My dear old things, it's STW TMS!

😀

Outstanding from Woakes , so so good

Just caught a glimpse of the score in a bar on my way back to the hotel.

Follow on, or bat again? Think I’d get in and bat. Cheekily fast 200, then skittle o’clock.

I think I d be having PAK follow on the next innings and probably the next two after that just to make the point 😉

Again just caught the scorr and what!

Rain possible, so you’d have to enforce follow on.

Hadn’t seen the forecast!

Tomorrow looking ok.

Back to Back tests influences the follow on decision these days imho.

Morning, Dan!

So, batting again? A wise choice. Hopefully.

Not sure I’ll be staying up too much longer. Maybe until the Tour finishes, but no more! The again, roads outside are gridlocked, and the locals are convinced that the horn solves everything. Noisy, even up on the 36th floor!

Please say the 36 th floor is the penthouse suite

There are, I am ashamed to report, floors above. I do have a cracking harbour view towards Causeway Bay and the old Kai Tak however. Will try and wrangle a photo for you.

Here you go! Taken earlier this morning.

Looks like England are going to roll Pakistan over pretty quickly now, but I still think this will be a good series. My new favorite Pakistani cricketer is this guy. He won’t go down in history as the most beautiful or gifted bowler, but he gives everything his all, including batting and fielding, and loves to get stuck into the oppo. A captain’s dream player.

Finn is inn for Edgbaston.

Not the best of starts! Pakistan will be happier at lunch, I’d say.

Good start by Pakistan. With Stokes out and Finn in the batting is a lot weaker and it was already the weakest part of their game. Vince and Ballance have to do something today.

Nip and tuck – another excellent day’s test match cricket.

evenly posed by the score but missed it all

Early breakthrough!

3rd ball 😀

Ooooops 4th ball (sneaky edit)

4th

am I being dense? where’s the 5 live sports extra TMS link?

am I being dense? where’s the 5 live sports extra TMS link?

Missing for me as well. Not even on the schedule. 🙁

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_five_live_sports_extra
RM.

Cheers 🙂

8)

Just to lighten the mood for us poms, is anybody else following the thrashing Aus are getting?

http://www.espncricinfo.com/sri-lanka-v-australia-2016/engine/match/995453.html

It’s almost certainly too early to gloat, but you don’t get the opportunity too often as an England fan. Today’s scores:

Australia: 77/11, opposition 237/10
England: 120/0, opposition 143/7

Oops, realised I made a mistake, clearly that should read:

Australia: 11/77, opposition 10/237

Pakistan are going to miss my new man-crush Wahab over the next day or so. They should have dropped Amir instead as he has bowled well below par so far and Wahab gives you a genuine reverse swing option. If Cook and Hales get through the first 45 mins this morning, Pakistan will be getting edgy. Younis was laying down the law in the ‘huddle’ yesterday as he could feel the rot setting in. Mind you, Hales is not an international test opener as long as I’ve got a hole in my arse (to repeat myself).

I’m inclined to agree, however he did seem to have started to work himself out yesterday, to play only when he had to and to defend under his eyes rather than out towards cover. He’s not played 10 tests yet, has 4 fifties and will be kicking himself for getting out 6 short of a ton; I don’t think it’s quite as cut and dried yet.

Cricket is such a different game these days that the role of opener is completely different to even 10 years ago. One day cricket has changed the way the longer game is played.
Look at Warner, you would never have had him down as an opener but he was persevered with and adapted his game to suit.
Still too early to tell if Hales will make the transition.

Cricket is such a different game these days that the role of opener is completely different

I was an opener because (like Geoffrey) I only had three decent shots but could stay in for hours and loved facing quickies (easier to score against IMO). But my desire was to stay in for as long as possible and let the decent cricketers do the flash stuff – got me to school boy county level.

In contrast mini THM1 is a new style of opener. His mentality is to smash the bowler from the very first ball and mentally screw him up. Its scary to watch as a parent as he attacks from the off and it could be over very quickly. Last year he took 20 off the first over and the bowler was totally screwed and was replaced immediately. Different games completely – no fear in the younger generation.

Watching Hales last night was never comfortable even as he approached his 50 – but really pleased for him. He needs a few big scores.

I am not sure opening has changed that much – there has always been a place for a more aggressive batsman as an opener, it just there is more power now – even Boycott was a bit of a dasher in his youth.

Oops!

Hales has very hard hands. We had a very good, nippy (even by pro standards) opening bowler at our club who bowled massive outswingers, whenever we saw an opener with hard hands it was only ever a matter of time. Look at how many edges from Cook drop short of slip. That ability to adjust and kill the bat is essential at test level where the quicks move the ball at pace. Hales will come off perhaps one in five, because he really can crack the new ball around when it is his day. But ask any number three who they would rather be opening, someone like Hales or someone like Cook.

Trouble is, only one in five is not enough at test level.

Boycs is off on one today, isn’t he?

Stick o’ roooooobarb.

Ooh, this is why we still love Test cricket. Wouldn’t you know that after 3 wicketless innings (and a previous one where he wasn’t even thrown the ball) and almost 72 wicketless overs it’s Finn who gets the crucial breakthrough which might win the match.

I’m following the TMS test commentary in Denmark, my inlaws think that I’m being antisocial. They’d be right