Great knock by matt prior he has to be the worlds best wicket keeper batsman in the world at the moment . Anyone seen the size of tremletts guns ?
There's Kumar Sangakkara, but he doesn't always keep wicket these days, similarly Brendan McCullan. But Matt Prior did exactly what England needed today.
Mukund goes bowled for 12, Gambir is injured, Tendulkar was off the field for ages and can't bat until middle of the first session tomorrow, so in comes VVS Laxman. That's either Very, Very Special, or Very, Very Shaky...
Mukund goes bowled for 12, Gambir is injured, Tendulkar was off the field for ages and can't bat until middle of the first session tomorrow, so in comes VVS Laxman. That's either Very, Very Special, or Very, Very Shaky...
It will certainly be an interesting day tomorrow .. me? .. I fancy a draw .. a tight one
Prior is a top, top batsman, he plays better in high-pressure situations.
Surely has to be seen as our best keeper/batsman since Alan Knott.
The way Prior is going he will end up with a Test average of 45 or so - one of the highest ever achieved by any English batsman, let alone a keeper.
Battingwise no argument from me but his wicketkeeping is more debatable.
Knott could both wicketkeep and bat and, in my opinion, is England's undisputed number one KEEPERBATSMAN over the 50 years I've been watching. Much as it galls me to say it Alec Stewart is probably next on the list with Prior battling it out for third with fellow Sussex player Jim Parks.
If we're talking best wicketkeeper and ignoring the batting I'd still choose Knott but Bob Taylor runs him close with Jack Russell or Keith Andrew third from what I've seen.
Prior is a top, top batsman, he plays better in high-pressure situations.
Surely has to be seen as our best keeper/batsman since Alan Knott.
The way Prior is going he will end up with a Test average of 45 or so - one of the highest ever achieved by any English batsman, let alone a keeper.
Battingwise no argument from me but his wicketkeeping is more debatable.
Knott could both wicketkeep and bat and, in my opinion, is England's undisputed number one KEEPERBATSMAN over the 50 years I've been watching. Much as it galls me to say it Alec Stewart is probably next on the list with Prior battling it out for third with fellow Sussex player Jim Parks.
If we're talking best wicketkeeper and ignoring the batting I'd still choose Knott but Bob Taylor runs him close with Jack Russell or Keith Andrew third from what I've seen.
I await Chirpy's disagreement :-)
No doubt Knott was the best pure keeper in my mind, although some argue for Bob Taylor.
In terms of batting, its so hard to compare eras because Stewart played against far better bowlers (Ambrose, Walsh, Wasim, Waqar, Donald, Pollock, Warne, McGrath, Gillespie) than those that are around today.
Having said that, Prior has scored his runs in a lot of very important situations and has batted at 6/7 in tough spots whereas Stewart opened a lot and played at number 3 so had more chances to build longer innings.
Impossible, albeit interesting, to compare different eras.
Comments
And Broad continues to have a great Test...
Mukund goes bowled for 12, Gambir is injured, Tendulkar was off the field for ages and can't bat until middle of the first session tomorrow, so in comes VVS Laxman. That's either Very, Very Special, or Very, Very Shaky...
Prior is a top, top batsman, he plays better in high-pressure situations.
Surely has to be seen as our best keeper/batsman since Alan Knott.
The way Prior is going he will end up with a Test average of 45 or so - one of the highest ever achieved by any English batsman, let alone a keeper.
Battingwise no argument from me but his wicketkeeping is more debatable.
Knott could both wicketkeep and bat and, in my opinion, is England's undisputed number one KEEPERBATSMAN over the 50 years I've been watching. Much as it galls me to say it Alec Stewart is probably next on the list with Prior battling it out for third with fellow Sussex player Jim Parks.
If we're talking best wicketkeeper and ignoring the batting I'd still choose Knott but Bob Taylor runs him close with Jack Russell or Keith Andrew third from what I've seen.
I await Chirpy's disagreement :-)
No doubt Knott was the best pure keeper in my mind, although some argue for Bob Taylor.
In terms of batting, its so hard to compare eras because Stewart played against far better bowlers (Ambrose, Walsh, Wasim, Waqar, Donald, Pollock, Warne, McGrath, Gillespie) than those that are around today.
Having said that, Prior has scored his runs in a lot of very important situations and has batted at 6/7 in tough spots whereas Stewart opened a lot and played at number 3 so had more chances to build longer innings.
Impossible, albeit interesting, to compare different eras.
Place is full of Indians!
Know a bargain eh. . . . . . .
38 overs to go...
And India down to 4 wickets left, Harbijahn Singh is in and while he can bat he doesn't tend to like the short stuff.
Looked dead on lb two balls later an' all.
Still, £3.20 a pint of strongbow in the tavern stand so I ain't complaining.
33 overs left...three wickets.
I can't see India taking anything away from this Test.
Might only be two wickets.
Will Zaheer bat if there are (say) 30 overs left do you think?
261-9
Zaheer batting with a runner as suggested by BFR
Brilliant day's cricket. How does one become a member at lords?