The cricket thread

guitars4you · March 2022

Have to feel sorry for Lawrence - 91 and 2 balls left - Maybe his head was buzzing after 2 boundaries on the trot - But he'll learn from it - Gave the innings some impetus - Top marks to Joe again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

crunchman · March 2022

sixstringsupplies said:

I think I’d rather have Sibley than Lees if that’s the role he will be playing.

Did a good job though to be fair it allows Lawrence to play his natural game with the shine off the ball and the bowlers into the 2nd/3rd spells.

But Sibley has test hundreds in the bag. I think he’ll be back in the side before too long.

Sibley's technique is awful. He's not an option without reconstructing his game. Lees might not be good enough either. I think Rory Burns is probably a better player, but they couldn't not make changes after the Ashes shambles.

crunchman · March 2022

If you are near a TV, turn it on. Stokes is having fun.

Heartfeltdawn · March 2022

Windies second string have been awful. Permaul going at 4 an over, Joseph at 4.5 an over. And boom, there goes Joe. Now with the form YJB has been in and Stokes today, the next hour if we go for it will be amazing.

crunchman · March 2022

Interesting that Woakes did not open the bowling this morning, even though he is the "senior" bowler. He's averaging 127 in the series with the ball, at a strike rate of 264. Even though the pudding of a pitch in Antigua was dreadful, he compares badly with all the other bowlers on the same pitches. His stats are comfortably the worst of the frontline bowlers on either side.

Please bring back Jimmy for as long as he is available.

sev112 · March 2022

Come back Butler and Burns, all is forgiven

it’s now not just Foakes who can’t keep his mouth shut for more than a few seconds before he yells some sort of exhortation , with the bowlers name and “y” on the end of it, but Crawley is doing the bloomin same so it’s twice as loud

Mellish · March 2022

It would reflect on them better if they left the talking to bat and ball

Heartfeltdawn · March 2022

crunchman said:

Interesting that Woakes did not open the bowling this morning, even though he is the "senior" bowler. He's averaging 127 in the series with the ball, at a strike rate of 264. Even though the pudding of a pitch in Antigua was dreadful, he compares badly with all the other bowlers on the same pitches. His stats are comfortably the worst of the frontline bowlers on either side.

At present his figures for the winter (3 Tests in oz, 1 and a half in Windies):

5 Tests, 7 wickets at 66.57, SR of 117.1.

I don't care what he averages at home. You can't keep picking a guy who can only bowl on English wickets. It'd be utter bullshit to pick him on the easier decks and then expect someone else to come in and bowl on overseas tracks because that simply continues the in and out nature within the side that has helped contribute to our current malaise.

Heartfeltdawn · March 2022

Pleasegivefisherandmahmoodfirstuseofthenewballwhenitcomesjoe

chris78 · March 2022

Agree, but Fisher will be injured in a couple of games, given his county record. Mahmood has looked good to me

crunchman · March 2022

I know the bowling isn't the most penetrating, but this pitch is awful.

I don't think it's worth England trying to go for a declaration tomorrow. Just bat through the day to put some wear and tear on the Windies bowlers before the third test, and give our bowlers a rest.

Heartfeltdawn · March 2022

I agree. No sense putting our guys through a serious bowling workout. Get the batsmen in, tell them to be more aggressive and to get runs under their belt. Use it as an extended net practice.

Amazing seeing the number of morons on Twitter deriding the English attack. Quite clear in these days of T20 that there's a lot of fans who have no idea of the skills needed for the long format of the game. "But Parkinson would take wickets" - yeah, because leg spinners always succeed on debut, don't they? Even Warne was shit on debut.

Positives: Leach bowling for what seemed forever. He's bowled more maidens in three innings in the West Indies than Adil Rashid bowled in 19 Test matches. Mahmood: well done son, you've shown what you can do. Stokes getting through another good workout.

If the final Test is equally rubbish, it's two spinner time. It should have been two spinner time in the first Test and here. Drop Lees and use a temp opener who bowls.

NorthernGooner · March 2022

Apparently all three test venues on the tour have instructed their groundsmen to make a wicket that will last five days so
each venue can maximise revenue from the game being played at their ground. They want the punters in for five days it seems so the final test wicket will be another flattened and rolled mud heap. They'll probably lock the crowd in as well so they can't escape.

Well at least the beers cold but it's awful to watch.

Stuckfast · March 2022

What do the selectors see in Fisher that they don't in Jamie Porter, Sam Cook, Ben Coad, Ben Sanderson, Lewis Gregory, Ethan Bamber, Ollie Hannon-Dalby, Jordan Clark and many other fast-medium bowlers with good career stats? Nothing against him but I'm wondering why he seems to have leapfrogged them all into the Test side.

Heartfeltdawn · March 2022

Stuckfast said:

What do the selectors see in Fisher that they don't in Jamie Porter, Sam Cook, Ben Coad, Ben Sanderson, Lewis Gregory, Ethan Bamber, Ollie Hannon-Dalby, Jordan Clark and many other fast-medium bowlers with good career stats? Nothing against him but I'm wondering why he seems to have leapfrogged them all into the Test side.

Fisher: I think England see a bit of Tremlett in him, someone who could get quicker as Tremlett did compared to the start of his career and someone who bowls the so-called heavy ball. This tour was meant to be a chance to really scope him out.

Porter: probably peaked and might never get a chance.

Sam Cook: a Woakes replacement. Definitely deserves a chance in the future.

Ben Coad: a funny one. He's a good bowler, no question. Maybe in that Woakes role at home but India? Australia? Can't see it.

Lewis Gregory: still says he's a batting all-rounder! Age and pace count against him.

Ethan Bamber: lots of potential, no question, but he is still figuring himself out. Try this from the ES last year. Very candid and I'd say he's a bit like Dominic Bess, he has the physical ability but the mental side is more complex.

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/cricket/ethan-bamber-interview-weight-eating-training-cricket-b956329.html

Ollie Hannon-Dalby: probably developed a bit too late for international honours. Has done very well because when he left Yorkshire his stats weren't impressive at all.

Ben Sanderson: good bowler but 33 now.

Jordan Clark: maybe short form but Tests on those stats? Nah.

Stuckfast · March 2022

Foakes standing up to Ben Stokes now. Don't remember Buttler ever doing that...

crunchman · March 2022

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/60829069

James Anderson has 'made peace' with being dropped by England. After seeing those pitches he's probably very happy indeed.

Heartfeltdawn · March 2022

So Third Test...

Still one spinner. Woakes still in. Fisher out, Overton back in (no problem with that), Grassy pitch, bit more pace and bounce.

And we loss the toss. Perfect. I've dumped my pound on the Windies at 3/1.

crunchman · March 2022

I would have brought Overton back in for Woakes rather than Fisher.

One spinner seems to make sense. Apparently the pitch is a lot greener, and the Windies have left out Permaul.

Is there an underlying issue with Robinson's back, or is it just his fitness levels?

Heartfeltdawn · March 2022

Changed mind. Lost 25p. Uneven bounce already early doors. So we're putting the house on England with the £4.75 in the betting account.

Looking at the wicket and knowing how conservative we are with selection, I can understand why they kept Woakes. An attack of Overton, Fisher, and Mahmood is seriously green and would put a lot of pressure on Stokes as the tyro.

Officially Robinson still has back spasm problems. The most interesting bits of the last Test came in the background during intervals and watching those people not in the playing XI doing bowling practice on the edge of the square. Archer even on a few paces was quicker than Overton as expected: he looked like lightning compared to Robinson. What was more noticeable was Robinson's lack of direction every time I saw him, chucked an awful lot down the legside.

What has happened here and Australia says there's some major issues and I don't think he should be picked until they are solved. If it needs back surgery, so be it. If it's a fitness issue, then go and work at that until it's ready. With us touring Pakistan toward the end of 2022, there's no way we could risk a guy who can barely get through an innings, let alone a whole Test.

Heartfeltdawn · March 2022

Cripes. I pulled the bet again. I can't decide, something I am going to place on this being day 6 of being Covid+. My brain is absolute cheese right now, and not the good kind. So I scooped up what was left and put it on Saadi Arabia to get the opening goal against China PR. Zing, thank you World Cup Qualifier. My lil' bit int he bank is now close to double and so low stakes gambling HFD is happy, despite being mongobrained.

And thank fuck I did. 53/5. The irony of a tour being dominated by two English seamers who weren't going to travel and now we're finishing it off by travelling badly to an English seaming wicket. If we're going to get a shit score, at least get it quick so we get a chance to bowl on this wicket whilst it has the green in it. Mr Woakes, if you can't bowl well on this overseas wicket, you'll never bowl well on any overseas wicket.

guitars4you · March 2022

Forgot all about it - Thought it was tomorrow, so just turned on the web page and 114-8 - Looks like this game won't be a draw

crunchman · March 2022

Would have got long odds on England making it to the second new ball!

sixstringsupplies · March 2022

Mahmood has a bit of fight. Looking forward to him bowling at Seales tomorrow! They were giving him lip for...complaining it was too dark to see then smashing the most glorious drive of the day.

Damage is done though. I reckon Windies will find it easier to bat next innings, but it will come down to the third innings. Probably won't be great for batting last.

Heartfeltdawn · March 2022

crunchman said:

Would have got long odds on England making it to the second new ball!

3/1 on Windies at the start, once we were 7 wickets down, they'd gone to 4/9 and we were pushing 6/1 if I remember right. Odds now 5/6 on a Windies win, we're at 2/1.

We didn't see the uneven bounce enter the picture in the previous Tests until day 3. It's there already.

sixstringsupplies said:

Mahmood has a bit of fight. Looking forward to him bowling at Seales tomorrow! They were giving him lip for...complaining it was too dark to see then smashing the most glorious drive of the day.

Damage is done though. I reckon Windies will find it easier to bat next innings, but it will come down to the third innings. Probably won't be great for batting last.

It was so refreshing to hear some blunt language back from Mahmood. Quips and all the rest are good but sometimes a fast bowler who isn't getting the last guy out easily needs to be told where to go.

crunchman · March 2022

Has anyone else noticed that Jack Leach seems to throw right handed when fielding even though he bowls left handed?

pigface · March 2022

crunchman said:

Has anyone else noticed that Jack Leach seems to throw right handed when fielding even though he bowls left handed?

Well spotted. I've just watched him do just that. Does he ever throw left-handed, I wonder?

NorthernGooner · March 2022

The last half hour of that was like watching Shropshire in the minor counties.
Overton and Mr Magoo at the other end. Another 50 taken off the England attack by a bloke
who a couple of years ago was playing for Wimbledon in Surrey Division 3.
Stokes out chirped by a club cricketer. FFS.

Stuckfast · March 2022

Yes we seem to have wasted the new ball twice in one day.

Still not really sure what the selectors see in Overton, and Woakes has really struggled this series.

sixstringsupplies · March 2022

I’m loving this test. It is pretty village.

Two fairly mediocre teams, little bit of spice and chat in the middle. Like Sunday league after a few beers the night before.

The final ball of yesterday’s play, awful delivery, awful shot, edged onto stumps by number 11.

Makes a nice change from the previous two games mind.

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