One of my clients is a cricket and golf fanatic. He startles easily, so the quieter sports on telly are his favorite. I hear him celebrate a wicket or a good catch from his man cave/bedroom sometimes. Lots of stuff on his pay TV service is a repeat but yesterday I caught Johnny Bairstow live (I think) dragging his bat behind him as he walked off the field, disconsolate.
So no comments on the England-New Zealand test? Day one struck me as a clinic on patient batting...but of course I am still very much a newbie on this stuff. NZ didn't run up too high a score, but only loss 3 wickets all day. That strikes me as a lot of defending.
So no comments on the England-New Zealand test? Day one struck me as a clinic on patient batting...but of course I am still very much a newbie on this stuff. NZ didn't run up too high a score, but only loss 3 wickets all day. That strikes me as a lot of defending.
NZ had a good day on a good batting wicket. They should post a good score. England should be able to match that but recent history of England batting suggests scoreboard pressure is a problem for them so definitely advantage NZ.
I have no doubt that it will be more of the same till lunch if they can avoid losing wickets. New Zealand then need to score as many as they can before the last hours play today.
England will plan to bat all day then set a target tomorrow. NZ Will plan to bowl England out, giving them enough of a lead to declare tomorrow setting England a tricky 4th Innings.
England will plan to bat all day then set a target tomorrow. NZ Will plan to bowl England out, giving them enough of a lead to declare tomorrow setting England a tricky 4th Innings.
Day 3 will be crucial.
England failed in their first innings but with a score of only 62-2 off 30 overs, New Zealand are not looking for an early declaration. England will need to bat very badly on day 5 to lose.
And so we get ready for Day 4, with England holding a near-insurmountable lead of...<checks notes> 37? Are we missing a digit there? No? Are you sure?
Well, not to worry. After all, England is still batting and can be expected to build on that lead, considering that they have <checks notes> 1 wicket left????? Seriously?
See, now THIS is a Day 3 that would have been better lost to rain.
I got a running commentary on how dismally we were doing, and came to the conclusion that there would at least be play tomorrow from the lack of grumbling from Mr Dragon. We went to the *cough* T20 last night but our team lost. Dragonlet 1 was upset about this, so I must admit that I did point out it is par for the course for English cricket fans.
England cannot bat. This is not news. It's deeply depressing that it's a recurring problem. The brilliance of England's attack has got them out of a whole quite a lot in recent years. But not always. This is why England can't win away from home. And sometimes not at home either.
England cannot bat. This is not news. It's deeply depressing that it's a recurring problem. The brilliance of England's attack has got them out of a whole quite a lot in recent years. But not always. This is why England can't win away from home. And sometimes not at home either.
Find some batsmen please England. Soon.
AFZ
It's a bit unfair to say that England cannot bat as they put up a decent score in the first innings. The problem in the second innings was that all the batters failed.
I agree with your last comment. Only Root averages above 40
So I have just watched (part of) my first "The Hundred" match, in which the Orange Butterkist beat the Yellow Skips. Hmmm!
Although the general ambience (such as "OH YEAH" popping up every time a six is scored) is not to my personal taste, I approve of it being free-to-air on the BBC.
I thought it was 10 10-ball overs but it's actually 20 5-ball overs. The only reason I can see for a new format so similar to T20 is an attempt to drag cricket away from the county system. Is that a good thing? Maybe... you could argue that the county system is ossified and needs to be destroyed... though I would be sad if that happened...
So I have just watched (part of) my first "The Hundred" match, in which the Orange Butterkist beat the Yellow Skips. Hmmm!
Although the general ambience (such as "OH YEAH" popping up every time a six is scored) is not to my personal taste, I approve of it being free-to-air on the BBC.
I thought it was 10 10-ball overs but it's actually 20 5-ball overs. The only reason I can see for a new format so similar to T20 is an attempt to drag cricket away from the county system. Is that a good thing? Maybe... you could argue that the county system is ossified and needs to be destroyed... though I would be sad if that happened...
I agree with you sentiments but it's 10 ten ball overs as the bowlers change ends every ten balls. However the captain can choose to use 2 bowlers in each 10 ball over ( 5 each )
It's entertaining, but I also wonder about the long term effects. It's so much the opposite of the test match. I can see that chopping cricket up into small chunks makes it digestible and fun. Well the tests v India are happening, so we shall see, also, can the players manage all this?
Following the shambles in the 1st test against India, lots of comments that cricket is being spread too thinly, hence lack of concentration. I don't know, but half the English team don't seem to play red ball cricket.
Well in the 1990s England sometimes couldn't get the opposition out, either. At least these days the attack is reasonably penetrating. Anderson and Broad may be nearing the end of their careers but there are others who look as though they could pick up the slack - Robinson looks a good bowler, for example.
Yes, just like old times for an England fan! Just when you think they are safe, they find a fantastically surprising way to lose...
After Day 1, India is all out for 78, with England currently at 120/0. The mind fairly boggles at what creative and inspired way England is going to manage to lose this one.
Lord Ted. My most vivid memory of him was not a century. It was a magnificent 76 against Australia at Old Trafford in 1961. When he got out, Richie Benaud bowled us out quickly and we lost
Clinical victory for England! India did what England have done so often: having batted well on Friday to give themselves a smidgen of hope, they were blown away this morning.
Cricket is a funny game! One would barely believe that these were (almost) the same two teams that had played at Lord's...
Clinical victory for England! India did what England have done so often: having batted well on Friday to give themselves a smidgen of hope, they were blown away this morning.
Cricket is a funny game! One would barely believe that these were (almost) the same two teams that had played at Lord's...
It's always been a funny old game ( even though I love it) If a batter isn't good enough to make contact with a ball which is not going to hit the wicket, they stop in. If they just about manage to make contact with the same ball they would probably be out.
I thought we were the better team at Lords on the first 4 days
Yes very interesting! What happens on Sunday morning will be very important. If England can knock over the Indian middle order and tail for less than a further 100 it could be close. Otherwise it's probably curtains.
And it's still interesting - a couple of wickets from the admirable Woakes and Moeen has just dismissed Kohli, but the score is climbing and Pant is still there...
Comments
NZ had a good day on a good batting wicket. They should post a good score. England should be able to match that but recent history of England batting suggests scoreboard pressure is a problem for them so definitely advantage NZ.
England will plan to bat all day then set a target tomorrow. NZ Will plan to bowl England out, giving them enough of a lead to declare tomorrow setting England a tricky 4th Innings.
Day 3 will be crucial.
England failed in their first innings but with a score of only 62-2 off 30 overs, New Zealand are not looking for an early declaration. England will need to bat very badly on day 5 to lose.
The loss of day 3 was crucial.
Games on!
But challenge declined. As @Telford has been saying, the loss of Day 3 was deeply regrettable.
New Zealand bowled 70 overs. A poor effort by England especially Sibley.
Well, not to worry. After all, England is still batting and can be expected to build on that lead, considering that they have <checks notes> 1 wicket left????? Seriously?
See, now THIS is a Day 3 that would have been better lost to rain.
Find some batsmen please England. Soon.
AFZ
It's a bit unfair to say that England cannot bat as they put up a decent score in the first innings. The problem in the second innings was that all the batters failed.
I agree with your last comment. Only Root averages above 40
Day 6 (added because Days 1 and 4 were rained out) was entertaining for the neutral fan.
Although the general ambience (such as "OH YEAH" popping up every time a six is scored) is not to my personal taste, I approve of it being free-to-air on the BBC.
I thought it was 10 10-ball overs but it's actually 20 5-ball overs. The only reason I can see for a new format so similar to T20 is an attempt to drag cricket away from the county system. Is that a good thing? Maybe... you could argue that the county system is ossified and needs to be destroyed... though I would be sad if that happened...
I agree with you sentiments but it's 10 ten ball overs as the bowlers change ends every ten balls. However the captain can choose to use 2 bowlers in each 10 ball over ( 5 each )
England were rooted, weren't they.
Yes, just like old times for an England fan! Just when you think they are safe, they find a fantastically surprising way to lose...
India played extremely well and Siraj looks terrifically dangerous.
After Day 1, India is all out for 78, with England currently at 120/0. The mind fairly boggles at what creative and inspired way England is going to manage to lose this one.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/former-england-captain-ted-dexter-dies-aged-86-1274747
Cricket is a funny game! One would barely believe that these were (almost) the same two teams that had played at Lord's...
It's always been a funny old game ( even though I love it) If a batter isn't good enough to make contact with a ball which is not going to hit the wicket, they stop in. If they just about manage to make contact with the same ball they would probably be out.
I thought we were the better team at Lords on the first 4 days
India need to get 10 wickets in a day. England need 291 more runs to win. If either team has a good start tomorrow, it could be very interesting.
I would expect England to start off slowly and see how it goes. If and when they give up depends on how many wickets have been lost
I would expect them to bat normally till tea unless things have gone very badly
FTFY