Another 100 or so in the morning could make this a wee bit interesting.
India will probably smash whatever they need to chase though. England’s bowling attack is not scary whatsoever
Another 100 or so in the morning could make this a wee bit interesting.
India will probably smash whatever they need to chase though. England’s bowling attack is not scary whatsoever
If we are ruthless about bowling changes then you never know. It's turning quite big, spitting low and chasing is never easy. India handy favourites of course but it's been a heartening showing.
Best knock in India since Pietersen's?
Root made 218 at Madras last trip, but that was in the first innings - third innings from behind, it has to be up there.
Shades of Cook in Ahmedebad. Great hundred in a losing cause but laid the blueprint for the rest of the series (fingers crossed)
Pat Cummins is the answer of course.Originally Posted by Ben
Couple very interesting scorecards to wake up to… didn't expect either.
Biggest upset in the format since when? Nothing jumps out to me thats more unexpected. Shamar Joseph take a bow.
No one wins in Australia. Joseph is clearly a special geezer but for such a rando XI to get it done at the Gabba is sensational.
Story of the day until Tom Hartley takes all ten.
I've always said Hartley in India was the answer.
Hartley's Test, by the way, is the most Bazball of all Bazball stories. Day 1 we were all calling him Kerrigan. Kerrigan was a story of a captain (Cook) losing confidence in a bowler within about five minutes. Hartley was getting slapped about worse and Stokes just kept faith in him. That's what Bazball is. Complete balls to the wall faith. If we lose, we lose, but we're losing on my terms.
I actually think you should write a book on Bazball once it's over
Kraigg Brathwaite explains that the motivation for West Indies performance was washed up 1980s seamer Rodney Hogg calling them pathetic and hopeless.
How is it that professional sportsmen are apparently able to become about 400% better when fuelled by THE DOUBTERS? What would they do if no one ever doubted them?
Even if we lose this now, at least it's been a great showing. We were goners at tea yesterday.
Windieshopefully that drums up a bit of enthusiasm back home. I fear(ed) they'll just keep getting worse as all the kids get drawn to basketball instead.
I think the kids getting drawn to basketball is a bit of a red herring. I mean, cricket offers a lucrative career so people will still go for that and basketball only offers that to those with a height of 6 foot 7 or taller.
I've always thought the issue with them is to bring together all those islands with all the inevitable politics and squabbling takes incredible leadership, and they happened to luck into a series of people - Worrell, Lloyd and Viv - who were remarkably good at doing that. I don't think it's a coincidence that this 40-year period also coincided with global black awakening - pan-Africanism, US civil rights, anti-apartheid and so on. They had things they were fighting for. Once you lose that context and lose those great leaders then you are left with a load of islands and a load of talent, but nothing to pull it together except the history. Chuck in T20 cash and the 'national' side is always going to suffer.
What can change it is if you can make proper money playing for West Indies. There isn't - has never been - a market for this (they all went to World Series even in the 70s). So that money will have to come from a central pool. That needs political will from the larger countries. It can happen. But it won't.
You cannot do that Ben Stokes.
Stokes, brilliant.
He's just unbelievable.
What's going on?
Iyer was giving Leach a load of lip when he walked out to bat, lasted 2 balls against him lol.
Jimmy bringing the drinks out at age 41.
41 year old Jimmy now sub fielding.
Oh Hartley you beauty!
What the fuck was Siraj doing?
One of our greatest wins, this. Bazball will fail in India, they said.
Fucking brilliant.
Incredible win. Giving up 150+ on first innings and winning is absurd.
Cant wait to see the state of the pitch for the 2nd Test.
Would have been rude to ask everyone to come back tomorrow?
Stokes is approaching or matching Brearley as a captain. Not sure anyone has ever led England as well as this.
Only issue is it being on TNT which I don’t have and the radio commentary being on Talksport thus rendering it unlistenable.
A Kiko tweet has made me realise how satisying it would have been if Baz went into business for himself and rebranded Garden Soccer as Bazball. No router would be safe.
Offft. Did not expect that when i woke up
Die filth [/Henry]
Of course who knows whether Hartley would have played, had Shoaib Bashir been granted his visa on time.
Every piece of underhand shittery the Indians pull always comes back to bite them. Unfortunately they can't help it, it's just part of their makeup.
Are there any today at the test highlights for this or is it all TNT?
The BCCI only agreed the broadcast deal about three days ago so presumably TNT.
Cook and Finn are being flown to Sweden to do studio analysis for the remaining games, because they don't have any studio space here. The sign of a really ambitious outfit in no way doing anything on the cheap.
Jadeja and KL Rahul join Kohli in missing the next match. Is this… on?
Jadeja is a massive miss. Presumably they will now need Kuldeep and a batter.
Do they move Axar and Ashwin up the order or maybe Siraj misses out for Kuldeep and both reserve bats come in? Tricky one for them - Jadeja is a cheat code at home (although we played him well last match)
A post which illustrates how big a miss Jadeja is, you don't really want Bharat at six do you.
Three options I guess - either extra bat, extra bowler (Siraj), or Poundland like-for-like (Washington Sundar). I think I'd go extra bat given that the ones they have aren't very good, or maybe Virat will resolve his personal problems a bit quicker than expected. As an England fan I don't get the fear from either Shubman Gill or Shreyas Iyer, I have to say.
At the risk of him now going on to get huge scores, I think Iyer is a right bluffer. Not done much in Tests so far with Australia particularly getting all over him. Seems his hype has come from slogging a few on flat decks in white ball.
Gill I think has potential.
Sarfaraz Khan, who they may well bring in, has a ludicrous first class record. Also made 161 against our A side the other day. Begs the question as to why (aside from his name) they haven't given him a debut before now.
You just said why. Tommy Robinson would love to be as racist as the Indians.
2nd Test side:
Crawley
Duckett
Pope
Root
Bairstow
Stokes
Foakes
Ahmed
Hartley
Bashir
Anderson
It's so shit, and yet. Anderson's been bowling left arm spin in practice. No dramas.
Last edited by Jimmy Floyd; 01-02-2024 at 08:31 AM.
183 Tests of experience for our solitary fast bowler; 3 Tests of experience across our 3 spin bowlers.
When they roll out an absolute greentop and Jimmy takes 10.
Nowt daft.
Trust the process.
If there's anything the last 2 years have taught me it's not to question Stokes and Baz, no matter what insanity is proposed.
Bashir with a wonderful average of 67 in first class cricket.
Thank god we have the worlds 4th best all rounder backing up the young spinners.
Think it's the first Test debut by someone I've umpired. Only done them on the way down before. Yes, Prince Masvaure, I'm talking about you.
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