Honestly, I expect Foakes for Jacks, and whether Ahmed also plays will depend on whether they fancy giving Anderson or Robinson a rest, and whether Stokes can bowl
To think some of us, me included, worried about the extra responsibility of captaincy on Stokes! I can't help thinking that Key's recruitment of McCullum made it the dream team so far as implementing the new found strategy.
Honestly, I expect Foakes for Jacks, and whether Ahmed also plays will depend on whether they fancy giving Anderson or Robinson a rest, and whether Stokes can bowl
I don't think Stokes can bowl and certainly not to the best of his ability. Not one ball bowled in this match and only took one wicket in the last game. Nasser's argument that you don't play Ahmed because you don't want to end the series on a low doesn't stand up to scrutiny when your existing spinners are taking wickets at 50 at time. It you aren't going to call him up for a "dead rubber" then you aren't going to do it in an Ashes series.
Excited by how they're going to deny Brook MOTM this time
Abrar was 100% Motm
As I've said many times before MOMs don't go to members of the losing side - when they should.
How many players take 11 wickets in a game let alone on their debut? In fact, Abrar is only one wicket short of being equal top wicket taker on either side in the series. Duckett might feel equally aggrieved given that he scored 142 runs off 147 balls in the game as opposed to Brook's 117 off 170 balls.
Brook received the award because of what he did in the 1st Test and because he should have received it for that performance - Robinson got it for taking just 5 wickets in the match when Brook scored 240 runs - as opposed to Abrar's 11 wickets and Brook's 117 in this.
To think some of us, me included, worried about the extra responsibility of captaincy on Stokes! I can't help thinking that Key's recruitment of McCullum made it the dream team so far as implementing the new found strategy.
Can't stress enough the impact Rob Key has had on the turnaround of English cricket.
Made some bold choices that have worked out brilliantly & we are now reaping the benefits
To think some of us, me included, worried about the extra responsibility of captaincy on Stokes! I can't help thinking that Key's recruitment of McCullum made it the dream team so far as implementing the new found strategy.
Can't stress enough the impact Rob Key has had on the turnaround of English cricket.
Made some bold choices that have worked out brilliantly & we are now reaping the benefits
I still struggle to get the image of him some 20 or so years ago sitting on the sidelines, having been dismissed early for Beckenham, with pint of lager in one hand and Racing Post in the other. Never did I think that the bloke would be responsible for the changing face of Test cricket in this country but, hopefully, the world.
I wouldn't give the individual gong to anyone connected to the women's football team - it was absolutely a team effort, no standout individual. Mead vanished in a couple of the later games even
Bairstow would have been a real contender without his broken leg. Imagine after his summer's exploits, he'd played in the T20WC and this series as well...
To think some of us, me included, worried about the extra responsibility of captaincy on Stokes! I can't help thinking that Key's recruitment of McCullum made it the dream team so far as implementing the new found strategy.
Can't stress enough the impact Rob Key has had on the turnaround of English cricket.
Made some bold choices that have worked out brilliantly & we are now reaping the benefits
I still struggle to get the image of him some 20 or so years ago sitting on the sidelines, having been dismissed early for Beckenham, with pint of lager in one hand and Racing Post in the other. Never did I think that the bloke would be responsible for the changing face of Test cricket in this country but, hopefully, the world.
To think some of us, me included, worried about the extra responsibility of captaincy on Stokes! I can't help thinking that Key's recruitment of McCullum made it the dream team so far as implementing the new found strategy.
Can't stress enough the impact Rob Key has had on the turnaround of English cricket.
Made some bold choices that have worked out brilliantly & we are now reaping the benefits
I still struggle to get the image of him some 20 or so years ago sitting on the sidelines, having been dismissed early for Beckenham, with pint of lager in one hand and Racing Post in the other. Never did I think that the bloke would be responsible for the changing face of Test cricket in this country but, hopefully, the world.
So the moral of the story is that we need someone who likes a pint and the horses to run our sport in this country, rather than a boring gym freak
I don’t know if this has already been mentioned on the thread but the change in Ben Stokes personality has changed dramatically. Yes, he was always a positive bloke but a rather reserved character a bit understated one might say, both on and off the pitch. Since he’s taken on the captain’s role he’s everywhere, giving encouragement, laughing, smiling and whooping for joy at every wicket taken. As for his interview/media persona, he’s a totally different person…..simply fantastic in all departments, it’s like he was born to take on the role. I think he’s enjoying his cricket (and life in general), more than he ever has. Long may that last.
ECB's failure to achieve any decent coverage of the women's whiteball tour of WI is shaming The feed to BTSport for tv coverage has been unwatchable and there's effectively no radio or streamed audio. The audio on YouTube is arguably worse than the crap on BTSport 5. ECB is hiding behind the fact that the coverage is initially down to WI Cricket. It is ECB's responsibility to promote and support all our representative sides. WI Cricket's financial disaster is well known ECB is comparatively wealthy but failing to ensure decent coverage of these games is crass false economy ECB makes loads of self congratulatory noise about the relative success of the women's hundred but immediately drops the ball at the next opportunity by washing its hands of the next overseas series. Almost as if ECB doesn't give a damn unless someone is bulldozing them bundles of cash up front - oh hang on...
FWIW with the men's series won in Pakistan the selection for the 3rd test should major on preserving our most valuable assets and trying out the less experienced prospects, otherwise what's the point of taking them on tour? Let them try, and fail if necessary, with negligible pressure. As successful as the Key/Stokes/McCullum revolution has been, Australia next summer will be a whole different game. Their seam bowlers in our conditions will be terrifying. All out positive attack batting will not work unless we prepare roads like Rawalpindi on which the Aussie batters will be undismissible. Plenty of work to be done and meaningful practice to be undertaken if a shattering whitewash is to be avoided.
Our spin bowlers were a run an over more economical than the Pakistani spinners. Did this allow our pace bowlers to be more aggressive?
What the stats really show is that their pace attack is toothless and our spin attack offers a limited threat. E/R only has a bearing in the sense that our aggressive batting affords us more time to win the game as it did in the previous Test. It had no bearing here and the E/R rate of our spinners of 3.6 is poor and isn't containing or building pressure as evidenced by the fact that they took a wicket every 11.3 overs whereas Pakistan's spinners who took one every 5.1 overs. Our quicks might have bowled aggressively but they still only went at 2.6 an over.
Taken literally and put another way, had Pakistan not bowled a single over of pace, they might have won. Equally though, we would probably have smashed Pakistan had we been able to limit ourselves to the three quicks we utilised for the duration of the game.
I don't know if you lads watch the BBL but The Strikers have just bowled out the Sydney Thunder for 15. Yes you read that right 1 5.
Thornton
2.5
1
3
5
W Agar
2.0
0
6
4
15 all out and Peter Siddle and Rashid Khan didn't bowl a single ball either
Wes Agar and Henry Thornton play in the same League as Seb when not on South Australia/Strikers duty and Seb has met the former a few times when out. Good luck son if you get to play them this season!!!
Comments
How many players take 11 wickets in a game let alone on their debut? In fact, Abrar is only one wicket short of being equal top wicket taker on either side in the series. Duckett might feel equally aggrieved given that he scored 142 runs off 147 balls in the game as opposed to Brook's 117 off 170 balls.
Brook received the award because of what he did in the 1st Test and because he should have received it for that performance - Robinson got it for taking just 5 wickets in the match when Brook scored 240 runs - as opposed to Abrar's 11 wickets and Brook's 117 in this.
Made some bold choices that have worked out brilliantly & we are now reaping the benefits
He was only 12.
Yes, he was always a positive bloke but a rather reserved character a bit understated one might say, both on and off the pitch.
Since he’s taken on the captain’s role he’s everywhere, giving encouragement, laughing, smiling and whooping for joy at every wicket taken.
As for his interview/media persona, he’s a totally different person…..simply fantastic in all departments, it’s like he was born to take on the role.
I think he’s enjoying his cricket (and life in general), more than he ever has.
Long may that last.
The feed to BTSport for tv coverage has been unwatchable and there's effectively no radio or streamed audio. The audio on YouTube is arguably worse than the crap on BTSport 5.
ECB is hiding behind the fact that the coverage is initially down to WI Cricket.
It is ECB's responsibility to promote and support all our representative sides.
WI Cricket's financial disaster is well known
ECB is comparatively wealthy but failing to ensure decent coverage of these games is crass false economy
ECB makes loads of self congratulatory noise about the relative success of the women's hundred but immediately drops the ball at the next opportunity by washing its hands of the next overseas series.
Almost as if ECB doesn't give a damn unless someone is bulldozing them bundles of cash up front - oh hang on...
FWIW with the men's series won in Pakistan the selection for the 3rd test should major on preserving our most valuable assets and trying out the less experienced prospects, otherwise what's the point of taking them on tour? Let them try, and fail if necessary, with negligible pressure.
As successful as the Key/Stokes/McCullum revolution has been, Australia next summer will be a whole different game. Their seam bowlers in our conditions will be terrifying. All out positive attack batting will not work unless we prepare roads like Rawalpindi on which the Aussie batters will be undismissible. Plenty of work to be done and meaningful practice to be undertaken if a shattering whitewash is to be avoided.
Taken literally and put another way, had Pakistan not bowled a single over of pace, they might have won. Equally though, we would probably have smashed Pakistan had we been able to limit ourselves to the three quicks we utilised for the duration of the game.
Wes Agar and Henry Thornton play in the same League as Seb when not on South Australia/Strikers duty and Seb has met the former a few times when out. Good luck son if you get to play them this season!!!