Got to love Test cricket, what a finish.
And what a player Buttler is, never doubted him for 1 moment…

Posted 5 months ago

I was out all day so just watching the highlights now. An excellent illustration of why Test cricket is such an epic sport. Fabulous innings from Woakes

But for all the fuss about Buttler, given the 3 missed chances in the 1st innings it’s really no more than he needed to produce. The selectors should still be looking around at other options – no use having a keeper who can bat but can’t keep.

Posted 5 months ago

Test cricket is such a great game with it’s ebbs and flows.
Although I’m getting increasingly frustrated by comments such as ‘woeful england’ after day two, and the general England have lost this test steady mentality. It’s 5 days of cricket, good days, bad days, good sessions, bad sessions, good tests and bad ones. You don’t change because of one event.
It was a monumental effort to chase that on that pitch, took real belief, technique, and a bit of luck too.
Butler for all his faults can’t be dropped now, his confidence should be high and hopefully that will translate into better keeping, although he will never be a great keeper for sure.
More concerning is Anderson who is either injured or out of form, and I question how good a player Archer is at the moment. Bess too is living on borrowed time, but they will stick with them I suspect. Much better than the revolving door selection policy of the 90’s.

Posted 5 months ago

It is fair to say, I didn’t expect England to knock off 277!

Pakistan will rue that second innings of theirs for a long time.

Posted 5 months ago

More concerning is Anderson who is either injured or out of form, and I question how good a player Archer is at the moment. Bess too is living on borrowed time

Anderson is an interesting one, I suspect he’ll finish his career holding up an end and trying to stem runs rather than as a strike bowler.
Bess is a young spinner, they’ll stick with him and let him learn his trade.
Archer however, he is an interesting conundrum. The view is that the England set-up don’t get him, theyre used to people who’ve been through the County systems and he’s a different beast, they also want him to bowl at 99mph every over and he’s not that man I don’t think. I’d personally put him into the one day squad and let him learn his trade.

Posted 5 months ago

RE Archer, this might explain a few things:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2020/feb/07/england-jofra-archer-cricket-barney-ronay

Posted 5 months ago

Bairstow in the runs for Yorkshire today.
We can debate his wicket keeping all you like but his technique is very, very good Looks like a proper batsman when compared to the likes of Sibley!

Posted 5 months ago

Sibley’s trigger movement is the weirdest thing. You think he’s played his… oh no, he’s lifted the bat again and *there* he’s played his stroke.

Posted 5 months ago

Looks like a proper batsman when compared to the likes of Sibley!

Absolutely, but strike me down for saying this, but I would prefer Sibley opening.

Bairstow looks great when he is creaming the bowling all over, but a nick from Bairstow is 99% certain to carry because he goes at the ball so hard. Sibley looks awful, but he is more likely to be there after ten overs than Bairstow if the ball is moving around.

Posted 5 months ago

Morning everyone

Here’s hoping for a few wickets this morning for Jimmy

Posted 5 months ago

Hot, sweltering muggy air up this end of the county, seems the same at the Rose Bowl. Pakistan batting first, and Root keen to emphasise that he didn’t mind losing the toss. Suspect he did, really!

Posted 5 months ago

Plenty to improve upon from Old Trafford, hope to see some quality in the field and with the ball in hand. Bit of weather forecast for the next few days – I predict a draw (one of the lesser known Kaiser Cheifs songs).
RM.

Posted 5 months ago

Early wicket!

Posted 5 months ago

Love to see Sam Curran in the team, I really think he brings something others don’t.

Posted 5 months ago

Morning everyone

Maaaarvellous

Good to see England rotating the seamers; I guess Anderson getting 2, and Broad’s performance in the last Test, means it had to be Archer dropped.

Posted 5 months ago

Enjoying this game so far.

Heavy storm just hitting the top of the county, suspect delays will be occurring darn sarf!

Posted 5 months ago

Very enjoyable ask ramps anything 😀 so good you don’t even miss the cricket.

Posted 5 months ago

yay cricket 🙂

Posted 5 months ago

So how is this meant to work? 3:20pm on the final day – do they add another day or are England just going to bat a bit then it finishes in an inevitable draw? If that’s the case, then what is the point of them even playing?

Posted 5 months ago

It’s farcical, isn’t it?!
I mean, yes, the weather has been bad but much of it was lost to bad light – pink ball and floodlights and there was no crown so why not start earlier. What’s the point of them playing now, fair enough if there was a crowd there. Hopefully, no one gets injured in this pointless hour or so.

Posted 5 months ago

Genuinely surprised they didn’t stop for tea at 4pm

Posted 5 months ago

I did wonder earlier if they might concoct a county style declaration game – this is an entertainment business after all.

eg: England declare, bowl filth at the P openers for 5 overs to let them get to an agreed total (say 250 lead) and then declare and England agree to chase until at least 5 down and then it becomes a proper game again.

Weather screwed it anyway.

Posted 5 months ago

Quite a few folk on Twitter pointing out that if there had been spectators – and thus a requirement to refund people for Days 3 and 4 – there would have been rather more effort to actually make a match of it, rather than hanging about going “ooh, looks a bit grey over there”. TMS have been absolutely raging about it, and fair play to them

Posted 5 months ago

Weather has been grand pretty much the whole time up north – thought the south coast was meant to have the best weather!

Posted 5 months ago

Morning, everybody.

Blowing a gale up at the Northern edge of the county, with earlier torrential rain. Still heavy cloud cover.

If they get on this morning, it’s going to be interesting!

Posted 5 months ago

Rory Burns series average of 5

Posted 5 months ago

England win the session!

Posted 5 months ago

Traditional English collapse underway?

Posted 5 months ago

Burns not only has an average of 5 he’s also dropped some sitters too.
Questions to be asked at the top of the order again. Crawley to open and Denley back at 3? Or Bracey? Or even Bairstow?

Posted 5 months ago

Traditional English collapse underway?

have faith young man have faith 😉 years and years of disappointment is no excuse !

Posted 5 months ago

International meets village currently – Joss keeps whacking it out of the park and the fielders have to then go and find it. Only missing a field of corn and some nettles for the ball to go in.

Or as a team mate once said when I had one of my occasional days off from behind the stumps on a sunday to bowl some cunning no spinning off-spin…

“Are you coming on soon Jon?

“Why?

“I was going to tell the mice in the field to get their tin hats on

Posted 5 months ago

ball is disappearing to all part now !

Posted 5 months ago

332 runs in the day!

Posted 5 months ago

Lovely inning from Crawley.

Posted 5 months ago

90 overs in a day !!

Posted 5 months ago

What a way to get your first First Class hundred!

A lovely, old school test innings.

Posted 5 months ago

What a way to get your first First Class hundred!

First test hundred.

Posted 5 months ago

I stand corrected!

Highest scoring innings though, I think.

Either way, a top knock!

Posted 5 months ago

Agreed – could be the answer for long term number 3.

Posted 5 months ago

Agreed – could be the answer for long term number 3.

I suspect he’ll end up opening and Pope will be the number 3.
Either way, he’ll be here for a while.

Posted 5 months ago