Stokes is injured as well, that's a good knock. Our opening three are a massive ****ing problem. Personally, I'd play Bairstow at three as he has the balls and fight. Malan should be binned forever. That still leaves two extermely vulnerable openers, but we simply have no one else.
Stokes was grimacing every time he clipped or pulled a shot to the boundary and Green rattled his hand a few times as well. This game will probably end in a draw but at least we won the series. I don't think Bairstow could handle the new ball but we'll see tomorrow morning. Crawley seems OK but needs to learn how to be patient in a test and take the edge off the new ball and the fast bowlers. Hameed I do not think suits an Australian wicket, maybe he is good in England but here he looks like a rabbit in the headlights.
And there lies the problem for me. In every test, home or abroad, and in what seems like years, the batting invariably starts at 30 something for 3. We then hope Root and the rest of the middle order come to the rescue.
Crawley has been great. This is the best opening knock that I've seen from one of our batsman in a long time.
agter watching us get dry jumped all series I will take all I can. We need to look at improving county level cricket and stop playing limited over games/T20/100 mid summer so we can have dry, fast and bouncy wickets.
I think it is learning the patience required to stand and take the edge off the new ball. Crawley did well and Braistow should be in the team, I hate the way he plays.
I think I can get why the teams seem so happy clappy . What with covid , bubbles etc . I do wonder , if a lot of it is to do with the amount of time some players spend in close proximity as team mates , in the other forms of the game . Another point , I would love to know what Captains of both teams from the past / Hussein / Atherton. And Border / s Waugh would make of it all .
