England vs West Indies 3rd test

Doing well with the ball but lost 2 reviews already!

 

I didn't even realise we were playing! I must say though... The powers that be's decision of pushing out our greatest ever fast bowler ahead of time loses a good deal of credibility when you have Woakes still involved.

 

With half the team out we should be looking to get them out for under 200.

 

Holder settling them down a bit, seems to be his role this series!

 

Anderson is SIX years older than Woakes. You had to let Anderson go before you could move on from Woakes

Also Woakes was man of the series in the last ashes. Anderson took 5 wickets in 8 innings at 85

 

Wickets slowed for now . Holder and de silva 50 partnership

 

Anderson was repeatedly dropped wasn't he, and coming back from injury?

Woakes has always been a poor mans Anderson. If the reason for ending Andersons career is to allow also very aged Woakes to get his spot, this management team are even bigger fools than I first thought.

 

He played every test except the 3rd where he was rested. He bowled over 150 overs and conceded nearly 1000 runs for his 5 wickets.

Woakes took 19 wickets at 18 in his 3 matches.

It clearly isn't just to play Woakes that they dropped Anderson.. However sacking the man of the series from the 2023 Ashes because of Anderson is madness. Woakes has been better in English conditions for years. In fact that's his downfall. Outstanding in English conditions and below average when the ball isn't doing much.

If Jimmy hadn't retired then Woakes is almost certainly keeping him out of the side anyway. Who else do you drop? Wood who is key for the next Ashes? Atkinson who is the next big thing?

I'm not a Woakes fan but I think you're letting sentiment get ahead of reality. He hasn't been the Jimmy we all remember for years now. He's good. But he's Tim Murtagh, county trundler, good. Not the Jimmy that used to baffle the best in the world by moving the ball both ways over after over.

 

Jimmy isn't the player he was no, but the way he's been treated has been disgusting. He's still better than Woakes even now. At Lords his pace was better than Woakes, he was doing more with the ball and got 4 wickets compared to Woakes 1.

If we're moving on, Woakes and Wood should be moved on from too. They are hardly the future either. I like Wood, but he gets injured far too much and its a surprise if he can get through a match let alone a series.

 

So it would've been better if they just stopped picking him? They want to move on and the expectation from both Jimmy and the fans was he keeps playing every game as long as he wants. That had to be addressed.

Woakes won't play after this summer as he is no use overseas. Wood doesn't play every game as he needs to be rested and protected to bowl that quick. But we will use him as much as we can in Australia. We need four or five genuine quicks to rotate in Australia and to account for injuries. Wood is central to that strategy.

Woakes can just be rotated out and then left at home. That's how his career ends. Jimmy was a much more complicated situation. I think by giving him an official last test they did him a kindness rather than just dropping him at the start of this summer. He disagreed with the call but yet is there working with the squad so I feel he accepted it well.

 

But that shows the ridiculousness of their decision making. Woakes is mid 30s, his pace is down and he's always been useless overseas... Or at home without cloud cover. Yet they are persisting with him rather than try and bring others through. You can't use the excuse of age for one when it can be applied even more greatly for someone who has even more factors against him.

I'll be surprised if Wood is fit for the convicts. I saw he couldn't finish an over the other day. He's also what, 34, 35? Likeable guy, still rapid, but sadly incredibly injury prone and can't be relied on.

So if you're truly trying to develop a bowling attack for the visit to the convicts, the selections so far (given how light our home test schedule is this year) are mind boggling. If you want to try players out, a very flaky Windies side is an ideal opportunity to throw them all in together.

 

50 for Jason Holder, done a great job there!

 

As I said he may be mid 30s but Anderson is 41. Woakes was man of the series in the last Ashes and they want to use him in transition. I get that you're not happy about Anderson but it's unfair to direct your ire at Woakes. The guy who spent his entire prime year's not getting the games because he was in the shadow of Anderson and Broad.

Wood actually had cramp and wanted to finish that over. Stokes made him go off. He was back bowling at the start of the next session.

What do you want. They blooded 2 bowlers successfully and have another series of 3 against a weak test side still to come. You're criticising the guys who revolutionised test cricket. Have some faith.

 

Woakes proves his worth by breaking the partnership De Silva put for 49, England 225/6

 

Edgbaston s boring today, are the barmy army all at the 100!?

 

Holder bowled Atkinson. 246/8

 

Roooot, what a catch!

 

Gus Atkinson has his 20th test wicket in only his third match. Some going.

 

1st England wicket down, Seales got Crawley again!

 

Now Duckett out 29/2. Two nightwatchmen now!?

Answer no, Ollie Pope got to face the music for 10 mins!