Cricket

[Connor]

Just a perfect day of cricket

 

[summerisle]

Hopefully Mahmood will be released from the Test squad to play against Somerset in the T20 quarter final tomorrow night.

 

[catcherintherye]

Yeah as I was saying

In honesty, like I think I said this morning, the bowlers are not an issue for England. We have 10 who I would honestly say will cause sides problems in England. Probably similar to most teams in home conditions.

The issue is the batting, where its hard to find 6 batsman.

 

[catcherintherye]

A very good day for England. Some take outs.
1) The bowling depth in English conditions is very strong. We picked 4 today. We are missing, Wood, Archer, Woakes, Stone & Broad. Lots of depth and in honesty will be interesting who goes to Australia. Thought Overton bowled very nicely today, and good to see Curran start paying a bit of Englands faith back in him.

2) Losing Sibley a big plus. Not just has he been batting badly for a long time, his lack of tempo, and chewing up balls has clearly been effecting those around him. Burns looked a lot better today. I think question his and Hameebs technique but they played nicely today.

 

[catcherintherye]

After ignominiously grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory in the last test England had to respond, and today was more than a perfect answer.

Mark Wood added to England's ongoing injury woes before a ball was bowled, but having lost the toss, this second string attack was inspired by their sole remaining iconic master of swing and seam, Jimmy Anderson.

Virat Kohli has shown all series how not to bat in England, but it was if the whole team copied him today - everyone was getting caught behind by Buttler who just kept taking the dolly's provided. Length was important and England's quartet of medium quicks got it consistently on that just short of a drive length, doing just enough and consistently taking the edge.

Ishant Sharma showed the way for India with a hilarious loud of rubbish when they bowled. He was literally all over the place - he's the bowler who keeps on giving for England, setting the tone for a pitiful bowling performance from the visitors.. Although Rohit, Bumrah and Shami were better they didn't consistently get the right lengths that all four of England's seamers had.

Rory Burns once again had an impressive start to his first innings and Hameed looks confident against this misfiring attack too. Both now looking set on 50 odd not out, 40 runs ahead of their entire teams total and ten wickets still in hand. More dominant a position couldn't be envisaged and rarely happens in test cricket for any team, anytime, anywhere against anyone.

I thought it was a great response.

That test match was the worst defeat since the Ashes match in 2006, where we scored 550 and lost. Killed the entire series that day, and I feared for today. Theyve come back strongly though, and with a long batting line up, hard to see a way out for India.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

I thought it was a great response.

That test match was the worst defeat since the Ashes match in 2006, where we scored 550 and lost. Killed the entire series that day, and I feared for today. Theyve come back strongly though, and with a long batting line up, hard to see a way out for India.

Yeah tbh a few mistakes in that post but couldn't be arsed correcting them with ten minute rule. Rohit obviously not their fourth seamer lol

 

[Alan Whittle]

What a come back win for Hants in T20 QF at Trent Bridge. Extraordinary

 

[BlueToff]

Great day at Headingley.

Btw, that pink windball... yeah, that was us

(well, my mate)

 

[Chris O'Connor]

Kohli averages 23 since his last test hundred in 2019 and as always his average in England is lower still, averaging 9.5 on this tour so far into the third test.

It has to be questioned whether he's even in the same bracket as the likes of Williamson, Root even Smith and Labuschagne. He's only ever done well once in England but more often than not is dismissed cheaply and no stranger to abject failure.

 

[Jamo Martinez]

I would imagine that the only thing which could stop England winning now is, err, England. By that I mean the English weather or the England cricket team.

 

[BigMick]

Great bowling performance by England, led by Anderson.

Woeful bowling performance by India, led by Ishant.

Credit to Burns and Hameed for putting away the bounty of bad balls they received.

Hameed had a bit of luck - badly dropped at slip and misjudging one that nipped back and went over middle stump - none of India's bowlers maintained that line for long enough against him. I was encouraged to see both openers looking for quick singles off decent balls, just working the ball into space. For Hameed, that's a big improvement that I hope he maintains - he'll no longer be a sitting duck for 6 balls, over after over.

 

[wandyr79]

A very good day for England. Some take outs.
1) The bowling depth in English conditions is very strong. We picked 4 today. We are missing, Wood, Archer, Woakes, Stone & Broad. Lots of depth and in honesty will be interesting who goes to Australia. Thought Overton bowled very nicely today, and good to see Curran start paying a bit of Englands faith back in him.

2) Losing Sibley a big plus. Not just has he been batting badly for a long time, his lack of tempo, and chewing up balls has clearly been effecting those around him. Burns looked a lot better today. I think question his and Hameebs technique but they played nicely today.

This is the key for me, Openers need to get their eye in and if they can rotate well early on they have fought half the battle. Sibley does not allow the guy at the other end to do this, just stands there, as you said, chewing up balls.

I though Hameed played with good intent to rotate the strike and Burns followed suit, with the added bonus of having a left/right partnership, which can obviously disrupt the bowling rhythm. After that initial period it was as if they were taking turns to up the run rate, one would sit for a while and the other would hit a few blows and vice versa.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

Ted Dexter died age 86. One of England's all time greats he captained England in the late 50's and early 60's. A forcing batsman whose forte was always to dominate the bowling by attacking with lots of shots, one of the last amateur captains and a great innovator.

He was one of the great and last polymaths of English cricket, a true all round sportsman and athlete. He played golf as an amateur off scratch and had the chance to take it up seriously following a round with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, but instead opting to remain as an amateur and concentrate on cricket.

He led Sussex to the first of two one day titles in the early 1960's, just at the advent of one day cricket itself (60 overs a side in those early days). He went onto be a chairman of the selectors and commentated on BBC TV in the bad old days when the Beeb covered cricket in a half arsed second or third class fashion.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

I would imagine that the only thing which could stop England winning now is, err, England. By that I mean the English weather or the England cricket team.

Yes England have already shown India how to do it at this very ground two years ago. Then they themselves were under pressure having been bowled out for just 67 in their first innings, before staging a recovery and going on to win the test and level the series.

The difference perhaps is neither side playing today has a Ben Stokes, still easily England's best cricketer and one of only two truly world class batsmen they have.

 

[DuuuncanHadaPigeon]

hopefully we can bat most of the next two days - need to be looking at 450/500 +