That was abject. Cook has been a fine player but that was absolutely brainless. It was no more than a standard full length delivery with the little bit of movement you would expect from a new ball.
Talk about operating in a bubble. Did no one analyse the last Test?
These guys are not excessively quick - take your guard a few inches outside the crease not step back into - these guys are batting like they facing Michael Holding in his prime. The foot movement is abysmal.
Why is Stoneman try to pull a short pitch delivery rising about shoulder height outside off stump through mid wicket? The job is to stay there until lunch nothing more nothing less. The pitch and the ball will get easier. Leave the buggers alone. We cannot afford to gift wickets away. To quote Williamson it is about putting in the hard yards. The fun bit comes later......hopefully.
fecking stupid. Tried it 3 times, 2 skied in the air & lucky not to get caught. Put it back in the locker until you've got 50+ & we are 150-odd.
Incidentally, with all the talk of how spinners wouldn't be needed on this pitch, New Zealand have picked the leg spinner Sodhi, so clearly they don't think picking a spinner is a bad move
Also just seen the stat the Cook is only I Test away from equalling the best no of consecutive Tests.............I wonder if this is why he hasn't been dropped !!
It's because there's no-one better available. Evidence is the number of partners he's had in the last 3-4 years.
You can't keep picking Cook because of his record. If that was the case Gooch would still be opening. Cook is washed up, he simply does not have the desire and has admitted himself to Aggers that maybe his hunger has gone. There are always alternatives, maybe not obvious ones at the moment but we need to move on.
Incidentally, with all the talk of how spinners wouldn't be needed on this pitch, New Zealand have picked the leg spinner Sodhi, so clearly they don't think picking a spinner is a bad move
Only because they know our left handers can't deal with a spinner - look at the Ashes series & the number of times we lost 2 or 3 quick wickets when Lyon came on & bowled.
Incidentally, with all the talk of how spinners wouldn't be needed on this pitch, New Zealand have picked the leg spinner Sodhi, so clearly they don't think picking a spinner is a bad move
Only because they know our left handers can't deal with a spinner - look at the Ashes series & the number of times we lost 2 or 3 quick wickets when Lyon came on & bowled.
Left handers find leg spinners far easier to play than off spinners Golfie.
Crazy. I admit that I don't watch county games or have any knowledge of players etc but listening to Sky preview last night the stats at this ground says that a spinner is not needed & hardly any wickets are taken by spin.
Also dropping Woakes doesn't make much sense, and with Vince coming in Root drop down to 4 - no wonder Kane Williamson chose to bowl, we will be 4 down in no time. If there is no rain this game will be over by the 4th day.
Took a bit longer than I thought. Half hour after lunch.........94/4. Malan out for a duck.
England have hardly had a decent partnership for any wicket the whole winter. Four century partnerships in six and a bit tests just isn't good enough with the batsmen at our disposal. Too many players playing themselves in and not going on to make a decent score (Stoneman being the worst culprit). In NZ in particular too many players just not getting into double figures. Take away Cook's one big innings and he averages around 13.
How can you win Test Matches if your batsmen just aren't performing?
Cook has two double tons in the last year, he's the least of our worries.
Cook is the least of our worries but it is a reflection of the situation we find ourselves in that a player who has that one big score of 244* in his last 12 innings and still only averages 35 in that time (because the other 11 scores have been 39 or less) is still certain of his place - because four of the five players around you have Test averages between 22 and 35.
Comments
There are always alternatives, maybe not obvious ones at the moment but we need to move on.
I hope Leach can bat better than Ali..........
94/5, Stoneman out now. Another one for Southee. Told you a spinner isn't needed..
How can you win Test Matches if your batsmen just aren't performing?
Bairstow 30*
Stokes 25*
Bairstow 58 not out
Wood 22 Not out
3 wickets for Boult and 4 for Southee
239-7, 76 overs
Bairstow 62* (114)
Wood 48* (51)
Bairstow 78*
290-8, 90 overs
Bairstow 97*
Leach 10*
http://www.howstat.com/cricket/Statistics/Players/PlayerYears.asp?PlayerID=3349
SA bat first and are 47-0