England's Summer of Cricket 2024

First topic message reminder :

Now the County Championship has begun, it is officially summer once more. Don't let the rain tell you otherwise!

We can talk about promising county performances, the build up to the World T20, and Ollie Robinson's latest injury when it happens. Then, in just under two months, England start playing games:

England v Pakistan, four T20s, 22nd May-30th May
World T20 in June
England v West Indies, three tests, 10th July-30th July
England v Sri Lanka, three tests, 21st August-10th September
England v Australia, three T20s, 11th September-15th September
England v Australia, five ODIs, 19th September-29th September

It's a bit of a pressure summer for England. The ODI side made the most disappointing defence of a World Cup crown since France in the football in 2002, so there's pressure on the T20 side, and Mott in particular, to deliver something decent in the Caribbean.

For the test match side, it's been three series without a series win for England, so the expectation is on for England to get back to winning ways against the West Indies and Sri Lanka. The West Indies often cause England a few troubles, but England have won their last seven home series v the West Indies, dating back to 2000, and you have to go back to 1988 for the last time the West Indies won a series in England.

Sri Lanka are visiting for the first time in eight years for a test series, so it's well overdue. They've certainly managed to upset England in the past, very famously in 1998, but also in 2014, so it's a series that cannot be taken for granted.

And to round off the summer the ECB are making a dash for cash, with eight limited overs games against the Aussies in the fading September light, in games that will probably be forgotten in no time at all.

The wickets were nice for Atkinson, obviously, but was more impressed with all the tools he showed.

Natural shape seemed to be across the left handers and he seemed to bowl a heavy ball - but he also showed he could swing it away to the right handlers too and pace was decent, albeit a couple of mph down in his second spell. But still enough pace and bounce to worry you on a gentle paced wicket. Promising skill set.

Windies drop duckett...simple chance!! If the windies aren't careful and these two get away the game could be long gone by close of play

Deserved wicket. It has been a tidy start from these West Indian quicks. Should have got Duckett earlier, but it hasn't cost much. No footwork for that shot.

Mentioned it was going to be a big summer for Duckett with the bat. That's not the best start!

Duckett doesn't make them pay. He looked a bit dodgy to be honest. West Indies will be charged up a bit by that one. Might be testing for Pope now...

30/1 at tea. Reasonable start and Crawley has played some nice shots. I need a bit of a nap before the football so look after them for me please lads ...

This game is moving forwards very quickly...over by the weekend?

I can't wait until Jimmy is bowling in tandem with Pope when the WIs are 9 down in the second

Unlike England, the WI attack just can't build any pressure

Might be it for the day.

oh grow up umps

people forking out over £100 a day for tickets and they're off at 5pm for "bad light" with floodlights on and no clear issues for any players.

When will this dumbass sport ever learn

umps standing out in the middle looking at blue sky - get the game on you idiotss

Ollie Pope out LBW to Holder for 57, but the lead is now 9

West Indies regretting that missed run out of Crawley more and more.

That is a very special ball from Seales.

Fantastic first day of the test summer for England - pretty much perfect bar Crawley/Pope converting. Crawley now in his consistently getting between 50-100 era, after going through his barren but one massive hundred every now and again era. What a bloke

I saw the first session where Eng was already beginning to gain ascendancy.

And then looked at scorecard close to close of play to find WI have been blown away.
They need to trigger a collapse in first session to have any semblance of a chance.

Atkinson, speed helps, was reminiscent of Hoggard in his action and similar speeds when young

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Fantastic first day of the test summer for England - pretty much perfect bar Crawley/Pope converting. Crawley now in his consistently getting between 50-100 era, after going through his barren but one massive hundred every now and again era. What a bloke

Yeah not much to complain about all day ! Maybe if we want to be picky should tick Pope off for wasting a referral on his very clear lbw

My only regret was I didn't get to watch the Crawley and Pope show after tea as I took my sleep break : sounds like they motored along rather nicely. Guess we might see Bashir bowl in the second innings...

A shame that the test appears to be over after one day, barring an astonishing collapse, but I'm sure England won't mind!

Good chance for Root and Brook to make some runs. If Root gets a ton then he goes level with Smith and Williamson, and just one behind Cook.

Lord's is usually the best to bat on for days two and three.

alfie wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Fantastic first day of the test summer for England - pretty much perfect bar Crawley/Pope converting. Crawley now in his consistently getting between 50-100 era, after going through his barren but one massive hundred every now and again era. What a bloke

Yeah not much to complain about all day !  Maybe if we want to be picky should tick Pope off for wasting a referral on his very clear lbw

My only regret was I didn't get to watch the Crawley and Pope show after tea as I took my sleep break : sounds like they motored along rather nicely. Guess we might see Bashir bowl in the second innings...

I think he reviewed because he thought he got the toe of the bat on the ball - I think the video shows that it was only the ground but was close to the ball. I think something that DRS has put to bed is the 'you know when you've hit it' and 'you know if it carried' school of thought - the marginal ones go against this quite regularly.

Bowling attack has been put in it by the batters but way too many put away balls

Wicket out of nothing there. Brook the third England bat to reach fifty but not kick on to three figures.

More than a bit of a throwaway dismissal there. Match is likely in hand but England have been guilty of throwing away these positions in closer games

Nothing throwaway about that one though

Root moves to 50, but Motie finds the rough and it spins sharply to account for Stokes.

Another low score for Stokes - his last five innings for England read 3, 4, 0, 2 and 4. He's been bowled in three of his last five dismissals and eight from his last 14.

Time for Smith.

Wow! Ripper from Motie. Only 3 overs of spin in nearly 100 overs across the Test and he does that! Whenever I see Motie bowl he just looks like a really good spinner.

Helluva of an opportunity for Smith here. He was very tidy with the gloves first innings and now has a good platform to make his debut innings.

Jamie Smith off the mark in test cricket with a boundary! Didn't expect anything less haha!

Moties bowled well and England have stalled out a little after those wickets

Root is number four to be stuck between 50 and 99!

Motie pushing that one through a bit quicker. Superb bowling from him this morning.

Smith now getting to bat with the number 8 and further down...something Foakes wasn't especially adept at!

Not an awful session for West Indies in that they restrained England somewhat , with the three wickets. But the lead is already out to 170 so even if they can clean up the England tail they are facing a 200 plus deficit...don't fancy their chances of coming back from that ! Could accuse England of lacking ruthlessness as nobody has really kicked on yet ; but to be fair most of the wickets have fallen to rather good deliveries more than loose shots.

Spin for Motie so Bashir might be looking forward to having a few overs second innings...

Not perfect for England but given the huge lead and the pitch taking spin, it's not that far off. Obviously, you'd like to see batters going on. It isn't the easiest deck to bat on though. They've already seen Atkinson have success, Smith is getting a chance to impress and Bashir should get a bowl. Not bad considering they're trying to win Tests whilst evolving the personnel.

Woakes getting runs would be useful too after that poor bowling performance.

Gotta get Jimmy in and see if he can replicate broads last effort surely

Smith moving to 50. Might have a chance of being the only centurion of the innings if Bashir and Jimmy can hang around.

Wow, what a direct hit!

Jimmy out for his last bat. He might not face a ball.

Remember Cardiff 2009? Great days.

Jimmy, indeed, doesn't face a ball. Smith picks the fielder and is out for 70. Five bats making 50, none making a ton!

Jimmy ends his test career with 1353 runs @ 8.96.

England lead by 250 and the West Indies will need a minor miracle to save this one.

Suppose we shouldn't count our chickens just yet re batting once.

Very bazball innings, loads of players make scores, nobody makes the big score and they rack up near 400 in about a day

Smith proving he can at least bat with the tail is a check

250 lead...jolly good debut knock for Smith - showing he can indeed bat with the tail as required. Though he loses some points for getting out without letting Jimmy have a chance to unfurl a farewell reverse sweep

Don't think Jimmy will be needed to bat second innings , somehow. Not sure if even Crawley and Duckett will be either ...

guildfordbat wrote:

wisden wrote:Still think Stokes should have batted first, pitch is slow, low gonna be flat this could backfire.....Anderson goes for two boundaries in his first over, not gonna be the easiest of pitches for him to run through the windies here

Nor should it be of course.

Despite my usual old school outlook on cricketing matters (which traditionally includes ''win the toss and bat first''), I'm ok with Stokes' choice today. 20 or so miles south of the ground and it's very overcast with a bit of breeze here which should aid the bowlers. Anyway, as always, best to judge when both sides have had a dig.

Hi wisden - fair to say now, Stokes got it right. Mind you, against this West Indies side, it probably doesn't matter too much.

Duty281 wrote:Jimmy, indeed, doesn't face a ball. Smith picks the fielder and is out for 70. Five bats making 50, none making a ton!

Jimmy ends his test career with 1353 runs @ 8.96.

England lead by 250 and the West Indies will need a minor miracle to save this one.

I reckon it'll need to be a bit bigger than that, Duty.

Hi Duty and all - I've been in and out today. When's tea, please?

Nice nip backer does for Brathwaite...Jimmy seemed to enjoy that

guildfordbat wrote:Hi Duty and all - I've been in and out today. When's tea, please?

Hi guildford...they took an early tea when the England innings closed. So you missed the scones and cream I'm afraid

So Jimmy comes off after 5 overs ...1/2. If his successor (?) Atkinson backs up his first innings effort might conceivably have been Jimmy's last spell !

200 wickets for Stokes now

West Indies in a heap of trouble - though I don't really expect them to fold up totally this time : think there will be some cricket for the ticket holders tomorrow.

But maybe not a lot...

Surely one of these West Indian bats is gonna show some counter attack or proactivity?

It's a tough spot, suspect mentally they're already back on the bus. Might be a 2 day test still

Hmm. With Hodge now dragging Atkinson on (very similar to Brathwaite yesterday ) and the tourists slipping to 37/4 I wonder if I might be wrong : this could indeed finish tonight.

Will Bashir even get to bowl a ball ? With his opportunities at Somerset rather limited , I think he'd be hoping to get a bit of a spell here ; but the way this innings is subsiding ...

Number 703 for Anderson... We are going to miss him