England v India - First Test - Lord's - The 2000th Test match

[Uncle Buck]

Dhoni is bowling now.

 

[crodonilson]

Dhoni is bowling now.

Not quite turning into the eagerly anticipated matchup of the two best sides in test cricket is it??

 

[Uncle Buck]

Not quite turning into the eagerly anticipated matchup of the two best sides in test cricket is it??

Sorry, it is not a super Sky, slog fest.

Listening on the radio on the way back from a pointless meeting today, the injury has made it even more tactically interesting.

Still I guess you are more of a 20/20 Cricket for simpletons fan.

 

[Triggaaar]

Not quite turning into the eagerly anticipated matchup of the two best sides in test cricket is it??

I didn't realise we'd climbed that high - a quick check suggests we're 3rd, just 1 point behind SA - but close enough to 2nd.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Also Dhoni thought he had Pietersen caught in his first over, so nearly a great tactical call by himself.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Dhoni bowling begs the question: has there ever been a player in test history who in the same match has taken a wicket, stumped a batsman and scored a hundred?

 

[vegster]

This afternoon session could be key to the whole Test. We must not collapso for 300 ish or the match could go either of three ways. If we have patience and milk the India's depleted bowling attack then we will be in a very strong position. We need to post 550+ given India's fantastic batting line up. Crash bang cricket is a no no for now.

 

[Simster]

I'm sure the stats will disprove my feelings here, but is there a more over-rated bowler on the planet than Harbajan Singh? Not only does he seem incredibly ordinary whenever I've seen him, but he's shit in the field and never looks fit in an athletic sense.

 

[crodonilson]

Sorry, it is not a super Sky, slog fest.

Listening on the radio on the way back from a pointless meeting today, the injury has made it even more tactically interesting.

Still I guess you are more of a 20/20 Cricket for simpletons fan.

Far from it but with the opposition wicket keeper bowling after lunch on the 2nd day having bowled a massive 18 balls in his many previous test appearances doesn't say an awful lot. I love test cricket but this has hardly been enthralling so far, a real contest between bat and ball.

 

[mikeyjh]

Dhoni bowling begs the question: has there ever been a player in test history who in the same match has taken a wicket, stumped a batsman and scored a hundred?

I believe there's a few, Mark Boucher is definitely one.....

 

[Uncle Buck]

Far from it but with the opposition wicket keeper bowling after lunch on the 2nd day having bowled a massive 18 balls in his many previous test appearances doesn't say an awful lot. I love test cricket but this has hardly been enthralling so far, a real contest between bat and ball.

Tactically at present England are going about it correctly. Try to get enough runs so we do not bat again.

 

[Uncle Buck]

I'm sure the stats will disprove my feelings here, but is there a more over-rated bowler on the planet than Harbajan Singh? Not only does he seem incredibly ordinary whenever I've seen him, but he's shit in the field and never looks fit in an athletic sense.

Another sub continent bowler with a questionable action.

 

[vegster]

This afternoon session could be key to the whole Test. We must not collapso for 300 ish or the match could go either of three ways. If we have patience and milk the India's depleted bowling attack then we will be in a very strong position. We need to post 550+ given India's fantastic batting line up. Crash bang cricket is a no no for now.

This just stated by none other than Sir Geoffrey Wife-Beater on TMS

 

[Pavilionaire]

I'm sure the stats will disprove my feelings here, but is there a more over-rated bowler on the planet than Harbajan Singh? Not only does he seem incredibly ordinary whenever I've seen him, but he's shit in the field and never looks fit in an athletic sense.

404 wickets in 96 tests @ a shade under 32 apiece. 400 test wickets is something no English bowler has managed. India are the No. 1 ranked test side in the world and he is their leading wicket-taker. He's also managed a couple of test centuries too, something that Swann hasn't managed to date.

I don't think he has to prove anything to anyone with that record.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I believe there's a few, Mark Boucher is definitely one.....

Boucher only took one test wicket and didn't score a hundred or stump anyone in that match. Graeme Smith bowled all 11 of his players in that test against the Windies where Chris Gayle got a triple hundred and the Windies ran up 747ao in their reply to South Africa's 588.

 

[Simster]

404 wickets in 96 tests @ a shade under 32 apiece. 400 test wickets is something no English bowler has managed. India are the No. 1 ranked test side in the world and he is their leading wicket-taker. He's also managed a couple of test centuries too, something that Swann hasn't managed to date.

I don't think he has to prove anything to anyone with that record.

32 apiece isn't all that special, and Swann hasn't played 96 tests to attain 2 test centuries. He's had about a third of the matches, and his bowling average is 27, with his batting at 24 - both of Harbhajan's averages are worse, and as I say, he is shit in the field.

This from cricinfo a few moments ago:
86.1 Harbhajan Singh to Bell, no run, is this a doosra or just one that didn't spin. I can't tell. Bell defends

I think that says it all. Perhaps it is just cunningly disguised from the one that pitches 3 feet outside off stump and goes straight on to the keeper. He's bowled quite a few of those today too.

You are right though - the stats suggest I am being overly harsh.

 

[crodonilson]

I'm sure the stats will disprove my feelings here, but is there a more over-rated bowler on the planet than Harbajan Singh? Not only does he seem incredibly ordinary whenever I've seen him, but he's shit in the field and never looks fit in an athletic sense.

I've got to be honest, there's always been something about him that doesn't sit right with me (and this isn't because I am racist, I've got a friend called Jagjit).

 

[Gwylan]

I believe there's a few, Mark Boucher is definitely one.....

Boucher's definitely not one. His only test wicket (Dwayne Bravo) was in 2005 at St John's. It was the test with a record eight centuries but Boucher didn't score one of them.

I'd bet that no-one's achieved that particular feat - but you never know.

EDIT: Just seen Pav's replied to that

 

[Simster]

I've got to be honest, there's always been something about him that doesn't sit right with me (and this isn't because I am racist, I've got a friend called Jagjit).

The pretend casual racism is a nice bit of variety and a pleasant diversion from your tiresome championing of the banal. Well done.

 

[Pavilionaire]

32 apiece isn't all that special, and Swann hasn't played 96 tests to attain 2 test centuries. He's had about a third of the matches, and his bowling average is 27, with his batting at 24 - both of Harbhajan's averages are worse, and as I say, he is shit in the field.

You are right though - the stats suggest I am being overly harsh.

This is the thing about India. Their batting equivalent is VVS Laxman. ONLY 16 tons in 204 test innings - Pietersen, Cook and Strauss are past that in considerably less innings, yet the guy's scored 8,146 test runs @ 47 and a half so an almost identical record to Geoff Boycott. He'd be 4th All-Time on the English runs list with a decent shout of getting 800 more and becoming No. 1.