What's the score of the series in terms of "Toss" wins?
3-2 to us
and no bunsen's for our media/fans to complain about either. Outdone in quality and application I'd say.
Plus India haven't had one of their best batsmen of all time (Kohli) or KL Rahul and Pant. Bazball is all about intimidating the opposition by scoring quickly and being there for a good time and not a long time. On good tracks that can work very well but on difficult ones it hasn't. Ignoring the Ireland "Test" and assuming we lose this one, we will have won 4 of our last 12 Tests.
Our record under McCullum and the positivity he has brought has been fantastic but I can't help wondering if the decision to bat the way we do is because most of our players struggle to bat any other way. Overall, under McCullum, our record will be 15-10 in our favour which, given the fact we lost all of our previous four series, is a massive improvement. But the notion that we will lose "one or two" playing the way we do now but win a lot more hasn't happened because we have failed to adapt with the bat a lot of the time.
135-1 off 30 overs at close. India are just 83 runs behind. When we were 100-1 we were 2.8 to win on Betfair. We are 19.5 now and that is rather indicative of how we were in command for 99% of the first session but absolutely mullered in sessions two and three.
OK credit to some good bowling from India but some very very poor application and decision making from our batting. Brook is a certainty to come back in ..I'd say goodbye to yjb and blood a new batter/keeper in the summer. Test match averages of mid 30s ( Bairstow and Pope aren't good enough) .
I woke up with a score of 115 for 2, took the dogs out, had some breakfast, and thought I would watch us progress to the 300-plus mark. So, 4-1 isn't a surprise after all.
I was really tempted by this game. The venue looks amazing, but the cost (including the visa) for one game was off-putting, and back in the autumn I had worried about England at the end of the series being worn down and losing badly...
Brilliant from Stokes. Will make the team so much more balanced in the summer if he can bowl regularly. Seed from Anderson too! 300 all out, we get 450. Win by 100 runs. Easy innit?
It does beg the obvious question. The answer is probably that he's been advised not to but at lunch he told all and sundry that he has to for the sake of the team. And also why Root hasn't bowled a single ball. Is he injured because he's the bloke that opened the bowling in the last Test!
23 year old Padikkal is making his Test debut. He's been struggling recently - 1,301 in his last 16 innings including 105 against the Lions and no less than 6 tons at an average of 92.93
He drops a sharp low caught and bowled and hits the ground in frustration; siren goes off and Ben now on feet looks to the heavens and gives thanks for the no ball.
He drops a sharp low caught and bowled and hits the ground in frustration; siren goes off and Ben now on feet looks to the heavens and gives thanks for the no ball.
He should, actually, be annoyed with himself twice. It wouldn't have been the first occasion that he's "lost" a wicket because of that insistence on pushing that front foot to the limit.
50 in 55 balls by the rotund rocket Sarfaraz. Normal service is resumed: Sarfaraz and Padikkal are showing England they have a mountain to climb not to lose by an innings.
23 year old Padikkal is making his Test debut. He's been struggling recently - 1,301 in his last 16 innings including 105 against the Lions and no less than 6 tons at an average of 92.93
And adds another 50. Who would bet against him getting a ton on his debut? For the record (and the stagger won't fully unwind until India finish their innings), in this Series:
England - 3 hundreds plus 6 fifties India - 7 hundreds plus 12 fifties
Comments
Just like Charlton under Appleton. Dreadful.
Our record under McCullum and the positivity he has brought has been fantastic but I can't help wondering if the decision to bat the way we do is because most of our players struggle to bat any other way. Overall, under McCullum, our record will be 15-10 in our favour which, given the fact we lost all of our previous four series, is a massive improvement. But the notion that we will lose "one or two" playing the way we do now but win a lot more hasn't happened because we have failed to adapt with the bat a lot of the time.
I am losing patience quickly with Ollie Pope
All over inside 3 days I reckon
First ball wicket
279-3 and England get both century makers out.
England ask for the towel back that they had thrown in !
He drops a sharp low caught and bowled and hits the ground in frustration; siren goes off and Ben now on feet looks to the heavens and gives thanks for the no ball.
Normal service is resumed: Sarfaraz and Padikkal are showing England they have a mountain to climb not to lose by an innings.
376-3 at Tea.
India lead 158 with 7 wickets still to fall !
Character building for England now 🥺
376-4. We're through them now!
First time the first 5 Indian batsmen has all hit 50+ in tests.
England - 3 hundreds plus 6 fifties
India - 7 hundreds plus 12 fifties
403-5