There he goes, nicking off again.
Chef ton incoming fortunately.
There he goes, nicking off again.
Chef ton incoming fortunately.
We are boned now.
Even if we drop him the next man in gets to play WI's current band of club cricketers and we learn nothing.
Roston Chase will win the series for them on his own.
You put Stoneman in for the Windies and then if that doesn't work you just go for the long-awaited return of Michael Carberry.
I can't remember exactly how Jimrage put it but at least he didn't chuck his wicket away, even if he was a bit pants.
Carbs is 37 (ish) and just back from leukaemia, can't see him getting back in.
Other decent openers in the country include:
Nick Browne (Essex, natch. Dreadful hairline)
Tom Abell (Somerset, awful season)
Sam Robson (yes, him - better now than last time around)
Rory Burns (Surrey, stodgy but effective, and I hate his dad)
I wasn't actually calling for Carberry, in case that wasn't clear.
What position does Daniel hyphen-Drummond bat? I see his name crop up a bit and I don't even follow county cricket. Is he any good?
Jennings just looks so static/timid at the crease, and being permanently petrified is probably the worst quality a batsman can have in Australia.
He should really be biffed, but he'll probably grind out a ton in the second innings now.
Could do with a meaningful contribution from Bairstow here. Counting down to jinx . . .
Mo having none of the short stuff here.
I'm with Warne, this passage of cricket never makes much sense to me. Spread the field, four dead balls an over. Just shit.
Remember Angelo Mathews 150 at Headingley comprised almost entirely of boundaries from the 5th ball of the over and singles from the 6th.
Doesn't help when Bairstow is absolutely on it
Anderson trying that shot with Bairstow closing in on a century.
YJB
Great innings though, and probably a series-sealing one. With rain forecast for the later days, you'd have to reckon South Africa's only chance was bowling us out fairly cheap, getting 500 odd then bowling us out on day 3/4. I'm guessing:
England 362
South Africa 256
England 307-8 DEC
ZA 189-5
JIMMY!
I'm revising my prediction to South Africa getting absolutely done for sub-150 here, but it still fizzling out in a draw. The coming rain and 2-1 advantage pretty much guarantees the series win, but I think will ruin the spectacle of the match as it progresses. Ho hum.
Thanks for coming Theunis.
Oh Jimmy, Jimmy. He'll still be making mugs of tourists in summer 2021. Absolute artist.
Alex Hales in the blast.
95 off 30 balls.
Some wrong'un dressed as a Crusader filmed picking his nose and eating it there.
Faf with one of the worst reviews of all time there.
I love these Dalek voices the third umpires now apparently have.
With Hales in the actual form of his life it's a bit crimous he's not getting another run in the test team. Even if he is a white ball wanker, the people he'd be replacing are no better. Jennings is straight dreadful, and Malan is an inferior biffer.
Malan is/was a ropey pick in red ball. Yet another example of Bayliss just lobbing in people he's seen as opposed to people he hasn't been arsed to see.
Could probably do with 50 more runs to make this a bit safer, but getting rolled might not be the worst thing in terms of seeing a result in this one.
At least Hales will either get nothing and out quickly, or loads.
This spell reminds me of late on village cricket, when you're clinging on for a point or two.
Highest ever test match run chase at Old Trafford is 294. You'd think it's only a matter of whether England get enough time to bowl at them. They need the weather to play ball.
As I'm sure I've said earlier in the thread, I'd have given Hales a run at 5 to see what he made of it. Still would against the Windies. I think he's probably got a game that suits Australian conditions (see it, hit it) so he's worth a look for the winter. Most of our top order at the moment are going to be absolutely toast out there if their bowlers are anywhere near half decent.
Moeen in full flight.
Stokes, Bairstow and Ali should bat 5,6,7. All are experienced international players who have scored big runs for England. No point rolling the dice on another middle order pick.
Caught in the pavilion by YJB when bringing up 50
Mo.
He's some fucking man.
Woakes is fit now. He slots in at 8. The depth the bowling options
Everyone moving up the order only seems to end in disaster.
I suppose 5/6/7 are less of a problem if 2/3 can be sorted.
Looks like the great man has saved the day again.
Is this his best match for us?
Just bloody love him. He might be my favourite cricketer in the time I've been watching.
GIRLS DONT LIKE BOYS GIRLS LIKE MOEEN ALI.
Hales in the runs batting at five for Notts.
Imagine how good our number 1 spinner must be.
The Mighty Mo.
Just noticed big Vern topped the saffer batting averages as well as the bowling ones.
So what's the thinking on Roots captaincy? Are his fields funky enough?
Team good, captain good.
Although, more seriously, I'm not sure the real test of captaincy ever comes in England. Our conditions allow for the game to progress without the need for much navel gazing. It's the misery of the second morning at the Gabba where funky fields become a thing.
Saffas have filled their first class cricket full of match fixing goons and shit Asians, they'll never be as good again.
Nasser said the same re. the real test of captaincy coming when the hockey ball they use is doing nothing, Greg Blewett is 117 not out and Malcolm Conn has filed a piece calling one of your middle order batsmen a poofter.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8...sion-One-2017/
Meanwhile at the Ageas Bowl.
I know Hameed has been shite this year but why are they not just going with him? He's obviously the future in the way you could see that Cook was all them years ago. Just get him in and be done with it. it's not like anyone else has set the world alight and he wasn't even dropped on form anyway it was because he mashed his finger.
I agree. Unless Stoneman is in the sort of form where to not pick him would players wonder why they bother (there are probably some already in that position of they don't fit the ECB jolly-good-chap criteria) then I'd be getting Hameed in from the Windies onwards too.
How does Cook not average 50?
He's better than at least some of the characters who've managed it.
Spent most of his career as an opener in England to be fair to him
And as good as he is he bloody loves a waft at a wide one, bless him.
Joe Root's the first English test batsman since Ken Barrington to average over 50. It's a different game when you spend half your life facing the Duke ball.
Opening batsmen who play in England can expect about 8-10 less as an average than those who play in sunny nations. Mike Atherton averaged under 40 but was definitely an English great of the genre.
I'm not sure who the answer is @5 (or if there even is one), but I really don't like YJB/Stokes/Ali at 5/6/7, if only because it just feels a shame to lose that ridiculously overpowered 6/7/8. Besides, they'd obviously never pick a specialist bat at 8, and even a crap #5 batter who averaged about 25 would add more to the team than having them 5/6/7 and having a sixth fucking bowler thrown in I reckon.