I don’t know what the pitch is like at Mackay, Queensland, but 18 wickets on the first day makes me think the match won’t last as long as even the England v Pakistan match. That was desperately one sided, with players injured or out of form, most accurately out of Test/red-ball cricket form and Pakistan’s fielding was very poor while the only mistakes England made were calling for reviews of umpiring decisions, because no reviews of I think twelve were upheld.
Well, back to the form book with Australia winning by an innings. Bangladesh managed just 64 and 95, and the Aussies are pleased as punch although they only made 210.
It was one of the shortest Test matches ever, with the presentations before the scheduled tea interval. Only 125 were needed for 30 wickets, with is one wicket every 25 balls on average. The players have been very complimentary about the pitch but I feel they may be protecting their reputations or that of the pitch curator.
In any case, I think the would be spectators have been sold short.
Well, back to the form book with Australia winning by an innings. Bangladesh managed just 64 and 95, and the Aussies are pleased as punch although they only made 210.
It was one of the shortest Test matches ever, with the presentations before the scheduled tea interval. Only 125 were needed for 30 wickets, with is one wicket every 25 balls on average. The players have been very complimentary about the pitch but I feel they may be protecting their reputations or that of the pitch curator.
In any case, I think the would be spectators have been sold short.
I made quite a mess of that! Should have mentioned that the presentations were done before the tea interval on Day 2, and that only 125 overs were needed for 30 wickets. Still, I’m sure you got the gist.
From the highlights the pitch didn't look particularly terrible. There was a fair bit of sideways movement to be had - Starc and Shoriful Islam in particular produced some fantastic wicket-taking deliveries for their respective teams.
From the highlights the pitch didn't look particularly terrible. There was a fair bit of sideways movement to be had - Starc and Shoriful Islam in particular produced some fantastic wicket-taking deliveries for their respective teams.
I noticed that, and I’ve looked back for two day test matches and there have been 28 in total, 13 since 2000 and four of the last five in Australia including two in the recent Ashes series! Bowler’s paradise!
Another England cricketer suspended and omitted from a match squad. Brydon Carse was led away by police from a nightclub on Saturday night in handcuffs.
Whatever may have happened, it casts doubt on Joe Root’s assertion that the players are good role models.
While the ECB is investigating this incident, I believe some leadership is needed from the very top of the cricket establishment in Britain. Mr Key, step up.
Whatever may have happened, it casts doubt on Joe Root’s assertion that the players are good role models.
While the ECB is investigating this incident, I believe some leadership is needed from the very top of the cricket establishment in Britain. Mr Key, step up.
Was it an assertion, though?
I interpreted Root as calling for the England players to be role models, not a statement that they necessarily were.
Whatever may have happened, it casts doubt on Joe Root’s assertion that the players are good role models.
While the ECB is investigating this incident, I believe some leadership is needed from the very top of the cricket establishment in Britain. Mr Key, step up.
Was it an assertion, though?
I interpreted Root as calling for the England players to be role models, not a statement that they necessarily were.
I misunderstood. It was a request to the players as a whole. Carse was with Matthew Potts and Ben Stokes and they are 31, 27 and 35 respectively and while he was arrested, he was de-arrested soon afterwards.
Is "de-arrested" what used to be called "released without charge"? 🤔
Sort of. As far as I recall you can be de-arrested a few minutes after you were arrested, whilst still in the same place, possibly because you're no longer doing whatever the issue was. Released without charge is more likely to be done after officers have got you all the way to the custody suite in a police station, then someone's decided that there's not enough evidence so no formal charge.
After the driest summer for ever, the start of a test match is delayed due to rain. Toss was due at 11:30, it’s now scheduled for 12:00, play to start at 12:20.
Which goes to show that we should have used the middle of the summer for proper cricket and not for The Hundred popcorn cr*p. That would have guaranteed rain.
While England have toiled at Lord’s (as usual-we ought to play elsewhere), Sri Lanka have done brilliantly to draw after following on, thanks to determined old-fashioned test match batting including Sonal Dinusha scoring a hundred in both innings. A rare feat , but rarer still when your team desperately needs it.
After being put in, England have been bowled out for 290, which didn’t look a great score until they bowled Pakistan out for 110. That’s in part due to good bowling and out-cricket, in part the conditions and in part the general bowler-friendly nature of Lord’s Cricket Ground.
England are batting again, but they aren’t doing desperately well, so it looks like it’s going to be another short match.
They have got it to Day 4 with a 357 run lead. Should they declare and leave them two days to get Pakistan out (assuming that 357 is out of reach) or bat for a while in the morning to push it to 400? I suppose a lot will depend on the weather forecast.
I think 357 is plenty, but with 7 down and two days in hand - I think the forecast is OK for those - my feeling is that England will bat on and give the lower order a bit of practice. Maybe declare with 400 to win.
They have got it to Day 4 with a 357 run lead. Should they declare and leave them two days to get Pakistan out (assuming that 357 is out of reach) or bat for a while in the morning to push it to 400? I suppose a lot will depend on the weather forecast.
It looks like rain later on Sunday and earlier on Monday, but conditions are uncertain.
What is certain is that Pakistan’s batting is fragile, the pitch favours bowlers and England’s bowlers are too good for Pakistan.
Given the weather forecast I would declare first thing, because I would be very surprised if Pakistan could score 200.
England chose to take a chance on the weather then Pakistan nearly made 200, although Azad Shakeel made exactly half of their runs and deserved a hundred.
Despite England’s low scores, they won by what used in horse racing to be known as “a distance”.
Pieteren’s back!
This could turn out to be an appointment of genius. KP was a player of rare talent and skill but his arrogance knew no bounds.
If he can keep the right level of influence on England’s batsmen, he could be worth 50 runs per match.
84-7 was a recovery, and they kicked on to 133 as conditions improved. England then batted without due care and attention and with Pakistan’s genuinely quick new bowler, England were fortunate not to lose more wickets.
I believe he is still at the top of the ICC rankings. If I get the time, I want to do a statistical analysis of his scores before and after he first reached #1 ranking. I suspect it went to his head and his subsequent arrogance has lowered his batting average. I'm sure it was close to 60 at one point.
He's looked a little more measured in the last couple of Tests, at least waiting until he's past 50 before he does something daft.
Meanwhile, Ben McKinney remains a name to watch. He holed out just shy of making his second double hundred in the county championship for Durham this season.
It’s hard to find any reasons for optimism in Pakistan’s performance in such chaotic circumstances, but there are some in there.
A young, enthusiastic quick in Razaullah: just don’t break him like England did with Jofra Archer.
A composed batsman in Azan Awais. Leave him alone. I reckon he will be captain in a few years time.
An
But mostly an opener in Saim Ayub who joins a club with Graham Gooch, Marvan Attapatu and Saeed Anwar amongst others in making a pair on debut. Who knows where that will go?
Two bad results for Essex and suddenly we have gone from maybe being challengers to hanging perilously over the drop. Having been as high as 2nd, we are now 3rd from bottom.
At the other end... could Somerset finally win the County Championship after 135 years? It's surely between them and the bears.
@Sandemaniac Consider yourself fortunate. My team are in no danger of relegation but we are in Division Two. Since Steven Croft retired as a player and Dane Vilas returned to South Africa, we have been rubbish, despite having a stack of England players on our books (notably Salt, Livingstone, Luke Wood and Buttler) and our recent coaching team and governance are dreadful too.
I’d love to see Somerset win the County Championship! When you think of the players they have had over the years.
That’s better. Three of Pakistan’s best four batsmen have been on show and only one was out, and that to a decision that would never have been given pre-Decision Review.
England are having to work hard on a batting wicket with some sunshine.
With Durham's victory over Middlesex, we were assured of promotion. Now that Kent have lost, our lead at the top of the table is unassailable. I just wonder how Brydon Carse, Ben Stokes and the rest of the team are going to celebrate.
@Sandemaniac Consider yourself fortunate. My team are in no danger of relegation but we are in Division Two. Since Steven Croft retired as a player and Dane Vilas returned to South Africa, we have been rubbish, despite having a stack of England players on our books (notably Salt, Livingstone, Luke Wood and Buttler) and our recent coaching team and governance are dreadful too.
I’d love to see Somerset win the County Championship! When you think of the players they have had over the years.
We had a game yesterday against touring opposition. We've been struggling with the quality of the work on the ground for the last two seasons since the man who ran the club single handed died.
Two examples yesterday. I had to take a multimeter to sort the extension lead to the scorebox so we could use the big board.
And someone bowled a ball that went through the wicket, just enough of a touch to light up the zing bails but not to dislodge them! Obviously whoever prepared the strip didn't use the gauge when they made the stump holes.
We had a game yesterday against touring opposition. We've been struggling with the quality of the work on the ground for the last two seasons since the man who ran the club single handed died.
Two examples yesterday. I had to take a multimeter to sort the extension lead to the scorebox so we could use the big board.
And someone bowled a ball that went through the wicket, just enough of a touch to light up the zing bails but not to dislodge them! Obviously whoever prepared the strip didn't use the gauge when they made the stump holes.
We had a game yesterday against touring opposition. We've been struggling with the quality of the work on the ground for the last two seasons since the man who ran the club single handed died.
Two examples yesterday. I had to take a multimeter to sort the extension lead to the scorebox so we could use the big board.
And someone bowled a ball that went through the wicket, just enough of a touch to light up the zing bails but not to dislodge them! Obviously whoever prepared the strip didn't use the gauge when they made the stump holes.
We had a game yesterday against touring opposition. We've been struggling with the quality of the work on the ground for the last two seasons since the man who ran the club single handed died.
Two examples yesterday. I had to take a multimeter to sort the extension lead to the scorebox so we could use the big board.
And someone bowled a ball that went through the wicket, just enough of a touch to light up the zing bails but not to dislodge them! Obviously whoever prepared the strip didn't use the gauge when they made the stump holes.
Was that 'out'?
No because the wicket wasn't broken.
And “temporarily broken” doesn’t count as broken. So if the bail lifts out of the groove but falls back in, it’s not out.
Congratulations to Warwickshire on securing the County Championship 1st division title today. Congratulations also to Kent for securing their promotion to the top flight.
Just a shame it's barely reported on. At the time of writing, on the BBC this is buried underneath 15 articles on football, 6 on rugby union, 4 on formula 1 and 1 each on rugby league and cycling.
@Sipech Worse still, it’s been a good competitive season, with three counties in the running with two matches to go. Sadly Leicestershire have been relegated after a 25 point deduction, which looks excessive to me.
I’ve not been reading social media about my county, Lancashire. We are likely to finish bottom of the table for the first time in our history. Our bowling is good, but our batting is terrible: we passed 200 for the first time in six matches today!
A convincing win for England over Sri Lanka, and the game they lost was close and could well have been decided by an injury to one of England’s batsmen who was scoring for fun. Still, it’s another series win with a good first century for Tom Banton.
In the County Championship, my county, Lancashire drew their last game, Gloucestershire lost, so we didn’t finish last, despite winning the fewest games in the division.
Comments
It was one of the shortest Test matches ever, with the presentations before the scheduled tea interval. Only 125 were needed for 30 wickets, with is one wicket every 25 balls on average. The players have been very complimentary about the pitch but I feel they may be protecting their reputations or that of the pitch curator.
In any case, I think the would be spectators have been sold short.
I made quite a mess of that! Should have mentioned that the presentations were done before the tea interval on Day 2, and that only 125 overs were needed for 30 wickets. Still, I’m sure you got the gist.
I noticed that, and I’ve looked back for two day test matches and there have been 28 in total, 13 since 2000 and four of the last five in Australia including two in the recent Ashes series! Bowler’s paradise!
Whatever may have happened, it casts doubt on Joe Root’s assertion that the players are good role models.
While the ECB is investigating this incident, I believe some leadership is needed from the very top of the cricket establishment in Britain. Mr Key, step up.
I interpreted Root as calling for the England players to be role models, not a statement that they necessarily were.
I misunderstood. It was a request to the players as a whole. Carse was with Matthew Potts and Ben Stokes and they are 31, 27 and 35 respectively and while he was arrested, he was de-arrested soon afterwards.
Sort of. As far as I recall you can be de-arrested a few minutes after you were arrested, whilst still in the same place, possibly because you're no longer doing whatever the issue was. Released without charge is more likely to be done after officers have got you all the way to the custody suite in a police station, then someone's decided that there's not enough evidence so no formal charge.
Both of them result in no criminal record IIRC.
England are batting again, but they aren’t doing desperately well, so it looks like it’s going to be another short match.
It looks like rain later on Sunday and earlier on Monday, but conditions are uncertain.
What is certain is that Pakistan’s batting is fragile, the pitch favours bowlers and England’s bowlers are too good for Pakistan.
Given the weather forecast I would declare first thing, because I would be very surprised if Pakistan could score 200.
Despite England’s low scores, they won by what used in horse racing to be known as “a distance”.
This could turn out to be an appointment of genius. KP was a player of rare talent and skill but his arrogance knew no bounds.
If he can keep the right level of influence on England’s batsmen, he could be worth 50 runs per match.
Then again, he could rub people up the wrong way.
Not that his conversion rate is poor, but he has an annoying habit of looking the best batsman in the world and then showing why he isn’t.
He's looked a little more measured in the last couple of Tests, at least waiting until he's past 50 before he does something daft.
Meanwhile, Ben McKinney remains a name to watch. He holed out just shy of making his second double hundred in the county championship for Durham this season.
A young, enthusiastic quick in Razaullah: just don’t break him like England did with Jofra Archer.
A composed batsman in Azan Awais. Leave him alone. I reckon he will be captain in a few years time.
An
But mostly an opener in Saim Ayub who joins a club with Graham Gooch, Marvan Attapatu and Saeed Anwar amongst others in making a pair on debut. Who knows where that will go?
At the other end... could Somerset finally win the County Championship after 135 years? It's surely between them and the bears.
I’d love to see Somerset win the County Championship! When you think of the players they have had over the years.
England are having to work hard on a batting wicket with some sunshine.
I'm happy if essex or Somerset do well
More sixes in his Test career than Boycott!
Two examples yesterday. I had to take a multimeter to sort the extension lead to the scorebox so we could use the big board.
And someone bowled a ball that went through the wicket, just enough of a touch to light up the zing bails but not to dislodge them! Obviously whoever prepared the strip didn't use the gauge when they made the stump holes.
Was that 'out'?
No because the wicket wasn't broken.
And “temporarily broken” doesn’t count as broken. So if the bail lifts out of the groove but falls back in, it’s not out.
Just a shame it's barely reported on. At the time of writing, on the BBC this is buried underneath 15 articles on football, 6 on rugby union, 4 on formula 1 and 1 each on rugby league and cycling.
I’ve not been reading social media about my county, Lancashire. We are likely to finish bottom of the table for the first time in our history. Our bowling is good, but our batting is terrible: we passed 200 for the first time in six matches today!
In the County Championship, my county, Lancashire drew their last game, Gloucestershire lost, so we didn’t finish last, despite winning the fewest games in the division.