The Cricket Thread

[thommo]

Utterly farcical at this point. I can only imagine what Root is thinking as it's pretty much happened throughout all 3 Tests. I thought it was pretty clear that the foot was grounded and compressed after Foakes broke the wicket from watching the video, but understandably, the still image makes it look like Rohit has his foot down. He could have at least have spent more than 2 seconds on the decision.

Leach has bowled a pretty nice spell though. Got some lovely turn and bounce on a number of occasions.

[Ian]

Simultaneous feelings of "Ah, the ball is turning, good news" and "Oh Jesus the ball is turning. "

[Jimmy Floyd]

Just as well we picked a side for the county ground at Derby on a cold April morning.

[Max Power]

If we make them bat again I’m calling it a win.

[Ian]

I'm sure the promise of being in the prestigious Test championship final will rouse the team into a stirring comeback.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The one advantage of a capitulation in this match and the next is that it would stop Australia getting into that final.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Speaking of capitulations.

[John Arne]

Is Root 3/0 with the ball?

[Ian]

I think he was before that four from Ashwin.

Who's definitely going to get 50+ here, the arsehole.

[Kikó]

I think a 19 run lead is probably enough anyway.

[Ian]

I think a 19 run lead is probably enough anyway.

Probably. They should mind game us and declare.

[Max Power]

Haha what the fuck

[Jimmy Floyd]

Please now just bat until the end of the day, is that too much to ask.

Remember what I said about rank turners bringing bang average spinners into the game?

[Ian]

Five wickets for eight runs for Rooooooot.

[Ian]

Also whenever I see somebody bowling from the "Adani End" my mind goes to Daniele Adani.

[niko_cee]

Didn't the last day/night test in India see all wickets fall to seam?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Yeah but England are touring so in their primitive imaginations we will collapse to any spin (true) while the masterful Indian batting legends will swat all our spin aside (not true). Send for the crumbling dustbowl.

They then retrofit any away defeat of theirs to have been played on Court 14 at Wimbledon after a wet fortnight. Rinse and repeat.

[Max Power]

That Crawley innings looks a pretty amazing one now, don’t think he’ll see a seamer this time around though.

Fancy a bit of Stokes madness, he’s been a bit quiet.

[Ian]

Warne suggesting we open with Crawley and Archer, Broad at 3....

[Ian]

Oh, England.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I haven't even got the footage as I'm at work but I can just tell he's fucking gone back to a straight one.

[Max Power]

Bairstow Jesus Christ that was inevitable

[Max Power]

Send him home

[Manc]

What on earth is happening?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Proving the critics right.

[Ian]

I may have mentioned before that I really don't like Bairstow.

[thommo]

Bairstow still managed to get himself bowled between bat and pad, good stuff.

[Ian]

Massive stretches today where every ball feels like a chance.

[Jimmy Floyd]

We flew him back to be out three times in 11 balls without scoring while Dan Lawrence (and Rory Burns, for that matter) carry the drinks.

[Ian]

I hate and love this pitch in equal measure.

[niko_cee]

This is slightly farcical.

[Ian]

Not sure why he's having a mad swipe at that.

[Max Power]

Into the lead

[Jimmy Floyd]

An hour of Stokes badly needed. Two hours could win it. Three will win it.

[thommo]

Thoughts on that Root DRS decision?

I THINK it's the right one. Mid-off angle seemed to show the edge just before the pad.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I don't know but I do know that Anil's trigger finger is itchy as fuck when the mighty three lions are at the crease.

[Manc]

Who is the bloke psychotically laughing for India? Needs a slap.

[Ian]

Thoughts on that Root DRS decision?

I think it might just about have been right but given how different it looked at different angles I'm surprised it got overturned.

[Ian]

And that's that.

[Jimmy Floyd]

It's the straight one from the left arm spinner that we absolutely cannot handle. Completely clueless against it.

[Ian]

I think that's been the case for as long as I've been watching England and I assume well before that.

[thommo]

I might be underselling him a bit, but it doesn't even look like Axar means to bowl the straight one. No change in pace or grip, just looks as if some turn and some don't.

[Kikó]

Is 50 enough?!

[Ian]

Oh look, another wicket gone to a dead straight ball.

I might be underselling him a bit, but it doesn't even look like Axar means to bowl the straight one. No change in pace or grip, just looks as if some turn and some don't.

I think Swann was saying this yesterday. That basically he decides broadly where he wants the ball to be and what happens after that is as much a mystery to him as it is to everyone else.

[niko_cee]

Putting the ball in the right spot is the main skill though. Well, on this sort of deck at least.

[Jimmy Floyd]

'Natural variation'. It's exactly how I used to bowl slow left arm but about 1,000 levels below him. If you land it in roughly the right area, no one can cope. Ripping it can almost be a disadvantage as they know what to expect. It's the small difference between turning a bit and not turning at all which is deadly.

[Ian]

Every time I see this a replay of this umpire who's currently behind the stumps he's pulling faces that don't even remotely hide his disappointment when a close one isn't a wicket.

[Pleb]

Woof.

[niko_cee]

I wouldn't fancy our chances chasing this down, but, at the same time, I don't fancy them not to for the loss of very few wickets.

[Pleb]

That took 5 years to review an obvious out.


On the ropes?