Not being bitter but using a wicket that already had 5 days play on is just wrong. There is a reason why its not been done in Tests before.
England been done like a kipper here.
But it's not unplayable and you won't find the England team complaining. There's been plenty of occasions when we've prepared pitches to suit our seamers and games have been over in less time than this one. To be a top side, you have to be able to play in all conditions and we were similarly beaten in India because of our inability to adapt.
I mentioned how shot selection and execution was going to be the key to this innings - how many of the Pakistan batsman ran past balls in the way that both Crawley, Stokes and Carse have done so and got out? If they did come come down the track then they made it, be it that they hit over the top or they bailed out of the shot because they realised they weren't getting to the pitch of the ball. The other aspect is how the Sajid and Noman have used flight and change of pace whereas we've tended to try and bowl a somewhat predictable line, length and pace more often than not.
Play all our Test matches in April at Headingley. On the same wicket.
That is sour grapes. I'm sorry but it is. We were out batted and out bowled. How else do you explain Pakistan's two final wickets in each innings putting on a total of 114 runs - that's 30 runs less than the whole of our team scored in our second innings. As Nasser says "if you find a winning formula for a Test wicket then stick with it". Just because we struggle to play spin and don't have world class spinners isn't Pakistan's fault. Because we don't play county cricket at optimum times of the year or prepare spin friendly tracks isn't Pakistan's fault either. You reap what you sow.
And the 2 "big hitters" at the top of the innings have gone. If we were going to win this it was getting off to a blistering start so that Root, Stokes etc wouldn't need to hang around for long.
It will all be over by Lunch tomorrow. I expect us to crumble & be all out for under 150.
McCullum "I have no problem with the pitch being used again. When you play at home you have to use that to your advantage. I don't have any problem at all. It's the same as seaming conditions. You don't want out and out flat wickets."
TBF Golfie at least you tried ( for once !) but this was a Sheff Wednesday (massive !) toss to win and the innings scores heading south from the Pakistan 1st innings to England's 2nd innings reflected a pitch from 6th day to 9th day and Noman and Sajid turning into versions of Ashwin and Muralitharan on this well worn wicket.
Stokes "just goes to show how you can't afford to drop catches at vital times". That was not the fault of the pitch that Pakistan prepared.
Obviously not. Ben didn't make excuses and apologised for his body language when the two catches went down in that vital over.
Jamie Smith has had a good start to his test career but welcome to the big arena and the higher profile to every ball you get out to and any dropped catch.
Cricket, football for England and you are only ever as good as the last 90+ minutes or innings. That why you need to be a mentality monster to survive the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
Were the Pakistani public let in for free today as they showed more people queuing at 7 and 8 wickets down for England than all the other days 🤷🏽♂️ ?
Stokes "just goes to show how you can't afford to drop catches at vital times". That was not the fault of the pitch that Pakistan prepared.
Obviously not. Ben didn't make excuses and apologised for his body language when the two catches went down in that vital over.
Jamie Smith has had a good start to his test career but welcome to the big arena and the higher profile to every ball you get out to and any dropped catch.
Cricket, football for England and you are only ever as good as the last 90+ minutes or innings. That why you need to be a mentality monster to survive the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
Were the Pakistani public let in for free today as they showed more people queuing at 7 and 8 wickets down for England than all the other days 🤷🏽♂️ ?
Hopefully they did because it would set an example. Remember how we charged £95 for the decisive 4th day at Lord's in September - 9,000 people in a stadium that holds over 30,000.
Stokes "just goes to show how you can't afford to drop catches at vital times". That was not the fault of the pitch that Pakistan prepared.
Obviously not. Ben didn't make excuses and apologised for his body language when the two catches went down in that vital over.
Jamie Smith has had a good start to his test career but welcome to the big arena and the higher profile to every ball you get out to and any dropped catch.
Cricket, football for England and you are only ever as good as the last 90+ minutes or innings. That why you need to be a mentality monster to survive the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
Were the Pakistani public let in for free today as they showed more people queuing at 7 and 8 wickets down for England than all the other days 🤷🏽♂️ ?
I know they were let in for free for most of (all?) the first test in one of the stands, imagine the same principle this time
Apart from the crucial drop, after a superb start to his Test career, Jamie Smith now has one 50 in his last 4 Test matches. Batting and keeping in hot overseas conditions is tough.
Comments
The bat went for six as it left Ben's hands.
125/7 and nearer to "I told you so"
The 3rd six by Brydon Carse.
Just take it as read.
Not a single batsman prepared to play the conditions and try and stay there.
138-8
Noman 6/45
Carse 27 and a positive knock.
138/8
366
291
221
So my 150 looks bob-on.
Pakistan win by 152 runs
Noman takes his 7th wicket. 7/46
The TV screen flickers as an England fan pulls the plug and we miss the final wicket !
The Sky's the limit and no one at Sky seem to notice there was no picture of the final wicket.
How bizarre.
Fuck knows what happened there 😂
It seems Bashir was out first ball ?
No man is an island.
Noman 8/46
We have a decider and I'm looking forward to it.
Play all our Test matches in April at Headingley. On the same wicket.
But that's because the same wicket hasn't been used for back to back Tests before.
That aside, how did Pakistan manage to score 114-4 for their final two wickets in the game? Come on Golfie, I'd love to know the answer to that.
First time since 1972 and only the second time since 1956.
TBF Golfie at least you tried ( for once !) but this was a Sheff Wednesday (massive !) toss to win and the innings scores heading south from the Pakistan 1st innings to England's 2nd innings reflected a pitch from 6th day to 9th day and Noman and Sajid turning into versions of Ashwin and Muralitharan on this well worn wicket.
Obviously not.
Ben didn't make excuses and apologised for his body language when the two catches went down in that vital over.
Jamie Smith has had a good start to his test career but welcome to the big arena and the higher profile to every ball you get out to and any dropped catch.
Cricket, football for England and you are only ever as good as the last 90+ minutes or innings.
That why you need to be a mentality monster to survive the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
Were the Pakistani public let in for free today as they showed more people queuing at 7 and 8 wickets down for England than all the other days 🤷🏽♂️ ?