[Cricket] 1st Test: England vs New Zealand @ Lords

[Arkwright]

I think the biggest problem in modern day cricket is the pitch, far too many are flat wickets that other little to nothing for the bowler. The game has become all about scoring runs with big heavy bats, maybe give the ball a bigger seam and make it a bit more interesting.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Apart from our obviously very poor bowling attack concern should also be shown at the wicketkeeping 34 byes and leg byes is absurd for an international keeper.

14 byes is a lot (though to be fair to Buttler I've not seen them - a few of them given as byes in four and five day cricket are woeful deliveries that really ought to be called as wides).

The LEG BYES are nothing to do with the keeper at all. Why mention those? That's like blaming him when the batsman flicks it to fine leg for four, with his bat.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Buttler may be a decent first slip (equivalent), but I am yet to be convinced he is an international class wicket keeper - although he has to better than Bairstow who is essentially a long stop.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

£10 reinvested, on a NZ total of under 360 @ evens.

Sorry, did I write 'invested'? I meant 'pissed up the wall' obviously.

 

[Gwylan]

Buttler may be a decent first slip (equivalent), but I am yet to be convinced he is an international class wicket keeper - although he has to better than Bairstow who is essentially a long stop.

England are overly cautious. I'm not convinced by Buttler either and his selection makes even less sense when you consider that Stokes and Ali play, neither of whom is a top class bowler. That's an amazingly strong batting line-up but comes to grief when fielding; we really need three or four top class bowlers and, personally, I'd have a proper wicket keeper. I don't know who Chris Read upset but he's a quality keeper and no mean batter, he's old now but a good stop-gap until Billings is ready

 

[OzMike]

Huzzah! Top effort, that.

Ok, how about 550 - 2 by the end of tomorrow, that looks more likely eh.

 

[pasty]

This is going to be a long day I reckon.......

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

England are overly cautious. I'm not convinced by Buttler either and his selection makes even less sense when you consider that Stokes and Ali play, neither of whom is a top class bowler. That's an amazingly strong batting line-up but comes to grief when fielding; we really need three or four top class bowlers and, personally, I'd have a proper wicket keeper. I don't know who Chris Read upset but he's a quality keeper and no mean batter, he's old now but a good stop-gap until Billings is ready

Coming back on to the outfield at Hove after he'd been given out to confront Mushy, calling him a C******g **k* ******* and having to be restrained by Grizzly and the umpires didn't endear him to many. He was suspended by the ECB and hasn't been selected for England since.

 

[The Wizard]

In true Sussex style, can someone please notify me when they get to a thousand?

 

[Eeyore]

... or has a decent spinner

How are we going to bowl the Aussies out with this attack?

I can only see us winning with the fortune of a cloudy morning and swinging conditions- as well as winning good tosses. We can bowl them out in the right conditions. The problem is good weather and flat pitches. Still, we'll win the usual Oval test when it's a dead rubber.

 

[The Wizard]

What happened to Anderson's pace? Anderson inparticular, early 80's now, I know he weren't ever a regular 90mph+ bowler but that 5mph or so he has lost seems to have really made the difference with how easy it is for batsmen against him.

 

[Eeyore]

England are overly cautious. I'm not convinced by Buttler either and his selection makes even less sense when you consider that Stokes and Ali play, neither of whom is a top class bowler. That's an amazingly strong batting line-up but comes to grief when fielding; we really need three or four top class bowlers and, personally, I'd have a proper wicket keeper. I don't know who Chris Read upset but he's a quality keeper and no mean batter, he's old now but a good stop-gap until Billings is ready

Read was the victim of this obsession with keepers who can bat. He never really performed at the crease in the test arena. But I'd rather have a keeper who averages 20 than one who averages 35, lets more byes through, and would drop Ricky Ponting before he had scored on a chance that the less able batsman would have held.

 

[The Wizard]

This is going well...

 

[Bold Seagull]

This is going well...

At least we stopped them all getting 50's!

 

[KZNSeagull]

It is being reported that Jason Gillespie will take the England job if he is offered it. This follows 2 face to face meetings with Andrew Strauss.

 

[pasty]

Well there we go. NZ 523 ao, lead by 134

I'm quite concerned about the remainder of this session. Lets just hope the England top order can actually manage to get some runs on the board. Can't see it though. I'm going for 4 down by end of play today.

 

[Mackenzie]

40/5 by the close?

 

[Prince Monolulu]

What's the weather forecast?

 

[pasty]

Well there's the first.

Lyth c Southee b Boult 12

Eng: 14/1

 

[The Wizard]

Will we lose by an innings? That is the question.

Also re: Weather, looks fine most of the remaining days cloudy but generally alright, can't see there not being a result due to weather.