The Cricket Thread

Don't worry Root will skittle India.

 

8-6, and Jack gets the other 2. India 23 all out.

 

Don't panic . We have them right where we want them *





























I have been watching the world at war ......

 

So Leach & Root to open the bowling?

 

I suppose floodlight failure followed by 3 days of rain is too much to hope for?

 

India win by 10 wickets.

Well at least we’ll be spared being thrashed by NZ in the Final.

 

a text on the bbc .


Has any England side ever had tougher tour conditions than this? Pandemic, bubbles, iffy decisions, odd pitches, night playing. Hats off to them that they are still in the series, hope they come out fighting.






A Comment from Steven Finn .




England are having to juggle this Test team, having players in bio-secure bubbles, and wanting to win the Twenty20 World Cup. They've openly said they see that as another opportunity to win another major global tournament.

India is a very hard place to tour in the first place - let alone without being able to leave your hotel or spend time away from your teammates. We have to understand that these are very strange circumstances. The proof will be in the pudding at the end of the year I suppose.


From the outside looking in it can be extremely difficult to understand why Jos Buttler isn't there, but if you look at the whole year time moves on very quickly and before we know it India will be England and if England don't do well in that there will be questions, then the World Cup, then the Ashes. It's not as simple as just saying you need your best players in this series.






And to back up what Tom said earlier , a comment from Kholi .


India captain Virat Kohli: "The result went our way but the quality of batting wasn't at all up to standard by both teams. With our innings we were 100-3 and hoping to get more than we needed. There was a lack of application from both sides.

"Our bowlers were much more effective and that's why we got the result. It was bizarre that 21 of the 30 wickets were off straight balls, I think it was just a lack of concentration. I think batsmen need to trust their defence much more than they're presenting at the moment."

 

Really interesting to see what team we pick for the 4th test.

Do we recall Bess? Or have Leach and Root proven that they're sufficient?

Do we play an extra batter, given that we went into this game with six bowling options (more than is needed)?

Do we play Woakes as one of the seamers, given that he can bat? (Even picking just two non-batting seamers seems a waste, let alone three.)

Crawley, Sibley, Bairstow, Root, Stokes, Lawrence, Pope, Foakes, Woakes, Leach, Anderson. I personally don't see us making these changes, but it might be our only chance of levelling the series if the pitch is another one like this.

 

Picking non-batting batsmen like Bairstow also seems a waste, but maybe he’ll have returned from his holidays by the fourth test. Bess surely deserves another chance too.

 

England won the toss and we are 95-4.........

 

Just tuned in - great to see Stokes back in the runs. Whilst Root is clearly our best batsman, Stokes is our most dangerous and we need him.

For anyone that got up early, how is this pitch looking so far ?114-4 suggests it is doing things but you never know with our top order!

 

130-5

 

This has clearly hit the ground. Get on with it.

 

A reverse sweep from Jimmy.

 

Trust Jimmy to bring some order back into proceedings.

Mighty England reach 200-9, after winning the toss...

 

May as well review but that's just out.

 

That's the start England needed.

 

24-1 close of play .

 

Anyone heard about the West Indies V Sri Lanka t20 ?

Sri Lanka bowler took a hat trick in his second over , in his third Kieron Pollard hit six sixes off him !