English Cricket/ *The Ashes*!
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I heard that Finn has been left out of the squad for Thursday. I don't know what Finn thinks about this but he would be entitled to be a bit pissed-off, because he has bowled well for England while Stuart Broad has mostly been bowling rubbish. Broad seems to have got his foot in the door of the England establishment now that he is the Twenty/20 captain.
It's a tricky one for sure, but i'd still opt for Broad ahead of Bresnan and Finn right now. He's got everything to make it as a world class cricketer, and with England having invested so much time in him he's always going to get a little more time than others would to find his form.
I trust Flower and Co, it wasn't long ago that it seemed that everyone in the world was calling for Cook to be dropped.
I trust Flower and Co, it wasn't long ago that it seemed that everyone in the world was calling for Cook to be dropped.
Agreed (this is happening too much mate 😉). Portly has a point, as would Finn if that's how he feels, but Broad would squeak my vote - for now - if I had one.
[quote author=Portly link=topic=41229.msg1366309#msg1366309 date=1310896933]
I heard that Finn has been left out of the squad for Thursday. I don't know what Finn thinks about this but he would be entitled to be a bit pissed-off, because he has bowled well for England while Stuart Broad has mostly been bowling rubbish. Broad seems to have got his foot in the door of the England establishment now that he is the Twenty/20 captain.
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It really is a rubbish decision. He averages in the 20s and Broad hasn't been able to buy a wicket for a long while in Test cricket.
I heard that Finn has been left out of the squad for Thursday. I don't know what Finn thinks about this but he would be entitled to be a bit pissed-off, because he has bowled well for England while Stuart Broad has mostly been bowling rubbish. Broad seems to have got his foot in the door of the England establishment now that he is the Twenty/20 captain.
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It really is a rubbish decision. He averages in the 20s and Broad hasn't been able to buy a wicket for a long while in Test cricket.
Gutted for Finn, Broad is one lucky bastard.
Some guy on TalkSport just now said he'd leave Swann out and play both Broad and Bresnan.
That and the weather apparently being likely to be conducive to swing.
[quote author=Judge Jules link=topic=41229.msg1366875#msg1366875 date=1311015151]
Some guy on TalkSport just now said he'd leave Swann out and play both Broad and Bresnan.
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That would be the worst decision ever made.
Swann averages like 20 runs per wicket at Lords. Too much is being made about Indian's ability to play spin. They are good, but not that good. Saqlain and Murali in their peak have had reasonable success against this team...Saqlain especially. I don't see why Swann shouldn't be able to do something similar.
Good spin bowling provides a balance to the attack. Even when Warne wasn't doing well against India, Australia would have never dropped him against India....it should be the same with Swann.
Very little has been said about England's fielding ability in the press too. That i think is their strongest asset, and could well be the differentiating factor. This is a freakishly good fielding side for a Test team. Only the Kiwis can probably better that, but they have always been freaks on the field. India are not in the same stratosphere when it comes to ground fielding, but their catching is top notch.
Some guy on TalkSport just now said he'd leave Swann out and play both Broad and Bresnan.
[/quote]
That would be the worst decision ever made.
Swann averages like 20 runs per wicket at Lords. Too much is being made about Indian's ability to play spin. They are good, but not that good. Saqlain and Murali in their peak have had reasonable success against this team...Saqlain especially. I don't see why Swann shouldn't be able to do something similar.
Good spin bowling provides a balance to the attack. Even when Warne wasn't doing well against India, Australia would have never dropped him against India....it should be the same with Swann.
Very little has been said about England's fielding ability in the press too. That i think is their strongest asset, and could well be the differentiating factor. This is a freakishly good fielding side for a Test team. Only the Kiwis can probably better that, but they have always been freaks on the field. India are not in the same stratosphere when it comes to ground fielding, but their catching is top notch.
To be honest, they go pretty well in England mate...
Tendulkar and Dravid have huge averages in england. Laxman is the only one who hasn't really done well in England. He does well when he only has to contend with pace and bounce...he thrives on it. Swing...not so much. He struggles against the lateral movement.
Sehwag won't be around for at least the first two tests. Gambhir has enjoyed success here, and he is a tough cookie for a small man....he will come back more determined for the next innings, if he goes cheaply in one.
It's the bowling that should be a worry for india. Zaheer Khan has come back really rusty from his long break. India badly needs him to be on the top of his game as the bowling spearhead. If on form, he has a lovely three card trick to get left handers out, and we will get to see that in this tournament. Sharma is back in form, which is a good thing. If Sreesanth got his act together, the Indian pace attack will intself be pretty tough to counter. Harbhajan has really lost some spark from his bowling though, but he will still do a job bowling a tight defensive line. His days as a wicket-taker, I fear is over.
The bowling unit probably will wake up only after Trentbridge. Which wouldn't really be surprising, as this indian team has started slowly in almost all the test series in the last two years. Can the batsmen do enough to keep them in the series after the first two tests? Dunno...we'll see...
Tendulkar and Dravid have huge averages in england. Laxman is the only one who hasn't really done well in England. He does well when he only has to contend with pace and bounce...he thrives on it. Swing...not so much. He struggles against the lateral movement.
Sehwag won't be around for at least the first two tests. Gambhir has enjoyed success here, and he is a tough cookie for a small man....he will come back more determined for the next innings, if he goes cheaply in one.
It's the bowling that should be a worry for india. Zaheer Khan has come back really rusty from his long break. India badly needs him to be on the top of his game as the bowling spearhead. If on form, he has a lovely three card trick to get left handers out, and we will get to see that in this tournament. Sharma is back in form, which is a good thing. If Sreesanth got his act together, the Indian pace attack will intself be pretty tough to counter. Harbhajan has really lost some spark from his bowling though, but he will still do a job bowling a tight defensive line. His days as a wicket-taker, I fear is over.
The bowling unit probably will wake up only after Trentbridge. Which wouldn't really be surprising, as this indian team has started slowly in almost all the test series in the last two years. Can the batsmen do enough to keep them in the series after the first two tests? Dunno...we'll see...
I'm not so sure about the indian batting over here mate personally, although i accept i'm probably on my own with regards to this.
Few reasons why:
Weather looks dodgy this summer
I suspect this is one of the best english attacks they will have come up against over here.
Looks like a new opening pair for the Indians with Sehwag out.
Is Dravid the great batsman he once was?
Dhoni, new opener, Raina, Singh and Laxman have it all to prove under these conditions in test match cricket (that looks likes 4 out of the top 7 as unknowns)
I hope Sehwag is back quickly as he's got to be one of the most entertaining batsman to watch in cricket.
Few reasons why:
Weather looks dodgy this summer
I suspect this is one of the best english attacks they will have come up against over here.
Looks like a new opening pair for the Indians with Sehwag out.
Is Dravid the great batsman he once was?
Dhoni, new opener, Raina, Singh and Laxman have it all to prove under these conditions in test match cricket (that looks likes 4 out of the top 7 as unknowns)
I hope Sehwag is back quickly as he's got to be one of the most entertaining batsman to watch in cricket.
It seems England are wild favorites to win at Lords. I kinda agree with that view...but
I think some of the odds on offer are quite crazy though. I'm tempted to put 50 quid on India.
I think some of the odds on offer are quite crazy though. I'm tempted to put 50 quid on India.
Although England have won matches at Lord's in the last couple of years, their overall record at Lord's over the past decade has been dire. I suspect that this may be because the excitement at playing at the "home of cricket" causes visiting teams to raise their game. I am also tempted to put a bet on India at 5/1 offered by Betfair. My two reservations about this are that (a) as an England supporter, betting on the opposition would introduce an element of ambivalence to my enjoyment of the game, and (b) with both sides having strong batting line-ups, and the weather dodgy at the moment, a draw is the most likely outcome - Betfair agrees with this making a draw the favourite at 4/5 on.
Ya...that's why I have finally decided to keep my powder dry..
That and the fact that India are chronic slow starters...
That and the fact that India are chronic slow starters...
So...it has begun!!
India wins toss and elects to field in overcast conditions.
England 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Andrew Strauss (capt), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 James Anderson, 11 Chris Tremlett.
India 1 Abhinav Mukund, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Praveen Kumar.
No real surprises from England team selection. India deciding to go with Praveen Kumar instead of Sreesanth.
PK is a terrific swing bowler, but at his pace, the batsmen will probably stand about a yard outside the crease to counter it. India need Zaheer to sort out the two lefties at the start.
India wins toss and elects to field in overcast conditions.
England 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Andrew Strauss (capt), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 James Anderson, 11 Chris Tremlett.
India 1 Abhinav Mukund, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Praveen Kumar.
No real surprises from England team selection. India deciding to go with Praveen Kumar instead of Sreesanth.
PK is a terrific swing bowler, but at his pace, the batsmen will probably stand about a yard outside the crease to counter it. India need Zaheer to sort out the two lefties at the start.
Zaheer has looked quite a bit short of the required fitness. So this can end very badly for India.
He has still been good enough to suss out Cook, although Strauss was the one who has been struggling against Zaheer.
In the past three years, Zaheer has made a habit of getting left-handers out early...
He has still been good enough to suss out Cook, although Strauss was the one who has been struggling against Zaheer.
In the past three years, Zaheer has made a habit of getting left-handers out early...
As Strauss predicted, England struggled in the first session with a run rate of 2.05. Strauss said before the match that he expected England will be able to score faster when the initial period of pressure is over, but I am not convinced. I think the wicket will continue to seam and swing.
I have not seen that much of Strauss, but from what i saw against Aus...it seems he has changed his playing style a bit.
He seems to be deliberately playing inside the line a lot, and therefore playing and missing a lot....or is it just that he is getting beaten a fair bit?
Anyway it's good that he hasn't followed the ball, cuz he would have gone by now....
Dravid dropping Trott could end up proving very costly. I thought the difference between the two sides will come down to the fielding.....England are very good in that area and India need to pick it up and get close to them to stand a chance in this series.
He seems to be deliberately playing inside the line a lot, and therefore playing and missing a lot....or is it just that he is getting beaten a fair bit?
Anyway it's good that he hasn't followed the ball, cuz he would have gone by now....
Dravid dropping Trott could end up proving very costly. I thought the difference between the two sides will come down to the fielding.....England are very good in that area and India need to pick it up and get close to them to stand a chance in this series.
Rubbish shot from Strauss. I was just thinking he was doing the sensible thing....and then he throws it away like that.
Yep...India certainly made a hash of that.
You can't give a chance or two to every batsmen. Some might just punish you big time like KP and Trott.
Z Khan looks like he'd be back for the second innings.
If India bats reasonably, they are still in it for a draw. Win is out of reach. England will make about 400 or slightly more.....But in reality, they should have been cleaned up for less than 300. The bowlers created the chances......a lot of indian players including the bowlers and fielders are not just fit enough to grab those chances.
They will come back stronger in the next test.
You can't give a chance or two to every batsmen. Some might just punish you big time like KP and Trott.
Z Khan looks like he'd be back for the second innings.
If India bats reasonably, they are still in it for a draw. Win is out of reach. England will make about 400 or slightly more.....But in reality, they should have been cleaned up for less than 300. The bowlers created the chances......a lot of indian players including the bowlers and fielders are not just fit enough to grab those chances.
They will come back stronger in the next test.
Holy cow....when England were 70 for 6 i thought India would pull the Houdini act out, yet again. It's been a Test match with quite a lot of swing in momentum for sure!
They had them on the mat, but couldn't land the killer blow....hardly surprising the bowlers ran out of steam. Especially PK has worked like a mad man. Terrific spell from Sharma after a listless performance in the first inning. India really missed Zaheer Khan. He is quite handy with the old ball. PK and Ishant are not quite capable when the seam is soft.
Broad has bowled some fantastic spells in this match. He has decided to shelve the "enforcer" stuff and pitch it up like a proper test bowler,and is reaping the rewards.
The good news for India is that Gambhir did't fracture his elbow, so he will be available for the rest of the series. Don't quite know about tomorrow though. He will be needed for sure, if India want to avoid a defeat.
Tendulkar can only bat after 2PM tomorrow or after India are 5 down. So it's advantage England at the moment, but they will have to break this Dravid/Laxman partnership sharply.
It's hardly surprising that the three players who have let India down with fitness problems are the three who came in to the team without match practice (Zaheer, Tendulkar and Gambhir (well he got hit flush in the elbow at short-leg, so it's a bit harsh). The point is, India can't really have any excuses for finding themselves in this situation. Hopefully they will put the first test blues away and start competing better.
The thing about this Indian batting is, even with their backs to the wall, they score at a fair clip, so all three results are still possible....but only a fool would bet on an Indian win at this point, an optimistic Indian fan would bet on a Draw, and a realistic one would bet on England winning the game.
They had them on the mat, but couldn't land the killer blow....hardly surprising the bowlers ran out of steam. Especially PK has worked like a mad man. Terrific spell from Sharma after a listless performance in the first inning. India really missed Zaheer Khan. He is quite handy with the old ball. PK and Ishant are not quite capable when the seam is soft.
Broad has bowled some fantastic spells in this match. He has decided to shelve the "enforcer" stuff and pitch it up like a proper test bowler,and is reaping the rewards.
The good news for India is that Gambhir did't fracture his elbow, so he will be available for the rest of the series. Don't quite know about tomorrow though. He will be needed for sure, if India want to avoid a defeat.
Tendulkar can only bat after 2PM tomorrow or after India are 5 down. So it's advantage England at the moment, but they will have to break this Dravid/Laxman partnership sharply.
It's hardly surprising that the three players who have let India down with fitness problems are the three who came in to the team without match practice (Zaheer, Tendulkar and Gambhir (well he got hit flush in the elbow at short-leg, so it's a bit harsh). The point is, India can't really have any excuses for finding themselves in this situation. Hopefully they will put the first test blues away and start competing better.
The thing about this Indian batting is, even with their backs to the wall, they score at a fair clip, so all three results are still possible....but only a fool would bet on an Indian win at this point, an optimistic Indian fan would bet on a Draw, and a realistic one would bet on England winning the game.
A lot depends on whether the Lord's wicket will take spin on the final day. David Lloyd pointed out during the commentary that the wicket seemed to have calmed down a lot after the heavy roller was used between innings. India are of course entitled to ask for the heavy roller before play on Monday.
I suspect the ground staff at Lord's have missed a trick here - they should have a fake heavy roller available made out of plastic. 🙂
I suspect the ground staff at Lord's have missed a trick here - they should have a fake heavy roller available made out of plastic. 🙂
