Cricket

[Chris O'Connor]

On a difficult batting track, if not nearly as bad as yesterday morning, all the England bowlers toiled well and were desperately unlucky as the returns hardly reflected the play. Dropped catches didnt help but Broad getting just three when he should have had a 'five for' was a story in itself.

I said yesterday around 180 was par for batting first on that and 300 batting second, I don't think that's far from the mark. Its not easy by any means and all but Curran - who was unfortunately pop gun standard, bowled well without any luck at all.

Don't get me wrong, you have to give immense credit to the batsmen, even if they rode their luck at times, they were patient and showed guts. I always think however, that when facing a low total in slightly better batting conditions, it is far easier to bide your time, there is absolutely no scoreboard pressure whatsoever and just survival is perfectly fine and acceptable, it's all that's needed - take as few risks as possible because you can.

The nightmarish conditions of the first session yesterday won't come back, it was a tough break for England to be inserted and really set the tone

Psychologically, chasing the game from well behind is extremely tough even if conditions have eased, its nothing like batting second knowing you're in a strong position, the mental pressure is a huge added burden, the opposition are baying for wickets.

England have put up a brave performance in this match but once they lost the toss, it meant the dice were heavily loaded against them, they needed everything to go their way today.

It didn't.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

The Windies have bowled and batted better. They pitched the ball up. England bowl too short. Consistently in all conditions.

I would dispute that, the conditions yesterday morning were nightmarish, England could easily have succumbed in a session, West Indies bowled too short and wide, especially Gabriel but the pitch was so devilish it was impossible to survive.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

The bowling is consistently too short. You want to be driven. It's not to be feared.

When West Indies bowled their lengths weren't so different but it was shooting or keeping low, not every ball, but enough to make the batsman fearful survival wouldn't be enough as a ball would get you out.

When just survival isn't enough, batsmen have to hit out before the wicket ball gets them out, take risks as Bairstow did, Bairstow played the innings of the match for me. Survival is enough batting second and a completely different style to batting can be adopted in less treacherous conditions

For all that it wasn't easy later yesterday or today it was FAR, FAR easier than yesterday morning.

If EVER there was a win the toss, win the match pitch, this was it.

Winning the toss in the first test of the series was a big advantage for West Indies, winning the toss in here was almost like the game itself.

 

[Minimeister]

Englands batting is shocking. It wasn't the tosses fault we got bowled out for 77 in the first Test. Absolute public school boy mentality to give up instead of digging in. Look at the way Braithwaite batted today. None of our batsmen has got the balls or the skill to do the same.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

Englands batting is shocking. It wasn't the tosses fault we got bowled out for 77 in the first Test. Absolute public school boy mentality to give up instead of digging in. Look at the way Braithwaite batted today. None of our batsmen has got the balls or the skill to do the same.

England's batting in this test match can very definitely can 90% be put down to losing the toss and batting on an extremely substandard pitch.

In the first test, lack of preparation almost certainly played a part and there are less mitigating reasons, this test England put up a brave performance with Bairstow perhaps producing his best innings of his whole career in making 51, and that includes his centuries.

So as both batting performances should never be grouped together as a continuation of the first test, I'll just look at what effect winning the toss in the first test had.

England's recurring West Indian horror show of being blown away for next to nothing by a battery of hostile pace and bounce came back to haunt them in full force in the opening test, the scariest nightmare they just can't shake off.

The tall West Indian pace merchants bowled with speed, hostility and precision maximising the unevenness of the second day pitch. Memories of 46 in Trinidad in 94 or the 51 in Kingston in 09 came flooding back as Kemar Roach struck in spectacular fashion in the first hour after lunch. It was as if they had summoned the spirits of old and we were watching archive footage of them in their pomp, in the 80s, their golden age. England subsided from a manageable 44-2 to a miserable 49-7 in the space of just eight overs, and it was right there where this test was won and lost.

The pitch had been heavily watered before the start of the test meaning it was tacky and slower until the evening session on the first day, that was the time to bat. By the evening session the tackiness had gone to be replaced by bounce and pace and Anderson took advantage. The second day of that test was a continuation of that as all batsmen found it tough and sixteen wickets fell.

It's extremely tough facing tall, fast and hostile bowling, at times exceeding 90mph, on a wicket where uneven patches gave unpredictable bounce, some rearing up while others kept down. The ball is on to you that much quicker and there is no time at all to react or cope with the vagaries of the surface.

Shannon Gabriel's ball that dismissed Curran was clocked at comfortably over 90 and gave him nowhere to go, but even Ben Stokes and Anderson look dangerous. After the first two sessions of day one when the tackiness had gone the pitch changed completely in nature, which made making runs early on day one essential.

So taking just the first two days of test one, which is where it was won and lost and looking at this - what happened after that being largely immaterial for me as the game was decided...

The first two sessions of day one was the time to bat and making runs then essential, the uneven patches on the wicket became far more apparent by the evening session as the effects of the morning rain had disappeared under the hot sin and with the tackiness gone, the pitch got far quicker.

Although England should have been better and found a way to cope, batting was a lot more difficult in the last session of day one and day two, Anderson had caused havoc in the evening session of day one as batting conditions deteriorated and on the second day, West Indies bowled well and took full advantage.

It is hard to argue that the toss didnt make a major difference, both captains would have batted precisely because it was likely to, only one won the toss and it wasn't England.

On Braithwaite in this test....

Yes you have to give immense credit to him and the other batsmen, even if they rode their luck at times, they were patient and showed guts. I always think however, that when facing a low total in slightly better batting conditions, it is far easier to bide your time, there is absolutely no scoreboard pressure whatsoever and just survival is perfectly fine and acceptable, it's all that's needed - take as few risks as possible because you can.

To compare the two batting performances in such different batting conditions when two completely different batting styles where appropriate and the optimal ones to choose, is NOT comparing like with like in similar batting conditions but rather apples with pears.

The style most appropriate for making runs before you inevitably succumbed in the morning session of day one is the exact opposite of that required on day two.

There is no fair comparison and it is spurious to make one imo.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

Both tosses were crucial, the one in the first test gave a major advantage, the one in the second test, in effect, gave the game itself.

 

[PITA]

A little bit from the bits I've seen. But you're more likely to play and miss when the ball is shorter. The Windies have bowled and batted better. They pitched the ball up. England bowl too short. Consistently in all conditions.

That’s fair enough but I’m thinking about when we’ve squared them up and the ball has dropped into empty space.

 

[summerisle]

283-7, lead by 96, Anderson with the wicket. Sad news today :

 

[summerisle]

290-8, Anderson again.

 

[summerisle]

West Indies bowled out for 306, England 8-0, 111 behind.

 

[summerisle]

England 35-1, Burns 16, Denly dropped, 84 behind, a wonderful Saturday.

 

[ToffeeTim]

Pathetic knock by Bairstow. Tried to play a shot to every ball.

 

[summerisle]

Could be another another innings defeat looming : 73-4.

 

[ToffeeTim]

This batting is shoddy. Big booming on a drive with seam and uneven bounce. It's actually dreadful. No value on their wicket. No guts to fight for the team.

 

[Billysgingham.]

This batting is shoddy. Big booming on a drive with seam and uneven bounce. It's actually dreadful. No value on their wicket. No guts to fight for the team.

The last sentence is Everton players all over.