England's Summer of Cricket 2021

First topic message reminder :

Jacks, Crawley, Hain, Stokes, Salt (WK), Lawrence, Gregory, Overton, Saqib, Ball, Parkinson?

Will MacPherson suggests Hales won’t be picked, which is a bit odd given they hinted he would get a chance this summer.

You also have Vince, Duckett and keep an eye out for Harry Brook.

So no early lunch being taken... so they will come back for a short period and then go off for lunch after this rain break

More un-forecast rain. England won't mind as they need to regroup. A poor start, but not overly concerning as India are prone to collapse and have a lengthy tail. They should take lunch now, but probably won't!

Tired of England constantly attempting to get the ball changed. Umpires should be allowed to tell them to go away.

A well timed rain delay for England. They've been off the money so need a chance to regroup and go again.

Having put India in I'd say that all three of Anderson, Robinson and Surran have been disappointing.

Gosh, they haven't called lunch is it? Waiting for the rain to clear, and then waste another 40 minutes? Have they all lost it like Kohli!?

Rain delay. Perhaps England won't mind this.

I don't think the bowling is as poor as some are suggesting. Curran has been a bit loose but the other two have been working to a plan - and these two bats have thwarted it nicely.

Anderson gets criticism for not bowling enough at the stumps ; but that's never been his game plan on a slow wicket like this : Brian Statham he's not. He has deliberately given them balls they can leave - and then slipped in balls they nearly can't . But the batsmen have been sufficiently watchful and disciplined they've not fallen for it. Good cricket from Rohit and Rahul.

Robinson may think himself unfortunate not to have had something as he's put a couple through them without result...and of course one edge that didn't carry.

A little surprised Wood hasn't had a couple of overs just for variety. Slow pitch again might not suit him but let's have a look , eh ?

As for the bowl first option : Richie Benaud always said you judge that at six o'clock not 12.30. But certainly India will be happy with the action so far...

msp83 wrote:Gosh, they haven't called lunch is it? Waiting for the rain to clear, and then waste another 40 minutes? Have they all lost it like Kohli!?

Cricket is it's own worst enemy.

Is there something in the ICC/MCC playing conditions that strictly prohibit using a bit of common sense!? What absolute nonsense is this!

Luckily it seems like they will have no choice but to take lunch

They've taken lunch haven't they?

king_carlos wrote:They've taken lunch haven't they?

As far as I know, not yet

It's lunch yeah

AlciG wrote:

king_carlos wrote:They've taken lunch haven't they?

As far as I know, not yet

Yep, lunch called according to TMS.

England will need to be a lot better after the break.

This is why test cricket is becoming less and less popular.

I have also really disliked (for years) the length it takes to get a pitch inspection, decide that play will go on and then wait another 30mins before the players come out and resume.

king_carlos wrote:In the first innings when conditions were tough I thought Sibley did his job.

In the second innings when he had the pick of the batting conditions whilst partnering Root we saw how limited his game is once again. Batting conditions that good in England have been rare in recent years and Sibley largely wasted a lot of deliveries in that time. In a period when Tests in England have usually been low scoring that's an issue.

Crawley to me looks very talented but just needs time in FC cricket. He's only got 5 FC centuries with 1 of those the 267 against Pakistan. He needs time to develop his game.

Before the start, Atherton spoke very well about the related issues here, ones I share. He wasn't slagging off the Hundred but emphasising the current schedule doesn't allow players to go from this Test squad and back to FC cricket to adapt their game as there's no FC matches now being played. Although not downplaying the difficulties, he stressed the schedule needed revising - perhaps with some Championship matches at outground grounds whilst the Hundred was being played - if Root is not to lead a Test side ''with one hand tied behind his back''.

Atherton also made another good point (ie another I share ). He understood Moeen being brought back to provide balance but, given it was being done, not why it wasn't done before the first Test when we already knew we would be lacking balance with both Stokes and Woake missing.

king_carlos wrote:

AlciG wrote:

king_carlos wrote:They've taken lunch haven't they?

As far as I know, not yet

Yep, lunch called according to TMS.

England will need to be a lot better after the break.

Thankfully they made the obvious decision.

Yes, they took lunch at 13:10, meaning play resumes at 13:50. They could have done something drastic like taking it twenty minutes earlier, but never mind.

alfie wrote:Rain delay.  Perhaps England won't mind this.

I don't think the bowling is as poor as some are suggesting. Curran has been a bit loose but the other two have been working to a plan - and these two bats have thwarted it nicely.

Anderson gets criticism for not bowling enough at the stumps ; but that's never been his game plan on a slow wicket like this : Brian Statham he's not. He has deliberately given them balls they can leave - and then slipped in balls they nearly can't . But the batsmen have been sufficiently watchful and disciplined they've not fallen for it. Good cricket from Rohit and Rahul.

Robinson may think himself unfortunate not to have had something as he's put a couple through them without result...and of course one edge that didn't carry.

A little surprised Wood hasn't had a couple of overs just for variety. Slow pitch again might not suit him but let's have a look , eh ?

As for the bowl first option : Richie Benaud always said you judge that at six o'clock not 12.30.  But certainly India will be happy with the action so far...

And you said ''generational thing'' to me?!

PS Although I would have chosen to bat, I fully accept Benaud being right - as he nearly always was - as to when to judge the decision.

Go off for rain at 12.52

Lunch starts at 13.10.

Cricket really does not help itself sometimes. Particularly when it had stopped raining. Don't know another sport where a few minutes of rain turns into an hour's break.

GSC wrote:Go off for rain at 12.52

Lunch starts at 13.10.

Cricket really does not help itself sometimes. Particularly when it had stopped raining. Don't know another sport where a few minutes of rain turns into an hour's break.

I reckon we had about two minutes of rain heavy enough to force them off. Was practically nothing apart from that

guildfordbat wrote:

king_carlos wrote:In the first innings when conditions were tough I thought Sibley did his job.

In the second innings when he had the pick of the batting conditions whilst partnering Root we saw how limited his game is once again. Batting conditions that good in England have been rare in recent years and Sibley largely wasted a lot of deliveries in that time. In a period when Tests in England have usually been low scoring that's an issue.

Crawley to me looks very talented but just needs time in FC cricket. He's only got 5 FC centuries with 1 of those the 267 against Pakistan. He needs time to develop his game.

Before the start, Atherton spoke very well about the related issues here, ones I share. He wasn't slagging off the Hundred but emphasising the current schedule doesn't allow players to go from this Test squad and back to FC cricket to adapt their game as there's no FC matches now being played. Although not downplaying the difficulties, he stressed the schedule needed revising - perhaps with some Championship matches at outground grounds whilst the Hundred was being played - if Root is not to lead a Test side ''with one hand tied behind his back''.

Atherton also made another good point (ie another I share  ). He understood Moeen being brought back to provide balance but, given it was being done, not why it wasn't done before the first Test when we already knew we would be lacking balance with both Stokes and Woake missing.

I'm a big fan of outgrounds as you know, Guildford. They add variety to the surfaces the players face and allow a wider range of people to see FC cricket close to home.

The schedule is too cramped and needs revising. As I've said before I think we need less FC cricket, higher quality when played and those games played in the peak summer months.

I quite like Bumble's suggestion of the 50 over competition being a knockout tournament involving minor counties as well. That seems a competition that would be interesting to watch, provide lots of opportunity for young players outside the academies and not take up a massive amount of the summer.

JDizzle wrote:

GSC wrote:Go off for rain at 12.52

Lunch starts at 13.10.

Cricket really does not help itself sometimes. Particularly when it had stopped raining. Don't know another sport where a few minutes of rain turns into an hour's break.

I reckon we had about two minutes of rain heavy enough to force them off. Was practically nothing apart from that

Enjoy your day out there, JD.
Just out of interest, what part of the ground are you watching from? I quite like those new stands at the Nursery End.

Slightly unimaginative from the England bowlers so far. When they had India not scoring, i felt the pressure was going to result in a wicket.

Robinson seems the most likely to strike though, he has delivered some nice balls.

At least not too many overs lost. Glad to see them back in action - rain all gone I hope ?

Although I've been defending the bowlers re the early session , I agree they will need to step up a bit in this session as otherwise any advantage of fielding first is going to be completely lost. Pleased to see Wood into good rhythm- and pace - straight away. Really need to make a break soon and he may just be the man to do it...

Pal Joey wrote:

JDizzle wrote:

GSC wrote:Go off for rain at 12.52

Lunch starts at 13.10.

Cricket really does not help itself sometimes. Particularly when it had stopped raining. Don't know another sport where a few minutes of rain turns into an hour's break.

I reckon we had about two minutes of rain heavy enough to force them off. Was practically nothing apart from that

Enjoy your day out there, JD.
Just out of interest, what part of the ground are you watching from? I quite like those new stands at the Nursery End.

Yeah, that is where I am. Excellent views from there!

Very negative after the resumption with two men deep in the leg side. No short leg for Wood is rather infuriating.

guildfordbat wrote:

alfie wrote:Rain delay.  Perhaps England won't mind this.

I don't think the bowling is as poor as some are suggesting. Curran has been a bit loose but the other two have been working to a plan - and these two bats have thwarted it nicely.

Anderson gets criticism for not bowling enough at the stumps ; but that's never been his game plan on a slow wicket like this : Brian Statham he's not. He has deliberately given them balls they can leave - and then slipped in balls they nearly can't . But the batsmen have been sufficiently watchful and disciplined they've not fallen for it. Good cricket from Rohit and Rahul.

Robinson may think himself unfortunate not to have had something as he's put a couple through them without result...and of course one edge that didn't carry.

A little surprised Wood hasn't had a couple of overs just for variety. Slow pitch again might not suit him but let's have a look , eh ?

As for the bowl first option : Richie Benaud always said you judge that at six o'clock not 12.30.  But certainly India will be happy with the action so far...

And you said ''generational thing'' to me?!

PS Although I would have chosen to bat, I fully accept Benaud being right - as he nearly always was - as to when to judge the decision.

Haha ...I was including myself in that "generational " box too ... To be honest I was fairly sure they would bowl first today given the conditions but was not over enthusiastic about it as I saw how well the Indian openers handled things last week. Seeing how slow the pitch is playing - and how little the ball is now doing (no wonder England kept trying for a change !) I suspect Root might be getting a little concerned.

But , a la Benaud , will wait and see.

Rohit's taking on the short ball. What happened in the last test, isn't making much of a difference to him. Don't mind him taking it on, but I hope his judgment would be better this time round. No point going after those above shoulder high.

Poor, just poor from England's bowlers.

A very easy 50 for Sharma but well done to him

Very poor from Robinson (bar one ball) since the resumption. Root will probably turn to Moeen soon, but how effective he'll be against two right-handers is another matter.

Good, measured fifty for Rohit.

That's a half-century for Rohit! Fine start, please, don't give it away.

Robinson trying for the killer ball with the result that he's getting picked off to leg...

Good fifty for Rohit impressed with him in these games. Just the start India needed.

England in serious need of a break as batting has started to look a bit too easy. Though as I say that Wood straightens him up with a sharp one... He looks the likeliest to get a wicket I reckon.

Sharma looking very confident out there now.

Wood's extra pace is giving the batters a bit of trouble. Root should probably give Moeen a go. Rohit's looking quite confident. That can mean Moeen can get hit out of the attack soon, or he can induce an indiscretion.
Rohit continues to take on the short ball, and at the moment, the results are spectacular! Will it last though?

That last one was a few inches away from calamity! Could only wish that Rohit will have a different way to go about it.

I adore watching Rohit bat. I just wish less of it had been against England recently!

He's already an all time great in white ball cricket. His ODI record is outstanding. He's also a very good skipper in the limited overs game. His Test record overall (averaging 47 with 7 hundreds and 13 fifties in 40 Tests) is actually very good. It has the gaping hole though that all his hundreds have come in India, hence 'just' the 40 Tests despite his abundant talent.

From the way Rohit has been batting thus far I get the horrible feeling that he's got his mind set on trying address the only real hole in his cricketing CV.

It's been frustrating so far, England haven't bowled consistently enough but at the same time India have had a bit of luck, numerous balls past the bat, edges not going to hand amongst the quality shots. Could easily have been 2/3 down by now.

Wood's making Rohit uncomfortable. And he's generating serious pace!

Wood is delivering up some very poor balls to Sharma. Why give him the opportunity to pull, he will do it and it will go to the boundary. No matter how fast you bowl, Sharma will eat those deliveries up all day long.

I'm sure they weren't planning on turning to spin inside thirty overs when they inserted India. But with none down and runs coming fairly briskly it may well be an idea to try Moeen.

Root is starting to look a bit tense . In fact not seeing a lot of smiles from those behind the wicket at present. Must be wondering where a wicket might come from...

Wood giving the speed gun a good work out . But so far Rohit has avoided trouble from his best balls and helped himself when it's been in his zone. Really good batting

If India keep ticking along then a lot will be made of bowling first but with the ball doing plenty it didn't look a terrible decision. They just haven't bowled well enough as a unit.

If England had batted first and the top order had batted as poorly as the bowlers had bowled then we'd likely be in an even worse position.

A good five over spell from Wood (presuming he gets a rest now), just couldn't find the edge. Even Rohit's six wasn't totally controlled.

86/0, but England know one can bring three or four, so they're still well in the game.

Here's Moeen...

England will be hoping .

With Rohit, I am just going to try and enjoy the show while it lasts! He has the upperhand over Wood at the moment, but he has taken a high risk approach. Determined to dismiss every short ball from his presence, no matter what!

Here's mMoeen. Him v Rohit, will be interesting.

KL being unusually slow for him. He has that ability to turn it on very quickly though.

Ali in now and that was a decent first over.

alfie wrote:I'm sure they weren't planning on turning to spin inside thirty overs when they inserted India. But with none down and runs coming fairly briskly it may well be an idea to try Moeen.

Root is starting to look a bit tense . In fact not seeing a lot of smiles from those behind the wicket at present. Must be wondering where a wicket might come from...

Wood giving the speed gun a good work out . But so far Rohit has avoided trouble from his best balls and helped himself when it's been in his zone. Really good batting

Whilst Mo's average and economy shows he does have significant issues with consistency as a bowler his strike rate shows he can take wickets. That's what England need here.

This is the situation where I think Mo can be useful as a bowler. A spinner to 'dry up an end' isn't what we need. We need that one wicket to give the attack an opening. I reckon Mo is worth a shot at that even if he might go for runs in the process.

Quiet start from Moeen. Couple of them well tossed up, but Rahul happy to get a good sighting.

Sam and Moeen together in the attack. Not sure the smartest move from Root again. Moeen's not going to contain, he needs control from the other end. Perhaps a short spell for Anderson would have been better.

Duty281 wrote:A good five over spell from Wood (presuming he gets a rest now), just couldn't find the edge. Even Rohit's six wasn't totally controlled.

86/0, but England know one can bring three or four, so they're still well in the game.

Maybe. But in truth the conditions that influence the toss decision (India would have done the same) really have not delivered extravagant movement and the pitch is quite slow and easy. I suspect the likes of Kohli and Pant are licking their lips at the prospect of batting on this.

Early days. But I hope you didn't risk too much of your hard earned on the good odds on England , Duty. I reckon they're up against it after this start.

Rohit's happy to take the single of Moeen.