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Post by davemorton on Feb 2, 2024 11:30:13 GMT
A really good and competitive first day. I watched the morning session (4 - 6 am), had 3 hours sleep and watched the final (9 - 11) session which, amazingly ended on time with more than 90 overs bowled. [Little matter that 95 years ago, they bowled 120 overs in a five-hour day in Adelaide.]
Bashir, we now know, is a good bowler, and very tall. Nice variations, bounce, and spin. The other two specialist spinners both bowled well, but no one better than Anderson, who is better at 41 than he was at 21 or 31.
Jaiswal sliced one, head height, through the covers in Root's opening over, and later top-edged a sweep very near the man at 45. Otherwise, he was excellent, and has saved India's bacon, to be honest. I think the late wicket made it England's day, just. 51-49?
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Post by newby on Feb 2, 2024 12:14:16 GMT
I think I'm most impressed by the number of overs bowled, they didn't manage it in the first test despite 90% spin.
Bashir has got his chance, on a hunch it seems and because he's tall.
Sadly that might be sending a message that building a reputation in County Cricket is only likely to get you into the A team. Certainly in terms of spin bowling.
So, the scoring has been brisk and India look on for something like 400 perhaps. We might have some clarity after day 2, or more likely day 3 as to how things might pan out.
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Post by slowleftarmer on Feb 2, 2024 15:13:13 GMT
A good day of proper cricket, decent over rate, a sparkling century from a young Indian opener, and some promising bowling from rookie England spinners, supported by the best fast bowler of all time (sorry Fred but this is one Lancastrian who i have a begrudging respect for).
But also some great wicket keeping from Foakes too. Just the English outfielding that was a bit ragged
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Post by davemorton on Feb 2, 2024 16:58:35 GMT
I've just got in from shopping, listening to Aggers on t' car radio. He thinks England are clearly ahead, and that we 'dominated' the final session. I don't think I would go quite that far, on either count.
Yes, Foakes was good today, and our outfielding started with Ahmed getting nutmegged by a bad bounce, and never quite recovered 100%.
I had a thought about bowlers of yesteryear (or the year before yesteryear), who were less specialised or pigeon-holed than nowadays. Sydney Barnes, I am sure, would turn up and bowl whatever best suited the surface - which might mean fast-medium, or orthodox spin, or wrist spin. He was, after all, a club professional by choice, and knew he was going to bowl all through the innings every time he played, so he had to be adaptable, and also to conserve energy if the wickets weren't tumbling (though they usually were).
George Lohmann seems to have been pretty much a Barnes clone, and both men's stats are sensational. Surely, someone like Jimmy Anderson could bowl better spin than our 'occasional' spinner.
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Post by newby on Feb 3, 2024 21:37:46 GMT
I think even Ben Duckett might concede we aren't in a winning position at the end of day 2. That's not to say we are certain to lose, though if I were a betting man that's the option I'd pick.
India lead by 171 with 10 wickets in hand and we are going to need someone to do a 'Bumrah' for us in their 2nds innings, plus probably someone to do a 'Jaiswal' for us in ours.
Of course I'm pleased that Bashir got 3 wickets, but they came at the cost of a lot of runs. Especially when held up against the miserly Anderson and the incredible Bumrah, or even Yadav.
I can't see us managing to get enough runs to pay for the wickets at that price.
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Post by davemorton on Feb 4, 2024 2:28:49 GMT
There is some irony in that we seem to be matching India in spin bowling, but have no answer to Bumrah, who is probably the best fast bowler in the world - unless that's the absent Shami.
I got up just in time to see a few great shots from Crawley, and then his dismissal, which started the collapse. It was the reverse swing what did it. Brilliant captaincy to stick Bumrah on, that very instant it started to reverse. Low bounce did for Stokes, who was batting superbly. Not a good sign, with us batting fourth.
Could we chase 350, in the unlikely event of us bowling them out for 200?
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Post by newby on Feb 4, 2024 8:56:52 GMT
The lead is now 370 at tea on day 3 with India having 4 wickets left. You would expect the chase to be in the region of 420 runs, with all the time in the world.
Never say never with 'B' ball of course but I think I'd be impressed if we get within a hundred of them.
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Post by newby on Feb 4, 2024 12:22:43 GMT
England on 67-1 need another 332 runs to win. They have absolutely no chance, but I might get up early, just in case.
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Post by davemorton on Feb 4, 2024 12:57:49 GMT
Shubman Gill said he thought England had a 30% chance. Somewhere between 0 and 30, I reckon. Worth getting up to watch, especially as NZ are batting against S Africa, with our Kane and the equally wonderful Ravindra both on 100+ not out.
There's an irony that Duckett was out playing a forward defensive, having just previously top-edged a reverse-sweep for four. "I'll not be playing that shot again!" (The forward defensive, that is.)
I enjoyed Rehan's nighthawk cameo. Century before lunch tomorrow?
Two great catches by Foakes, by the way, neither of which Bairstow would have caught in his dreams. Under-edges, one of them an inside under-edge. An outfield catch by Stokes that hardly anyone would have taken. Great day of real cricket. If just one 'umpire's call' lbw had gone the other way...
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Post by newby on Feb 5, 2024 9:17:10 GMT
So, no match winning heroics from England in the end with a 73 from Crawley and just starts really from everyone else. England ended a long way short, but one big innings from someone might have made it very tight.
I think India will be stronger and more confident with Kohli and perhaps a few others returning for the rest of the series, but I'm not taking anything for granted.
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Post by slowleftarmer on Feb 5, 2024 9:59:06 GMT
so who do India leave out to make room for Kohli's return?
I presume one option is Bharat the keeper and get KL Rahul to take the gloves. But they are not going to drop Jaiswal, Sharma or Gill from the top 3. Iyer perhaps?
Would be nice to turn up for the 3rd test and find its a seamers track - problem is I think India might still have the stronger bowling line up if they bring in Shami and Siraj whilst we can only consider Atkinson, Wood and Robinson alongside Jimmy
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Post by newby on Feb 5, 2024 14:29:28 GMT
I suppose it depends if KL Rahul comes back too, Shreyas Iyer perhaps for Kohli.
You can't play them all as they say and Kohli has to come back, just for the box office alone, even if it was at the expense of Gill.
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Post by davemorton on Feb 5, 2024 15:16:55 GMT
I have just woken up, after watching through the night. It was, actually, quite enjoyable, good viewing, as England did enough to show their task might have been possible. There were some key moments, especially the wasteful dismissals of Root and Stokes. Has Joe had enough, after twelve years? That was an awful slog, in or out of context; and the Stokes run out was odd, as he jogged down the pitch apparently not seeing the danger. Just one major innings from those two could have got the chase down to 50 or so, then it's a wholly different ball game, as nerves kick in. Two odd lbw dismissals. The Crawley appeal looked frivolous, the review wasteful...until Hawkeye somehow had the ball pitching in line, hitting in line, and hitting more than 50% of leg stump, enough to overturn the decision. Then Jonny B, who looked absolutely plumb, stone dead out, and given out. The ball was apparently was hitting less of leg stump than the Crawley one. The whole team batted well, down to 9, against a good and varied attack. Okay, their second seamer is bobbins. Bad toss to lose, as the first Test was a good one to win. By the way, the venue looked great, a clean Indian city! Such things do exist, I know, because I've been to Kochi and Kerala and 'done' the wonderful Backwaters there, attached photos. But in Mumbai and Kolkata you feel you're taking in poison with every breath, and the sun is a pale disc behind a pall of pollution. In Vizag, it actually shone, out of a blue sky! And now they're off to another horrible place, Pylon City, for a few days' R&R with WAGS and parents. The hotel will be nice, anyway.
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Post by slowleftarmer on Feb 5, 2024 15:19:00 GMT
the new young opener, Jaiswal looks a real talent and spoke well after the game, although I thought he looked about 14!
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Post by davemorton on Feb 5, 2024 15:53:29 GMT
Sooner or later, everyone looks 14. Good player, no doubt. I am pleased to see Bumrah got the MoM award, though. I didn't stay up to watch the presentations live.
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