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Post by davemorton on Jan 26, 2024 12:07:56 GMT
England have probably bowled more bad balls today than Swann did in his entire Test career. Or Panesar. Fantastic Indian running between wickets, by the way.
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Post by tykemania on Jan 26, 2024 17:14:58 GMT
I don't think the total England made was shockingly bad for the pitch - at least, I don't expect that Australia, New Zealand etc would have done substantially better. There were a couple of poor shots - Crawley in particular - and they really need to accept that if Pope is ever to reach Test class it won't be at three or in these conditions and get Jennings in, but in essence it was about where you'd expect.
The problem has been the bowling. Going on aforementioned expectations, you might then think India would look to be 50-70 ahead on first dig. But...we've gone in with an attack with too few overs under their belts wherein Joe Root is the best spinner. Leach, lovely guy, we'll always have Headingley, but he's neither consistent enough nor threatening enough at this level. Hartley might get there in 2-3 years time, but right now is a white ball bowler and Ahmed is a man child who would not threaten a schools side in India. If they could at least have balanced the attack with Robinson they might have a bit more of a chance, but as it is the Indian batsmen hit a couple over the top and the bowlers get nervous and serve them four an over.
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Post by newby on Jan 26, 2024 18:43:22 GMT
I haven't seen any but it sounds like Wood has been told to bowl too many short balls and has been totally ineffective to add to the slow bowling woes.
Jadeja was dropped first ball by the keeper which didn't help, just imagine the media din if Bairstow had been keeping. Mind you another report says it was Rahul who was dropped and the subsequent runs were given as byes so it wasn't a drop, just a fumble. No reviews left for England so they have to take what the Umpire gives them anyway.
I think the BBC have people covering the game from the Tv coverage in their front room, he may have popped to put the kettle on at the time, and therefore is not very reliable.
If the series continues on pitches like this, the one win England are hoping for seems difficult to envisage.
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Post by davemorton on Jan 26, 2024 19:05:42 GMT
Rahul was dropped by Foakes, an outside edge standing up (to Root, I think). I didn't see it live as I missed the first half hour, but I saw the replay. Not a fine edge, but not a big deflection, either. I seem to remember Alan Knott saying that, ideally, you take the ball with your inside hand (left hand to right-handed batsman), then the other hand - next to it - has a chance of getting the deflection. You also need soft hands, to cushion any rebound. Hard hands would be Bairstow's problem, and Foakes is judged better than that.
But it's probably Alex Stewart doing the judging! So Foakes, Pope, Atkinson, Curran are all world beaters, of course.
The new Indian keeper looks okay, but they said he would be out as soon as Pant got fit again. I particularly like the look of the U19 England keeper, Carney, but he missed a couple today, which were judged as wides, rather than byes, in white-ball cricket.
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Post by karma on Jan 27, 2024 8:14:39 GMT
I am not watching the game , listening to some play . I remember as a child we would turn on the radio wireless to listen to the Test match . me sitting on the floor, wait while the valves warmed up and listen. Our radio was about the size of a large suitcase and the radio stations for tuning were set out on a yellow backlit panel. We sat in a semi-circle watching the wireless.
Before that there were photo's in the News Chronicle or whatever of the team (not squad) on the deck of their boat setting out for Australia , India , wherever Bit old fashioned ? Of course. Six weeks later they arrived and settled in to quite a bit of practice and acclimatisation. Playing teams in their new temporary 'home' for the tour, eating different foods and practice, practice, practice. Even when flying abroad become more normal ( with several refuelling stops on the way the procedure was very much the same.
Nowadays the Squad practiced in Dubai and flew into India three (?) days before the Test started . I can only assume that this first Test is regarded as the practice that used to take place when I was a lad over at least a couple of weeks . I know there is criticism of the selections , particularly bowling but this series could be practically over before England start to make a real competition of it.
What's the phrase? 'Fail to plan , plan to fail.
Just saying
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Post by newby on Jan 27, 2024 8:39:28 GMT
England did well this morning to restrict the lead to only 190. 4 wickets for Root who seems to have taken Stokes's place as the all rounder in the team.
170/5 at the moment England, not so good from Root with the bat unfortunately. England look to be fighting hard and certainly haven't folded but it could end very quickly if Pope gets out.
Elsewhere the A team were beaten by an innings and 16 runs.
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Post by davemorton on Jan 27, 2024 9:03:04 GMT
Pope has answered those of us who doubted. He looks a good player of spin, and the Bazball approach works, in that you're going to be out anyway, if all you do is block to survive. This way, at least, we're scoring a few runs before the inevitable happens.
Obviously, the Boycotts and Cooks of this world could do well by blocking, but this is the right approach for this group of players.
There's a good game going on in Brisbane, too. I have developed a routine, where I switch channels at the end of an over, and watch two balls from Australia, then back to India, usually in time for all 6 next over.
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Post by Hit Wicket on Jan 27, 2024 9:40:56 GMT
Dave, I hope those occasional two deliveries in the Australian Test are providing blessed relief.
I know we can't win 'em all, but this current England set-up is fast becoming little more than an exhibition side, displayed for the amusement of other Test-playing nations, retaining all the credibility of Les Kellett. Though Les had a superior won/lost record.
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Post by davemorton on Jan 27, 2024 10:00:40 GMT
I have no idea who Les Kellett is, but all Test teams now travel late and play only one warm up game, max.
I am doing a piece on WRF about the MCC tour of 1928/29. Following a leisurely cruise, the team landed in Freemantle for a game in Perth on October 18th. Then it needed a three-day train journey to the rest of Australia. By the time the first Test came round, In Brisbane on November 30th, they had played six four-day warm-up games, watched by crowds in excess of 10,000 in some cases. There were 42,000 present on the Saturday of the NSW fixture.
I seem to remember that, on a recent tour to India, we had one - perhaps two - warm-up games, for which the Indian Board selected not a single spinner for us to bat against! When visiting sides come to England, Counties frequently field 2nd XIs against them, so why bother?
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Post by karma on Jan 27, 2024 10:39:33 GMT
I think Les Kellet was one of the pantomime performers that had Kent Walton as a commentator. He was even decades ago an old 'wrestler' that my dad used to watch on Saturday afternoon ITV.
I could see it was all 'fixed', my dad loved it, I hated it. It's where I learned to prefer going out to watch live sport rather than watch such a parody of sport. I suppose to some it was entertainment but I could tell who was going to win the bout within a few minutes of the bell. And that had nothing to do with sport.
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Post by newby on Jan 27, 2024 11:01:03 GMT
I suppose if you wanted to see one of the greats play cricket in 1928 you had no choice but to go and see them. Which made the pre and in between local games commercially worthwhile.
Test cricketers no longer play for beer money, and if the TV won't show it then it won't get played.
Anyhow, for the first time I'm listening to the Test match with my, almost, full attention and getting behind the team.
With the success of Root's bowling, that's just in comparison to the specialist England bowlers, perhaps they should Play Lawrence in the 2nd Test instead of Hartley or Leach.
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Post by davemorton on Jan 27, 2024 11:25:02 GMT
Close of play. "Because of Ollie Pope, we have a tomorrow," said KP. I don't think it was supposed to be a philosophical statement, but I have enjoyed his commentary all game. In old age, he is coming across as far less of an a-hole, and his batting insights are as exceptional as his batting used to be.
So KP is one surprising plus, and Pope has been another. Lovely innings, and the others have supported him well, including Rehan, and if they and the tail can squeeze out another hundred tomorrow, who knows?
Batting has looked easier, as the pitch slows, but there is some up and down now, mostly down, witness the gazunder that Foakes got. Ten of those tomorrow, and we've won!
A great day's play, and good in Brisbane too, as Smith and Green fight to survive the last few minutes. LBW review as I type...wait a moment...missing. Shame.
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Post by donnylad on Jan 27, 2024 14:17:53 GMT
Les Kellet One of the actually skilful wrestlers who moved into TV when the halls began to host bingo rather than wrestling and boxing. When angry he would run his hand through his hair from back to front and push his lower jaw out so that his lower lip was under his nose, wipe his hands on his trunks and get on with it! He made my Dad laugh and laugh and laugh. BTW - those 'pantomime' players were all skilled wrestlers, many from Lancashire and Cumberland an around Leeds. It was Walton and the ITV creeps who degraded their efforts. Another favourite of mine was 'Hooker' Ted Heath who played some matches for Doncaster RL at the much loved Tattersfield ground. I posted about that place on the old forum.
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Post by karma on Jan 27, 2024 15:50:39 GMT
Jacky Pallo, Mick McManus, Giant Haystacks, Bid Daddy ( Shirley Crabtree from Halifax)
I knew em all , they were skillful but it bored me a bit 😴 . They had their day.
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Post by newby on Jan 27, 2024 17:22:23 GMT
A sport, ok not a great one, turned into an entertainment, mainly for the pleasure of the more mature women. If I remember rightly they even took a mock housewife around with them, complete with handbag and headscarf, ready to be outraged as the bully seemingly cheated with a sly rabbit punch or something below the belt.
I think the Americans keep it going, albeit with a bit more razzle dazzle than they had at Leeds Town Hall.
Anyway with a few more days like today Test match cricket can hold it's own in the way of entertainment.
It may well fizzle out on day 4 but you never know, and I for one will be eager to get up a little earlier and see.
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