One of the strangest test matches I’ve ever seen.......in fact the strangest thinking about it. 18 wickets fell yesterday and not one today.........so far that is. Can’t remember such an overwhelming thrashing, it’s quite bizarre, so much so that it goes into the scarcely believable locker......No rhyme or reason for it how so many things haven’t jelled. Everything they have done has gone right, everything we have done has gone wrong.....just wildly and inexplicably bizarre.
One of the problems England now have is that Tests 1 and 2 are back-to-back, and the second starts next Thursday in Antigua. If they over bowl Jimmy and/or Stokes for this game then they are going to be buggered for the 2nd. OK Broad will come back, but there will be the mental scars from this.
One of the things that always happens with Englnad when this situation happens ie nothing happening in the pitch, they let the game meander, watching for a mistake rather than a Oz or Indian attitude of trying to blast a way through.But then again to do that you need the bowlers .
One of the things that i have noticed being spoken about is Woakes to open the batting instead of Jennings. As mad as it might sound, it might not be a bad temporary call. He has a good technique, and certainly cant do any worse than Jennings.
To me Curran is the 5th bowler in a 5 man attack, unless conditions are really helpful for his swing bowling. Useful variety, and in helpful conditions will take wickets, but at the moment not fast and hostile enough to be a big threat overseas.
Root is in real danger of over bowling Stokes here. To me, just let this test go - we've clearly lost it, think about the next one,especially as its so close, and rest Stokes and Jimmy and let Ali and Rashid bowl the rest.Its not going to make any big impact on the result.
One of the things that i have noticed being spoken about is Woakes to open the batting instead of Jennings. As mad as it might sound, it might not be a bad temporary call. He has a good technique, and certainly cant do any worse than Jennings.
18 wickets yesterday, zero so far today.
I don't rate Jennings myself, but he was our top scorer yesterday.
Comments
18 wickets fell yesterday and not one today.........so far that is.
Can’t remember such an overwhelming thrashing, it’s quite bizarre, so much so that it goes into the scarcely believable locker......No rhyme or reason for it how so many things haven’t jelled.
Everything they have done has gone right, everything we have done has gone wrong.....just wildly and inexplicably bizarre.
stokes is now bowling his 22nd over. rashid has only bowled 9 overs. Ali 15 and even root himself has done 8 overs.
One of the things that always happens with Englnad when this situation happens ie nothing happening in the pitch, they let the game meander, watching for a mistake rather than a Oz or Indian attitude of trying to blast a way through.But then again to do that you need the bowlers .
Burns
Bairstow
Root
Stokes
Buttler
Foakes
Ali
Curran
Broad
Leach
Anderson
Balance. Maybe a slight lack of batting, but who the hell else is there?
18 wickets yesterday, zero so far today.
Leach for Rashid is probably the most essential change aside from Broad's inclusion
Who's idea was that
Stokes, Buttler and Foakes in particular are all way too high.
EDIT: there's no way they couldn't have picked Curran for the first game though, he's been so valuable
Shows you the options we have with the batters.
To me, just let this test go - we've clearly lost it, think about the next one,especially as its so close, and rest Stokes and Jimmy and let Ali and Rashid bowl the rest.Its not going to make any big impact on the result.
Not in the Windies
Then it rains
Just saying