We are simply operating a total cricket approach. Curran at 3, Ruud Krol at 4, Neeskens keeping wicket. Who cares? Enjoy the wild ride.
We are simply operating a total cricket approach. Curran at 3, Ruud Krol at 4, Neeskens keeping wicket. Who cares? Enjoy the wild ride.
We just need to get Joe Denly in up the order to open with, erm, Borthwick (?) and then every single player could be an all-rounder of some sort (Anderson misses out in favour of Woakes, Root's darts get him in).
Joe Root chucking down leggies had me quite confused in the early morning haze today.
We really needn't have bothered with Anderson here.
I don’t think England would bat this positively and proactively in an ODI 7-8 years ago in Sri Lanka. Cracking Test match this is, who knows what Sri Lanka fancy chasing.
All five men out to the sweep. Moeen gets off the mark second ball with a six. What scenes.
There is hardly a spectator in the entire stadium for NZ vs Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. Why do we bother having matches there? Who's funding this?
Pakistan have to play somewhere. They would get better crowds in pretty much any other UN sovereign state though.
Could they not just be a permanently touring side?
Such a waste playing without a crowd.
We should agree to have them really. Pakistan v whoever Test match at Taunton or Chelmsford, plug me into that and turn on the mains.
Just had another one for the annals of mad Pakistan snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Epic stuff.
Incredible. Maybe too incredible...? Never know with Pakistan.
We called up Marcus Harris to the squad. It's staggering to see Cricket Australia actually make the right call for once. You wouldn't think that calling up the higher-order batsman who has scored the most runs and hundreds in four-day state cricket would be an achievement, but here we are.
Still haven't managed to pick Renshaw, but baby steps I guess.
Reckon Australia will win despite Kohli averaging 6543544.45 in the series.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/46301329
Wouldn't it just be best if Root batted there? It's not like he's any more protected at 4 the way our top order usually goes and he is an opener by training.
If you want to know the current thoughts of the England Setup at any given time, look at what they do with the Lions.
The Lions currently have Jason Roy batting at three.
Strap in (or possibly on).
Great effort from Stokes and Rashid but Jesus what a collapso from Sri Lanka. Whitewash incoming.
And the comedy run out to complete the collapse bingo. Amazing.
Pakistan-esque.
You never run on a misfield etc.
YJB needs to stop fucking whinging about not being the keeper.
He's a very strange bloke, Jonny Bairstow. He's not even the second best keeper in this XI. If I were him I would stick to batting.
He is TERRIBLE at reviews as well, I bet someone has told him that and he's got the right hump.
Surprising grand stand finish in the offing here.
This last pair must have put on more than the last 7 or 8 wickets in the first innings.
Or not.
The Sri Lanka language sounds absolutely amazing.
Well now, let's follow up one of the tightest test win with...
http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/1...in-uae-2018-19
Yikes.
60/1 to 90 all out is some going.
When you play Tamil teams in club cricket it's amazing. They all turn up with identical clothing/equipment as if they've just launched a major robbery of Sports Direct, and then during the game they unleash 14 off spinners who all throw it and sledge you at 5 million syllables per minute. Very hard to contend with.
NZ about to hit the dreaded 60/1 again. Seriously what happened in their first innings?
http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/...root-test-team
“It feels as if the old England - cagey and careful, focused on the percentages and the quinoa - has been replaced by one that feels that, even if it concedes four an over, they will hit five in reply“
/
I have never been more wrong than about Buttler's recall. Hat tip to Ed Smith and his minor royal hairdo. What a marvel Buttler is.
Do I need to care what a Jofra Archer is?
And if so what is a Jofra Archer?
West Indian, I mean English, fast bowler who's a bit of a darling of the shortest format.
He is a very good bowler who has needed a bit of ECB shithousery to make him eligible for England. Quick and moves it at will. Will get in the white ball sides and threaten the Test team.
Was really good in the Big Bash. Can he go all day though?
As good as Archer is, I feel parachuting him into this extremely good ODI side for the World Cup would be wrong. Been smashing everyone with the current crop, give them the chance to win the World Cup they’ll be big favourites for.
Aye but in fairness we've been smashing teams on the basis of scoring 350 runs, the bowling has been pretty shit. On purely "cricketing terms" I'd deffo pick him. I'd rather not pick him, well no, I'd rather cricket was a more egalitarian sport run by less corrupt people and as such it wasn't even an option in the first place but ho hum.
We've been smashing everyone with the bat. Our attack remains patchy (apart from the spin legends) and you know, David Willey.
We all know Pakistan are going to win the World Cup (I also quite like West Indies for it. What has got into me?)
So I understand why you'd normally bat first, but against us right now, it seems like a missed opportunity.
Our batting lineup is wobbly, but our bowling lineup still has Hazelwood, Starc, and Cummins. That's pretty decent. If you put us in on day one and knock us over for 150, we lose all momentum. But now they're giving us first punch, and we've made a decent start of it.
Still a long way to go, but if India had us three down now - or worse - you'd be writing off the series.
Take a bow Khawaja!
https://streamable.com/sxxcc
https://streamable.com/2lr3g
Indian batsmen seem to be trying to put their foot down for no real reason. Pujara is the only one showing any kind of patience.
I think every wicket so far has been a shot that didn't need to be played.
Never bowl first in Australia, unless it's Hobart under steely skies.
There is a reason no Asian team has ever won in Australia by the way (nor will they this time).
When Pujara is seeing it, he's honestly Dravid-esque.
And you could see by the way he picked up speed with the tail that he's perfectly capable of acceleration. He just elects to be as safe as possible when he's anchoring the innings, as well he should. I really rate him as a batsman.
He's great isn't he. Think he sometimes struggles a bit with fitness (in terms of just not being fit, rather than injury) but when he's on it he is a supreme batsman.
On another note, in the light of the run out yesterday, just seen the Bavuma one again from a couple of years ago and it still gets better with each viewing.
Getting the tenth wicket on the first ball of a day is one of those rare treasures that it's impossible not to enjoy.
All the time with everyone coming out, setting up the field, the batsmen getting their kit together, and then it's all over immediately.
Or they could just knock us over for 150 on day two, I suppose.
Has Ashwin actually bowled well then? The big problem they had in our summer was that their seamers would bowl their hearts out and then Sam Curran or whoever would come in and take Trashwin to the cleaners from number eight. His figures here suggest that may have changed, though.
We could beat Pakistan here, which is quite remarkable considering how poor we were in the first innings.
He had a dreamy first Test against us this time and then fell off a cliff, largely due to fitness. He's a lovely man though.
He was pretty unplayable yesterday, although Finch didn't actually glove it when he was given out caught.
I imagine his impact will be a little less emphatic on some of our other pitches.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/46511774
If there was ever anything that summed up why cricket boards don't have a clue what they're doing, that right there is it.