My dear old things, it's STW TMS!

I’d quite like WI to win. If i could do a deal, it’d be for the Aussies to lose to Bangladesh in return for England losing to WI – after the Aussies were less than complimentary about their host’s test win ratio.

(I really don’t like Steve Smith basically and will jump on any perceived indiscretion on his part as a means to like him / them even less)

(I really don’t like Steve Smith basically and will jump on any perceived indiscretion on his part as a means to like him / them even less)

I’d agree with that

it also helps that I’m going to Lords next Friday to watch D2 of the final test and it’d be nice to not be a dead rubber.

How bad does our declaration look now!

It now looks like it will provide an easy way for Root to get the press off his back if they ever criticise him for being too cowardly with a declaration!

I was chuffed at the time when we declared.

Yes, it looked good at the time and nobody criticised it then – though it was obviously always a gamble because a draw seemed unlikely. You can’t judge these things by hindsight.

Agreed mate.

What a game this is now.

Blackwoods trying to score as many as he can before new ball here. Brave, maybe rash, maybe genius.

Test match cricket.

Nothing else like it!

Is the light an issue? Did Root have that in mind when he asked for the review which took a bit of time? Will the new ball make it easier to score (not that I think the WI will have any trouble knocking them off anyway if they bowl all the overs, but they might not bowl all the overs…)?

Don’t think light will be an issue, sunset isn’t for a couple of hours. Think he reviewed it because he gets 2 more reviews with new ball. RUns will come a lot quicker now, but wickets should come too, and neither of these are openers, it’s a 5 day old pitch, cloudy and under lights.

Lines have to be perfect from Anderson and Braod now.

Ballsy 6 off the new ball

This mons a maniac!

Drinks and a stocktake for root. I can see a cruse to victory for the wi here

oof….. not easy but they need to be held

We are going to get murdered in the Ashes.

The inability of the bowlers to get wickets today is a concern. Hell of a match though!

Not really, Was a fairly poor test all round ( how many dropped catches) I really wouldn’t read too much into it. Well done WI and all to play for .

Well played West Indies

The inability of the bowlers to get wickets today is a concern.

It’s worse when you consider Broad and Anderson have never moved the Kookaburra off of straight!

We need some pace and/or height into the attack for Aus. A reliable go-to spinner as well, although Moeen is getting there.

Well done windies but it was a lack lustre ending or maybe I’m biased as an England supporter. We can’t keep letting broad and co throw themselves down the wicket in Australia they will be broken. We need a rip snorting fast bowler.
Absolutely nothing wrong with our bowlers but they will fizzle out if they don’t have the right support.

That’s quite clearly not true
http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/13062/commentary/428750/Australia-vs-England-2nd-Test-The-Ashes

Maybe we should stop worrying about the Ashes & worry about WI first!

yossarian – Member
We are going to get murdered in the Ashes.

Don’t worry Australia are attempting exactly the same thing at the moment
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-29/australia-chasing-unlikely-win-against-bangladesh-in-dhaka/8853756?section=sport

oh and if any one is interested
4 down 79 to win
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-30/bangladesh-v-australia-first-test-day-four-live-blog/8855738

I’m still questioning Root’s decision to declare rather than just making the game safe.

We only had to draw this match to win the series – why risk defeat chasing a win that wasn’t ultimately needed?

If it was a must-win game then go for the result but in this case I think it was a poor decision.

so he should have done exactly what generations of past captains have been criticised for?

England should have won, despite being ‘behind’ for 3 2/3 days. 322 should have been plenty, it was a good declaration, and it made for an exciting test match. We didn’t bowl or catch well; Hope had a worldy (no-one’s EVER made 100 in each innings of a FC game at Headingley, in 130-odd years of the game there) and Brathwaite nearly did the same too. Just accept it, that if we want to learn how to win test matches sometimes you have to risk losing them.

Aus vs Bangladesh bubbling up now – 66 to get, 3 wickets and Shakib is ragging it.

2 wickets Maxwell gone

and I agree they should have won from there, a later declaration would have been a nod to a draw.
From the stuff I watched it looked like the pitch settled down and had less or the bowling went downhill

I’m still questioning Root’s decision to declare rather than just making the game safe.

Well yes, he could have done that, but I’d rather he didn’t automatically take a negative option that completely neutralises the final day. And you could see the argument for the declaration – the possibility of removing one of the openers that evening, then slightly damp conditions in the morning for your swing bowlers to pick up a few more.

WI had to take significant risks to make the total, wouldn’t have taken much to push the result the other way, in which case we’d be lauding Root for winning from a big first innings deficit.

I would also say that you want to take the chance to win the game and the series. That was , as everyone agrees really, the most likely outcome, to win from that position.

But a draw would have won us the series – now we could lose it which is why I’m questioning the decision.

Root gave the Windies an achievable total to tempt them to go for it. If it was a game we needed to win then a bold and applaudable decision – but not in this circumstance I don’t feel.

But a draw would have won us the series

Nope. It’s a three test series. Would have ensured we couldn’t lose it, only draw at worst.

I could understand ensuring a drawn series where it meant we retained the Ashes, but not against WI.

GlennQuagmire – Member
But a draw would have won us the series – now we could lose it which is why I’m questioning the decision.

Well best make sure we win.

it is hotting up in Bangladesh – Aussies need 30 with no wickets left, 6 just dispatched

Never mind, Mike!

Good on Bangladesh, I was hanging around at work until the Aussies were done for, certainly not cheering for them

the bogans are not exactly flourishing, i wonder if this will put a lid on their ‘chat’ and bigging themselves up before an ashes series and who they are going to ‘target’ etc?
i always see that a sign of weakness but then they are a funny lot and their boorish mentality does obviously give them self belief. fun to watch when it all implodes though (Ricky Ponting 😆 )

the bogans are not exactly flourishing, i wonder if this will put a lid on their ‘chat’ and bigging themselves up before an ashes series and who they are going to ‘target’ etc?

not much of that going on here!!

Crossbow stopped play.

WTactualF?