Pakistan vs England, 1st Test - Dubai

First topic message reminder :

Early start for this one tomorrow. I hope to catch half hour of play before I head to work.

Bat first is the key on these pitches I feel.

Anyway, thought I'd create the match discussion thread now so that it is there when we wake up. England are playing Test cricket again, I'm going to bed feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.

Looking forward to the Test and the discussion.

Ah, yes! I forgot about the infamous delivery he was going to unveil in this test.

Hampo
TMS were talking about some TV slo-mos that suggested he bowled something with a bit of a different action, but it doesn't seem to be anything too frightening. Seems more like England just played badly to fairly straight balls (other than Swann).

I wonder if some of it is kidology - Swann made the comment that before every Ashes series, Warne talked about the new variations but in fact was successful just bowling his stock leggie. It's about planting a seed of doubt in the batsman's mind rather than about actually having the effective variations.

Yeah sounds that way Dummy. I love it when players do that, it's great to see that mind games haven't completely gone out of the game.

With Warne it was always a new topspinner, it was more about ways of disguising it than the ball doing anything different. It may be to some extent whats happened to England here, he has a variety of straight balls that all look different coming out of the hand leading to them looking like complete gooses getting out lbw to a straight slow and low ball.

PSW
So I'm also a bowling genius - I'm an off spinner who can bowl with a number of variations in action, but the consistent feature is that all the balls go slow and straight

First India and now England, disappointments to start the new year of cricket.
It never was a 192 pitch. England batted very poorly indeed. Other than Prior, no other batter showed enoough skill to stay out there and deal with Pakistan's spin challenge.
Said that, Pakistan bowlers, particularly Saeed Ajmal did a fabulous job on a track that didn't offer them a lot. He never tried it push the ball through flat and fast, always invited the batsman to take a chance and always challenged the batsman by keeping the ball on a good line and length consistently. He got enough support from Hafeez and Rehman, and the seamers also didn't give away easy runs.
More worrying for England is that the 15 overs they bowled showed absolutely no sign whatsoever of the bowlers gaining any bit help from the track. Anderson didn't swing it much, Broad and Tremlett didn't get much seam movement or sharp bounce. Swann too was negotiated without much trouble. A huge challenge awaits the England bowlers tomorrow. They don't have a big first innings to defend, and they don't have a helpful track to bowl on. the only thing in their favor at the moment is that they are playing a highly combustible side. Pakistan, historically have been prone to a batting collapse or 2 from time to time. But under their rather cocious captain Misbah Ul Haq, they have been learning to play a more patient game, and they have a set of batsmen who would enjoy the conditions pretty much. And the Pak top order has been in good form in recent times.
Just hopes England will find some real extra spark tomorrow and bounce back into the game.
Graeme Swann and Chris Tremlett are the men to do the job for me!!!.

Okay, that was extremely poor batting. I wouldn't say Ajmal's bowling was World-class, I would say England's batting was woeful. But there it gives it us hope, we played poorly but we can improve. Ajmal is not unplayable and only a 1/10 of the player Warne was. We have no reason to fear him.

I think England will fight back tomorrow. We'll bowl Pakistan out for around 210 and proceed to set a victory target of around 230 which will be too much for Pakistan. 1-0 Pakistan, you're having a laugh!

Finally, I'd just like to say well done to the Barmy Army. Excellent support as always, especially their version of Jerusalem which could be heard as Strauss and Cook walked to the wicket.

dummy_half wrote:PSW
So I'm also a bowling genius - I'm an off spinner who can bowl with a number of variations in action, but the consistent feature is that all the balls go slow and straight

Hmm it tends to work better when the batsmans desperately paranoid about the googly and looking for the one bad ball every 6 overs you let stray onto the stumps. You could probably get a place in the Aussie side though.

Evening Guys, shocking display by England, poor shot selection and lack of grit being the key. I counted at least 4 batsman getting out cheaply which you really can't do on a pitch like this. England not playing two spinners could be their downfall. Pitch won't suit Tremlett, Anderson or Broad. England heavily relying on Swann.

Pakistan are really cruising along here. England do even look like they will take a wicket soon....

thanks for that billy

beauty from Broad to get rid of Taufeeq the ball after Tremlett had put down a really tough catch off Hafeez. How England needed that! now can they work there way back into the game from here?

As i posted that, Broad strikes

MfC, I have this ability sometimes

First wicket down 114-1 - well done Broad How strong is Pakistan's batting line up?

We are about to find out Nore.... I didnt think that it was very strong myself

During the dinner break at Bloemfontein last night during the ODI, Kepler Wessels was asked about the Pakistani team, and he believes they are better than most expect them to be.

To be fair to England they haven't had a great deal of luck, they've beaten the bat pretty regularly even today but just aren't getting the small breaks. Swann with a lovely ball to Ali, beats him all ends up, but the ball misses the edge, just.

128/2 Azhar Ali out. Broad strikes again.

GONE! Broad bowling a fine spell here, and Ali with a limp poke outside off, nicks it through to Prior.

What excellent timing - I come in from my run and within 15 minutes Broad has bagged two

It is a little warm here but I may have to go for another run later ...

(Nice reverse from billy there - I was thinking we really needed Trebell back on duty soon)

I said yesterday that i expected Broad to get a few wickets here.

What's your prediction for Pakistan's total, Billy?

I would say about 280-300 breaker...

Yeah, a few more wickets... then the rest will soon follow hopefully.

I'll go 272

In that case I predict 278.

or maybe 297.

No wait 324.

No hang on. ..........................................



347.

My final offer. (hopefully I have covered all my bases now)

Biltong, am i going to have to fly to Saffer land and give you a bang on the ear for being cheeky??

If you want an accurate score prdiction then i will go for 288 AO

And that England will bat again today

And be 26/0 at stumps...

36/1 at stumps. Strauss out early and Jimmy to block away

eirebilly wrote:Biltong, am i going to have to fly to Saffer land and give you a bang on the ear for being cheeky??

Come on mate, I am not cheeky, just indicisive. Oh no I'm not. Wait yes I am.


PS. someone has to cheer up these dreary Englishmen, if I don't do it, they will be so depressed I will have no one to chat too.

Barring something extraordinary like a hat-trick, we are going to be chasing an insurmountable Pakistan lead here, and this Test is slipping away by the over. Good stuff from Broad earlier, but we seriously need a bit of luck straight after lunch.

Won't be on here much this morning as I have a couple of meetings, but I'll be with them and you poor souls having to watch it in spirit!

Biltong, you crack me up

Its not that drastic yet Fists and i doubt that Englands batsmen will fail in the second innings. Still very much game on even if the advantage is with Pakistan now.

You're far more optimistic than me, eire. I can see Pakistan getting a lead of around 200, in which case we will lose this game emphatically. If we play against spin in that manner again then it'll be with the same result of a sub 200 score, but even if we play well then we will leave them a relatively easy chase.

We really ballsed it up yesterday on a track that is totally dead. Also, I can't see us taking 20 wickets at the moment. It just isn't a 20 wickets track, but England will lose 20 wickets through their inability to play non turning spinners.

I'm full of optimism this morning

They'll do much better in the 2nd innings I feel. Take a leaf out of Prior's book - watch each ball carefully and play each ball on it's merits. Sounds obvious but that is the correct approach. Protect your wicket then punish the odd bad ball.

First they need to get through Pakistan though and not give them too big a lead - under 100 run lead would be good; under 50 - very good. All it takes is 5 or 6 very good balls... then it's the tail.

Pardon my optimism, Fists...

LB, are you chaninging your allegiance here?

I thought our job is to keep the English on their toes?

What happened to pressurising them for that no 1 spot?

If their lead is 100 or less then I will eat my 606v2 hat.

I suppose that is your virtual hat?

Not showing a lot of commitment and support there mate.

Fists, come on, be optimistic

I just think that the England batsmen were arrogant yesterday and got caught out. That will bring them back to earth somewhat so i would be suprised if they fail like that again. I would also be very suprised if Pakistan got more that a 100 run lead.

Broad, as i said yesterday, will take wickets on this track. I think that Jimmy will struggle though and as much as i hate to say this, Panesar would have been the better choice for this match over Jimmy.........

I wouldnt use the word arrogany Billy, Id say nervous and mentally not in the right place. England have a long histopry of being bamboozled by relativly benign spinners on pitches they feel they should be able to hit them on.
As you said lets assume theyll settle down and stop stressing so much over the spinners, and that the team as whole will follow Prioirs example and start performing. Their seamers are capable of taking wickets in any conditions, we have seen that from them over the last year. Its probably too late for this test but the series can be salvaged.

I just think that it is easy to start believing in the hype PSW. England have been billed as having one of the best batting lineups because of their recent performances in the last 18 months. That, i feel, led to a bit of complaicency in the approach to this test. I would say arrogant. Not blaming them at all.

They would have been brought back to earth big time after yesterday and i doubt that they will play like that again anytime soon.

biltongbek wrote:LB, are you chaninging your allegiance here?

I thought our job is to keep the English on their toes?

What happened to pressurising them for that no 1 spot?

Biltong, just being impartial and giving the odd comment here and there. People can either take it or leave it.


Not like Mickey Arthur you know. They are orders!

England starting to tie the Pakistan batsmen up here. Got to feel that a wicket is coming.

I reckon 367 AO.

Thats a pretty big score King Beer. Man i hope you are wrong

275 all out providing we keep the RR down.