Cricket

[Eggs]

Do you remember the international Cavaliers on the tv on a Sunday?

..I don’t, Wilf.

 

[Eggs]

Useless Lancs.

Utterly useless.

...doomed. At least it looks like there’ll be a result and from what I remember of Southport the boundaries are small and runs can be scored quickly.

 

[wilfjacko]

..I don’t, Wilf.

Sorry Eggs,
I was assuming you're as old as me.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

They've dropped pope? Oh bloody hell, they're never going to fix the batting line up if they chop and change way too frequently. He wasn't the one to drop imo either, just maybe a reshuffle.

No not at all, Stokes has missed one test, when he missed, Woakes replaced him.

Woakes played so well in the second test that he was undroppable, so the extremely unlucky Sam Curran made way for Stokes return, now Woakes is injured, Curran is back.

From the first test, Malan is out being replaced firstly by Pope and now by Moeen, so the comparison is between these three for batting skills at test level, although Moeen may bat down the order.

Pope has made one promising innings of 29 and two failures, is only 20 and like the returning Sam Curran is very much being kept in the overall picture, but the best team for this vital test had to be picked, considering Moeen's experience as a test batsman and his superb current form there wasn't much of a dilemma.

Moeen has been in such outstanding form recently, both with bat and ball, that there really was little doubt he'd get the nod. His double hundred in the comfortable win against Yorkshire combined with his second innings figures of 6-49 couldn't have been more superbly timed.

Moeen is primarily a batsman at this level now Rashid is the primary spinning option, although he can be used as a second spinner too and gives that offspin variation.

Seven batsman including Moeen and Stokes, two bowling all rounders in Curran and Rashid at 8 and 9 and two tail enders in the bowlers Broad and Anderson.

A bowling attack of Broad and Anderson backed up by the left arm of Curran and the hopefully back on bowling form Stokes in the seam department, the leggies of Rashid for spin together with Moeen who offers an orthodox off spin alternative if needed, it does have plenty of variety and all the bases covered, except perhaps that of out and out pace.

(There was a doubt as to just how much Stokes can bowl, he was carrying a leg injury which meant he was only very reluctantly released to play solely as a batsman for Durham in their T20 Vitality blast quarter final, all of which must add to the common sense in having an extra bowling option too)

 

[summerisle]

England win the toss and will bat.

 

[toffeejack]

sounds like an utter shocker from jennings

 

[flibbyflob]

No idea why we keep picking Jennings, he is useless. Probably the worst of all the openers we have selected since Strauss retired and Lyth and Robson were terrible so it shows how bad he is.

 

[summerisle]

 

[AndyC]

sounds like an utter shocker from jennings

It was a helluva ball that got him... three outs wingers one after the other and then wallop, an absolute beauty of an ins winger, did him up like a kipper

 

[GrumpyBlue]

and bang goes another one.
Joe Root, LBW-England 15-2

 

[AndyC]

We can be critical of some of our batsmen, but hang on a minute, this Indian bowling attack is rather tasty.

 

[summerisle]

We can be critical of some of our batsmen, but hang on a minute, this Indian bowling attack is rather tasty.

Looks difficult to play, although they are supposed to be the best.

 

[summerisle]

Lancashire 161 all out, Worcestershire 3-0, 64 ahead.
England 29-3, Bairstow out.

 

[Eggs]

Sorry Eggs,
I was assuming you're as old as me.

..as this is the cricket thread, i’m hoping to be 62 not out in a few weeks.

 

[Eggs]

Lancashire 161 all out, Worcestershire 3-0, 64 ahead.
England 29-3, Bairstow out.

..not a good morning. Two run outs in Lancashire’s demise.