Today could be The Day. Brace yourselves. Of course the ridiculous thing is that a Cook return to form would be extremely welcome and definitely needed. It’s the response from the usual suspects that’s the problem.
As for the match, time is just starting to be an enemy of a potential result. Plenty left of course, but today is moving day. We’ll have a good idea where this match is going by the end of it.
LOL UPDATE : Carry on. We may be finished by this afternoon. ….
Oh, and comments below. … 😈
Being Outside Cricket 
At this stage I am hoping Cook gets a massive double century and all the praise that goes with it.
Bear with me on this one; Cook scores well against what is, at best, a county-class attack, all the usual suspects in the lickspittle press become massively smug and write reams about how those outside cricket were wrong all along.
Then we get stuffed 5-0 in the Ashes again… maybe 4-0 as no doubt rain will save us at least once. Then I want to see what those ‘journalists’ write in the aftermath. If I were KP I would stay far from this team. There is no improvement in the team that lost, at home, to Sri Lanka. We may actually have gone backwards with Trott opening.
Have we seen anything in the last test or so far in this one that has the Aussies even remotely worried? They bat a long way down these days and we still can’t get rid of tail-enders cheaply. New Zealand must be watching this with glee. What state is the team going to be in by the time they face Pakistan?
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So, allowing for losing the first hour through rain (who scheduled this series?), and if our openers remain intact, we may still be over 100 behind by tea. With Cook (and Trott) playing for form/place/MSM platitudes, we may not even draw level by end of play.
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As Dmitri is busy, may I add – ‘Please add you comments below’ to the blog post (can’t get the staff! lol)
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See, there’s me assuming you were all bright enough to work that out 😉
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You’ve got to keep to the data and ingrained plans, as us outside are less knowledgeable than the team ECB in following set play perfection 😉
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I got to watch about an hour of the game last night. Cook looked quite solid but you have to say that if he doesn’t convert this into a big one I’d be worried. Friendly attack on a slow surface. looks inevitable to me. Then the fun will really begin. ….
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Vian, did you deliberately open this thread when the previous one reached 95 comments…?
*Twilight Zone music*
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Spooky! Could be an X-File conspiracy theory…
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Perhaps Sir Giles has given the WICB some Paraguayan oil shares to ensure a Cookie ton by the end of play today?
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My thoughts are two 30-odds overnight, not out, is a start. Nothing more. Shades of Usman Khawaja at the SCG in 2010/11….
If they want to win this Test though, they will have to play in tune with the amount of time left in this game. Personal milestones at a slow strike rate will scupper chances of a win in this Test (especially as we may have to survive some tricky batting conditions on the last day)
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Playing positively? Ermm… too many worried places at top and bottom of team, despite Broad waking up for a period yesterday
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I don’t want to see Cook the batsman fail all the time. I want him to be playing well. My problem is with him as captain and how England play. So I’d like to see him back as the player he has been. It’s that the reaction from the press will be gushing when he does that gets me.
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This is a major matter for the team, back to being a solid opener with the captaincy withdrawn – other changes in coaching/selection/management are imminent. If Cook, as batsman, fails further, then we have other options (shame not tried this series – sadly, too many people protecting their backs, bowling line-up too- chances of Anderson/Broad lasting the summer? Need to find a new new ball attack…/spin options, eight batsmen covering openers/ lack of pace/attacking spin..etc)
Don’t throw Root the captaincy yet, he is playing too well and freely, the added pressure (with little or no captaincy experience) would not be good for this summer/winter series. In the interim – give Bell the position.
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So the General tone of the media coverage seems to be akin to Thatcher after the Falklands war..
REJOYCE REJOYCE REJOYCE!
The church bells are ringing, flags are being washed and ironed, Champagne is being chilled.
What this clarifies is the absurdity of the professional cricket media. Yes folks, they really are this stupid. They have been wrong about almost everything and their judgement is on a par with a pot plant. They really do have such very low expectations of their hero.
It’s comedy gold!
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Champers ready for lunch (after the obligatory hour of rain) for his 50….
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MSM pulling corks early as they are so sure of the resurrection of the Iron-rodders…
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What is priceless about the coverage is their deep belief that a big score here against this pop gun attack will somehow mean everything is back to normal. It’s beyond parody. It’s like an Ealing comedy. Ian Carmichael will continue his innings later today.
As the England captain is now only required to make a hundred once every 2 years we can look forward to another 2 years of this tremendous amusement. Watching the English cricket media is way more entertaining than watching the team itself.
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Re Mark’s “pop gun attack”:
The opening spells by WI yesterday were just awful. Roach was around 80 mph – after his injuries he is really struggling with back-to-back Tests. He was also suckered into the idea that he could bowl Cook around his legs and gave away a couple of easy boundaries – although with this new, exaggerated trigger movement one can see why some bowlers might try this route.
Gabriel was even worse. He just plugged away back-of-a-length (after a first over of no-balls and long hops) and never pitched it up. The pitch map showed WI bowled 40% of the opening spell ‘Short’ – at Antigua it was nearer 20%.
I’m afraid “mediocre” summed it all up rather well.
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My money is on a Trott ton, Cook falling before lunch
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Is it just me who thinks the speed gun may be “enthusiastic”?
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Take the positives from an enthusiastic speed gun…
Else –
The pitch is a sloth
The umpires are sloth
The partially employed DRS is sloth
The @ECB_cricket team selection is sloth
The @ECB_cricket coaching/planning is sloth
The @ECB_cricket captaincy is sloth
The @ECB_cricket team over-rate is sloth
The @ECB_cricket team opening bowlers are mainly sloth
The @ECB_cricket future opening bowlers are trained to be sloth
The @ECB_cricket future spin bowlers are learning quality drinks carriers (level 2) sloth
The @ECB_cricket MSM sycophants are just slothes in the room…
Sorry for so much slothering… 🙂
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I watched about an hour last night and my god was it boring.
I love test cricket, how it ebbs and flows and the upper hand changes. It can’t be matched (as much as I also enjoy ODI & T20 they give different joys), but god damn it was boring watching Trott and Cook grind away.
I know they are working through demons and trying to find form but as has been mentioned, the WI are nothing compared to the working over they will get from NZ & Aus.
There were too many extravagant leaves to what appeared little more than a long hop well outside off. WI seemed to only threaten the stumps one ball an over.
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I’m trying to think of another time when I’ve seen such triumphant headlines after both openers reach 30. I have often heard people make similar comments to Broad, after “backed Cook to make 100” — but that was always along the lines of “Jeez, I got out just 63 short of me ton”…
And Selvey continues his mission to systematically reveal all that is wrong with the ECB. This time, a county that asks to have its player back (Selvey said himself he’s done nothing to merit selection) “has got a lot of nerve” to approach the ECB in such an impertinent manner. It demonstrates how the ECB considers itself entitled to lord its authority over the rest of English cricket while living as a parasite off it.
It also says much about Selvey’s own authoritarian personality that he regularly displays. It’s all top down, privileges granted to a select few from on high, and to hell with the rabble who dare engage him on twitter.
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Exactly. I found that last paragraph utterly sickening. And the only poster to address it directly (salaciousbcrumb) has of course been modded.
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“(Selvey said himself he’s done nothing to merit selection) “has got a lot of nerve” to approach the ECB in such an impertinent manner.”
The cricket media is like the midget who used to trail around the school yard protected by the school bully (in this case the ECB) And would then demand sweets and money with menace knowing the poor sap could do nothing. ” Give us your sweets”. The bully, being of a psychotic nature gets great amusememt to see the midget terrorising the masses.
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Have to unfortunately agree with Selvey on the Rashid point. Unless he is released for other reasons he has to stay with the team doesn’t he?
Why do you think he should not?
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Because they’ve no intention of selecting him and it’s a complete waste of his time.
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Badger
How do you know that? Has anybody seen the wicket in Barbados? What if their is an injury before the next test?
Don’t think me rude but they are playing in the West Indies, Rashid is not sat on his bum at Edgbaston whilst Yorkshire are playing Worcestershire just down the road.
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It is the “considerable nerve”, and his fake concern for the player’s welfare, that bug me.
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Arron
If what Selvey writes bugs you so much then why the hell do you bother reading it?
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If he’s needed they can fly him back.
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Are you serious?
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Yes.
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Actually – I have to challenge you @Escort on this. If Moeen can be flown in at short notice and put straight into the side, where is the need to keep the 3rd string spinner on the Islands?
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Until the final Test starts then he has to stay in case of injury. I cannot understand why yourself and Badger don’t accept this as sensible practice?
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Brenkley has to be trolling, at least when he describes the opening pair as having negotiated the initial stages “with some aplomb”.
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It’s all these headlines about England ‘being in control’ that are so laughable – even on cricinfo – we’re 220 plus behind having failed to bowl out WI for what should have been 230-250 max
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I didn’t watch a lot of it last night, but I see from TFT that Iron rod was dropped at short leg. I didn’t know that because of the “aplomb” coverage.
Iron rod is like a cat with 9 million lives.
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To be fair – there are no demons in this pitch, so unless Bishoo can conjure up a collapse, then England are in the better position.
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Assuming England bat all day they should be slightly ahead of WI by the close. As long as not much time is lost to weather.
So if the can bat to luch or tea tomorrow they should have a lead of 150-200. That will leave the WI the last day to bat to save the match.
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I think the draw may be the smart bet at this moment, barring changes in the weather.
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Thing is Mark, a lead of 150-200 would mean England getting 450-500. Not a total they achieve very often recently. Yes, sure they might do. But then they might have bowled the West Indies out for 80 in bowler friendly conditions on day one.
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Ladies and gentlemen, the Most Predictable and Least Self-Aware Tweet of 2015 award is all sewn up:
At least it triggers a discussion amongst outsiders that displays considerably more nuance on the issue than every column this man has written in the last three years put together.
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I should add: for that discussion just go to Dave Tickner instead. The direct replies to MS are full of shit about – ta da! – Kevin Pietersen.
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“Happens to all batsmen at some stage” – check.
“Averaged 50 in his last series” – check.
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Agnew made a nice little comment too about reading blogs and Cook can’t win. On their TMS feed on bbc sport. Early on.
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Cook can’t win? The fact he is still captain shows he has won the lottery.
The man who really couldn’t win was KP. Even when he scored match winning innings the snearing of the him was deafening.
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Oh purleeze! He is so nauseating as well as being sycophantic. Gee whizz. He gets the vote for being the most predictably boring person within the cricketing press.
If you do not believe that Cook should be captain then you wish him ill? Will it ever be possible for Mr Selvey to show any semblance of joined up writing? I don’t expect we can ever hope for reasoned debate from him. I despair with his infantile rantings.
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Dear Mr M Selvey, you seem to be a little confused. It is not Mr A Cook who I wish Ill, but media clowns like you. Every time Cook fails I get to laugh at you, and Newman, and Brenkley and Hughes.
It’s the cricket Fleet Street clown car.
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I’d send this to him but sadly I hold the badge of honour of being blocked on twitter by HisSelfieness
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I said from the start that this is a horrid series for Cook. If he fails against this lot, it’s looking very bleak, if he succeeds it proves little as we all know that the first real acid test comes against New Zealand.
For that reason alone the press would do well to understate the importance of any century here. I would worry a little more about the legitimacy of the any confidence he may gain from three figures here.
We all know where his strengths and weaknesses are, and one hopes that he does too.
Seeing off a new ball against a good attack, with superb judgement and technique around his off and fourth stump is would mean a great deal more to me, than his reaching 3 figures against this attack on this surface.
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Something I have noticed this afternoon.
From Nasser “Alastair has been watching videos of himself batting a couple of years ago and even beyond that.”
Steve Finn the other day said he had gone away and watched old videos of himself to try and get back his old (better) action (can’t find the exact bit, but it was in those Guardian articles the other day)
I read something from Broad earlier today and for the life of me can’t remember where (possibly BBC but cannot find it now) where he said he had gone away and watched old videos and that lead to him coming through the crease slightly wider, allowing a stronger hip drive and therefore getting faster results.
It might just be coincidence, or is this a new coaching method – ignore what you have been told these last few years and just do what you did when you came though / where good…
Perhaps this is the undoing of micro management of Saker et al?
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Maybe they just found the key to the cupboard marked ‘old videos’?
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Priceless, so,they are abandoning all coaching they have had for the last 2 years.
Could the ECB have the money back it wasted?
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Advance warning:
MEDIA REACTION INDEX
Cook hundred >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Royal baby >>>>>>>>>>
Trott hundred >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Dog bites man >>>>>>>
Bell hundred >
Ballance hundred.
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Well done, Cook.
PS: that Goatee doesn’t do you any favours.
PPS: I was hoping that you would fail. Still, you’ve done good, you whinging little weasel.
Do I seem bitter? Probably.
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Shame for Trott. I like him. I was hoping that he would make a big, big score. Worse because Ballance is in form, I can’t even be annoyed if Cook just carries on plodding on rather than attacking to take the pressure the young #3.
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The Windies are bowling for run outs at the moment.
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(Awakes from afternoon nap…) So, fifties each…now for the charge to get well ahead by end of play tonight? (After all – Mr Graves wants wins!)…(nods off again)
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Gutsy field setting from Ramdin to have a short gully for Bishoo at 125-0 and rewarded.
Quite a bit of turn now for the wrist spinner.
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Here comes Gary Ballance.
Gary Ballance everyone.
There he is.
Gary Ballance.
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Would it be too impertinent to point out that, despite Cook & Trott getting much-needed scores, that the scoring rate is ATROCIOUS as lunch approaches?
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I wish the ICC would,do something about the quality of the test pitches. This is shockingly tedious and slow. It’s not as if they haven’t got any money.
Instead of all these initiatives about day night cricket and pink balls why not just improve the wickets. No wonder test match cricket is dying. If the ICC were to build a house they would probably build it on a foundation of broccoli.
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broccoli is full of iron, the ICC is a soggy lettuce
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Ha ha , an iron reference!
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Cook’s survived a dropped catch and a pretty good LBW shout so far.
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Hmmmmm
Extremely grudgingly, Cook doing what is needed at the moment, having said that there’s playing on slow low pitches that are difficult to score and then there’s being overly cautious…it does feel a little like the latter given that Roach looks knackered and the Windies are missing their best bowler fro mthe last test.
Having said that England can only really afford to bat once so a session and a bit of slow accumulation and tiring the fielding team isn’t the worst idea providing this caution/timidity/selfishness is not transferred to the rest of the line up, they need to get cracking if we’re to get a result.
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Apropos of Cook’s review, does anyone know what the graphic of the DRS means? So obviously, there is some (unverified) ball tracking tech. It must do some clear maths to predict the future path of the ball. Now, that graphic: what does it represent? I can see two options:
a) Hawk eye just works out a predicated path on the assumption that it is 100% accurate. The graphic is a visual representation of the path.
b) It does some clever calculation of the probabilities. It works out a region of possible impact centered on the most probable point of impact. The graphic then represents whether the ball has a greater than half chance, according to the data and model used, of hitting the stumps.
If a), then I think the umpires call rule is bollocks. It is hitting, according to Hawk eye, or its missing. In addition, it would be a seriously crap system. The margin for error must improve as the point of impact closes in on the stumps (and the amount of lateral or vertical movement decreases).
If b), can we petition the media to stop taking the graphic as a claim about where the ball would have hit. It is a neat expression of the ball having a greater than half chance of hitting the stumps.
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Two things for me:
1) Umpires call shouldn’t result in losing a review in my opinion
2) it’s one thing predicting the ball will hit the stumps. It’s another assuming that hitting the stumps will knock the bails off – which partially explains the Umpires Call part of DRS
DRS isn’t perfect, but it’s based on the sound principles of multiple-camera Hawkeye tech using maths to predict direction. The margins of error are built into it & Umpires Call to allow for certain vagaries of swing & spin
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I don’t have time for a detailed answer as I have to work tonight, but that’s not how it works. It’s a misrepresentation of what Hawkeye is showing to see it as clipping the stumps – it’s a probability assessment. In reality, you should have concentric circles around the ball showing the probability level of hitting the stumps. When it shows it clipping, it may well be missing them entirely, there is insufficient confidence in the ball tracking that will express certainty about impact.
The commentators don’t understand this when they talk about it clipping, it’s not what it’s saying at all.
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So, if I have you right, the point of impact shown is a way of visualing the probability of it hitting the stumps. We would be better being given a figure, chance of impact = 65% or whatever.
Actually, I’m still confused. Is the point of impact shown the most likely point of impact?
I hope not. The problem being that there could still be a very low chance of the ball hitting whilst the most likely point of impact is still flush to the stumps.
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I would have a lot of time for the concentric circles being shown, would make life a lot easier for viewers, and make it easier for even the “expert” commentators to grasp the concept.
As I said above, it’s not perfect, but it does a good job. Most often the issue is with its application. It really should only be used for howlers. And I would go for the idea that it be put in the hands of umpires discretion as to whether or not to use it, not the skipper.
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“In reality, you should have concentric circles around the ball showing the probability level of hitting the stumps”
Good idea. The probability of it hitting is the essential thing that is completely missing from the representation.
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Just noticed a 3rd possible option. It is a picture of the most likely point of impact, but it doesn’t say anything about the margin of error. This would be as crap as a. The most like point could be top of off, whilst the chances are that the ball is missing the stumps.
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Be good if the on-field umpires actually took back their responsibilities, then a lot of these TV arguments would go away, and the umpires would regain the lost respect of the players and vice-versa.
DRS, in its many forms, decided by the boards of a country, whether through cost – WICB, or self interest BCCI, needs to be standardised – is this not what the ICC is there for?
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Is Pam Nash important?
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I liked the Bogfather’s response to that.
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Oh dear, now two ‘badges of honour’ first blocked by Selfie, now Pammy! 😉
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She blocked you? Shocker.
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Hehe just had some fun winding her up on twitter. Not difficult
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I’m banned. She doesn’t like me.
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Oh dear, it’s only another scratchy 76 I am afraid Pam.
Never mind,
Happy days are hear again, they’re here again. Come on Pam give us a smile.
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Let me see now, is that joke 60 years old or only 50?
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V good, Bogfather 🙂
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Cook gone for 76, chopped on…
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Good
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Well done Cookie, took one for the team. Now we might see some shots played!
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Gary Ballance
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So was that a ‘fluid’ 76, an ‘encouraging’ 76, a ‘reassuring’ 76, a ‘determined’ 76, even, dare we say, a ‘steely’ 76… or was it just, y’know, wonderful because it was Alastair? No doubt the gentlepersons of the press will let us know soon enough what we should think.
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A snail like 76? A glacial 76?
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It’ll be called ‘momentous’ for him and England Cricket – we shall never recover as outsiders from this blitz of an innings…All – we must retire now…we have lost
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I share your dread of the one-eyed reports to come, but, can someone who is not one-eyed and has been paying attention, assess the dearly beloved’s efforts?
I fail on both counts.
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The bottom line is that Cook looked the least fluent, the least stylist and the most awkward of all our batsmen. When Root came in, and started hitting the ball down the ground with ease, he made it look like a different game. Interesting isn’t it. Cook’s an all time England great, possibly our best ever batsman (according to some), yet he’s possibly the most limited and scratchy specialist batsman in the current team (a very average England team).
On a different note, did anyone notice the sympathy for Cook on Sky when he played on, yet when Bell got out exactly the same way, the consensus was that he needed to take a long hard look at himself. It’s so weird.
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The Selvey’s and their ilk will be proud of thier boy, but if he can’t score a century on this pudding of a pitch, a pitch that could almost have been taylor made for our chef, batting a two an over, then what hope does he have against the likes of Boult, Southee, Harris, Johnston and Starc on fast and (likely) result pitches of the summer? That 76 will probably give him another ten tests grace unless Graves gets involed. Back to the test, can we hurry it up a bit please lads, we’ve already lost a day to rain, or are you content with another non-loss as per usual?
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Joe Roots´’s 254 not out off 52 balls to be written form history because our glorious, benevolent leader scored a gutsy, fighting 76. Alastair Cook, the Kim Jong-il of English cricket.
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ermm…Paul…more Caribbean rum than me tonight methinks! lol
Love Rooty to hit 254 off 52 even ‘form’ history be it deleted!
Enjoy my friend 😉
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Bells gone now. Look forward to the castigating he will get from the same people who defend every one of Cooks failures.
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So… Our expert openers have done a good job of taking the shine off the ball & whatever the the opener is supposed to do, then they bimbled around at 2 runs an over until 10 overs or so before the next new ball was due – instead of accelerating the rate – then got out.
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Aw come on Andy, even our beloved and respected MSM couldn’t come up with such a wonderful word as BIMBLED!
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How about fimbled then?
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Why haven’t the WI taken the new ball? It’s as if they are trying to lose.
Has I say that they have just taken it. Very odd.
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When asked if the pitch was playing better or Gary Ballance Ballance and Joe Root were ‘new school’, Simon B reponded that Gary Ballance, Ballance Ballance wasn’t scoring particularly quickly. The difference: Ballance moves through the gears. He sets himself then accelerates. He plays for the team, not just himself, not unlike another fella who knocked off a quick half century for against second division (yawn) opposition yesterday. Good to see the new Guardian OBOer was told off for his snide remark. Even better, he apologised. They do seem to be learning, slowly, mind, just like Alastair.
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You forgot to mention that his name is GaryBallance.
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Gary Ballance played well again, not so sure about Gary Ballance against the best attacks though.
Gary Ballance is untested against the best but for his debut, we’ll see anyway, I wish Gary Ballance the best of luck.
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Ballance Ballance a silent film written and directed by Eric Sykes. Starring Gary Ballance Ballance Ballance. No-one else.
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100 for Root. Well batted sir!
58 ahead. Looks like England will have a 150 lead by lunch tomorrow if they don’t get bowled out. I think they should win this one now.
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Really good innings by Root. I like his rate of scoring, trying to make up for lost time and perhaps some slow scoring earlier.
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At one stage Alistair Cook was like the best hot chocolate. You know the type, whipped cream on top, marshmallows, chocolate shavings, a very pleasant drink to consume. Now, well it’s like all the hot chocolate has been stolen, no whipped cream or marshmallows and definitely no chocolate shavings. All you are left with is a cup of boiling water and you are forced to drink it, boy does it burn on the way down……..
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He’s Tesco value nowadays, he’s in the wrong packaging.
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I haven’t seen anything of the game since tea, but certainly chuffed for Root’s ton. Also for the way he & Ballance tried to move the game on when together (also not seen the Samuels send-off, but will already suggest it’s nowhere near as bad as the Shane Watson teeny-bopper send-off of Chris Gayle a few years back).
I will say that a lead of 74 at stumps isn’t good with 2 days left, on the assumption that England bat again on day 5. Running out of wickets, even with some batting to come, but if the Windies bat 2.5 sessions of what is left, we’re in trouble of even scraping the draw. And that boils a lot down to the turgid batting from our openers, pleasing though it is individually to see Cook & Trott score some runs. Shows the issues with shoring up players over a result, perhaps, but with the dichotomy of a real need for the Cook/Moores axis to keep their jobs. I yearn for us to at least play with some sense of freedom. It’s been too rare for England to do this in the last 25 or so years. And yet it’s usually fun when we do…
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I was trying to catch up with some TV tonight and for one reason or another, it wouldn’t work – the adverts would play beautifully, but the programme itself would crash the playstation and necessitate a restart. I ended up on youtube watching Michael Vaughan innings when he was at his peak and remembering how excited I was and how much I loved cricket in that 2003-2005 period. It’s all been so massively downhill since then, it ‘a quite depressing and I really can’t be arsed with it anymore.
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Indeed. Squandered opportunities……
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Obviously rather be in England’s shoes but the pitch seems to be offering less and less. Draw, again?
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I think if England bat till lunch and score another 75ish, giving them a 150 lead, I think we will win.
WI will be batting under a lot of pressure and I can’t see them getting much more than 300. And I can quite easily see them getting bowled out for only 200.
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What happened at Trent bridge the other year when England got slammed for producing a poor pitch? Was it an icc sanction or an ecb thing?
The pitches are not offering much excitement so far so someone needs a rocket up their you know what’s…
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I think it’s an ICC conspiracy to kill off test cricket.
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Lots of factors from here on in. If the weather/pitch stay benign, then it will be interesting to see how England’s bowlers do. They were gifted an ideal starting point with the swing on the 1st day – can they build on that, or will they regress?
Also interesting to see how Moeen does. This is where he can show his worth over Tredwell. The worry is that he’s been rushed out too early. He doesn’t look entirely back into the groove when bowling.
Finally, the WI have shown more grit and more discipline with their new coach. But they aren’t really a “grind out a draw” lineup, especially with Shiv looking ready for retirement.
Worth noting in passing (given that I expect an England win) it worries me that England is going to post another win against a team (e.g. India a couple of times) who have lost a front-line bowler to injury and then conclude all is well… only to come a cropper when it turns out that maybe NZ manage to keep all their bowlers fit, or that Aus have more bowling depth than WI these days…
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“it worries me that England is going to post another win against a team (e.g. India a couple of times) who have lost a front-line bowler to injury and then conclude all is well”
Well exactly. Ditto a certain player’s “four fifties in seven innings”. Yours is a pretty basic qualitative argument against triumphalism. But it won’t be heeded. Newman, for example, spends approximately three times as long writing about Cook as Root today.
Yet many of the same cheerleaders were quite happy to disparage a man who took the most wickets by a fast bowler in an Ashes series for 60 years by saying he was “disproportionately effective against tail-enders”. He averaged exactly 3 wickets against each of the top seven and exactly 4 wickets against each of numbers 8 to 11. While England, at the same time, couldn’t get the no.11 out once and conceded a ridiculous amount of runs for the last five wickets.
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Didn’t they grind out a draw last week?
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Certainly – but I don’t think they are set up to do it regularly.
Most of their batsmen like to take a few risks…
And while I think England have problems in their bowling selection and philosophy, it seems tailor made for boring WI batsmen into loose shots. So absent weather changes, I’d bet against WI surviving 1.5 days to save the match.
Not that I’m certain about it, but if I had to bet, that’s the way I’d bet.
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Surprised by the comments above. I think with the pitch, the weather, the lack of recent FC bowling for Moeen, and the way Windies have batted so far in this series, a draw is certainly on.
I’d expect an England win but not be suprised if there’s a draw.
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2 days left. England will need to get to a 200+ run lead as soon as possible. Getting the Windies in by lunch would be a stretch, but certainly by the half way point in the day.
Much relies on Moeen though. If the pitch doesn’t spin enough and they don’t have brainfades, the Windies will reach 300 easily enough and we won’t have enough time left.
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I’m far less convinced about an England victory too. In any case there are several Windies batsmen who have already shown that they have the stomach for sticking around a long time and the pitch doesn’t look like being England’s friend.
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