I think Cook is spot on about Root and Bazball - he struggles to get the right tempo sometimes and becomes too aggressive when he is more than capable scoring at a run a ball without being so aggressive.
I think Cook is spot on about Root and Bazball - he struggles to get the right tempo sometimes and becomes too aggressive when he is more than capable scoring at a run a ball without being so aggressive.
Think the injury played a part in this innings.
Would Root not have batted a few places lower if his finger was a major issue ?
Hopefully Stokes goes out and has some fun now. I’d have bitten your hand off for 1-1 after 2 tests so we go again in a couple of weeks
For years India couldn't get the balance of their side right but the advent of Jadeja as an all rounder makes their best team far more clearcut than ours - if fit and available then Kohli, Jadeja and KL Rahul plus Shami would return for Iyer, Patidar, Bharat and Mukesh. Fortunately for us, Jadeja may struggle to get over his hamstring injury in time and Shami has been seeing a specialist in London and receiving injections for his ankle injury.
For us, Bairstow has to get some meaningful runs or Brook should come in for the 4th Test. Presumably Leach returns, if fit, but do we play that second seamer? That would probably mean us leaving out both Rehan and Shoaib but would also make our attack looking rather "samey" with two left arm orthodox spinners, a reliance on Root as the only bowler to turn the ball the other way and no wrist spinner. The idea that an op would mean Stokes returning to bowl doesn't appear to have been proven correct but as we keep saying it would make all the difference for our balance if he could.
I think Cook is spot on about Root and Bazball - he struggles to get the right tempo sometimes and becomes too aggressive when he is more than capable scoring at a run a ball without being so aggressive.
Think the injury played a part in this innings.
Would Root not have batted a few places lower if his finger was a major issue ?
Not sure, especially the way England play.. If they was batting for a draw I would agree, but this England don't so, better off to have a bash earlier on.
Awful run out too. I really don't think that you can blame the indecision from Foakes to blame - that's either lazy running from Stokes or really doesn't want to turn on the turbo boost unless he really has to because of his knee issue as he could and should have made that comfortably. And Stokes could have sent Foakes back anyway.
That's 19 of our batsmen's innings now where they've reached 20 in this series and not gone on to get 50 and three where they haven't converted scores of 70 plus into hundreds. That isn't good enough and proves, as does the massive scores from Pope and Jaiswal that, with application, it is possible to bat for time.
That's 19 of our batsmen's innings now where they've reached 20 in this series and not gone on to get 50 and three where they haven't converted scores of 70 plus into hundreds. That isn't good enough and proves, as does the massive scores from Pope and Jaiswal that, with application, it is possible to bat for time.
Stating the obvious but those Pope and Jaiswal innings both look like match winners too.
You live by the sword you can die by the sword. Root out going after Ashwin 154-4
It was about the fourth uncharacteristic shot he played in his innings of ten balls. Must’ve just been told to go as hard as possible and get as many as possible while he’s there.
He is one of the world's top batsman with a Test average of about 50. He got there by playing proper cricket. The last year or so he has been playing a lot of shots that we associate with 20.20 cricket. Best thing he can do is to go back to doing what he does best. Play properly.
That is the frustrating aspect about our situation - this isn't a minefield to bat on. One only has to look at the field set for our number nine, with just the one slip in a catching position, to realise that. This isn't a close of play on the fifth day type pitch but you do have to apply yourself.
That's 19 of our batsmen's innings now where they've reached 20 in this series and not gone on to get 50 and three where they haven't converted scores of 70 plus into hundreds. That isn't good enough and proves, as does the massive scores from Pope and Jaiswal that, with application, it is possible to bat for time.
I’d love to see this kind of analysis done on balls faced rather than runs scored.
On this kind of pitch it used to be that getting to 20 meant you’d likely faced 40-50 balls. Not so much for this side.
You get 20 from 20 and then you’re out, surely not a whole lot different to being 5 from 20 and getting out on the last tour.
The fat lady is clearing her throat. Mukesh has Shoaib caught behind for an 8 ball duck. Still don't think that Jimmy should have been batting above him in the first innings though.
That's 19 of our batsmen's innings now where they've reached 20 in this series and not gone on to get 50 and three where they haven't converted scores of 70 plus into hundreds. That isn't good enough and proves, as does the massive scores from Pope and Jaiswal that, with application, it is possible to bat for time.
I’d love to see this kind of analysis done on balls faced rather than runs scored.
On this kind of pitch it used to be that getting to 20 meant you’d likely faced 40-50 balls. Not so much for this side.
You get 20 from 20 and then you’re out, surely not a whole lot different to being 5 from 20 and getting out on the last tour.
Runs scored/balls faced in this series and Strike Rate:
That equates to 1,144 runs off 1,739 balls and an overall strike rate of 65.78. So, on average, for every 10 runs we are scoring, we are needing roughly 16-17 balls i.e. 20 off 34, 30 off 46. Only Duckett has gone at anything like a run a ball. Bairstow's innings have been typical of someone who has consistently had enough runs and balls behind him to be "in" and only to then get out - 37 (58), 10 (24), 25 (39) & 26 (36)
Excellent test match but Frustrating for England as the run out of Stokes for just 11 when both Foakes and Hartley make 30's and the pressure could've been back on India with 60 needed and 3 wickets to fall if Stokes was still there.
Only the England camp thought lighting could strike twice but having watched every ball this morning from 4 am I can assure everyone that when Crawley and Pope were together they applied their selves really well and it took Ashwin to spin his magic yet again and continue his amazing strike rate in Home test matches.
Root dismissal was gutting as he had reversed sweeped well but the shot he was out to did resemble a 20/20 shot when he should look to accumulate runs which he has always done.
Crawley is such an improved cricketer and though we all wanted him to get pass the 70's and make a daddy hundred both innings have looked assured.
Jeopardy is increased but we wouldn't have won the 1st test with a timid approach.
On another note, just as Test cricket is being saved from one direction, rather unkind of South Africa to attempt to murder it from another. Absolutely fucking ridiculous. These games should be stripped of Test status
On another note, just as Test cricket is being saved from one direction, rather unkind of South Africa to attempt to murder it from another. Absolutely fucking ridiculous. These games should be stripped of Test status
I recognise more of the match officials than I do of the S Africa side.
On another note, just as Test cricket is being saved from one direction, rather unkind of South Africa to attempt to murder it from another. Absolutely fucking ridiculous. These games should be stripped of Test status
It is a ridiculous situation - the SA20 contracts dictate that players cannot play for anyone else while their tournament is going on. Of course, the franchise owners sort out the contracts and pay the big bucks to the players and the SA Cricket Board. By all accounts, SA tried to get the NZ series moved but the hosts refused to do so but this won't happen again as Tests involving SA won't clash with that competition.
We really are now getting to a situation where there needs to be defined windows for white ball competitions (restricted to say 4 weeks in duration) and Test cricket. That would avoid this and negate some of the occasions one where players are starting in one competition and leaving midway through to join another.
Comments
Would Root not have batted a few places lower if his finger was a major issue ?
For us, Bairstow has to get some meaningful runs or Brook should come in for the 4th Test. Presumably Leach returns, if fit, but do we play that second seamer? That would probably mean us leaving out both Rehan and Shoaib but would also make our attack looking rather "samey" with two left arm orthodox spinners, a reliance on Root as the only bowler to turn the ball the other way and no wrist spinner. The idea that an op would mean Stokes returning to bowl doesn't appear to have been proven correct but as we keep saying it would make all the difference for our balance if he could.
He got there by playing proper cricket.
The last year or so he has been playing a lot of shots that we associate with 20.20 cricket.
Best thing he can do is to go back to doing what he does best.
Play properly.
On this kind of pitch it used to be that getting to 20 meant you’d likely faced 40-50 balls. Not so much for this side.
275-8 and 124 still required to win
Everyone has been in the game, rewarding decent batting, but giving help to both the spinners AND seamers.
Pope 243/365 - 66.57
Crawley 200/283 - 70.67
Stokes 134/204 - 65.68
Duckett 131/135 - 97.03
Hartley 108/140 - 77.14
Bairstow 98/157 - 62.42
Foakes 80/184 - 43.47
Rehan 70/117 - 59.82
Root 52/86 - 60.46
Wood 11/31 - 35.48
Shoaib 8/15 - 53.33
Anderson 6/19 - 31.57
Leach 0/3 - 0.00
That equates to 1,144 runs off 1,739 balls and an overall strike rate of 65.78. So, on average, for every 10 runs we are scoring, we are needing roughly 16-17 balls i.e. 20 off 34, 30 off 46. Only Duckett has gone at anything like a run a ball. Bairstow's innings have been typical of someone who has consistently had enough runs and balls behind him to be "in" and only to then get out - 37 (58), 10 (24), 25 (39) & 26 (36)
Only the England camp thought lighting could strike twice but having watched every ball this morning from 4 am I can assure everyone that when Crawley and Pope were together they applied their selves really well
and it took Ashwin to spin his magic yet again and continue his amazing strike rate in Home test matches.
Root dismissal was gutting as he had reversed sweeped well but the shot he was out to did resemble a 20/20 shot when he should look to accumulate runs which he has always done.
Crawley is such an improved cricketer and though we all wanted him to get pass the 70's and make a daddy hundred both innings have looked assured.
Jeopardy is increased but we wouldn't have won the 1st test with a timid approach.
3 years ago, we lost by 317 runs in the second Test and never recovered.
We really are now getting to a situation where there needs to be defined windows for white ball competitions (restricted to say 4 weeks in duration) and Test cricket. That would avoid this and negate some of the occasions one where players are starting in one competition and leaving midway through to join another.