England's Indian Summer - T20s, ODIs & Tests

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Off goes Rahul...at least he doesn't waste a review ! That was stone dead.
Jimmy on course for ten ?

Rahane in next as Kohli was off the field too long...

Can't keep Broad out of it this morning ...safe catch off the big up and under from Shami.

India looking like they want to bowl...

England polish off the Indian tail for 329. They could do no better than that but now India can use helpful conditions to put the England batsmen in real trouble.

Six wickets for 50 runs at the end. Very cheap finish to the innings and India are a bit light.

Now the real test.

And bang ! All done as Bumrah beaten all ends up ...Jimmy on a hat trick second innings

Well bowled the two oldies this morning : 4/ 24 to wrap up the innings.

329 less than India would have fancied at 240/3. But it looks good for bowling right now ...and they have them on the board.

I wonder if we have a new candidate for Worst Test Batsman of All Time ?  Have to see more if him (though that might prove difficult to arrange ) ; but Bumrah looks to be in the Chris Martin class at least...

England 15 for 0 after 2 overs. I will be very surprised if this pair are still there at lunch. Both have edged the ball through the slips and look on edge.

Cook and Jennings both living dangerously ...a boundary each "guided" through slips...

Did India have the cordon spaced wrong ?

Bumrah has a weird action. Generates serious speed from a very limited run up. Not sure his body is going to allow him to do this for a long time...

Alfie, which channel here shows England tests?

England get through to lunch unscathed on 46 for 0. The batsmen settling down after a nervy start. Indian bowlers just too inconsistent with line and length.

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:Alfie, which channel here shows England tests?

Foxtel 505 is what I'm watching...

CaledonianCraig wrote:England 15 for 0 after 2 overs. I will be very surprised if this pair are still there at lunch. Both have edged the ball through the slips and look on edge.

Doubtless you'll be happy to be surprised then , Craig

Did indeed look dodgy early on. But they settled and played quite well...decent start.

In fact the morning went about as well as England could have dreamed. Lot more work to do after lunch though...

alfie wrote:

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:Alfie, which channel here shows England tests?

Foxtel 505 is what I'm watching...

Cheers, I know nothing about TV here

Well there is a rarity. An opening England partnership of 50.

Cook dropped at first slip on 29.

But a couple of balls later Cook is caught behind by Pant. England 54 for 1.

So...Cook fails to profit from a miss in slips...

Two balls later he's edged Ishant behind and cannot build on his good start .

And Jennings has gone the other end so suddenly England from a fifty opening stand are right in trouble...

Two wickets in two balls. Jennings goes to the first ball in Bumrah's over. Jennings out for 20. England rocking on 54 for 2.

India have been much better in terms of line and length since the interval and they've got rewards.

England in trouble.

That lunch break seems to have energized India

Or at least messed with the England bats' concentration.

Job on Joe Root's hands now...

Time for Cook to retire tbh. Since Root became captain he's averaging mid 30s and that's propped up by two double hundreds. His woeful form puts extra pressure on Root

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:

alfie wrote:

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:Alfie, which channel here shows England tests?

Foxtel 505 is what I'm watching...

Cheers, I know nothing about TV here

Understand. I have heaps of problems navigating British TV menu when I'm back in the UK these days.

Used to be simple : two stations ; on and off

Nathaniel Jacobs wrote:Time for Cook to retire tbh. Since Root became captain he's averaging mid 30s and that's propped up by two double hundreds. His woeful form puts extra pressure on Root

Trouble with that plan , Nathaniel , is that they haven't found even one other opener fit for purpose since Strauss retired...

Best the man who occasionally makes double centuries hangs around until a serious replacement looms , I think.

Funny thing is he's actually looked quite good , eg today...but whereas in the old days he'd be settled at 25 , he's now getting out just when you'd expect the hard work was done. Generally useful bowling conditions , true...but I think Cook himself will be getting desperate for a big score. He will probably reassess end of summer.

alfie wrote:

Nathaniel Jacobs wrote:Time for Cook to retire tbh. Since Root became captain he's averaging mid 30s and that's propped up by two double hundreds. His woeful form puts extra pressure on Root

Trouble with that plan , Nathaniel , is that they haven't found even one other opener fit for purpose since Strauss retired...

Best the man who occasionally makes double centuries hangs around until a serious replacement looms , I think.

Funny thing is he's actually looked quite good , eg today...but whereas in the old days he'd be settled at 25 , he's now getting out just when you'd expect the hard work was done.  Generally useful bowling conditions , true...but I think Cook himself will be getting desperate for a big score.  He will probably reassess end of summer.

But should we blood a new opener prior to the Ashes Alfie? What if Cook quits prior to the Ashes and we pick a Gubbins or Bell-Drummond and they run into Starc/Hazlewood/Cummins that's a tough gig.

Yes let’s replace the best opener we’ve ever had with another county plodder to compliment our other county plodder to both average 20...great plan

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Yes let’s replace the best opener we’ve ever had with another county plodder to compliment our other county plodder to both average 20...great plan

Cook is statistically the best but Boycott was comfortably the better opener. Going back further Sir Jack Hobbs is the greatest

Ashwin has injured his hip. Might be cooked for the Test

Leg side strangle does for Pope...75/3 and so far the two innings are mirroring each other...

Might be a bit much to hope Root and YJB can put on 160 now ?

Pope gone now too. A touch unlucky, strangles down the leg side generally are, but England in a spot of bother at 75-3.

Nathaniel Jacobs wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Yes let’s replace the best opener we’ve ever had with another county plodder to compliment our other county plodder to both average 20...great plan

Cook is statistically the best but Boycott was comfortably the better opener. Going back further Sir Jack Hobbs is the greatest

Boycott's a bit old to bring back now though

There have been a few in the mix for "best ever". But in recent times , Cook stands out.

Doesn't mean he can go on forever , regardless of form...but as Olly says , the alternatives are likely to do a lot worse. They will be in no hurry to move him on ; and hopefully he will turn it around - he has come back from a rum of outs before.
Hopefully also , someone will put down a proper claim to the other opener's spot soon...

Batting not looking easy right now. Ishant having a good series ...

This pair need to stick around as I'm not sure the rest of the order will cope too well while the ball is still doing plenty.

Need all that Yorkshire grit to resist this sort of pressure

Blood a new opener to test cricket at 3, it’s basically an opener in this team anyway. Let’s Root go back to 4.

Root caught in slips but stands his ground. Replays seem to show that the ball bounced but is given out.

England in real trouble now on 86 for 4.

Root gone. Not happy with the decision and didn't mind showing it...

Looked a good catch live...replay does raise some doubts , to be honest ; but those low catches always look dodgy in slo mo.

England now really in the soup at 86/4

Unless someone weighs in with a big one they'll struggle to get anywhere near the Indian total. Long way to go yet ; but India will be confident ...

Looks as if Stokes' instinct to counterattack will be indulged now.

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:Blood a new opener to test cricket at 3, it’s basically an opener in this team anyway. Let’s Root go back to 4.

Well I certainly want Root back at four.  Won't happen , though , while they insist on playing two wicket keepers at five and seven , and a bunch of all rounders. Too much to expect Pope to move up to three...and a bit pointless ditching him after just two matches.
You could argue picking Pope was a mistake ...

England utterly sunk. 108/5.

108-5 crumbling

Stokes' batting has been a tad poor this summer

Bairstow gone now. Pretty abysmal this from England.

Ah. Stokes gone now. 108/5 and although there is a long way to go I am fairly sure this match is only going one way...barring some serious late resistance from England they'll be trailing by at least a hundred and there won't be any coming back from that.

Lunchtime Wednesday finish , I reckon. And the England selectors will have to do some serious thinking.

Bairstow gone too now...make that late Tuesday...

Making Hardik look like a test all rounder here...dreadful batting

Poor.

Nathaniel Jacobs wrote:Stokes' batting has been a tad poor this summer

As I pointed out, averaging 22 (now less) since he returned in NZ...

England's first objective - avoiding the follow-on. And seventh wicket down with 12 runs needed.

This is the problem with playing players out of position. Pope bats 6 for Surrey, at 4 his technique is far too loose. Bairstow averages more at 6/7. Buttler shouldn't been in the team. Get a solid middle order player in perhaps get Bell back

Well...the series is alive, at least.

Nathaniel Jacobs wrote:This is the problem with playing players out of position. Pope bats 6 for Surrey, at 4 his technique is far too loose. Bairstow averages more at 6/7. Buttler shouldn't been in the team. Get a solid middle order player in perhaps get Bell back

Bell back in wouldn't be the worst idea to be fair. In good nick this summer, and even if you only get 12 months out of him it would definitely be worth it. Even if he only averaged 35-40 it would be an improvement!

And India have finally had their 'luck' today, in getting the best of the bowling conditions for a change, but they have bowled superbly since lunch.

And Rashid nicks off to Pandya too. Time to go T20 mode Jos.

This boy Pant must think Test cricket is easy. Belted a 6 for his first runs and now 5 dismissals

I guess Pandya was a little insulted by Mikey Holding's criticism about his place in the Test arena.