We need a cricket thread here

[sturginho]

Who'd have predicted England would win so comfortably after the second day?

I reckon England will go on to win 3-1 now, I think this has knocked the stuffing out of Pakistan

[DieselDaisy]

1 hour ago, sturginho said:

Who'd have predicted England would win so comfortably after the second day?

I reckon England will go on to win 3-1 now, I think this has knocked the stuffing out of Pakistan

I don't know - I wouldn't write off Pakistan just yet? A lot depends on the Oval wicket I suppose.

Have you seen that Sami Aslam? Where did they pull him from? I would promote him up the order as Hafeez has been a bit shit, Azhar Ali and Sami opening. That leaves problems later down the order as Younis Khan is flapping around.

 

[sturginho]

24 minutes ago, DieselDaisy said:

I don't know - I wouldn't write off Pakistan just yet? A lot depends on the Oval wicket I suppose.

Have you seen that Sami Aslam? Where did they pull him from? I would promote him up the order as Hafeez has been a bit shit, Azhar Ali and Sami opening. That leaves problems later down the order as Younis Khan is flapping around.

 

 

Yeah, how different would it have been if Azhar hadn't had that brainfart and gotten Sami Aslam run out, they were looking imperious at that point. The senior players like Hafeez and Younus are letting the side down. Misbah has been great throughout the series but he looked absolutely devastated at the end when he was being interviewed, as though he couldn't understand how they had thrown away such a commanding position.

[Chris1989]

That was a thoroughly enjoyable test.

[DieselDaisy]

4 hours ago, Chris1989 said:

That was a thoroughly enjoyable test.

Indeed.  I actually preferred this wicket (and Lord's) over Old Trafford as it brings Pakistani into proceedings and demands far more of the English seamers and Moen. There was a journo moaning about the wicket on TMS; as much as I enjoy watching the Aussies bowled out for 60 with the ball nibbling all over, this was a proper test wicket.

[DieselDaisy]

Durham through to finals day.

[sturginho]

4 hours ago, DieselDaisy said:

Durham through to finals day.

So are Northants

[DieselDaisy]

51 minutes ago, sturginho said:

So are Northants

Are you going?

[DieselDaisy]

Oh dear. I think Cook's decision to bat on an obvious seamer, green top, cloud cover, is as poor a decision as Ponting's, Edgbaston 2005, putting England in.

[sturginho]

2 hours ago, DieselDaisy said:

Are you going?

I'd like to, but am strapped for cash for the forseeable

[DieselDaisy]

Fiver for a pint at The Oval apparently. Haha stupid Londoners, paying those prices.

[sturginho]

Hanif Mohammad: Record-breaking former Pakistan batsman dies aged 81 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/37049045

Rip Hanif Mohammad

[DieselDaisy]

1 minute ago, sturginho said:

Hanif Mohammad: Record-breaking former Pakistan batsman dies aged 81 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/37049045

Rip Hanif Mohammad

I saw that. I learnt a lot about him in that book on Pakistan cricket. He made 337 in the same series that Sobers scored his 365 (test record until Lara).

[sturginho]

9 hours ago, DieselDaisy said:

I saw that. I learnt a lot about him in that book on Pakistan cricket. He made 337 in the same series that Sobers scored his 365 (test record until Lara).

 

I think his 337 still stands as the longest ever test innings (16 hours and 10 minutes)

He made 499 in a domestic match which was the record first class score until Lara's 501

[DieselDaisy]

21 minutes ago, sturginho said:

He made 499 in a domestic match which was the record first class score until Lara's 501

It would be against us, that!!

PS

Durham v Tykes

Notts v Northants

Edited August 12, 2016 by DieselDaisy

[DieselDaisy]

The Edgbaston site is a bit shit. You've to click on individual seat! ''Not available''; ''Not available''. There are only a few left. I was tempted to go but I changed my mind, not being the biggest Twenty20 fan and so forth.

[sturginho]

2 hours ago, DieselDaisy said:

The Edgbaston site is a bit shit. You've to click on individual seat! ''Not available''; ''Not available''. There are only a few left. I was tempted to go but I changed my mind, not being the biggest Twenty20 fan and so forth.

 

we'll just have to watch on $ky, hopefully we meet in the final!

[DieselDaisy]

Yorkshire v Durham is odd as both are sort of shite at Twenty20 (I do not even know how both made it through); we beat Yorkshire at home on a Duckworth-Lewis washout and I think we lost away.

...all from the northern group also. Southern fairies don't know how to play cricket.

[DieselDaisy]

Edgbaston part 2 if Pakistan get a first innings lead of around 100.

[PappyTron]

6 hours ago, DieselDaisy said:

Edgbaston part 2 if Pakistan get a first innings lead of around 100.

No chance; England are well and truly toast this time around.

I blame all of the media stating that Root was "the second greatest English batsman after Len Hutton". Root is extremely good, but talk about a millstone to place around a person's neck. Just let the kid play.

[DieselDaisy]

6 minutes ago, PappyTron said:

No chance; England are well and truly toast this time around.

I blame all of the media stating that Root was "the second greatest English batsman after Len Hutton". Root is extremely good, but talk about a millstone to place around a person's neck. Just let the kid play.

I don't necessarily disagree but I blame the top order, Vince and to a lesser degree Alex Hales. These two batters keep getting in and then immediately getting out by playing at fifth stump offside deliveries that they shouldn't be playing. Vince has surely played his last test; he has only one shot in his repertoire, a cover drive! I suspect the selectors will persevere with Hales a bit longer as they are a conservative crew but he is a problem also. I've never been the biggest Gary Ballance fan either but he at least he has the test average and experience.

Ultimately 2-2 would be a fair result. Pakistan will obviously be the happier of the two being that it is England's backyard.

[PappyTron]

27 minutes ago, DieselDaisy said:

I don't necessarily disagree but I blame the top order, Vince and to a lesser degree Alex Hales. These two batters keep getting in and then immediately getting out by playing at fifth stump offside deliveries that they shouldn't be playing. Vince has surely played his last test; he has only one shot in his repertoire, a cover drive! I suspect the selectors will persevere with Hales a bit longer as they are a conservative crew but he is a problem also. I've never been the biggest Gary Ballance fan either but he at least he has the test average and experience.

Ultimately 2-2 would be a fair result. Pakistan will obviously be the happier of the two being that it is England's backyard.

I think that Hale, Vince and Ballance are a weak area, for sure. I wonder whether the selectors will use that as a reason to go with both Stokes and Woakes at the same time, and to bring in Rashid/another spinner to lighten the load on Moeen, so we end up with something like:

Cook

Hales

Root

Ali

Woakes/Stokes

Bairstow

Stokes/Woakes

Broad

Rashid

Finn

Anderson

The problem with that, obviously, is that neither Stokes or Woakes are specialist batsmen, so the middle-order could be a bit soft, but it would allow them to field both of them (which is what they have been determined to try and achieve) and fix the issue with having no specialist spinner. The issue though is that by cramming in two all-rounders you run the risk of them both failing at both, which would leave the rest of the team a lot to do, and even though Rashid is a specialist spinner, he isn't what you'd call mind-blowing, though England have never really had bumper crops of great spinners.

 

[DieselDaisy]

1 minute ago, PappyTron said:

I think that Hale, Vince and Ballance are a weak area, for sure. I wonder whether the selectors will use that as a reason to go with both Stokes and Woakes at the same time, and to bring in Rashid/another spinner to lighten the load on Moeen, so we end up with something like:

Cook

Hales

Root

Ali

Woakes/Stokes

Bairstow

Stokes/Woakes

Broad

Rashid

Finn

Anderson

The problem with that, obviously, is that neither Stokes or Woakes are specialist batsmen, so the middle-order could be a bit soft, but it would allow them to field both of them (which is what they have been determined to try and achieve) and fix the issue with having no specialist spinner. The issue though is that by cramming in two all-rounders you run the risk of them both failing at both, which would leave the rest of the team a lot to do, and even though Rashid is a specialist spinner, he isn't what you'd call mind-blowing, though England have never really had bumper crops of great spinners.

 

I'd definitely play Stokes and Woakes as it gives England so many options. They're terrific these two. Woakes has been England's best bowler this series. The chances that either will under perform with the two disciplines are slim.

They are going to bring in Rashid as they head to the sub-continent in the winter so the way I see it, they have two options: either something similar to your line-up, dropping the two batsman (Vince and Ballance) and leaving yourself a bit thin batting, or, dropping one batsman (Vince) and the third specialist seamer (Finn) and keeping Ballance there. The latter seems safer as with Stokes and Woakes, it is honestly like having four specialist seamers.

 

[PappyTron]

11 minutes ago, DieselDaisy said:

I'd definitely play Stokes and Woakes as it gives England so many options. They're terrific these two. Woakes has been England's best bowler this series. The chances that either will under perform with the two disciplines are slim.

They are going to bring in Rashid as they head to the sub-continent in the winter so the way I see it, they have two options: either something similar to your line-up, dropping the two batsman (Vince and Ballance) and leaving yourself a bit thin batting, or, dropping one batsman (Vince) and the third specialist seamer (Finn) and keeping Ballance there. The latter seems safer as with Stokes and Woakes, it is honestly like having four specialist seamers.

 

Personally I think that Finn's place is the most under threat and it will be to a specialist batsman. Ballance is okay, but has issues, but he will probably be taken as the "safe bet". Really, we need another top level opener and another batsman who can average at least high 40s. People are still calling for Pietersen to be brought back along with Bell.

[DieselDaisy]

18 minutes ago, PappyTron said:

Personally I think that Finn's place is the most under threat and it will be to a specialist batsman. Ballance is okay, but has issues, but he will probably be taken as the "safe bet". Really, we need another top level opener and another batsman who can average at least high 40s. People are still calling for Pietersen to be brought back along with Bell.

It is the old 'opener' problem and it has been that way since Strauss retired in 2012. here we are in 2016 and we are no closer to solving it. Compton, Carberry, Lyth et al. have all failed there - heck, they even moved Moen up.

Either one of Durham's openers, Mark Stoneman or Keaton Jennings could work; Jennings is having a remarkable season, leading the division one run total (965 runs at 68.93). Then there is Kent's Bell-Drummond, Northant's Ben Duckett, etc. If you are looking at somebody to bat at fourish you have the likes of Durham's Scott Borthwick who can also offer leg spin (although normally a three), Jason Roy (if the ECB stop fast-tracking him as a T20 specialist), Kent's Sam Northeast, etc. There is a lot of batting talent there really, in the county scene. I rather agree however about them giving a batsman a 'series'. You wouldn't want a return to the '90s!