India vs England (3rd test)

Now that I agree with.

 

I think we need to find a way of bringing Hales back into the test team. We're missing the fire power. If we had Buttler and Hales in that side yesterday we take spin out of the equation. I'm surprised nobody went into one day mode and went down the ground.

 

Leach did. Sibley tried, but wasn't good enough. Stokes did but didn't last long. Just needed another 100-150 runs across the two innings to make it interesting. A better batting performance on day 1, before the surface completely disintegrated would've won the game.

 

How's day three going?

 

Steady.

 

Call me naïve but I don't see why top international batsmen can't just take a step or two down the pitch to intimidate the bowlers, rather than sitting back and tucking the bat in hoping the ball is going to miss their pads and the wicket. I know that some batsmen do it - even Leach did it once - but the top players should have the confidence. If it's a fullish ball the pitch and spin is taken out of the equation because the batsman steps down and whacks it over the ropes without the ball touching the ground until it hits the plastic seats.

I know this is a simplistic view but I am sick of watching England batsmen looking frightened to death of sometimes average spin bowling. Take the game to them for goodness sake instead of sitting back and hoping for the best. A couple of aggressive batsmen (Bairstow being a good example) could have set their stall out early to say "Right, we're going to rack up 200 before the end of today and you aren't going to stop us". Go into one-day mode if you like, at least to get the scoreboard moving, and then settle down into something steadier. They were just a complete embarrassment yesterday and it's time to stop blaming the umpires (who were poor in general) and the pitch. They're professional cricketers. They should be able to play cricket on a beach, on tarmac, on rubber - anything. Excuses, excuses - I thought we had done away with that mentality.

 

It's boring. I turned it off

 

Brilliant mate actually. Getting a few jobs done around the house, ready for the big game tomorrow

 

Morning session summary - Norm dropped anchor at the bar. Cliff and Frasier playing around him. Woody replacing coach at the glass collection end...

 

You're naive!! .. now what?
No I agree, just don't see the point in batting looking scared stiff and waiting for the inevitable. Mind you in some cases there's being positive and being stupid!

 

Yesterday's batting was just plain ridiculous. Case in point YJB comes in after we lose a wicket first ball, and his first shot is a slog sweep playing across the line and hit on the pads....

 

I've mentioned Hales. I think Jason Roy would solve some batting problems in the middle order or even a recall for Vince. I think we're too quick to cast off certain players but pick others on reputation alone. I don't rate some of the new guys that have been brought in. KP made a tongue in cheek tweet about having his kit ready. I think age is no barrier when it comes to batting. I'd have him back in a heartbeat along with Iain Bell and Garry Balance. Burns, Sibley and Crawley just aren't up to it and Pope has no back bone.

 

Its a bit tricky to go down the ground if the ball had a tendency to spin and bounce with such exaggeration.

Better technique was the key, something modern day players struggle with and therefore have a tendency to swing and slog their way out of it, which still leads to the pavilion.

 

If I'd played shots like that at club level I'd have been demoted to number 11 or 12th man.

 

I WAS 11th man when I played cricket lol

I once knocked 30 odd not out with our middle order batsman. Put on 90 odd for the last wicket..... and still didn't get promoted up the order

 

I played my first match at number 6 away at Hundhill Hall. I got out first ball to a straight ball playing across the line and was demoted to number 11. it didn't matter how well I netted after that the captain had seen enough. I was only promoted to opening the batting after me and our overseas player put on an 80 unbeaten partnership in a losing draw. We finished up with 141 and lost by 20 runs. We were 60/9 when I came out to bat. After that I was up and down the order because I was too stoic for my captains liking. I didn't like chucking my wicket away but would only go after bowling outside off stump. I was rarely bowled.

 

This game I referred to, we were 100 ish for 9, after 30 overs, when I came in to bat. The away team thought they'd knock us off quick and be finished in an hour. In the last 10 overs Chuck and I blasted 90 odd runs and finished at 199 all out. Chuck got bowled last ball slogging. We bowled the away team out for 170, with me taking 3 for 39, with my "dibbly dobblers". I was on top of the world that day lol

 

I was too even though we lost. My best performance opening was in another defeat away at Wombwell me and the Captain put on 41 for the first wicket with us both getting out in consecutive balls (Me for 21). Although not in the same over. We managed to get to 130 odd as a team. Wombwell knocked it off easily. I found I batted better with a partner that was willing to call me through and take runs. If I was batting with a stroke player like myself I tended to get bogged down waiting for boundaries.