Our top three of Duckett, Crawley and Pope average 44.39 in the Series. Our middle order of Root, Bairstow, Stokes and Foakes average 19.92. Somehow we are disproving the fact that the hardest time to bat is when the ball is new.
Stokes has been bowling in the nets and indicates that he might bowl in this Series. He is clearly desperate to do so but is, reluctantly, listening to those who are the professionals at advising him not to try to do so before his body is ready to cope with that.
Brook is obviously not there because Cook has Lawrence in for Bairstow for the next Test whereas Finn would keep Bairstow in the side. Both would rest Anderson and Wood and bring in Robinson and Atkinson.
England totally wiped out .. I expect changes for the next test but suspect that the long serving faces will still be there for the next team photo .. India a t m are a great team and have an enormous number of big talents striving for a place in their line up
Lawrence has played some cricket recently, as during the gap between the 2nd and 3rd Tests, England let him play 2 T20s in the ILT20. Only scored 15 and 7, though he did also bowl a bit...
A couple of days of fairly promising cricket completely let down by two days of complete crap. That day three batting collapse completely sapped any confidence.
After getting ourselves to 224-2, we ended up going the rest of the match 217-18.
Listening to Stokes after the match made me question his thinking. He basically said "oh well, we lost, onto the next one" without any thought about why we did so badly & are they going to learn from their mistakes. From his answers apparantly not & seems to be treating it all as a bit of a knock about or beer match.
And Stokes makes it three out LBW sweeping. We can't moan about bad luck if we carry on doing what all the other batsmen are doing unsuccessfully - sweeping on the final session of the 4th day on a deck that is deteriorating. It's not unlucky to keep missing straight balls.
50-6
The problem is that the sweep is one of the main ways English batsmen can try and dominate a spinner. Rehan tried an alternative approach, and holed out.
It is but it is a risk/reward shot. The sweep is fine if the wicket is a road but even more risky if there is irregular bounce and turn. Rehan's equally wrong shot selection in pumping it down the ground straight to long on doesn't make that any better.
Let's put this another way - India today scored 234-2 off 47 overs at almost 5 an over. We're 50-7. The wicket hasn't changed. It's just that the Indian batsmen have been smarter.
The pressure of 550 odd to chase/defend against a fired up bowling attack in India is immense.
The biggest difference is the bowlers overall. Axar Patel took 27 wickets in the 3 test he played against England in 2021 in India for an amazing average of 10.59 and is classed as an all rounder yet didn't get picked for this test.
Axar Patel would be first choice for England ahead of all the other Slow/spin bowlers we have.
Listening to Stokes after the match made me question his thinking. He basically said "oh well, we lost, onto the next one" without any thought about why we did so badly & are they going to learn from their mistakes. From his answers apparantly not & seems to be treating it all as a bit of a knock about or beer match.
That's been his method throughout his captaincy though - take away the fear of failure, talented players can thrive rather than shrink under too much pressure.
He's also said before he doesn't want one bad result to make them stop their process and it's more important to have that process to improve over having individual games we win etc.
There's a decent argument in that, and we're better for it compared to the last years under Root and Silverwood.
However, I do think there's a time when that process and mindset needs to grow (rather than change), we've got more positive foundations now to do that.
Listening to Stokes after the match made me question his thinking. He basically said "oh well, we lost, onto the next one" without any thought about why we did so badly & are they going to learn from their mistakes. From his answers apparantly not & seems to be treating it all as a bit of a knock about or beer match.
It's the nature of bazzball. Swing at everything, especially across the line at straight balls heading for your middle stump. If it comes off you can have good and even great wins. If it doesn't you will lose and even get thrashed.
14 wins in 22 matches by Ben and Baz but when the home team like India have such a better squad in home conditions then all the positive thinking in the world can't over come quality. Yes, in the odd test but not over 5 tests when the weather can't come to your aid other than you have to bowl for long periods in 35 to 40 degree heat.
From the 4 million odd cricketers that belong to clubs in india they have a vast pool of players to choose from.
Listening to Stokes after the match made me question his thinking. He basically said "oh well, we lost, onto the next one" without any thought about why we did so badly & are they going to learn from their mistakes. From his answers apparantly not & seems to be treating it all as a bit of a knock about or beer match.
It's the nature of bazzball. Swing at everything, especially across the line at straight balls heading for your middle stump. If it comes off you can have good and even great wins. If it doesn't you will lose and even get thrashed.
But it's more than that. There was no contrition and was like the result didn't matter. I'm not expecting inquests & extra match practice but it would have been nice to hear that maybe the approach could do with a bit of tweaking so that Joe Root doesn't think he has to scoop every ball for 6.
Listening to Stokes after the match made me question his thinking. He basically said "oh well, we lost, onto the next one" without any thought about why we did so badly & are they going to learn from their mistakes. From his answers apparantly not & seems to be treating it all as a bit of a knock about or beer match.
It's the nature of bazzball. Swing at everything, especially across the line at straight balls heading for your middle stump. If it comes off you can have good and even great wins. If it doesn't you will lose and even get thrashed.
But it's more than that. There was no contrition and was like the result didn't matter. I'm not expecting inquests & extra match practice but it would have been nice to hear that maybe the approach could do with a bit of tweaking so that Joe Root doesn't think he has to scoop every ball for 6.
I can't see them saying we're going to move away from bazball, which is basically what you are suggesting.
Personally I think they should. I don't think Root should play the ramp, when he keeps getting out playing it. I don't think we should be swinging across the line of balls heading for the stumps, but I can't see the tactics changing.
I don't think batsman should be trying to hit the leather off the ball from their first delivery. But that's what's been decided they will do.
Bazball batting is really entertaining and has won England many matches, but it certainly hasn't helped England's bowlers in this match.
India's innings took 130.5 and 98 overs. England's 1st innings took just 71.1 overs.
So having toiled for 131 overs, England's bowlers then had 71 overs of rest before having to go out there again and bowl again, for the 3rd day running. Not surprisingly they were less effective second time around.
Yes scoring quickly can put pressure on the opposition, and make up time when time is an issue, but it ended up no help to England here. If we had "Boycotted" our way to 319 in the 1st innings in 120 overs instead of 71, lasting all the 3rd day, our bowlers would have been fresher 2nd time round, and the Indian bowlers more tired.
We might have won 14 out of our last 25 Test matches but assuming we don't win both of these final two matches, we won't actually have won any of the last three series we've contested (I don't count the one off Test match against Ireland as a Series or a serious contest for that matter). We are second bottom of the World Test Championship as a result of not only our slow over rate but also because we've only won three out of the last eight matches. We "enjoyed" an appalling World Cup in that period too. Now we are either not good enough, too invested in Bazball or aren't giving enough time for preparation. The reality, to me, is that it is a combination of the three.
The spinners aren't good enough and I've bored people to death on here as to why we don't produce them or give them a chance to develop so I won't revisit that one (suffice to say that it isn't a priority of ours - not when there's our own version of franchise cricket to concentrate on anyway), there have been vital times both here and against Australia when a slavish devotion to Bazball (Root being one of the biggest culprits) rather than pragmatism has turned wins or draws into defeat and we also simply do not prepare well enough.
Look at our lack of preparation for Indian conditions prior to the World Cup and then think of what we have done on this tour - we flew to prior to the Series to a camp in Dubai and had no tour matches whatsoever. We then decided that, between the last Test and this one, that we would fly back to Dubai, play some golf and bring the families over. No training whatsoever let alone an unofficial game in Indian conditions to allow those batsmen so out of form to get some time in the middle. A match or two before and during that gap would surely have also benefitted someone like a prone to breaking down Robinson, rumoured to be called up for the next Test, but who hasn't played a single game of cricket in any shape or form since 7th July last year! I have mentioned that Spencer Johnson played for Australia on Tuesday and was back turning out for his club (10.4-3-19-3) four days later - but then he isn't worried about being dressed up in cotton wool or being afforded the luxury of being paid big bucks to put his feet up and spend his time making TikTok videos with his current girlfriend.
Undoubtedly, this side will win more than it loses because on good decks, especially in England, they have the ability to pulverise the opposition into submission and to utilise our seamers. Against the best Test nations we have to offer more than that which is why we have failed to beat either India and Australia in a series for almost six years. That's home or away.
Brook is obviously not there because Cook has Lawrence in for Bairstow for the next Test whereas Finn would keep Bairstow in the side. Both would rest Anderson and Wood and bring in Robinson and Atkinson.
Apparently the wicket is already showing signs of cracks. In which case we're likely to go with just one seamer. Robinson? Lawrence certainly deserves a chance imho but England are rather stubborn with their batting selection. Has any batsman been dropped/rested since Baz and Stokes took over?
Brook is obviously not there because Cook has Lawrence in for Bairstow for the next Test whereas Finn would keep Bairstow in the side. Both would rest Anderson and Wood and bring in Robinson and Atkinson.
Apparently the wicket is already showing signs of cracks. In which case we're likely to go with just one seamer. Robinson? Lawrence certainly deserves a chance imho but England are rather stubborn with their batting selection. Has any batsman been dropped/rested since Baz and Stokes took over?
No Bumrah for the hosts, so you imagine it'll be a bunsen.
Brook is obviously not there because Cook has Lawrence in for Bairstow for the next Test whereas Finn would keep Bairstow in the side. Both would rest Anderson and Wood and bring in Robinson and Atkinson.
Apparently the wicket is already showing signs of cracks. In which case we're likely to go with just one seamer. Robinson? Lawrence certainly deserves a chance imho but England are rather stubborn with their batting selection. Has any batsman been dropped/rested since Baz and Stokes took over?
Stokes doesn't like dropping his Northern mates.
If ever a time to bounce back it is this Test. India nearly have an entire Test 11 out, and one of high quality.
Brook is obviously not there because Cook has Lawrence in for Bairstow for the next Test whereas Finn would keep Bairstow in the side. Both would rest Anderson and Wood and bring in Robinson and Atkinson.
Apparently the wicket is already showing signs of cracks. In which case we're likely to go with just one seamer. Robinson? Lawrence certainly deserves a chance imho but England are rather stubborn with their batting selection. Has any batsman been dropped/rested since Baz and Stokes took over?
Comments
Drops a catch first morning thay would have had them 4 down & that batsmen then gets a century.
Gets out 2nd innings trying a ridiculous shot when all he needed to do was to get in & bat sensibly.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/dan-lawrence-rejoins-desert-vipers-england-tour-break-1420370
After getting ourselves to 224-2, we ended up going the rest of the match 217-18.
The pressure of 550 odd to chase/defend against a fired up bowling attack in India is immense.
The biggest difference is the bowlers overall.
Axar Patel took 27 wickets in the 3 test he played against England in 2021 in India for an amazing average of 10.59 and is classed as an all rounder yet didn't get picked for this test.
Axar Patel would be first choice for England ahead of all the other Slow/spin bowlers we have.
He's also said before he doesn't want one bad result to make them stop their process and it's more important to have that process to improve over having individual games we win etc.
There's a decent argument in that, and we're better for it compared to the last years under Root and Silverwood.
However, I do think there's a time when that process and mindset needs to grow (rather than change), we've got more positive foundations now to do that.
Swing at everything, especially across the line at straight balls heading for your middle stump.
If it comes off you can have good and even great wins.
If it doesn't you will lose and even get thrashed.
Yes, in the odd test but not over 5 tests when the weather can't come to your aid other than you have to bowl for long periods in 35 to 40 degree heat.
From the 4 million odd cricketers that belong to clubs in india they have a vast pool of players to choose from.
Personally I think they should.
I don't think Root should play the ramp, when he keeps getting out playing it.
I don't think we should be swinging across the line of balls heading for the stumps, but I can't see the tactics changing.
I don't think batsman should be trying to hit the leather off the ball from their first delivery.
But that's what's been decided they will do.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
I'm not saying it's wrong either. I'm undecided.
India's innings took 130.5 and 98 overs. England's 1st innings took just 71.1 overs.
So having toiled for 131 overs, England's bowlers then had 71 overs of rest before having to go out there again and bowl again, for the 3rd day running. Not surprisingly they were less effective second time around.
Yes scoring quickly can put pressure on the opposition, and make up time when time is an issue, but it ended up no help to England here. If we had "Boycotted" our way to 319 in the 1st innings in 120 overs instead of 71, lasting all the 3rd day, our bowlers would have been fresher 2nd time round, and the Indian bowlers more tired.
The spinners aren't good enough and I've bored people to death on here as to why we don't produce them or give them a chance to develop so I won't revisit that one (suffice to say that it isn't a priority of ours - not when there's our own version of franchise cricket to concentrate on anyway), there have been vital times both here and against Australia when a slavish devotion to Bazball (Root being one of the biggest culprits) rather than pragmatism has turned wins or draws into defeat and we also simply do not prepare well enough.
Look at our lack of preparation for Indian conditions prior to the World Cup and then think of what we have done on this tour - we flew to prior to the Series to a camp in Dubai and had no tour matches whatsoever. We then decided that, between the last Test and this one, that we would fly back to Dubai, play some golf and bring the families over. No training whatsoever let alone an unofficial game in Indian conditions to allow those batsmen so out of form to get some time in the middle. A match or two before and during that gap would surely have also benefitted someone like a prone to breaking down Robinson, rumoured to be called up for the next Test, but who hasn't played a single game of cricket in any shape or form since 7th July last year! I have mentioned that Spencer Johnson played for Australia on Tuesday and was back turning out for his club (10.4-3-19-3) four days later - but then he isn't worried about being dressed up in cotton wool or being afforded the luxury of being paid big bucks to put his feet up and spend his time making TikTok videos with his current girlfriend.
Undoubtedly, this side will win more than it loses because on good decks, especially in England, they have the ability to pulverise the opposition into submission and to utilise our seamers. Against the best Test nations we have to offer more than that which is why we have failed to beat either India and Australia in a series for almost six years. That's home or away.
vice captain Mohammed Akhtar has coached my kids a bit , plays for Ilford and is a genuinely nice man .
this tourney was supposed to be in Pakistan later on in the year but they couldn’t provide security so has been moved to SA
Bumrah rested for the 4th Test, Rahul still not fit.
Lawrence certainly deserves a chance imho but England are rather stubborn with their batting selection. Has any batsman been dropped/rested since Baz and Stokes took over?
If ever a time to bounce back it is this Test. India nearly have an entire Test 11 out, and one of high quality.