roydo
in memoriam - 1965-2024
Puzzled me that. Looked like the super snicker thing showed bat before pad.
Cricket
- Thread starter summerisle
- Start date
Puzzled me that. Looked like the super snicker thing showed bat before pad.
I think it's always difficult to talk about tactics in a situation like this until it plays out. If we win tomorrow then these tactics will have been totally vindicated. If we lose then it will make the people saying we should have declared an hour ago look very stupid. If it's a tight draw then the people complaining will be proved right. You never quite know how it will go in test cricket, Root's captaincy has been good recently so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt here, if he thinks we needed to keep on batting then fair enough.
India can't make these runs, there's no point batting on. 410 in about 103 overs on that track isn't happening.
Definitely showed bat before pad and the replays in slow motion you could see the ball deviate
England have a habit of doing this. They should have declared an hour ago. Always more afraid of losing than going for glory
Jimmy doing the right thing for the side haha
superkeeper
Player Valuation: £8m
I think Anderson would rather be bowling based on that wicket
Good time to get a wicket. One more before the close would be an ideal start
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
For all it's great entertainment and the highest form of T20, the IPL isn't test cricket.
Even taking into account his lean years after being hit Broad's career test average is still almost twenty and once again going upwards. In recent series he's made some very decent scores and seems to have regained all his former confidence.
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
Would have been nice but both spinners now operating and the pitch starting to go, they'll really fancy their chances tomorrow.
These wickets are normally very helpful on the last day and get progressively more difficult to bat on even within the fifth day. I think this could be concluded just after tea, depends so much on when it really goes. What kind of roller will India want tomorrow? Intriguing as a heavy one may make it bat ok for half an hour but the cracks become impossible later, so maybe a light one.
For the first time I have England favourites over the draw.
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
Tbf we've lost a few declaring too early and grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory. Have already performed that trick in India too (in relatively recent memory).
With Rishabh Pant in their ranks proving how devastating he can be in their first innings why would you want to give them a chance, they don't deserve it? - Pant doesn't do defence and absolute quality as is Gill and then there's Kohli. So easy from the commentary box - they love to declare all the time - and they'll still be sitting pretty if they lose
Against West Indies we've done it a couple of times.
Another wicket would have been nice but for me that was a well timed innings with just enough to put it beyond India (probably won't chase unless Pant really explodes - he seriously is better attacking in all situations)
On this very ground India made 387-4 easily chasing down the target. England have been burned before, underestimate India if you like but I wouldn't
Last edited:
I think his average between that incident and last summer was about 10.
Broad to me looks a very different batsman to the one before that incident, even with his improvement. He looked a very handy batsman before, he now looks a a good hitter.
He seems a smart lad, and I think he's realised attack is the best form of defence, which makes sense. I would suggest that will be the best root for Archer to go down too.
I don't really have an issue woth Roots overal tactics in this game. Essentially do not lose. If you an squeeze a win out, great, but do not lose. I really don't think he fancies trying to chse a series from behind. As I said a few days ago, in the lead up to the series, if England are competitive, play some good cricket, win some moments that will be seen as a real plus. They have had a habit of being pummelled in away series. In fairness in the last Australia series they won some moments, but none of the key ones.
I don't think a peak Engand team could go to India at present, and look at go and win with flair, so this patched up, quite young team has little chance of winning that way. I also think a lot of the stuff, around declarations- as well as enforcing the follow on is championed by ex players from another era. There's often a lot less to be gained from doing it- especially if there is no rain about, than people realise.
Within that context, there are certainly elements of the overall strategy that could be looked at. Could SIbley and to a degree Lawrence been more proactive? I think yes. Did Root have to be scoring at above a run a ball so soon, or could he have reigned in a bit and looked to kick on after tea? Again maybe.
The two additional cavaets to this are though- tha the Indian batsman, with IPL experince can score quickly. You saw Pant disptch a number of the bowlers in the 1st innings. The second is, that really neither Leach, nor Bess have the experience or quality to be depended upon yet. I'm not trying to criticise either, but neither of them are lads, if you're Root, who you would be certain of delivering for you against high class players of spin. So you weight the stack as firmly as possible in their favour.
It's been a very good performance, even though at times in that 2nd innings it didn't look like they really knew what they were trying to do. England to me are big favourites in securing what would be a big away win.
Broad's batting had gone downhill way before that bouncer hit him. He got 8 fifties and a ton in his first 50 test innings. In the 47 innings immediately prior to that injury he had 1 fifty and 21 scores of less than 10. The injury made him less willing to get on the front foot and smack it, which was his strength, and so it did cause him some problems, but he'd already become very much a lower order hitter who occasionally came off much earlier than is often claimed.
Yes I can't say I'm surprised thats the case, but in terms of referencing Broads batting that just feels an obvious point to reference it back to. The issue is, that the average of 20 flatters him a bit, and he hasn't been (or at least wasn't) an average 20 batsman for a very long time.
The 2nd point I suppose it that even though he has made some changes and improvements, he is not the same batsman he was prior to that incident/period. He looked a solid, competent batsman before, whereas now he looks a decent slogger. I really don't think I would say Broads current rennaissance is indicative of a return to the early part of his career. Chris may have a different view and he's obviously entitled to it, but thats mine. I think his current approach is really a reflection of him undertanding that fact as well. That he isn't going to be hanging around for long periods of time, so he may as well look to make as many runs as possible while he is in. Shane Warne was a bit like that, he had a good eye and could score in unusual areas.
Thats just my take on it though.