I don't disagree those 4 examples would probably have gotten game time and done ok. But if you look at players like Roy, Bairstow, Buttler, Burns, Sibley, Jennings... it could be a very long list, so I'll top there... would these players have even gotten capped in other eras? I suspect several would have, especially in the dreadful pre Fletcher years, but I'm not sure they would have played more than what they have in this generation.
In the end a bit of a farce of game of cricket and certainly not a pitch worthy of hosting a test match. This must be one of the hardest tours a England side have been on in modern times. Pandemic, bubbles, iffy decisions, odd pitches, night playing. Hats off to them that they are still in the series, hope they come out fighting. I fear though with India ahead we might just see a dead pitch for the final test.
The pitch was poor, but we should've batted a lot better, particularly yesterday. Like when we skittled the aussies out for 60 odd a few years ago. The pitch offered assistance, but not that much.
The pitch was horrendous, it's the first time since the 1930's that a test match has finished so early. I'm all for low scoring test matches but this pitch was almost unplayable against the spinners. It makes a mockery of test match cricket.
A take your point, in the end India dealt with it better than we did. You only have to look at roots bowling figures to see the impact of the pitch. England were poor, but the pitch was not acceptable for test match cricket.
Yes, the pitch was poor, but the batting on both sides was equally poor. The pitch wasn't responsible for the fact that Crawley the complete wrong line off the first ball, or for the gap between Bairstow's bat and pad off the third ball. Game was over at that point.
Worst test pitch I've ever seen, batsman couldn't read the line at all. A couple of lads were able to get on top of the spin using their feet, but were always in danger. That can't be right for a day 2 pitch. I know folk will say it's a test and players should have batted better, but this was the spin version of the Sabina Park glass and crack top in 1998. Only reason why this wasn't deemed unplayable was because spin doesn't potentially kill or injure players. Just imagine Warne, Swann, Harbi Singh and Murali on that surface, it would have been a 1 day test.
It should be a fair test between bat and ball and ultimately the best team winning the test match because of skill with bat and ball without mention of the pitch. This pitch wasn't fit for purpose and clearly world class players on both sides couldn't pick line, length or spin because of the unpredictable nature of the pitch. The pitch won and lost this match but overall, test match cricket lost.
Warne and Murali would have taken over 1000 wickets each imo with DRS. You could just kick it away in those days.
I think any test match where 30 wickets fell in 5 sessions of play should be the subject of an inquiry into the state of the pitch. It's supposed to last 5 days not less than 2. It's not sour grapes by the way, India used the conditions better than England and deserved to win, but inside 2 days? Should never happen.
I agree, the pitch was sub-standard. But yesterday, it didn’t look any worse than the last pitch when India were able to cash in on day 1, before it deteriorated. Today it completely crumbled, but I still think Crawley and Bairstow set the tone today with poor technique rather than any demons in the pitch.
No mention of Gill, Pant, Pujara or Rahane, world class players getting out for nowt in India's first innings.
Completely agree mate. History was made today as the umpire had his finger up for out on the first 3 balls of an innings (2nd one reviewed by JB and reversed). Also, the opening bowler of an innings bowled to 4 separate batters in the first over (also a record I believe)
Again, a mix of poor pitch and poor batting. Not sure what you want me to say, that losing 20 wickets for less than 200 is the most you can expect on that pitch? Because I don’t think it was.
I'm pretty sure Sri Lankan seamer Chaminda Vaas has taken a hat trick with the first 3 balls of a Test Match before.
An Indian (Irfan Pathan) did it against Pakistan about 15 years ago. Pakistan still went on to win though.