Just listening to David Gower on TNT...

He's wasted in Comms. There has to better use for that experience.

 

Agreed, we could do with him out there batting so someone can help Duckett out.

 

Pathetic mate. Two silly wickets.

 

'Catches win matches' they say, and New Zealand should be out of sight, but credit to England taking advantage of some suspect fielding and looking to take a first innings lead, a healthy one too.
Brook is an amazing player.

 

Too right mate, Brook got away with a few today but if he stays injury free he his another Yorkshire legend in the making

 

Captaincy perhaps ?

 

No. Best way to ruin a player.

 

Six dropped catches, including Brook four times. We've rode our luck but despite only winning 2 of the 6 sessions so far, we are ahead.

 

I agree some players just need to concentrate on what they do best, Harry Brook needs to be left completely unencumbered, Joe Root's game suffered carrying the captaincy along with a lot more historically.

 

Harry Brook what a talent.

Surpassed 2000 test runs in just his 36th innings. (same number as Viv Richards)

Only 6 other players in the history of the game have done it quicker.

 

I supposed it depends on mindset - Graeme Smith thrived under the captaincy, his average and stats improved. Likewise Steve Waugh and Graham Gooch. But as you say, Root suffered.

Maybe there'll be a time for Brook as captain in the future - he's done a bit of white ball stuff already. Gut feeling is that there'll be a different captain once Stokes packs in when his body let's him down, then Brook will follow on around 2030.

 

Chris Woakes having another overseas mare. No wickets in New Zealand's first innings and now out for just 1. The sooner he's removed from the test team the better.

 

Next test I'd take out Bethell and Woakes.

Pope back to 3 and Jamie Smith to return as wicketkeeper and Matt Potts in for Woakes and move Atkinson up a place in the batting line up.

 

And then he promptly gets wickets including Williamson !
Joking apart though his record away is poor but I reckon he wouldn’t have been selected if Archer and Wood were available.

 

Woakes’ record abroad isn’t great but I’d select him in New Zealand, the one place with similar (ish) climate and conditions to home.

His bowling second innings shows that - getting Williamson when set was excellent and a nice snick behind next ball.

He’ll get runs at some point too.

Smith isn’t on tour due to his forthcoming baby and cox broke his thumb, hence Pope with the gloves. He did little wrong and he worries me less at six than three.

That fact Bethell is in the team with his red ball record is bizarre. The fact he’s in at first drop is batshit crazy. That said, he didn’t get runs but didn’t look out of his depth as such.

 

They’re clearly priming Pope as next captain then Brook after that.

If Pope can’t justify a place in the XI then it could be Harry Brook.

I’d go to Zak Crawley before Brook - he seems set to stay in the side, we’ve nothing else much coming through to open, and we can’t afford for Brook’s runs to dry up.

 

Crawley out for 1.

At least he doubled his first innings score.

 

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Silly Billy how can he double nowt ?