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[Cricket] England v Pakistan: 1st Test



Eeyore

Colonel Hee-Haw of Queen's Park
NSC Patron
Apr 5, 2014
25,855






Thompson720

Well-known member
Jan 5, 2019
1,252
Patcham
Fantastic partnership from Woakes and Buttler. Felt the Buttler dismissal was harsh and the last few wickets probably flattered Pakistan a little

Well done England [emoji967][emoji1319]

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jakarta

Well-known member
May 25, 2007
15,738
Sullington
Poor captaincy by Azhar Ali, didn't rotate his bowlers correctly and some terrible reviews.

Can't get away from some heads down batting from Buttler & Woakes, a great salvage job!
 


Scoffers

Well-known member
Jan 13, 2004
6,868
Burgess Hill




JJ McClure

Go Jags
Jul 7, 2003
11,102
Hassocks
Enjoyed watching that, a really good test match that swung in favour of each team at different times.

As per [MENTION=6741]jakarta[/MENTION] I think Azhar Ali seemed short of ideas today in how to break the Woakes / Buttler partnership.

Despite the win there's a lot to think about for England. Top order remains fragile and Stokes is batting a spot too high. Anderson went wicketless posing little threat and still not sure that Root trusts Archer.
 


Ooh it’s a corner

Well-known member
Aug 28, 2016
5,514
Nr. Coventry
Lest anyone still be in any doubt TEST MATCH CRICKET is by far the best format in the professional game. Like others I was hooked all day. Until near the end you still couldn’t rule out a Pakistan win - they’ll be gutted. Very pleased for Woakes who is now virtually a certainty for home tests in my view. He may take Anderson’s place I feel. Well though Buttler batted Foakes is a far superior keeper and not a bad bat himself. If Stokes is fit to bowl in the next test I think they should at least consider Foakes and maybe let JB play as a batsman - effectively Foakes for Anderson. Leach for Bess?? Probably all unlikely but I do feel Foakes is unfortunate
 


Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
31,257
I think it's time to give the coaches some credit. We're batting like a proper test team, tbe bowling this summer has been decent too. Chris Silverwood deserves some credit; I had my doubts about the appointment but he's doing OK.
 




jakarta

Well-known member
May 25, 2007
15,738
Sullington
Lest anyone still be in any doubt TEST MATCH CRICKET is by far the best format in the professional game. Like others I was hooked all day. Until near the end you still couldn’t rule out a Pakistan win - they’ll be gutted. Very pleased for Woakes who is now virtually a certainty for home tests in my view. He may take Anderson’s place I feel. Well though Buttler batted Foakes is a far superior keeper and not a bad bat himself. If Stokes is fit to bowl in the next test I think they should at least consider Foakes and maybe let JB play as a batsman - effectively Foakes for Anderson. Leach for Bess?? Probably all unlikely but I do feel Foakes is unfortunate

Have posted this before, Foakes has done absolutely nothing wrong in his Test Career except having not been called Bairstow or Buttler...
 


blue-shifted

Banned
Feb 20, 2004
7,645
a galaxy far far away
I think it's time to give the coaches some credit. We're batting like a proper test team, tbe bowling this summer has been decent too. Chris Silverwood deserves some credit; I had my doubts about the appointment but he's doing OK.

I see it that Silverwood etc are just doing the basics of test cricket coaching. I mean, choosing a top 3 who are occasionally prepared to leave or block a ball, shouldn't be revolutionary. The Bayliss era cost us a lot of wins

Also we get to rotate in and out 6 bowlers who are going to trouble most line ups in the world.

OK, ok, i'll stop being grumpy about it and give the England set up a bit of credit. They're doing ok. Let's see how this winter tour goes and maybe i'll up my level of belief in them after that.
 


blue-shifted

Banned
Feb 20, 2004
7,645
a galaxy far far away
Lest anyone still be in any doubt TEST MATCH CRICKET is by far the best format in the professional game. Like others I was hooked all day. Until near the end you still couldn’t rule out a Pakistan win - they’ll be gutted. Very pleased for Woakes who is now virtually a certainty for home tests in my view. He may take Anderson’s place I feel. Well though Buttler batted Foakes is a far superior keeper and not a bad bat himself. If Stokes is fit to bowl in the next test I think they should at least consider Foakes and maybe let JB play as a batsman - effectively Foakes for Anderson. Leach for Bess?? Probably all unlikely but I do feel Foakes is unfortunate

Yes, and I don't think i've ever met anyone who doesn't agree
 




um bongo molongo

Well-known member
Jul 26, 2004
3,050
Battersea
Lest anyone still be in any doubt TEST MATCH CRICKET is by far the best format in the professional game. Like others I was hooked all day. Until near the end you still couldn’t rule out a Pakistan win - they’ll be gutted. Very pleased for Woakes who is now virtually a certainty for home tests in my view. He may take Anderson’s place I feel. Well though Buttler batted Foakes is a far superior keeper and not a bad bat himself. If Stokes is fit to bowl in the next test I think they should at least consider Foakes and maybe let JB play as a batsman - effectively Foakes for Anderson. Leach for Bess?? Probably all unlikely but I do feel Foakes is unfortunate

As a (poor) amateur keeper myself I love watching good glovework (Rizwan is excellent). However, today proved why you have to pick Buttler. There’s a class player in there, just got to start turning in the numbers. There’s an argument to pick him as a batsman only, but then if he’s in the side can you really justify picking Foakes over a bowler or a batsman? Foakes is a great keeper, and could be a great test #7. But Buttler could still turn out to be a great test #6.
 


Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,823
Uffern
Poor captaincy by Azhar Ali, didn't rotate his bowlers correctly and some terrible reviews.

Yeah, he should have put the fast lads on against Woakes - you could see when there were on, he started backing away.

I also thought he should have put an extra slip in that final over - he needed to take wickets - saving runs was no good. A man there and Woakes would have been out - that would have been squeaky bum time
 


Jul 20, 2003
20,661
....yet another occasion of test match cricket providing magnificent sport.
 


keaton

Big heart, hot blood and balls. Big balls
Nov 18, 2004
9,966
As a (poor) amateur keeper myself I love watching good glovework (Rizwan is excellent). However, today proved why you have to pick Buttler. There’s a class player in there, just got to start turning in the numbers. There’s an argument to pick him as a batsman only, but then if he’s in the side can you really justify picking Foakes over a bowler or a batsman? Foakes is a great keeper, and could be a great test #7. But Buttler could still turn out to be a great test #6.
But there's very little to suggest Buttler is a better Test Batsman than Foakes. both Foakes' test and first class averages are better than Buttler. You can't have a non-keeper playing based on his batting when he averages 32 in both formats.
 




Eeyore

Colonel Hee-Haw of Queen's Park
NSC Patron
Apr 5, 2014
25,855
As a (poor) amateur keeper myself I love watching good glovework (Rizwan is excellent). However, today proved why you have to pick Buttler. There’s a class player in there, just got to start turning in the numbers. There’s an argument to pick him as a batsman only, but then if he’s in the side can you really justify picking Foakes over a bowler or a batsman? Foakes is a great keeper, and could be a great test #7. But Buttler could still turn out to be a great test #6.

No argument to pick him as a batsman. Test average 32. Better options elsewhere.

The wicket-keeper should be selected for keeping first. The best keeper takes stumpings and half-chances. Pakistan would not have made so many runs first up if that had happened.

Buttler is at best adequate. Foakes is outstanding behind the stumps.
 


The Fits

Well-known member
Jun 29, 2020
10,106
Been buzzing all day. Incredible from Woakes and Buttler. Everything that is good about test match cricket- for my mind the best of sport there is. Utterly magical.
 


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