Cricket fred

[Banquo]

England doubling down on dropping Broad'n'Jimmy - Robinson crocked.... next man in line....Liam Norwell (nope...no clue)

Dropping your two best then playing Woakes and Overton rather than having a look at AN Other is a bit questionable,

a tad

[Galfon]

nosebleed territory now..

[Banquo]

well done yjb

[fivepointer]

Very good recovery. We could have subsided to 120 all out but Bairstow played a great hand.

[Banquo]

Very good recovery. We could have subsided to 120 all out but Bairstow played a great hand.

but then a bit of a collapse again today. YJB done good tho

[Big D]

Not sure if Anderson and Broad will be murderous with rage or pissing themselves at this start.

[Banquo]

Not sure if Anderson and Broad will be murderous with rage or pissing themselves at this start.

well yes. Whoever thought Woakes and Overton would be a better opening pair than A and B is mad, Andrew Strauss. Woakes is historically hopeless outside the UK (and maybe Durban).

[Banquo]

seriously shyte bowling. But you can't be surprised I suppose. No sign of Stokes bowling either.

Woakes and Leach are at the wrong ends...Joe. And Leach's field is wrong....Joe. He really isn't a great skipper.

[Big D]

seriously shyte bowling. But you can't be surprised I suppose. No sign of Stokes bowling either.

Woakes and Leach are at the wrong ends...Joe. And Leach's field is wrong....Joe. He really isn't a great skipper.

Leach is on the wrong continent. Shouldn't have been playing.

[Puja]

Not sure if Anderson and Broad will be murderous with rage or pissing themselves at this start.

well yes. Whoever thought Woakes and Overton would be a better opening pair than A and B is mad, Andrew Strauss. Woakes is historically hopeless outside the UK (and maybe Durban).

I can absolutely understand dropping Anderson and Broad for this series, as they're not going to last forever and it gives them a break and a chance to see fresh faces to see who can cut it at this level. We've chucked enough chances at county batsmen over the last few years, so we may as well see if we can rustle up a bowler.

Doing that and then picking Overton and Woakes though defies belief. It's like there were two independent selection panels that didn't talk to one another - one that dropped A & B to see who else there was and then one that picked the most experienced team from the players on tour anyway.

Puja

[Banquo]

Not sure if Anderson and Broad will be murderous with rage or pissing themselves at this start.

well yes. Whoever thought Woakes and Overton would be a better opening pair than A and B is mad, Andrew Strauss. Woakes is historically hopeless outside the UK (and maybe Durban).

I can absolutely understand dropping Anderson and Broad for this series, as they're not going to last forever and it gives them a break and a chance to see fresh faces to see who can cut it at this level. We've chucked enough chances at county batsmen over the last few years, so we may as well see if we can rustle up a bowler.

Doing that and then picking Overton and Woakes though defies belief. It's like there were two independent selection panels that didn't talk to one another - one that dropped A & B to see who else there was and then one that picked the most experienced team from the players on tour anyway.

Puja

well quite. And why drop both anyway.

[Galfon]

Wo-verton not pulling up trees ..if there's little help from the pitch the basics need to be spot on.
Looks like WI may sneak a first inns. lead

[fivepointer]

Its very flat. Not sure any quick would be thrilled to bowl on this.

[Banquo]

Its very flat. Not sure any quick would be thrilled to bowl on this.

...maybe, but you'd expect test opening bowlers with a new ball to trouble the two currently batting, surely? Both of them average less than 30 in FC cricket.

[Banquo]

breakthrough, lets hope they can get rid of the tailsharpish. Hmm..

[Banquo]

Wood crocked. FFS.

[Galfon]

Good work Nkrumah, real Test batsmanship there, great application.Game chugging along to a draw.

[Galfon]

Eng. lead creepy-ing up (> 70) , cent. Joe-zak partnership for 2nd wicket , JR bags another test 50.
Chance to get some practice in.

[Galfon]

and more of the same.
Stokes still got it.

[Stom]

Better, in that our batting looks a little more solid. But the bowling is decidedly meh.

I get it, there’s no archer, wood, Curran, Robinson, Stone… but still.

[Stom]

And, honestly, as great as it looked with 6 men around the bat against the twin spin, how many of those balls were going on to hit the stumps?

Jeez, I mean, the batsmen knew all they had to do was get everything behind it and not nick off. As that ball was not hitting the stumps.

Awful.

And as for the seamers. It seems the England default now is to not get hit. They just bowl nice dibbly dobblers on that fifth stump, about half a foot above the bails.

Why? The batsman doesn’t have to bloody hit it. Movement is almost non existent, there’s no pace… just awful.

[Galfon]

'No point having momentum without wins' ..best start with forward momentum. 53-6, albeit on a lively wicket gives plenty of work to do.

[fivepointer]

Well we were hoping for a bit of life in the wicket......we seem to have got that.

[Banquo]

FFS then well done Leach'n'Mahmood

[Banquo]

good comeback, but even Foakes is dropping catches!