The control Bess has had with the ball today has not even 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.
If I'd tossed up that much rubbish on Sundays, against mostly pissed batters, I'd never have got a 2nd over. Getting it on the cut strip is primary school stuff. He's a finger spinner FFS, he's not conjuring up mystery bombs out the back of his wrist! All the same, Captain Cretin and Spoons have thrown the lad under the bus, chucking him out there after the previous selection nonsense. However badly it was coming out, I could always find half a dozen 'right arm friendly' balls and get em to land on a hanky. Full bunger after half tracker tells the batsman you're mentally shot and easy meat.
The control Bess has had with the ball today has not even 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.
If I'd tossed up that much rubbish on Sundays, against mostly pissed batters, I'd never have got a 2nd over. Getting it on the cut strip is primary school stuff. He's a finger spinner FFS, he's not conjuring up mystery bombs out the back of his wrist! All the same, Captain Cretin and Spoons have thrown the lad under the bus, chucking him out there after the previous selection nonsense. However badly it was coming out, I could always find half a dozen 'right arm friendly' balls and get em to land on a hanky. Full bunger after half tracker tells the batsman you're mentally shot and easy meat.
I'm so pleased for you that England are doing badly now. It must have been such a difficult time for you with England winning in Sri Lanka and Joe Root being the world's most prolific all-rounder.
So it must be a relief that, at last, England look to be losing this series, away from home, against the works best team.
Let's hope England can complete a 3-1 loss and you'll be fully back to your enjoyable self.
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
Indeed - it's too easy for a batsman to set himself nowadays to an off spinner without variations or a left arm orthodox. Whereas a Rashid Khan, with all his tricks and moreover the speed he pushes it through at, is worth his weight in gold.
It's also a great time to be a wicket keeper/top order bat in T20. Not just because the two disciplines mean that you are that much more valuable to a franchise but because the chances are that you've kept to a lot of those with the variations so learn how to read them.
Bad pitch Questionable umpiring Covid causing mass rotation
We’ve been unlucky in that sense, but we’ve also not been at our best. Poor selection from those available and some weak batting has left us way short.
I’m not too concerned about this series. It’s hard to win in India at the best of times and we really haven’t had things go our way. I just hope the selectors have learnt a few lessons, mainly with Bess, and it’ll improve us as a side.
Rishabh Pant's innings today has won the match for India. England's chances were never more than gossamer thin but he swept, drove and flogged them to a fate worse than a fate worse than death scoring his second 50 in 30 odd balls. No.s 8 & 9, Washington and Axar, have added 35 in under 10 overs since to hammer home how vast the gulf is between these two squads. India already have enough. They could comfortably declare now and wrap the game up shortly after tea tomorrow, at the latest. They won't of course, they'll bat England into a pitiable heap and probably still win before C.O.P. tmw Losing to the best test squad, on their own pitches, was always likely but to only show any bollocks at all in one game out of 4 is dismal.
I understand why we've rotated players in and out of the bubble.
But it's making a mockery of Test cricket when one team is playing such an important series with this constant rotation of players in and out of the bubble, and with no proper practice matches. In no other sport are local conditions so variable, AND the only way to get used to them is actually to play matches there. If England batsmen are struggling against spin, how are they meant to improve between Tests stuck in a hotel?
The same applies when overseas teams play in England. New Zealand will be fine for the Test Championship as they'll have 2 Tests against England to acclimatise, but how will India (or Australia) prepare for that match?
The control Bess has had with the ball today has not even 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.
If I'd tossed up that much rubbish on Sundays, against mostly pissed batters, I'd never have got a 2nd over. Getting it on the cut strip is primary school stuff. He's a finger spinner FFS, he's not conjuring up mystery bombs out the back of his wrist! All the same, Captain Cretin and Spoons have thrown the lad under the bus, chucking him out there after the previous selection nonsense. However badly it was coming out, I could always find half a dozen 'right arm friendly' balls and get em to land on a hanky. Full bunger after half tracker tells the batsman you're mentally shot and easy meat.
I'm so pleased for you that England are doing badly now. It must have been such a difficult time for you with England winning in Sri Lanka and Joe Root being the world's most prolific all-rounder.
So it must be a relief that, at last, England look to be losing this series, away from home, against the works best team.
Let's hope England can complete a 3-1 loss and you'll be fully back to your enjoyable self.
That’s very cutting coming from you Chizz. Certainly puts Thundercock in his place, eh.
India all out 365 Washington stranded on 96 not out as India go from 365-7 axar run out on 43 (criminal in a test ) then stokes get out the last 2 for ducks
Tell us three things - that we got the balance of the side totally wrong and should have had the extra seamer for one less batsman (Foakes at 7 and Bess at 8 should be more than capable enough), that our spinners bowled poorly and that the pitch is flattening out to a degree. The latter will be confirmed when we rack up 400 plus this innings.
Sibley is doing exactly the right thing to Ashwin. Getting outside the line of off stump and then playing it though midwicket - which is his only shot anyway - so playing to his strengths. The issue will come when he tries to do that to the ball that turns away from the bat - especially against Axar when he plays for spin that isn't there!
Comments
All the same, Captain Cretin and Spoons have thrown the lad under the bus, chucking him out there after the previous selection nonsense.
However badly it was coming out, I could always find half a dozen 'right arm friendly' balls and get em to land on a hanky. Full bunger after half tracker tells the batsman you're mentally shot and easy meat.
So it must be a relief that, at last, England look to be losing this series, away from home, against the works best team.
Let's hope England can complete a 3-1 loss and you'll be fully back to your enjoyable self.
Indeed - it's too easy for a batsman to set himself nowadays to an off spinner without variations or a left arm orthodox. Whereas a Rashid Khan, with all his tricks and moreover the speed he pushes it through at, is worth his weight in gold.
It's also a great time to be a wicket keeper/top order bat in T20. Not just because the two disciplines mean that you are that much more valuable to a franchise but because the chances are that you've kept to a lot of those with the variations so learn how to read them.
Bad pitch
Questionable umpiring
Covid causing mass rotation
We’ve been unlucky in that sense, but we’ve also not been at our best. Poor selection from those available and some weak batting has left us way short.
I’m not too concerned about this series. It’s hard to win in India at the best of times and we really haven’t had things go our way. I just hope the selectors have learnt a few lessons, mainly with Bess, and it’ll improve us as a side.
Roll on the Ashes.
India already have enough. They could comfortably declare now and wrap the game up shortly after tea tomorrow, at the latest. They won't of course, they'll bat England into a pitiable heap and probably still win before C.O.P. tmw
Losing to the best test squad, on their own pitches, was always likely but to only show any bollocks at all in one game out of 4 is dismal.
But it's making a mockery of Test cricket when one team is playing such an important series with this constant rotation of players in and out of the bubble, and with no proper practice matches. In no other sport are local conditions so variable, AND the only way to get used to them is actually to play matches there. If England batsmen are struggling against spin, how are they meant to improve between Tests stuck in a hotel?
The same applies when overseas teams play in England. New Zealand will be fine for the Test Championship as they'll have 2 Tests against England to acclimatise, but how will India (or Australia) prepare for that match?
Washington stranded on 96 not out
as India go from 365-7
axar run out on 43 (criminal in a test )
then stokes get out the last 2 for ducks
india 7th and 8th wicket added 219 for India
England spinners 2-216
Tell us three things - that we got the balance of the side totally wrong and should have had the extra seamer for one less batsman (Foakes at 7 and Bess at 8 should be more than capable enough), that our spinners bowled poorly and that the pitch is flattening out to a degree. The latter will be confirmed when we rack up 400 plus this innings.
10-2
To be fair, though, he didn’t hang around and review it.
Hopefully the last time we see him in test cricket
Utter bollox