The Cricket Thread

Slightly favour England with the slightly egoistical Kohli captaining India!

 

If we could get the full 39 overs this session, they could time it so that we're left to bowl a normal 30 over session - ie by batting 7 overs, and then losing 2 for the change of innings. 120 overs, including 40 with the second new ball, to take 10 wickets.

But 39 overs in a session here? That's unlikely.

 

Pakistan v South Africa - Cricket - BBC Sport

South Africa collapsed like a "pack of cards"

 

If England don't win this it will be easy to point to this session as the reason. What are we doing???

 

I can only presume that Root is still concerned about losing.

There are two ways of solving that equation - increasing the target, or decreasing the available overs. Until Pope got out, we were clearly going for the former. You don't play funky shots every ball if you want to bat time. But now that we have the first of the tail at the crease, we've quite clearly moved immediately to the latter.

Do I agree? Not in the slightest.

 

This is hard to watch.

 

Pant missed that stumping on purpose. Keep Bess in.

 

I think (as they’ve just said on C4) England are looking to have the ball still hard tomorrow morning when the bowlers are still relatively fresh. So they’re playing out the time rather than the runs. They’ll probably put India in for an hour tonight .....

 

This is becoming unbearable. I have never seen such negative cricket from a team nearly 400 in front.

I am sorry but all it says is England are scared of India.

 

I just took that as Cook making a feeble, but totally understandable, attempt at trying to come up with answer.

It makes no sense though, because it doesn't explain why Pope was batting so aggressively. I highly doubt that we completely changed our bowling strategy in the space of one wicket: from wanting to bowl as much as possible tonight, to barely wanting to bowl at all.

 

That ball is moving around like anything. They are now playing the clock I think .... I wish they could batter another 50 or so runs, personally, but they clearly want the harder ball ......

 

Even Buttler kind of looks depressed out there. Like someone has told him to just stay in .

I cannot see any justification for this nonsense.

 

Best team in the world and they beat us in a big run chase before ...... I hope they declare with a 400 lead and skittle a few out tonight .....

 

At last. Urgency.

 

Then you might as well hit the ball hard and hope. It doesn't matter if we lose all our wickets!

 

Three more balls, then pull out.

 

I must admit I’m struggling to understand why Jofra Archer has just gone out to bat, when he should be warming up to take the new ball with Jimmy.

 

Thank God! We are all out!

 

India 1 down to spin .... perhaps Joe knows what he’s doing after all

 

All set up for a fun day tomorrow. I hope Dom Bess and Jack Leach get a good night’s sleep.