[Cricket] India v England Test Series

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Since they have stopped us following England overseas due to Covid-19 they've won 6 test matches on the bounce.
If we can keep that pattern going for the next 3 test matches in India and 5 test matches in Australia I'll be quite happy not to be there.

I believe there's a tour to Pakistan pre Australia...?

 

[banjo]

Anyone watched The Edge on BBC iPlayer? Brilliant and well worth a watch.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I'd be dropping Archer. Open with Anderson and Broad.

The danger there is you have no express pace to blast stubborn batsmen out with.

Archer bagged both openers in India's 1st innings, and he can also get rid of tail-enders with the second new ball if necessary.

Broad is a top-class bowler but he hasn't got Jimmy's reverse swing precision or Jofra's sheer pace.

 

[dazzer6666]

I had quite a few texts from mates moaning why we didn't declare earlier. Nick Knight was moaning too, but England had a plan and stuck to it admirably. The thinking of having a hard ball still available on the final day morning was more important than runs and time and so it proved. Good thinking by the England camp, pretty much a perfect sub-continent performance.

I saw one interview with Root that made me chuckle.....he was asked about the declaration timing. Said the aim was to get to 400 or thereabouts but wasn’t bothered about getting India in before the close......then he said something like ‘I spent longer batting on that pitch than anyone else, so I was pretty well placed to know what we needed to do’ (ie ‘you know-alls can all **** off, I knew exactly what I was doing’)

 

[blue-shifted]

The danger there is you have no express pace to blast stubborn batsmen out with.

Archer bagged both openers in India's 1st innings, and he can also get rid of tail-enders with the second new ball if necessary.

Broad is a top-class bowler but he hasn't got Jimmy's reverse swing precision or Jofra's sheer pace.

"Do what your opponents least want you to do" .... R Benaud

 

[blue-shifted]

I saw one interview with Root that made me chuckle.....he was asked about the declaration timing. Said the aim was to get to 400 or thereabouts but wasn’t bothered about getting India in before the close......then he said something like ‘I spent longer batting on that pitch than anyone else, so I was pretty well placed to know what we needed to do’ (ie ‘you know-alls can all **** off, I knew exactly what I was doing’)

Test captains are usually much more cautious around declarations than commentators and the public

I guess because commentators and the public wouldn't be the ones having to answer the questions if they declared too early and the score got chased

 

[Jim in the West]

Anyone watched The Edge on BBC iPlayer? Brilliant and well worth a watch.

Indeed - one of the best sports documentaries I've seen. Some great insights.

 

[Pavilionaire]

"Do what your opponents least want you to do" .... R Benaud

A great quote from a cricket genius, but wouldn't that be to face Jimmy and Jofra all over again?

 

[The Wizard]

"Do what your opponents least want you to do" .... R Benaud

I would imagine they don’t particularly like facing a bowler who can still hit 95mph on Indian pitches.

Dropping Archer is a complete no go IMO, bowling attacks need different options, Stokes, Broad and Anderson are all similar hit a good length style bowlers, it’s too similar. I think it’s easy to underestimate Archers input into our attack, even when he’s not getting wickets he roughs people up and pushes them back.

I think the Broad and Anderson rotation is perfect, keeps them both fresh and hungry. Jimmy is 38, if India won the toss on Saturday that could be 2 days toiling in the field with just a 3 day break.

 

[blue-shifted]

I would imagine they don’t particularly like facing a bowler who can still hit 95mph on Indian pitches.

Dropping Archer is a complete no go IMO, bowling attacks need different options, Stokes, Broad and Anderson are all similar hit a good length style bowlers, it’s too similar. I think it’s easy to underestimate Archers input into our attack, even when he’s not getting wickets he roughs people up and pushes them back.

I think the Broad and Anderson rotation is perfect, keeps them both fresh and hungry. Jimmy is 38, if India won the toss on Saturday that could be 2 days toiling in the field with just a 3 day break.

We'll agree to differ

 

[dazzer6666]

Joff is the X-Factor in our bowling attack...........no batsman likes real searing pace and he’s always likely to pick up a vital wicket or two. Broad and Anderson are both fantastic, but we need Joff in there.........only way we could play all three is to drop to a single spinner, which we’re unlikely to do in India.

 

[The Wizard]

Joff is the X-Factor in our bowling attack...........no batsman likes real searing pace and he’s always likely to pick up a vital wicket or two. Broad and Anderson are both fantastic, but we need Joff in there.........only way we could play all three is to drop to a single spinner, which we’re unlikely to do in India.

Stokes can do everything else, wonder if he can bowl a bit of leg break?

 

[dazzer6666]

Stokes can do everything else, wonder if he can bowl a bit of leg break?

He could probably keep wicket to his own leg breaks

 

[Berty23]

Joff is the X-Factor in our bowling attack...........no batsman likes real searing pace and he’s always likely to pick up a vital wicket or two. Broad and Anderson are both fantastic, but we need Joff in there.........only way we could play all three is to drop to a single spinner, which we’re unlikely to do in India.

Archer should provide the X factor but it is weird he doesn’t often actually do that. For much of the last match he was bowling 81-83 mph. If he is going to do that then they might as well play broad. Obviously wood is back for the second half of the tour so archer needs to be consistently quick or I suspect wood replaces him.

I don’t actually follow Sussex that closely - did he vary his pace so much in the champo? I was under the impression he was always rapid, which makes the spells of medium fast in tests quite odd.

From what I have previously seen he is capable of sensational fielding so his efforts for England have been a bit disappointing. Is he a better fielder than he has shown?

This is not criticising archer - just trying to understand. That spell vs smith was incredible. Anyone who has not watched the episode of the test (Aussie documentary on Amazon prime) really needs to. I was amazing.

 

[A1X]

The only test I'd even consider playing Broad and Anderson together is the day / night test (3rd I believe) as the pink ball is likely to do a little more for the quicks. Other than that it's one or the other, and Jimmy is on a roll right now (he's taken his wickets at an average of NINE this year).

 

[Braggfan]

The only test I'd even consider playing Broad and Anderson together is the day / night test (3rd I believe) as the pink ball is likely to do a little more for the quicks. Other than that it's one or the other, and Jimmy is on a roll right now (he's taken his wickets at an average of NINE this year).

That is astonishing, an average of 9. It really is a pleasure to watch him bowl.

Sometimes while watching his bowling I just sit there thinking, "what on earth would you do if you were out in the middle facing that?" Although the answer is obvious...you'd get out.

 

[Gwylan]

I don’t actually follow Sussex that closely - did he vary his pace so much in the champo? I was under the impression he was always rapid, which makes the spells of medium fast in tests quite odd.
.

Sussex used him properly - they gave him short bursts. Root has tended to over-bowl him and fast bowlers can't bowl 90mph for long spells. It looks like Root has learned this as he was a bit more fiery in the last test - the spell he bowled to Ashwin was fearsome

 

[Eeyore]

Archer should provide the X factor but it is weird he doesn’t often actually do that. For much of the last match he was bowling 81-83 mph. If he is going to do that then they might as well play broad. Obviously wood is back for the second half of the tour so archer needs to be consistently quick or I suspect wood replaces him.

I don’t actually follow Sussex that closely - did he vary his pace so much in the champo? I was under the impression he was always rapid, which makes the spells of medium fast in tests quite odd.

From what I have previously seen he is capable of sensational fielding so his efforts for England have been a bit disappointing. Is he a better fielder than he has shown?

This is not criticising archer - just trying to understand. That spell vs smith was incredible. Anyone who has not watched the episode of the test (Aussie documentary on Amazon prime) really needs to. I was amazing.

As blasphemous as it may seem, I feel that Archer lacks the variation needed to qualify him amongst the best. He can bowl quickly, straight, and has natural pace and bounce. But Broad, in his present form, for me offers more.

I feel that Archer is a bowler a batsman could get used to over time.

I'm a bit concerned for the future of the English bowling attack at present. I don't follow the county game so much at present, so this could be miss-placed, but once Broad, and Anderson especially, hang up their boots I don't know who will fill them.

As it stands, this next Ashes winter is looking tough.

 

[Jeremiah]

Joff is the X-Factor in our bowling attack...........no batsman likes real searing pace and he’s always likely to pick up a vital wicket or two. Broad and Anderson are both fantastic, but we need Joff in there.........only way we could play all three is to drop to a single spinner, which we’re unlikely to do in India.

Unfortunately for me Archer disappoints and I would go for Anderson & Broad.

Archer rarely hits top speeds (Anderson was bowling quicker than Archer in India's second innings).and looks disinterested most of the time. If he is being used in short spells then he should be ramping the speed up throughout that spell.

People have been raving about his appearances in the IPL but whenever I see him bowl for England he fades in and out of the game. (IMO)

 

[dazzer6666]

Unfortunately for me Archer disappoints and I would go for Anderson & Broad.

Archer rarely hits top speeds (Anderson was bowling quicker than Archer in India's second innings).and looks disinterested most of the time. If he is being used in short spells then he should be ramping the speed up throughout that spell.

People have been raving about his appearances in the IPL but whenever I see him bowl for England he fades in and out of the game. (IMO)

Agree he is a bit of an enigma at times...but he's capable of the kind of delivery no-one else is.......when he's in the mood. Still learning the game at test level of course and we also don't know what he's being asked to do...............Woody is an equally good bet if we want someone to give it full beans for 4-5 overs to knock someone's block off and his batting is infinitely better. Also agree his fielding - and also his batting - aren't all that in tests. I'd still play him alongside either Jimmy or Stuart vs India though as long as Stokes is there as a seam bowler and we're playing two spinners.

It's not a bad diemma to have - we're looking good