to push on for a double at least?

can't see Malan lasting long out in Australia far too wafty outside his off stump and thats to a 75 mph part timer 😯

Hales will be 5 in Aus IMHO. We need a solid 3 though. Too many attacking players, we need some glue.

Likewise, WI could really use a Chanderpaul right now!

I saw the little program that sky did on the state of cricket in the West Indies, football is now huge with the younger generation. Some of the pitches where shocking. funding looked like an issues too and that's a shame as the 70s/80 and even into the Brian Lara era they had a real good team.

Oh yeah and it dumped it down here not long ago so it's on the way to brum.
391-3 for those playing along at home

tepid stuff this, we need Stokes and Bairstow in.

This is test cricket you know, not T20!!!!!

This is test cricket you know, not T20!!!!!

no it's not, that is not a test attack and they have 400 on the board

grrrr........

Cook's 197* and being moaned at.

The same people moan at Froome for winning the TdF by being very good at what he does, rather than being crap at what he doesn't do well

Double hundred from a misfield!

crowd enjoyed that

don't think the windies would be invited to ride in the tdf if they were a cycling team

That's bad fielding declaring on 470?

Declaration at Malan's hundred?

[quote=Klunk ]don't think the windies would be invited to ride in the tdf if they were a cycling team

Surely they have some sporting talent 😉

Declaration after Malan has a ton and Cook is out.

Cook should be looking to get the highest number of runs in a 3 match series.

Lara with 688 apparently

Lara with 688 apparently

pulling in the V and cutting off the front foot 😀

Declaration after Malan has a ton .....

Mockers firmly applied there. If he now fails to secure a test place for years to come, when he looks back at why it'll be Junkie's picture he has stuck over his dartboard

It's lunch now, they must be thinking wicked Cook can't score runs whilst he is eating.

Declare around 8pm stick them in for that twilight/ witching hour hectic period when apparently the pink ball goes mental.

😳

Cook's going to have to start throwing the bat soon if he wants that triple, rapidly running out of partners.

Its just a novel way to see who should open with him

Declaration at 514 then.

0-1.
Oops.

Scores of 0-?? are a real pleasure in cricket.
Boycs unimpressed, needless to say

And that's [s]time for four pints in one of those paper carrier things [/s] tea

Enjoyable couple of days at Edgbaston - apart from the thorough soaking after play was called off.
Windies were poor on thursday but were more committed on friday.
Pink ball didn't do much - even the new one late on thursday.
Anderson showed, again, that he is in a class on his own.
England's day on thursday - helped by indifferent Windies.
I would give friday to Windies - with some help from poor england batting; also good recovery with the bat; rowland-jones, stokes & ali still to bowl with the pink'un.
Can't see the ECB rushing to organise another day-night test; flat track - but possible turn to come, pink ball doing nothing unusual so far, good attendance but not above normal day test at edgbaston, crowd no more/less animated than normal day match.

Brilliant Radio at the moment

Not enforce the follow-on so as to get some more pre-Ashes batting practice?

This WI side is making me sad. 🙁

[s]This WI side is making me sad. :([/s]

So much that I double posted.

As much as Hampshire's batting last night?

I've stopped watching/ listening. Non contest in non contesty

It's not good. Usually I quite enjoy England giving another team a good thrashing - the SA series was quite fun because they've always been formidable opponents (I followed England in the 90s and was never totally confident we were going to win those games until the end was nigh). This is just embarrassing though - I'm not feeling any doubt about the outcome, and the result of the series appears to be almost a foregone conclusion. As I wrote, I followed England in the 90s, and didn't look forward to the WI coming here for different reasons - how things have changed.

Oh and Worcestershire were almost as bad as Hampshire last night, but then they've been rubbish all through the T20 blast, just like last year.

It's not good. Usually I quite enjoy England giving another team a good thrashing - the SA series was quite fun because they've always been formidable opponents (I followed England in the 90s and was never totally confident we were going to win those games until the end was nigh). This is just embarrassing though - I'm not feeling any doubt about the outcome, and the result of the series appears to be almost a foregone conclusion. As I wrote, I followed England in the 90s, and didn't look forward to the WI coming here for different reasons - how things have changed.

Oh and Worcestershire were almost as bad as Hampshire last night, but then they've been rubbish all through the T20 blast, just like last year.

oops

Alright aracer give it a rest 😆

As much as Hampshire's batting last night?

Trying to block that out.

This is going to be over tonight.

🙁

Rubbish isn't it? I love test cricket but fear for it's future with WI seemingly in terminal decline, SA hamstrung by politics, as generally players heads being turned by big money from 20 20

an innings and 209 runs 19 wickets in the day, sad sad day for windies cricket.