Test Cricket is Back

[rynny]

1 hour ago, Anag Ram said:

Not great but also not unusual.

Does make me even more excited about the Ashes though!
 

My big concern is whether our talented younger batsmen can stand up not only to the hostile bowling but also to this type of intimidation?

I was thinking more of what happened to Phillip Hughes, you would expect someone to check he was ok before giving him some verbal. 

Pujara got hit with the ball quite a few times in that innings, I watched from 25th over to the 40th, and in that time he was hit about 6-7 times, including once in the head then. So to take 2 to the head and get that, after everything that has happened... 

[Anag Ram]

24 minutes ago, rynny said:

I was thinking more of what happened to Phillip Hughes, you would expect someone to check he was ok before giving him some verbal. 

Pujara got hit with the ball quite a few times in that innings, I watched from 25th over to the 40th, and in that time he was hit about 6-7 times, including once in the head then. So to take 2 to the head and get that, after everything that has happened... 

Yes that’s a valid point.

One of those situations in life where everyone gets super sensitive when tragedy strikes, then everything goes back to normal.

Australia play their cricket hard but they don’t like it when the opposition stands up to them. Pujara is obdurate and resolute. He plays the game like no recent Australian.

He won!

[JuanFloEvraTheCocu'sNesta]

2 hours ago, Anag Ram said:

Not great but also not unusual.

Does make me even more excited about the Ashes though!
 

My big concern is whether our talented younger batsmen can stand up not only to the hostile bowling but also to this type of intimidation?

I think getting done at the Gabba will have hit the Australian psyche a bit. That was their fortress. A weakened Indian side just stood up to it and ground them out. If we can apply the same mentality then we have a chance.

[Anag Ram]

England did well to keep the runs down today but our spinners look pretty ordinary. Line and length remain problems and they have no aura about them. The top spinners make it appear something big is going to happen and put batsmen under real pressure. Bess and Leach wheel away and hope the batsman makes a mistake.

Moeen should play ahead of both and we need to kidnap Adil Rashid for test cricket.

[Wolfie20]

18 hours ago, Anag Ram said:

England did well to keep the runs down today but our spinners look pretty ordinary. Line and length remain problems and they have no aura about them. The top spinners make it appear something big is going to happen and put batsmen under real pressure. Bess and Leach wheel away and hope the batsman makes a mistake.

Moeen should play ahead of both and we need to kidnap Adil Rashid for test cricket.

In this match England would be in an even worse position than they are if it wasn't for Jimmy Anderson. As you've said, at this level, the spinners carry little thread - yes Bess got wickets in the first test but the way Sri Lanka batted even i would have turned an arm and fancied my chances.

Spineless batting by the openers looks like squaring the series if the weather doesn't intervene.

[Anag Ram]

48 minutes ago, Wolfie20 said:

In this match England would be in an even worse position than they are if it wasn't for Jimmy Anderson. As you've said, at this level, the spinners carry little thread - yes Bess got wickets in the first test but the way Sri Lanka batted even i would have turned an arm and fancied my chances.

Spineless batting by the openers looks like squaring the series if the weather doesn't intervene.

Looks better now but India won’t be so forgiving. Tough tour ahead.

[Comrade 86]

 

On 21/01/2021 at 07:57, Anag Ram said:

My big concern is whether our talented younger batsmen can stand up not only to the hostile bowling but also to this type of intimidation?

Fair point but I think we one or two who can 'liven up' the Ozzies too. I doubt chief gobshite David Warner is looking forward to facing Broad too much and personally I'd find the prospect of facing Archer bowling flat out on their strips pretty terrifying! Not sure if Wood will be involved, but he'd be a pretty scary too.

Also, with Stokes back in I think there's enough warriors in the side to give as good as they get as well as minding the younger lads. I guess Australia will be favoured with them being at home but I think we can give them something to think about at very least. With India too, that's some cracking tests to look forward to in any case.

[Anag Ram]

3 minutes ago, 86 Hair Islands said:

 

Fair point but I think we one or two who can 'liven up' the Ozzies too. I doubt chief gobshite David Warner is looking forward to facing Broad too much and personally I'd find the prospect of facing Archer bowling flat out on their strips pretty terrifying! Not sure if Wood will be involved, but he'd be a pretty scary too.

Also, with Stokes back in I think there's enough warriors in the side to give as good as they get as well as minding the younger lads. I guess Australia will be favoured with them being at home but I think we can give them something to think about at very least. With India too, that's some cracking tests to look forward to in any case.

I’d add Olly Stone to the list. Another 90 mph bowler who is developing well.

I’d see our best team as 

Burns

Crawley

Bairstow

Root

Stokes 

Pope

Buttler

Ali

Archer

Broad

Anderson

 

[SKRam]

On 22/01/2021 at 16:32, Anag Ram said:

England did well to keep the runs down today but our spinners look pretty ordinary. Line and length remain problems and they have no aura about them. The top spinners make it appear something big is going to happen and put batsmen under real pressure. Bess and Leach wheel away and hope the batsman makes a mistake.

Moeen should play ahead of both and we need to kidnap Adil Rashid for test cricket.

Well either the spinners read your message and decided to up their game or they’d heard never in test history has 10 wickets been taken by pace bowlers in one innings and 10 by spinners in the other. Or neither......One tight review against Sibley but looking very comfortable now with Sir Jos Buttler making sure we secure a well fought series 2-0. I’m calling it early.... GET IN ENGLAND  

[Anag Ram]

Just now, SKRam said:

Well either the spinners read your message and decided to up their game or they’d heard never in test history has 10 wickets been taken by pace bowlers in one innings and 10 by spinners in the other. Or neither......One tight review against Sibley but looking very comfortable now with Sir Jos Buttler making sure we secure a well fought series 2-0. I’m calling it early.... GET IN ENGLAND  

Yes, as an England fan I'm obviously delighted they have bowled better in the second innings. 

They have once again been helped by Sri Lanka's top order in a fashion that won't be replicated in India. 

There, you have to bowl with consistent line and length and rely upon patience. 

My point is that at present neither bowler consistently applies pressure on a good surface. 

Pleased for Sibley that he's got a few and that we have secured a second victory. 

 

[SKRam]

3 minutes ago, Anag Ram said:

Yes, as an England fan I'm obviously delighted they have bowled better in the second innings. 

They have once again been helped by Sri Lanka's top order in a fashion that won't be replicated in India. 

There, you have to bowl with consistent line and length and rely upon patience. 

My point is that at present neither bowler consistently applies pressure on a good surface. 

Pleased for Sibley that he's got a few and that we have secured a second victory. 

 

I wasn’t conscious for Sri Lanka’s second innings but a pleasant surprise when I did tune in! Atherton commenting saying their batting was horrendous. I’ll have to check the highlights. Our fans are in good voice too! Excellent!! 

[SKRam]

I throng we’re pretty well set for India with the reinforcements too.  

[Anag Ram]

8 minutes ago, SKRam said:

I wasn’t conscious for Sri Lanka’s second innings but a pleasant surprise when I did tune in! Atherton commenting saying their batting was horrendous. I’ll have to check the highlights. Our fans are in good voice too! Excellent!! 

It was truly car crash stuff. 

Mickey Arthur must be reaching for the whiskey! 

[SKRam]

6 hours ago, Anag Ram said:

It was truly car crash stuff. 

Mickey Arthur must be reaching for the whiskey! 

We can reach for the alcohol too to celebrate ?

[Eddie]

That was a remarkable win - and England have now won 5 successive tests away from home on the bounce - the first time they have achieved such a run of overseas victories in more than a century when they recorded 7 wins away to Australia and South Africa up to January 1 1914.

Jimmy Anderson - the new Syd Barnes.

[Eddie]

12 hours ago, SKRam said:

I throng we’re pretty well set for India with the reinforcements too.  

India are at a completely different level (notwithstanding getting bowled out for 36 against Australia, of course)

[JoetheRam]

Seems like C4 have won the rights to show the entire England tour of India.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/feb/02/channel-4-wins-rights-for-england-test-cricket-tour-of-india

Superb.

[Mostyn6]

5 minutes ago, JoetheRam said:

Seems like C4 have won the rights to show the entire England tour of India.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/feb/02/channel-4-wins-rights-for-england-test-cricket-tour-of-india

Superb.

It’ll be interesting to see who they employ. 

[SKRam]

On 02/02/2021 at 11:40, Mostyn6 said:

It’ll be interesting to see who they employ. 

Were Mark Nicholas and Michael Vaughan on C5? ?

[Mostyn6]

4 hours ago, SKRam said:

Were Mark Nicholas and Michael Vaughan on C5? ?

Think they’re both pretty freelance nowadays, but C4 will deffo go for Nicholas. There are others that have drifted away, Paul Allott for example, has history with C4. Boycott too.