Only 8 England players ever with more runs and wickets than Moeen. A couple of those are within his sights as well.
Only 8 England players ever with more runs and wickets than Moeen. A couple of those are within his sights as well.
Cracking day. Hope they've got Shastri on the Verdict.
Unlikely, since he's commentating at the ground.
I had the radio on for a spell on the way into work and in between Sir Geoffrey Boycott complaining about not being able to find any fish & chips or lamb chops in the Gujarat, they had Gavaskar on who was creaming himself over the English batting in a way you'd never hear him do on TV. Remarkable stuff.
The Indian comms were slobbering plenty over Root on TV as well tbf. Thought it was decent actually, lots of technichal chat about batting and spin bowling. Early days in the series though, Laxman Sivaranakrishnan will have me reaching for the mute button if Ashwin and Jadeja are runnin through us later on on the match/series.
The problem they have is Nass is over there dropping truth bombs, so they can't really keep up the act in the same way they do with compliant colonial bantermasters like Simon Doull alongside them.
Mostly the foreign commentators go over there looking to suck up and earn themselves an IPL chatting deal, but Nasser does not need this as he has the job security of a trip to the Sky Pod at Chelmsford on a freezing Wednesday night in May to go back to.
The Donald sparking a famous win for England?However, from the point of view of English cricket, beginning a Test series away from home, Trump's election, whether or not it provokes the Armageddonic scenarios some have predicted, is unquestionably good news. For England are undefeated in winter Test series following a Republican presidential victory since 1980.
In 1984, after Ronald Reagan's re-election, David Gower led England to a 2-1 victory in India. In 1988, following George Bush Sr's victory, England had the winter off after the cancellation of another Indian tour. When Bush Jr "won" his first election, in 2000, England followed up by winning in both Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and the re-election of the controversial W in 2004 presaged Michael Vaughan's team winning 2-1 in South Africa.
If we win a five Test series in India with this spin attack then my name's Steve Tikolo.
Any chance of sending panic through the bastards would be nice though, in 2012 they basically fell to bits at the first sign of us getting on top of them.
I don't quite like the Verdict as much when they don't have somebody there from the opposing nation.
I'm enjoying this bit on Duckett very much. I still learn something new pretty much any time I watch or hear a decent cricket pundit being allowed to get into something properly. As shit a name as it is it's why I liked the ASHES ZONE when they had the likes of Ponting in there.
EDIT: Also I've only seen highlights but I like what little I've seen of Hameed from today. Not an eye-opening score but some lovely shots and didn't seem fazed by making his first start as an opener in one of the toughest tours to do it.
His forward press is straight off the dream boat.
Indian TV just put a drinks 'session so far' set of highlights on, and one of the balls they included was Stokes leaving one that Trashwin got to turn a bit.
Rattled already
Even if this match ends a draw could land some serious blows here. Dropping catches everywhere, spinners getting tap, Kohli irritated.
Very pleasantly surprised to wake up and see that score. The drops combined with batsmen taking it to them (rather than getting a score through nervy attrition) will rankle, you'd think.
Last century by a visiting player over there was Clarke in 2013 I think they said.
Trashwin 2 for 157, fucking well bowled mate. Number one.
This is probably why I consider the Trashmeister a club level pie thrower who couldn't get in the Derbyshire team, whilst in reality he's the number one ranked Test bowler. New Zealand true experts against spin as ever.
Certainly fucked us in the ass. It happened on the most doctored pitches I've ever seen though.
I'd like to see those stats on a home and away basis.
India RR 2.89
Last 10 ovs 18/0 RR 1.80
Min overs remaining 40
The cricketing equivalent of Monday morning.
Right, so they've batted the entire day for the loss of 2 wickets and they're still going to be about 240 behind. This is one of those good old-fashioned pitches on which Sri Lanka used to rack up 750 for fun.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/62652.html
Another favourite of the genre. 847 balls
Even if India bat all day tomorrow, if they score at the same rate they'll still only be 37 ahead at the close. The best chance of a result is if England get some kind of a lead and then try to go hell for leather for the win, which, this being a Cook side, they will not. They probably should, though. YOLO.
Australia at it again. 2/2 after two overs
Thinking about ditching the verdict for it
I turn on and it's 8/3. Oof.
South Africans losing Steyn and being able to call on the very good Abbott is a bit rough.
Four. At least I switched it on in time to see that.
EDIT: Really good hat-trick ball, too. Forced to play.
If you're not an Australian and you enjoy Australian misery, you're missing an absolute cracker for schadenfreude here.
At least everyone's mates, eh Darren Lehmann?
For what it's worth, Smith is really showing his class.
Warner getting himself out to a silly shot, which is always a risk. Everyone else not really very good.
Mennie was picked over Bird for his batting, apparently. I laughed then. I'm not laughing now.
Vaughan and Swann on this BT Coverage. I dislike it already.
Smith deserves better than this shower.
If they are going to keep turning out pitches likes this then this India series is going to be painful, West Indies tour level dull, just waiting for the inevitable tour defining collapse.
Have the Aussies rolled out (and been rolled out on) a famous Hobart GREENTOP or are they just shit?
https://twitter.com/btsportcricket/s...14194446151680
Warner's shot at the start of this remarkable highlights reel suggests the latter.
Sorry, this one: https://twitter.com/btsportcricket/s...77722192080896
They need to actually put this balls out style of cricket in the bin, it's total horsewank.
The fact that Steve Smith scored some runs shows that there can't have been much lateral movement
Another thing that probably needs to go in the bin is Beefy's endangered species shooting banter.
That shot is amazing. What was it, third ball of the match or something?
Smith seemed to be doing his level best to get trapped dead in front.
The best thing is it's only the third lollest thing in the video, after Philander and Steve Smith crashing into each other, and Callum Ferguson's brother seething out of the ground.
I wondered who that was.
I can't work out what is more perplexing about Jadeja. That he seems to now have his rank pies rated as actual bowling, or that his test batting record is so poor. He was a batsman originally, wasn't he?
Excellent hands Chef.
We're gonna get rolled for 150
The pitch is green, but South Africa bowled well and Australia batted terribly. It's a 200-250 first innings wicket, not an 80 odd one.
Cook's drop at slip was absolutely ridiculous, as is the amount of fortune Trashwin has had in this 'knock'.
Now looking assured against the deadly twirling.
Hameed lofting Jadeja over mid off
Just a blocker though