The Cricket Thread

[kieran_vale]

Great start by Broad and Anderson. Given them nothing and Jimmy gets Masood again, he pretty much owns him at this point.

 

[hodge]

JIMMY!! Good ball that, Ali wandering over his stumps, definitely hitting.

Could it be over today.....

 

[MJA]

Great decision by England not to enforce the follow on..........

 

[Modernist]

Great decision by England not to enforce the follow on..........

why?

 

[kieran_vale]

Absolute clinic with the new ball by Jimmy. Younus still doing that jumping around at the crease, just looks like a dismissal waiting to happen.

 

[MJA]

why?

Because we are going to skittle them out before tea thanks to heavy scoreboard pressure

 

[kieran_vale]

Cook, you can't drop that!! Younus should be back in the pavillion now.

 

[hodge]

Should have been 3 that, poor drop from Cook.

 

[Modernist]

Because we are going to skittle them out before tea thanks to heavy scoreboard pressure

we bowled them out for less than 200 before. They would've need double that just to make us bat again.

 

[MJA]

we bowled them out for less than 200 before. They would've need double that just to make us bat again.

Wow, you're a touchy bugger aren't you?
Whatever decision England took was likely to result in England winning this test match and 2 early wickets has just reinforced that. I was as surprised as anyone to see us bat again but it wasn't particularly concerning apart from the potential for the Manchester weather to affect things

 

[kieran_vale]

I don't think it was as bad a decision as some made it out to be. Can see Cooks thinking in terms of resting the seamers a bit (who bowled the vast bulk of that 60 overs in Pakistans innings) so as they were fresh for the new ball and the evidence this morning has proven him right. I daresay if England had named the second spinner in Rashid they may well have enforced the follow on in that case.

Excellent morning for England outside of Cook dropping that sitter.

 

[Bobbin']

Some terrific batting performances from some of the boys in the England Lions side in the last week.

Duckett 163*
Malan 185*
Billings 175

Today currently for a partnership of 232:

Duckett 150*
Bell-Drummond 108*

 

[Bobbin']

No matter who you're playing against, they are sensational figures.

 

[kieran_vale]

Get in the fourth wicket goes. That was brainless from Younus.

 

[Super_horns]

Root has managed to take a wicket now...

What a game for him!

 

[hodge]

View attachment 4000

No matter who you're playing against, they are sensational figures.

Have to think Duckett will be getting a call to play against Pakistan a big 100 and a double in a series is seriously impressive.

Haven't watched this afternoon, I know wickets are all that have mattered this innings and he's on 3 but Ali going at just under 5 an over and a third of the runs from the innings against him? Anyone who watched able to say he bowled well?

 

[RavenBish]

Bowled a bit better today by all accounts but he's still not good enough for me and at this stage in his career his stats seem to suggest he's not quite good enough of a batsman at Test level and not quite good enough of a bowler either.

I'd love to see someone like Duckett get a go, I think they consider the side too settled (and successful) to start making big changes but if you've got a young batsman then where better to give him a go than batting 4 or 5 for England with Cook/Root above you and the longest middle-order in Test cricket below you? Duckett's got the skillset to bat anywhere in the top 5 too.

In general that England Lions squad is rammed with talent to an almost absurd degree.

They will however replace Stokes with Finn but fuck it;

Cook, Hales, Root, Duckett, Ballance, Bairstow, Woakes, Rashid, Broad, Wood, Anderson

 

[hodge]

Like the look of that side, with no one's form in first class cricket screaming out for a place in the test side they should be looking at lions performances. If JB's form continues I could see JB at 4 and Duckett down at 6 to start with.

 

[RavenBish]

I think you just go for talent. Root had only played 2 seasons of first-class cricket before getting the call-up to Test cricket.

 

[hodge]

Yeah remember reading Tres' autobiography, Fletcher was Glamorgan coach at the time just before taking his role with England and watched Tres vs Glamorgan and wanted him for England, Nasser said he didn't know who Tres was really and didn't want him.

 

[Super_horns]

No wonder Sri Lanka are a bit miffed.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/36891957

 

[Bobbin']

Daniel Bell-Drummond scores 91 tonight in a 203 run stand with Joe Denly.

The boy is in some form, Hales should be looking over his shoulder.

 

[MJA]

Lancashire struggling in the short format again but Derbyshire trying their best to gift us a win with some crazy batting

 

[MJA]

A mixture of decent bowling and silly batting has helped Lancashire to an important win over Derbyshire in the 50 over cup

 

[blademan89]

The treble is well and truly on

 

[Super_horns]

Going to Lords tomorrow for Middlesex v Essex so hoping the forecast for rain is wrong!

 

[Camborne Gills]

Sadly not. If a game does get going, I hope Middlesex win (same for Glam at Suss)

 

[Super_horns]

Sadly not. If a game does get going, I hope Middlesex win )

We got a game at Lord's in the end and it was a good one with Middlesex looking good for a win taking wickets to restrict the scoring till the final few overs when Ashar Zaidi smashed 59 off 24 balls including a 6 off Finn to win the game (who was pretty expensive)

126 looked to be a below par score with only Malan getting a score of note even off 16 overs for the hosts and so it proved.

 

[blademan89]

Another win. Away in the quarters though I'm fancying the treble

 

[lordofthepies]

yeah, you said that 2 days ago. would be a dark day for cricket.