Broad and Anderson outstanding in this match. I'm eating a bit of humble pie here.
Cricket
- Thread starter summerisle
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Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
Safe to say we can skip forward to tomorrow now lol
Looks as though the forecast is spot on - as expected tbh, an absolute deluge atm. There's a slight chance if it blows through quicker than expected, as unusually strong winds expected, that there may be an hour or two later in the day around 5pm, but I wouldn't think it too likely tbh.
They shouldn't have too much trouble with 98 overs tomorrow and a dry forecast anyway. The Windies have a few like Gabriel held together with sticky tape and now just falling apart, they look a beaten side. I suspect they all just want to get on the plane home now. Probably all over between lunch and tea tomorrow is my guess.
Even if there were some resistance, they have a second new ball due after 74 of those 98 overs and new ball wickets have been a feature of this and the last test.
Looks as though the forecast is spot on - as expected tbh, an absolute deluge atm. There's a slight chance if it blows through quicker than expected, as unusually strong winds expected, that there may be an hour or two later in the day around 5pm, but I wouldn't think it too likely tbh.
They shouldn't have too much trouble with 98 overs tomorrow and a dry forecast anyway. The Windies have a few like Gabriel held together with sticky tape and now just falling apart, they look a beaten side. I suspect they all just want to get on the plane home now. Probably all over between lunch and tea tomorrow is my guess.
Even if there were some resistance, they have a second new ball due after 74 of those 98 overs and new ball wickets have been a feature of this and the last test.
Billy Dean
Player Valuation: £70m
We'll miss them when they're gone.
Probably for the first and only time this series they looked a beaten team yesterday the West Indies. They got a but ragged.
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
Tbh they were beaten in four days in the last one too, with England using the second innings as a one day hit out to set up the declaration.
I suppose you could even say that the weather has been England's toughest opponent in the last two tests. The Windies have had periods but just can't sustain it. Day two here a cracking first hour followed by a quite abysmal five hours with yesterday virtually a repeat.
I think they are just finding that it's impossible to cope with such a thin squad when the tests all come on top of each other, there's no rotation and some have fell apart with the demands
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
Update, stopped raining here now which just shows the unpredictability of weather, especially showery stuff which can just miss you. Never depend on a washout or declare on the strength of it. Still the probability is a washout, but it's not a certainty by any means, and why it was so vital they got enough runs regardless of it being so. Nearly 400 ahead is enough however much time is left.
England played well enough yesterday that they can afford a full washout today, as long as the full 98 overs are available tomorrow.
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
Good to see the big lad in action and you can see he gives it a rip and does turn it, albeit on a helpful deck, so you can see how he's taken wickets in the past. Has a very repeatable action with just a walk up runup but maybe a bit like good old Monty Panesar, seemed to bowl the same stock delivery time after time and not enough variety. He can hit the ball too so a dangerous lower order batter
Has had a fairly miserable time of it though with match figures of 46 overs, 0-164, scored 10 runs but did hold a cracking reaction catch only to prove he's fallible by spilling a sitter. I suppose his test was summed up when he could have claimed a wicket if he'd only elected to refer a decision which would have been out, but that's how it's gone for him here
Has had a fairly miserable time of it though with match figures of 46 overs, 0-164, scored 10 runs but did hold a cracking reaction catch only to prove he's fallible by spilling a sitter. I suppose his test was summed up when he could have claimed a wicket if he'd only elected to refer a decision which would have been out, but that's how it's gone for him here
Yes thats probably fair, I mean I think in my head I was referring to in the field. They looked ragged yesterday.
Frim their perspective, I as surprised Gabriel played, he has looked really tired. 3 back to back tests is hard and they have a couple of quicks in the 15 who could have come in. I've said for some time it's a great shame Russell and Pollard don't play test cricket as they make an enormous difference (as probably Dwayne Bravo would have done through his career).
Manchester, with cloud cover almost permanently, facing Anderson and Broad is about has hard as it gets. They have been competitive in moments of the series which is a big plus for them, and hopefully they learn a lot from it. The bowling has been high class. Even that 2nd test, that 2nd morning, I read they went past the bat of Sibley & Stokes about 30 times, caughtthe edge, had close appeals etc. I mean on another day, with those sort of numbers you an bowl a team out in little over a session. It was high quality bowling, they were just unlucky.
Test match cricket is very competitive now, which is good. You look at theunder 19's of Bangladesh and to a degree Afganistan, and you can see, over the coming years, particularly in their own conditions they will be very handy.
In England though, especialy with cloud cover, Anderson, Broad being backed up by Woakes is a seriously good attack. I actually think we win the Ashes as opposed to draw it last year if Anderson plays. For everything I've said about those 3 in Australia, in England, where the ball swings, they are world class.
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
Some play this afternoon now looking more likely with an improving forecast. It's even stopped raining at old Trafford.
gonetomorrow
Player Valuation: £80m
It's pretty tragic to see how fragile West Indies are nowadays. Not enough investment in cricket from the nineties onwards I guess is the problem. I hear that cricket isn't so popular generally in the Caribbean.
Inspection at 3. Rain radar says its clear over Lancs now and should stay that way, but it takes them 90 mins to get the pitch ready so who knows
Edit: Scratch that inspection....
Edit: Scratch that inspection....
Last edited:
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
According to ian Ward, every hope we'll get some play later, just one band of rain they're waiting to pass but clearer skies behind. Should get a couple of hours, if they start before six play will continue until 7 (7.30 to get the required overs in) and they do have their excellent new drainage system which does usually mean play can be quickly under way once it stops raining.
It's sunny here in Southport and has been mostly dry for some time, but then it is in Manchester which is a bit of a rain magnet.
As the former Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic once said
"I will never stay to live in England, that's for sure," said Vidic, whose move to Manchester in January 2006 came after an 18-month spell at Spartak Moscow. "The climate here is something special. You get only a brief glimpse of sunlight before it's all cloudy again. The winters are mild but in summer the temperatures seldom go higher than 20 degrees, and it rains, rains, rains.
"In England they say that Manchester is the city of rain. Its main attraction is considered to be the timetable at the railway station where trains leave for other, less rainy cities."
Classic
lollollol
It's sunny here in Southport and has been mostly dry for some time, but then it is in Manchester which is a bit of a rain magnet.
As the former Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic once said
"I will never stay to live in England, that's for sure," said Vidic, whose move to Manchester in January 2006 came after an 18-month spell at Spartak Moscow. "The climate here is something special. You get only a brief glimpse of sunlight before it's all cloudy again. The winters are mild but in summer the temperatures seldom go higher than 20 degrees, and it rains, rains, rains.
"In England they say that Manchester is the city of rain. Its main attraction is considered to be the timetable at the railway station where trains leave for other, less rainy cities."
Classic
lollollol
tommytowne
Player Valuation: £50m
I'm not sure about your feelings about popularity.
Like thousands of others I've been to the Caribbean on a good few cruises, and I make a bee line where possible to the cricket grounds. There always is a good crowd of youngsters either playing or practicing in the nets. The kids look good as well.
Maybe it's similar to our youngsters and football. Brilliant in their mid teens, then women enter into their lives and it's all downhill from there.
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
That rain did some damage, onfield umpire's on inspecting the surrounding area near the covers, it takes a while to mop up so probably will make a decision on calling it off or starting before 6 shortly I would presume