England's Summer of Cricket 2021

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That's the important wicket. Deserved for Robinson and England.

Now into that brittle middle order.

It looks like an Eng session,.. but in the larger context of the game the session is more good news from an Indian p.o.v is
-that the ball is gripping for the spinner
-and it's keeping a trifle low when in the stump line...bringing LBW significantly into play
India is 230 on and with shardul, Pant in hand and then the 3 bowlers.
These two have to bat 10 overs more together ( my wish) and one of them has to bat until the end...and Ind would have done enough damage

The commentators keep consoling themselves with no Ashwin & hence Eng  have chance.
Eng always has a chance if the lead is 270ish......or even 290ish
for that Root has to score big ....almost a hundred and almost bat until the end of the chase

Having ashwin or not ain't gonna impact Eng's chances.....jadeja will be a handful and other seamers will bowl cutters and get the natural up and down of the pitch in their favor

I have been enjoying the cricket but i must say i have really disliked this lunchtime documentary that Sky have been showing.
I am sure that some players have received racial abuse and do not like it but its as if we are all racists...

Moeen resuming? Can't agree. His wicket of Kohli was a freak, not the norm.

Moeen resuming after lunch. With a few too many easy singles on offer for my taste. Unless these two lose their heads they're just going to milk him , I'm afraid. These are not good tactics.

Nearly a run out there...but ends up just another overthrow.

Duty281 wrote:Moeen resuming? Can't agree. His wicket of Kohli was a freak, not the norm.

looks like you are more worried about what if he gets a 3-fer

KP_fan wrote:

Duty281 wrote:Moeen resuming? Can't agree. His wicket of Kohli was a freak, not the norm.

looks like you are more worried about what if he gets a 3-fer

I'd prefer it if Moeen took four wickets in his next four balls, but that looks decidedly unlikely.

Thakur in gear already. Allowing him to settle before lunch already looking a missed chance.

Might not have got him , of course. But surely Anderson or Robinson could have had a shot at him before he got comfortable ?

And in answer to KP_fan's comment re Moeen : I think it is because alongside his (vital and timely) wicket of Kohli , he has gone for 88 off 21 overs , that worries Duty.

If India were down to the rabbits and teeing off he might be a good gamble : but if they just want to collect singles like this...

I'd love him to get three now. Just don't think he's worrying either of these two. Hope I'm wrong.

alfie wrote: but if they just want to collect singles like this...

I'd love him to get three now. Just don't think he's worrying either of these two. Hope I'm wrong.

Getting singles is cause of Root's folly....he has spread the field out
Moeen is less effective because his captain is a bit of a chicken.......when Pant and shardul are out with many boundary riders

I really love Moeen Ali but he is leaking runs at a great rate of knots. It really is wrong to have him bowling now. These two are just picking the bad balls and clearing them without any element of danger. 

These two are more than capable of putting on another 80 to 100 and take the game away from England.

Root looked tired escorting the ball to the boundary with a glorious skidding dive that never came

Dismal field placings from Root since Kohli departed. So worried about boundaries being hit that he's pushed so many back...forgetting of course that India are happy to just nudge and nurdle their way to a 300+ lead. No concept of building pressure through dots, and forcing India to take risks. Bowling Moeen for so long is awful captaincy too, with Robinson and Anderson better placed to take a wicket.

Root may have a lot of wins under his belt, but he's the worst long-term England test captain I've seen in my lifetime.

Lead up to 259.

Yes. Root always misses the big moments in a match. When he gambled on Moeen (angling no doubt for Pant , but caught the Big Fish instead ) he won a chance. Was the time to attack. But instead we had Overton and more Moeen , with no particularly aggressive field settings .
And since lunch , more spin with a spread field. Horse has gone off down the road now I'm afraid.

No guarantee that Robinson or Anderson would have got results , of course. But it took seven overs of Moeen for 1/35 before he's made a change : bit late I think.

Duty281 wrote:Dismal field placings from Root since Kohli departed. So worried about boundaries being hit that he's pushed so many back...forgetting of course that India are happy to just nudge and nurdle their way to a 300+ lead. No concept of building pressure through dots, and forcing India to take risks. Bowling Moeen for so long is awful captaincy too, with Robinson and Anderson better placed to take a wicket.

Root may have a lot of wins under his belt, but he's the worst long-term England test captain I've seen in my lifetime.

Lead up to 259.

He is not bad....there are many above him in Eng's worst list.
He's not a punter......goes on the defensive quite fast...but that's him...gets many safe percentage decisions right

Here though I agree...he needed to keep field closed  & not give as many singles  spreading the field on the reputation  of  Pant

If these two keep going, at what stage would Kholi think about declaring? Anything over 320 would be difficult to get in just over 3 sessions i would imagine. Leave it too late and the draw becomes more favourite.

I don't think Kohli would declare until at least 400/420.

msp83 wrote:I just noticed, that Moeen Ali, who didn't get to bowl in India's first innings, is 1 wicket away from surpassing Jim Laker's tally of wickets. Laker is arguably, England's best ever spinner...
Moeen's surely not in that league, but he's surely among the better spinners that England have had, and his achievements as a bowler alone, would demand greater respect than he sometimes gets.

Msp - I thought that was a good post on Friday morning and it's even more pertinent following Moeen's pre-lunch wicket of Kohli. As you say, Moeen is not in the league of Laker (or Swann) but he's made a considerable contribution to England over the years and merits greater recognition for that.

eirebilly wrote:If these two keep going, at what stage would Kholi think about declaring? Anything over 320 would be difficult to get in just over 3 sessions i would imagine. Leave it too late and the draw becomes more favourite.

10 overs shot before close and with 350 on should we get so far
basically to get into a Only one Team can lose scenario

Game swings quickly , doesn't it ? All that pressure of the middle of the first session vanished , lead rocketed up ...

Credit to these two bats : haven't done anything silly , played with good intent . Lots of running , no big hits yet. Taking the game away from England on this excellent batting strip. Unless one of them has a brain fade the only problem for Kohli will be when to declare.

Not for a while yet . Might as well flatten Jimmy for the series while they're at it

KP_fan wrote:

eirebilly wrote:If these two keep going, at what stage would Kholi think about declaring? Anything over 320 would be difficult to get in just over 3 sessions i would imagine. Leave it too late and the draw becomes more favourite.

10 overs shot before close and with 350 on should we get so far
basically to get into a Only one Team can lose scenario

Seems about right to me. I always thought that Kholi was one of crickets more attacking captains so i would imagine that scenario would be fairly accurate.

guildfordbat wrote:

msp83 wrote:I just noticed, that Moeen Ali, who didn't get to bowl in India's first innings, is 1 wicket away from surpassing Jim Laker's tally of wickets. Laker is arguably, England's best ever spinner...
Moeen's surely not in that league, but he's surely among the better spinners that England have had, and his achievements as a bowler alone, would demand greater respect than he sometimes gets.

Msp - I thought that was a good post on Friday morning and it's even more pertinent following Moeen's pre-lunch wicket of Kohli. As you say, Moeen is not in the league of Laker (or Swann) but he's made a considerable contribution to England over the years and merits greater recognition for that.

Mooen got past Laker at a strike rate better than Laker
Moeen 60 balls vs Laker 62 balls....bear in the mind the latter was in an era when they got wet / sticky wickets to bowl on

guildfordbat wrote:

msp83 wrote:I just noticed, that Moeen Ali, who didn't get to bowl in India's first innings, is 1 wicket away from surpassing Jim Laker's tally of wickets. Laker is arguably, England's best ever spinner...
Moeen's surely not in that league, but he's surely among the better spinners that England have had, and his achievements as a bowler alone, would demand greater respect than he sometimes gets.

Msp - I thought that was a good post on Friday morning and it's even more pertinent following Moeen's pre-lunch wicket of Kohli. As you say, Moeen is not in the league of Laker (or Swann) but he's made a considerable contribution to England over the years and merits greater recognition for that.

He does , Guildford. But we should recognise his limitations.

On a spinning track in Sri Lanka , say - on my team sheet all the time. In England , as the finishing touch when backing up a dominant pace attack , fine.

But on a flat pitch (like this) when you need either control or magic from your spinner : no. He might get a break through as he did today. So might Malan if he were tried...but then you'd get him off and back to the main attack , wouldn't you ? Going at 4.5 per over , no maidens , 1 wicket for 98 . Telling.

Not his fault he couldn't do it today. But I do fault Root for relying on him in the crucial forty minutes either side of lunch...it was delusional.

Terrific hour for India. The hour that sealed the match ? Maybe the series too.

Not sure what England can do now. 277 now and even the rabbits should be good to whack tired bowlers around now. Pitch is so good I suppose even 330 won't really be out of reach but it may well be more than that unless one of these two self-destructs : a run out maybe ?

Winviz India 62% ? More like 82%...

And now my run out hope is totally wasted ! Oh dear , Moeen...

Now a calamity in the field. England's fielding has been garbage this series.

Thats what 130+ overs in the field does to you. A little more composure and that was a run out.

Duty281 wrote:Now a calamity in the field. England's fielding has been garbage this series.

these comic things happen with all sides ...ain't exclusive to Eng

Oh yeah, sure, Alfie. I wasn't attemting a detailed overview of Moeen but for someone who gets a fair bit of stick here and elsewhere, I feel it's fair to applaud him overtaking the Test tally of Laker, one of England's greatest ever by common consent.

The bowling deficiencies clearly belong in the mix along with, tbf, his batting achievements and failures when doing a proper assessment of Moeen's England career. And that's before any contrasts of the eras as referenced by KP-f!

That's why you keep your reviews, Root. No excuse for burning three.

Ah was umpire's call anyway, thought it was out in real time.

Pant still hasn't gotten going yet....he's still to cut loose

eirebilly wrote:Thats what 130+ overs in the field does to you. A little more composure and that was a run out.

Indeed. He could have run in - hell , walked in and taken the bails ! Even if Hameed had gathered the ball they'd have had time ...

As you say , all those overs in the field have done for them.

And now Anderson denied an lbw which Hawkeye shows was almost certainly hitting , though would have been umpire's call even if they had a review left.

Think it is clear this one has been Written.

How can you keep Shardul out of the playing XI

Its hard to see fitting Ashwin in....and If Ind wins.....Kohli will have his way with 4 seamers again next game

Lead over 300, Root completely lost control of the game when Kohli was out. Embarrassing stuff, his captaincy may have cost England two tests.

Good fifty from Thakur.

guildfordbat wrote:Oh yeah, sure, Alfie. I wasn't attemting a detailed overview of Moeen but for someone who gets a fair bit of stick here and elsewhere, I feel it's fair to applaud him overtaking the Test tally of Laker, one of England's greatest ever by common consent.

The bowling deficiencies clearly belong in the mix along with, tbf, his batting achievements and failures when doing a proper assessment of Moeen's England career. And that's before any contrasts of the eras as referenced by KP-f!

Yeah fair points , Guildford. I was concentrating more on this match but of course you were flagging msp's point from earlier... All valid.

I am just a bit cranky because I feel England have once again failed to seize the moment. Afraid it is a regular feature of Root's captaincy : perhaps he just hasn't had the weapons for the occasions ? But I think you know what I mean.

Now the Comms are calling for spin again. Might as well , now . Moeen , Root , Malan. Doesn't matter - we are just waiting for a declaration.

Root's golden arm. Doesn't make up for the captaincy errors of course.

Need the last three for practically nothing. Might swing some late momentum England's way.

Root gets the wicket ! Another fifty from Thakur - even if he bowls rubbish he's justified his place

313 ahead. Another last three wickets for one run would be handy now ...

guildfordbat wrote:

JDizzle wrote:Not been able to watch today - but how has Pope rotated the strike? He’s a got a very Root-lite score, being 73* with only 6 boundaries but still striking at 54. Normally means he is rotating nicely which is a killer to the ‘bowl dry’ plan.

Whereas Moeen and Bairstow had 7 boundaries in their 30s.

Although this doesn't explain Moeen and Bairstow hitting more boundaries, I thought the Oval outfield was slower than usual yesterday which probably kept Pope down to a couple of runs on the odd occasion. The practice wickets are normally near to the Gasholder and/or School boundary edges and the ball speeds up when going over them. However, for this Test, the practice wickets are nearer to the actual track. Possibly the outfield grass is a tad longer as well.

...

Ah, I was right for once!  

''The outfield hasn't been as quick as it normally is here. It's been quite lush so that score is probably worth another 15 or 20 runs too.'' - Warne on comms a few minutes ago, showing he can talk sensibly when he allows himself to do so.

Meanwhile, vital wicket of Thakur snaffled by Overton at slip from Root. As mentioned before, Overton - like his twin bro - has bucket hands and is a surprisingly good fielder in all parts of the ground.

Dual spin attack now as Pant gets his fifty he's played really sensibly today.

Presume they'll throw the bat at everything now and Moeen will end up with four wickets

Why is there a long-on for Umesh Yadav?

Never mind, Pant's smacked it straight to Moeen. Sharp take.

315/8...hanging in?

And there's one of them... Pant gone so it really is rabbit hunting time !

Come on England let's keep them under 330 ahead...

After that fabulous partnership, both Shardul and Pant departing in quick succession. On this pitch that is becoming lifeless by the minute, India is still leaving the door open. Another 30-40, the game would have been beyond England...

Valuable runs being added by Umesh and Bumrah. Give a few more for yourselves to bowl at, lads!

Joe Root still thinks that Jasprit Bumrah is the answer to Who After Sachin?! What a silly field. Understandable for Umesh to some extend, but Bumrah? He plays differently.

Bumrah giving a fair imitation of a proper batsman now...nice little dab late cut

Really is a flat pitch isn't it ? 336 in front but I think they'll be planning to get a few more yet...

Woakes back on. The end might just be near. Hope they somehow survive to tea...

England continue to be sloppy in the field.

More woeful field placings, but we can't be surprised.

Is a pancake of a wicket. If a team were coming out to bat on this on day one of a test, we'd be saying 400 is a par score, but psychological pressure of a chase does odd things.

England have, of course, chased down two big scores in the last two summers.

msp83 wrote:Joe Root still thinks that Jasprit Bumrah is the answer to Who After Sachin?! What a silly field. Understandable for Umesh to some extend, but Bumrah? He plays differently.

Probably doesn't matter where they stand now , msp. They'll either get themselves out now or get away with murder whatever the field.

Think Root has given up on cricketing logic and is just praying now...

Also appears to have just injured himself as he's hobbling around : just what England needed !

Morale sucking Carnage
Eng given up

They have survived to tea, and so that ends a tremendous session for India.
Think they should continue to bat normally, until they are bowled out.
Kohli though might have a declaration like at the HQ if they manage to bat for a few overs...

I cant see that England will chase these runs down now myself. Best bet is to bat out for a draw, when they eventually get in that is.

Good session for India, they're being handed the test in gift-wrapped form by Root.

That ODI field setting for Bumrah/Yadav makes zero sense. Hardly any of Root's field placings since Kohli got out have made any sense. It's difficult to fathom just how tactically bereft Root is.