Cricket

ToffeeTim said:
Not convinced he should be playing. Picked on reputation rather than recent performances.

They've not pitched it up enough from what I hear on the radio.
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He's had a poor series for wickets but has generally bowled well and gives huge control. They were both pitching it up a yard vs the Windies but the amount of playing and missing this morning possibly does point to just being a fraction too short again. Looks good on TV but doesn't take wickets.

England's morning but Babar the real danger, they have to skittle them. Looking at the forecast this morning the weather looked ok for the afternoon session but maybe dodgy later. Even tomorrow is warm but overcast. Hot and humid can encourage swing just as much tbh.
 
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ToffeeTim said:
Just feel he's not bowling with as much threat recently. Was OK in the Manchester test he played, but not good in Southampton.

I don't like the balance of this team with Woakes at 7. They made the easy selection decision to keep all the bowlers.
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Agree, Woakes is really out of form, he is a proper batsman but when he has four number elevens behind him it means 5 down is as good as all out.

Crawley should have played instead of Bess if they were seriously worried about Stokes not being able to be risked as a seamer. I too suspect he just copped out of making the difficult decision when the easy option was available with a plausible reason.
 
I said before the test that Babar is a top class batsman, not just against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka but everyone. For me he's right up there with the very best going atm.

A great toss to win, fairly obvious choice as both captains would have batted and England look to be a batsman short so had to make full use of any help on the first morning. They never quite got their lengths right and while playing and missing looks lucky it's often a consequence of the bowlers not pitching it up quite enough. They don't get driven or go for too many but don't take wickets either, so while it looks good it's not effective enough.

Babar started cautiously before lunch but since then has pressed his accelerator.

They can't do much about losing the toss but a first test selection possibly erring on the side of caution and saving Root having to make any tough decisions, looks likely to cost them yet again.

Pakistan to win easily from here as England's batting line up is too dependent on too few right at the top. I reckon hot weather after today and two spinners in the fourth innings just makes it easier.

They're not West Indies and it'll be far more difficult to overturn a first test loss so easily against them.
 
Minimeister said:
Not sure what documentary it was in but remember a lad called Carberry saying about the abuse he took off the bowlers for dropping a catch once and how they were scared in the field. Funnily enough, I think KP was in that one stirring the pot. I don't like the way he always jumps onto the players he obviously doesn't like and accuse them of bullying, just because they worked out he was a grade A whopper. It's a fine line between playing hard and winning and making sure you don't cross that line.
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KP was hard to manage and really rated himself, I'd imagine he had a pretty thin skin and could be very touchy about the usual mickey taking that goes on in any dressing room. From what I've read however, he's far from wrong on the culture. If it was just him saying it I think that might stand up but it isn't. Some of it is naturally the hard game top level cricket is and what's at stake noone will look too kindly on someone who just keeps on letting the side down with poor fielding, it affects everyone when that happens - so a certain amount of it is good. It's when it crosses the line and becomes too voluble and specifically targeted that it can affect weaker characters (obviously not Pietersen). Trott is one who specifically identified it as a major cause of the team's slide. We don't know the exact truth as only those who played do but I wouldn't pin the blame on any single person.

KP needed England when he first came over but once the IPL started this was never going to be the case so much and the rift was always likely imo, he didn't obey the rules about texting and that was unforgivable. I would however divorce that from the bullying culture stuff which sounds as if it had some truth in it to me.
 
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Chris O'Connor said:
KP was hard to manage and really rated himself, I'd imagine he had a pretty thin skin and could be very touchy about the usual mickey taking that goes on in any dressing room. From what I've read however, he's far from wrong on the culture. If it was just him saying it I think that might stand up but it isn't. Some of it is naturally the hard game top level cricket is and what's at stake noone will look too kindly on someone who just keeps on letting the side down with poor fielding, it affects everyone when that happens - so a certain amount of it is good. It's when it crosses the line and becomes too voluble and specifically targeted that it can affect weaker characters (obviously not Pietersen). Trott is one who specifically identified it as a major cause of the team's slide. We don't know the exact truth as only those who played do but I wouldn't pin the blame on any single person.

KP needed England when he first came over but once the IPL started this was never going to be the case so much and the rift was always likely imo, he didn't obey the rules about texting and that was unforgivable. I would however divorce that from the bullying culture stuff which sounds as if it had some truth in it to me.
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Maybe I'm wrong but it just seems a stick for KP to beat people with now instead of doing something for the likes of Carberry and Trott at the time.
 
Just read that Notts live stream of their game against Derby received more than 83,000 views - I wonder how many Lancs 'members-only' stream received? Typically shortsighted decision by the club and hard to believe when it was free for everyone last year.

That Babar looks high class and great to watch.
 

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