It’s what England used to do so well. The likes of Geraint Jones, Matt Prior, Moeen, Woakes etc taking the game away from the opposition in the final session against tired and dispirited opponents
It’s what England used to do so well. The likes of Geraint Jones, Matt Prior, Moeen, Woakes etc taking the game away from the opposition in the final session against tired and dispirited opponents
even remember when simon jones used to smash at least a run a ball 30, key runs but also takes the momentum away from the team about to bowl you out.
If two fast bowlers are having to bowl half the overs in 40 degrees temperature you know something has gone wrong somewhere and that they are doing incredibly well to do so. It's not healthy though and the fact is that even if we do get enough runs to set India a target, they are going to be too drained to show their best anyway.
joe root bowling with such a fresh ball sums our selection up. Awful
Also shows his captaincy has been wrong today. I get they have lost faith in Bess and he needed to come off but Root should have bowled the overs Stokes bowled before the new ball and then Leach should be the spinner you turn to with the ball still reasonably new.
The control Bess has had with the ball today has been Sunday league standard. I get it that he's low on confidence but he's a test match player ffs. How many more full tosses is he going to deliver.
Dominic Bess has worked really hard in this Test match. And his workload and results have gone a long way to prove that the selectors got it absolutely right.
If they knew bess was like this (they clearly did hence asking Moeen to stay for the last test and then not picking Bess even when he said no). There sure would have been an argument to pick Virdi for this test. He can't bat but he could hardly bowl worse than Bess has.
Equally they should have picked him for the last test and the extra seamer for this one. They got it the wrong way round.
They clearly rate him in the setup. They have invested a lot in him and Herath and Jeetan Patel both think he has a very high ceiling. He's clearly not the finished article yet. But he will learn a lot from this winter. Hopefully it stands him and us in good stead for the long term.
If they knew bess was like this (they clearly did hence asking Moeen to stay for the last test and then not picking Bess even when he said no). There sure would have been an argument to pick Virdi for this test. He can't bat but he could hardly bowl worse than Bess has.
Equally they should have picked him for the last test and the extra seamer for this one. They got it the wrong way round.
They clearly rate him in the setup. They have invested a lot in him and Herath and Jeetan Patel both think he has a very high ceiling. He's clearly not the finished article yet. But he will learn a lot from this winter. Hopefully it stands him and us in good stead for the long term.
compare his treatment with last winter in south africa, in which he was only played on pitches that were turning - he picked up a 5 for.
Ugh. A series-losing last session unfortunately. Miraculously, given our inferior batting and spin bowing, we were still in with a shout at tea. A shame but more of an accurate reflection of the two sides’ strengths, I feel.
Ugh. A series-losing last session unfortunately. Miraculously, given our inferior batting and spin bowing, we were still in with a shout at tea. A shame but more of an accurate reflection of the two sides’ strengths, I feel.
i think it shows the difference in class between the teams, each time india have had to wake up and pull away from england they have done. I feel like they haven't really moved into top gear, and each time it looked like they might be they blew england away.
On subcontinent tours, England always used to have a wily old spinner in their squad, the county pro who's been around for years who only gets a call up for this sort of series. Gareth Batty, Eddie Hemmings types
On subcontinent tours, England always used to have a wily old spinner in their squad, the county pro who's been around for years who only gets a call up for this sort of series. Gareth Batty, Eddie Hemmings types
I'm not sure if such county pros exist anymore
Gareth Batty is still an excellent county spinner.
On subcontinent tours, England always used to have a wily old spinner in their squad, the county pro who's been around for years who only gets a call up for this sort of series. Gareth Batty, Eddie Hemmings types
I'm not sure if such county pros exist anymore
Batty was probably the last of those.
The fact is that when we play red ball cricket and the nature of our pitches mean that not only do we not produce spinners but we don't produce top bats either. If we're going back to former times 4 day cricket was played at the height of summer with all the overseas and home internationals returning to their counties. Central contracts, all the worldwide Tests, franchises and the emphasis on T20 have put an end to that. It's all about "what's your scoring areas" and being able to hit 360 degrees - even at county age group level - because that is where the money is.
So the only place that these guys learn about the longer form of the game is in the middle at international level. The likes of Australia are little different especially when one thinks back to the period when someone like Stuart Law, despite scoring 27,000 runs in First Class cricket at an average of over 50, only got to play one solitary Test.
On subcontinent tours, England always used to have a wily old spinner in their squad, the county pro who's been around for years who only gets a call up for this sort of series. Gareth Batty, Eddie Hemmings types
I'm not sure if such county pros exist anymore
Gareth Batty is still an excellent county spinner.
He is 43 now though. Has he signed another contract? I also thought he only played T20 last season anyway?
The game turned on it's head when Pant was given not out. I can't help thinking if that was Root batting, it would have been given out. The umpire won them the game right there, ably backed up by Pant after being allowed to continue his innings.
The game turned on it's head when Pant was given not out. I can't help thinking if that was Root batting, it would have been given out. The umpire won them the game right there, ably backed up by Pant after being allowed to continue his innings.
I think we lost it in the first innings. We played 9 batsmen and should have got 350 on that pitch. And had we had that 3rd seamer we would have probably bowled them out with a lead of at least 50
On subcontinent tours, England always used to have a wily old spinner in their squad, the county pro who's been around for years who only gets a call up for this sort of series. Gareth Batty, Eddie Hemmings types
I'm not sure if such county pros exist anymore
Batty was probably the last of those.
The fact is that when we play red ball cricket and the nature of our pitches mean that not only do we not produce spinners but we don't produce top bats either. If we're going back to former times 4 day cricket was played at the height of summer with all the overseas and home internationals returning to their counties. Central contracts, all the worldwide Tests, franchises and the emphasis on T20 have put an end to that. It's all about "what's your scoring areas" and being able to hit 360 degrees - even at county age group level - because that is where the money is.
So the only place that these guys learn about the longer form of the game is in the middle at international level. The likes of Australia are little different especially when one thinks back to the period when someone like Stuart Law, despite scoring 27,000 runs in First Class cricket at an average of over 50, only got to play one solitary Test.
The surprising thing is that spin has become a major attacking threat in T20 cricket, so counties are more interested in the white ball spinner with variations, rather than the traditional English spinner who can land the ball on a length every time, who will ball hundreds and hundreds of over summer
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Unfortunately will probably make the england selectors feel they have to pick buttler behind the stumps again...
I get it that he's low on confidence but he's a test match player ffs.
How many more full tosses is he going to deliver.
In the third Test.
If they knew bess was like this (they clearly did hence asking Moeen to stay for the last test and then not picking Bess even when he said no). There sure would have been an argument to pick Virdi for this test. He can't bat but he could hardly bowl worse than Bess has.
Equally they should have picked him for the last test and the extra seamer for this one. They got it the wrong way round.
They clearly rate him in the setup. They have invested a lot in him and Herath and Jeetan Patel both think he has a very high ceiling. He's clearly not the finished article yet. But he will learn a lot from this winter. Hopefully it stands him and us in good stead for the long term.
I'm sure he misses you too Canters.
I'm not sure if such county pros exist anymore
The fact is that when we play red ball cricket and the nature of our pitches mean that not only do we not produce spinners but we don't produce top bats either. If we're going back to former times 4 day cricket was played at the height of summer with all the overseas and home internationals returning to their counties. Central contracts, all the worldwide Tests, franchises and the emphasis on T20 have put an end to that. It's all about "what's your scoring areas" and being able to hit 360 degrees - even at county age group level - because that is where the money is.
So the only place that these guys learn about the longer form of the game is in the middle at international level. The likes of Australia are little different especially when one thinks back to the period when someone like Stuart Law, despite scoring 27,000 runs in First Class cricket at an average of over 50, only got to play one solitary Test.
I can't help thinking if that was Root batting, it would have been given out.
The umpire won them the game right there, ably backed up by Pant after being allowed to continue his innings.