I'm not a keeper but the keepers in my group chat were all full of praise for Pope. Apparently his foot movement was excellent which is a sign of a good keeper.
Suspect they will give Pope the gloves for the last test assuming Bairstow isn't fit. Even if Buttler is fit stick him on a flight home (commercial, economy, delayed, next to a crying baby).
Just shows how confused our selection and planning has been. We had 2 keepers in the main squad and 3 in the lions but we had to call up Billings who just happened to be out there in the BBL (I rate Billings and would like him to have a go but the point still stands) and end up using a part time keeper for a test and a half.
Wouldn't surprise me if they asked Burns to keep for a innings next.
Surprised stokes spent so much time in the field when he has a side strain and can't bowl and is a doubt for the next test. I'd be having him massaged permanently from now until the last test to make sure he can bat if nothing else.
I'm not a keeper but the keepers in my group chat were all full of praise for Pope. Apparently his foot movement was excellent which is a sign of a good keeper.
Suspect they will give Pope the gloves for the last test assuming Bairstow isn't fit. Even if Buttler is fit stick him on a flight home (commercial, economy, delayed, next to a crying baby).
Just shows how confused our selection and planning has been. We had 2 keepers in the main squad and 3 in the lions but we had to call up Billings who just happened to be out there in the BBL (I rate Billings and would like him to have a go but the point still stands) and end up using a part time keeper for a test and a half.
Wouldn't surprise me if they asked Burns to keep for a innings next.
Surprised stokes spent so much time in the field when he has a side strain and can't bowl and is a doubt for the next test. I'd be having him massaged permanently from now until the last test to make sure he can bat if nothing else.
I'm not a keeper but the keepers in my group chat were all full of praise for Pope. Apparently his foot movement was excellent which is a sign of a good keeper.
Suspect they will give Pope the gloves for the last test assuming Bairstow isn't fit. Even if Buttler is fit stick him on a flight home (commercial, economy, delayed, next to a crying baby).
Just shows how confused our selection and planning has been. We had 2 keepers in the main squad and 3 in the lions but we had to call up Billings who just happened to be out there in the BBL (I rate Billings and would like him to have a go but the point still stands) and end up using a part time keeper for a test and a half.
Wouldn't surprise me if they asked Burns to keep for a innings next.
Surprised stokes spent so much time in the field when he has a side strain and can't bowl and is a doubt for the next test. I'd be having him massaged permanently from now until the last test to make sure he can bat if nothing else.
Pope did well and his foot movement was good. The catch to dismiss Harris was very good because he stayed down - the sign that he hasn't been doing it regularly is the closing of this knees as a backstop just in case! But we have to have someone doing it for England who is doing it regularly in red ball - not Pope, not Buttler and not Billings unless he is doing so for Kent. And you're right Foakes should have been out there. In fact, there is an argument that Buttler should have been honest and admitted that he didn't want to go because he wasn't in the right frame of mind to go.
I'm not a keeper but the keepers in my group chat were all full of praise for Pope. Apparently his foot movement was excellent which is a sign of a good keeper.
Suspect they will give Pope the gloves for the last test assuming Bairstow isn't fit. Even if Buttler is fit stick him on a flight home (commercial, economy, delayed, next to a crying baby).
Just shows how confused our selection and planning has been. We had 2 keepers in the main squad and 3 in the lions but we had to call up Billings who just happened to be out there in the BBL (I rate Billings and would like him to have a go but the point still stands) and end up using a part time keeper for a test and a half.
Wouldn't surprise me if they asked Burns to keep for a innings next.
Surprised stokes spent so much time in the field when he has a side strain and can't bowl and is a doubt for the next test. I'd be having him massaged permanently from now until the last test to make sure he can bat if nothing else.
To be fair it's extraordinary bad luck that Buttler and Bairstow picked up hand injuries in the SAME match
I imagine Stokes fielded so that he can bat in his normal position. If he didn't field, then would all 3 have to bat down the order, with Wood at 5 and Leach at 6?
I'm not a keeper but the keepers in my group chat were all full of praise for Pope. Apparently his foot movement was excellent which is a sign of a good keeper.
Suspect they will give Pope the gloves for the last test assuming Bairstow isn't fit. Even if Buttler is fit stick him on a flight home (commercial, economy, delayed, next to a crying baby).
Just shows how confused our selection and planning has been. We had 2 keepers in the main squad and 3 in the lions but we had to call up Billings who just happened to be out there in the BBL (I rate Billings and would like him to have a go but the point still stands) and end up using a part time keeper for a test and a half.
Wouldn't surprise me if they asked Burns to keep for a innings next.
Surprised stokes spent so much time in the field when he has a side strain and can't bowl and is a doubt for the next test. I'd be having him massaged permanently from now until the last test to make sure he can bat if nothing else.
To be fair it's extraordinary bad luck that Buttler and Bairstow picked up hand injuries in the SAME match
I imagine Stokes fielded so that he can bat in his normal position. If he didn't field, then would all 3 have to bat down the order, with Wood at 5 and Leach at 6?
I'm not a keeper but the keepers in my group chat were all full of praise for Pope. Apparently his foot movement was excellent which is a sign of a good keeper.
Suspect they will give Pope the gloves for the last test assuming Bairstow isn't fit. Even if Buttler is fit stick him on a flight home (commercial, economy, delayed, next to a crying baby).
Just shows how confused our selection and planning has been. We had 2 keepers in the main squad and 3 in the lions but we had to call up Billings who just happened to be out there in the BBL (I rate Billings and would like him to have a go but the point still stands) and end up using a part time keeper for a test and a half.
Wouldn't surprise me if they asked Burns to keep for a innings next.
Surprised stokes spent so much time in the field when he has a side strain and can't bowl and is a doubt for the next test. I'd be having him massaged permanently from now until the last test to make sure he can bat if nothing else.
Indeed. Our selection and planning has been woeful. So many players unprepared for the one series we care about above all others. So little to choose from when things go wrong, as they inevitably have. Part-time keepers, part-time spinners and part-time opening batsmen. I really think the management needs to go.
Comments
Suspect they will give Pope the gloves for the last test assuming Bairstow isn't fit. Even if Buttler is fit stick him on a flight home (commercial, economy, delayed, next to a crying baby).
Just shows how confused our selection and planning has been. We had 2 keepers in the main squad and 3 in the lions but we had to call up Billings who just happened to be out there in the BBL (I rate Billings and would like him to have a go but the point still stands) and end up using a part time keeper for a test and a half.
Wouldn't surprise me if they asked Burns to keep for a innings next.
Surprised stokes spent so much time in the field when he has a side strain and can't bowl and is a doubt for the next test. I'd be having him massaged permanently from now until the last test to make sure he can bat if nothing else.
I imagine Stokes fielded so that he can bat in his normal position. If he didn't field, then would all 3 have to bat down the order, with Wood at 5 and Leach at 6?
"David, we'll keep on working hard, and learning lessons."
I reckon we will bat all day and get a well deserved draw.
Zak and Hameed should be near their centuries by then
Could we get 358 runs in a day...? We still have Root, Bairstow, Stokes & Butler (if fit).
I reckon we have a sniff of getting out of there with a win.
How's stat?!
Andy Zaltzman
BBC Test Match Special statistician
This is Zak Crawley's 18th Test innings since he made 267 against Pakistan. It is only the second time he has reached 30.
He has had 11 single-figure scores and hasn't scored as many runs in those 18 innings as he did in that one innings against Pakistan at Southampton.