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[Cricket] *** England v India *** 2nd Spicy Test at Lords 17th -21st SS2 11am



Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
31,270
3.2 overs to go, 10 and Jack at the crease. England would probably bite your hand off if offered 375, sit back and watch the bowlfliddery unfold once again.
 




Titanic

Super Moderator
Helpful Moderator
Jul 5, 2003
39,929
West Sussex
Close of play - Day 1

India 290-9 (90 overs) after being inserted by Captain Cook.

A pretty decent day for England I would say - not having seen a ball bowled all day!
 










Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
30,465
Hove
Forget listening to TMS or Sky, the ex-players and pundits are constantly critical and forget there is a game of cricket going on that is to be enjoyed on its merits of 2 equal teams going at it. So easy to listen to Beefy or Boycott moaning on about bowling too short (which was the case…) with the viewer and listener losing the ability to just enjoy the spectacle because you get wrapped up in their constant analysis. They can commentate without always having to castigate.

Fantastic days play yesterday. At last a pitch allowing a proper game of test cricket to be played. Might not be the fastest, but there is movement and bounce, but also rewards for the batsmen prepared to be patient, and go at the ball when necessary. 9 wickets, 290 runs, a centurion, that is just a superb days play in my book.

Lets for a second just forget England's tactical deficiencies, and be thankful that we have at last a test pitch to enjoy what could be a cracking test match.


*I fully accept the irony that I am a habitual critique of this side and Cook's captaincy, but sometimes you do have to step back and enjoy the cricket.
 


dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 27, 2013
55,581
Burgess Hill
Good post. I was at Lord's yesterday - it was a fabulous day of proper test cricket at the best ground in perfect weather. We bowled sh*te in the morning and evening sessions though. Short, short and short (with quite a bit of wide thrown in)...........think all the wickets went to balls pitched up. Cook also started chasing the field too (ie setting fields for bad balls after boundaries had been hit). And Matty dropped a couple. They shouldn't have got past 200. So what though, I bloody loved it, and if I could've swung another day off I would be there today as well. Nothing beats test cricket.
 


Braggfan

In the beginning there was nothing, which exploded
May 12, 2014
1,985
I though it was a poor day for England. You never put a team in first unless you're confident of getting them out for under 200. Anything above that score is a bad day in my book. Granted you can never tell untill both teams have batted but like people have said, movement and bounce on a green pitch and we've let them get to near enough 300. If you bowl first you do that with the plan that you'll bowl them out that day and we didn't, which is why it was a poor day.
 




pasty

A different kind of pasty
Jul 5, 2003
31,038
West, West, West Sussex
I though it was a poor day for England. You never put a team in first unless you're confident of getting them out for under 200. Anything above that score is a bad day in my book. Granted you can never tell untill both teams have batted but like people have said, movement and bounce on a green pitch and we've let them get to near enough 300. If you bowl first you do that with the plan that you'll bowl them out that day and we didn't, which is why it was a poor day.

Still think it was the correct decision to put them in first. Don't forget, at one point we had them at 145/7

But I agree, to let them get from 145/7 to 290/9 is very poor. Exactly doubled their score from 7 down. :nono:
 




Braggfan

In the beginning there was nothing, which exploded
May 12, 2014
1,985
To be fair I think it was a really tough decision for Cook. He's almost dammed if he does dammed if he doesn't. I said I would have batted based on weather conditions yesterday and the decison to bowl is based on the green picth. Basically if we didn't bowl them out quickly then the criticism is we made the wrong choice. Yet if we'd batted and got bowled out quickly then the citicism would have been he made the wrong choice because the pitch was green.

It's not what I'd have done, but I don't think bowling first was a bad call I just think we didn't bowl as well as we needed to. Like others said at 147/7 it looked like a very good call.
 




pasty

A different kind of pasty
Jul 5, 2003
31,038
West, West, West Sussex
This is a MASSIVE session for Cook. If we don't get that last wicket in the first 20 minutes or so, or if we do and Cook gets out cheaply (again) I can see him taking an awful lot of what would be deserved criticism.
 


Braggfan

In the beginning there was nothing, which exploded
May 12, 2014
1,985
This is a MASSIVE session for Cook. If we don't get that last wicket in the first 20 minutes or so, or if we do and Cook gets out cheaply (again) I can see him taking an awful lot of what would be deserved criticism.[/QUOTE

I like Cook, he's obviously a fantastic batsman but I don't think he's a great captain. Having said that there aren't any obvious choices to replace him. I wonder whether it might be worth thinking of the captain as a "specialist" , pick a whiley old county captain who's been around and knows his stuff stick him in at 6 and get him to mentor someone like Joe Root so that two or three years down the line he can take over.
 


spring hall convert

Well-known member
Nov 3, 2009
9,608
Brighton
To be fair I think it was a really tough decision for Cook. He's almost dammed if he does dammed if he doesn't. I said I would have batted based on weather conditions yesterday and the decison to bowl is based on the green picth. Basically if we didn't bowl them out quickly then the criticism is we made the wrong choice. Yet if we'd batted and got bowled out quickly then the citicism would have been he made the wrong choice because the pitch was green.

It's not what I'd have done, but I don't think bowling first was a bad call I just think we didn't bowl as well as we needed to. Like others said at 147/7 it looked like a very good call.

The decision to bowl was a no brainer. The bowlers and keeper let him down in sessions 1 and 3 and his captaincy in the third session was laughably poor.

India will keep it tight, bowl a consistent length and do alright on this track, despite the fact it's getting better. We had far too long now of opposition bowlers being more disciplined and having better plans.
 




pasty

A different kind of pasty
Jul 5, 2003
31,038
West, West, West Sussex
The bowlers and keeper let him down in sessions 1 and 3 and his captaincy in the third session was laughably poor.

Can't remember who it was, but during the last test one of the Sky pundits (it might have been Botham) was opining that with Andersen and Broad being senior members of the squad, they have too much influence over what to bowl and field settings, and that Cook doesn't have either the balls or the air of authority to reign them in and do what he wants.
 






spring hall convert

Well-known member
Nov 3, 2009
9,608
Brighton
Can't remember who it was, but during the last test one of the Sky pundits (it might have been Botham) was opining that with Andersen and Broad being senior members of the squad, they have too much influence over what to bowl and field settings, and that Cook doesn't have either the balls or the air of authority to reign them in and do what he wants.

Perhaps but if that is the case Anderson and Broad are the most negative fast bowlers in the history of the game.
 






Greavsey

Well-known member
Jul 4, 2007
1,166
This is a MASSIVE session for Cook. If we don't get that last wicket in the first 20 minutes or so, or if we do and Cook gets out cheaply (again) I can see him taking an awful lot of what would be deserved criticism.[/QUOTE

I like Cook, he's obviously a fantastic batsman but I don't think he's a great captain. Having said that there aren't any obvious choices to replace him. I wonder whether it might be worth thinking of the captain as a "specialist" , pick a whiley old county captain who's been around and knows his stuff stick him in at 6 and get him to mentor someone like Joe Root so that two or three years down the line he can take over.

Yes but who is a wiley old County Captain these days?? It seems to be such a transient position with all the cricket being played. Can't think of one with real tenure and experience other than Rob Key. Surely we couldn't go back to him???
 


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