The Leg Glance has had his say on the day’s play, so please read his review. Little to add to the mix myself, except that if we win this game from here, many hats need to be tipped. We will need to bowl Pakistan out with a seamer almost certainly out of action, and with the spinners so far not really living up to expectations. This will be a tremendous win, if they can pull it off. Broad and Anderson were remarkable today. They’ll have to be when we bowl again.
There are other reviews available from today.
Selvey. I would say it’s OK, but then I don’t know anything about cricket so it’s probably rubbish.
Newman. I really don’t know what to make of this. Someone help.
Bunkers. Tough for me to get through the first paragraph.
The batting needs to come to the party now, and in many ways let us hope someone other than Root or Cook plays the major role. We do need to find someone else to do the work.
Other bits. Ajantha Mendis hit a six to win an ODI by one wicket against the Windies. Someone post the video link if they can find it. I can’t.
Steve Smith is dropping to bat at 4 in the upcoming series against New Zealand. I’ll give Cook his due. He didn’t rock back in the armchair of lower middle order cosiness.
Also, we may have several guest posts this week. We may also have none. Let us see…
Comments on a potentially thrilling Day 2 below.
Being Outside Cricket 
Your last line is spot on ‘a potentially thrilling second day’ and I would even say a potentially thrilling test.
Picking up on the Selvey line, I am glad you know nothing about cricket, because I really enjoy reading your unknowledgeable incoherent ramblings on something you know nothing about 😉 👌
I have to say it again, really enjoying this test series, so refreshing and fantastic to watch proper test cricket, more please!
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I agree with Rohan. It’s great to read comments from people who apparently know nothing about cricket. These unknowledgeable, incoherent ramblings are much more informative than the agenda driven tosh from Selvey.
But I have to take exception with this:
“Steve Smith is dropping to bat at 4 in the upcoming series against New Zealand. I’ll give Cook his due. He didn’t rock back in the armchair of lower middle order cosiness.”
Don’t buy into this macho nonsense. Batsmen position themselves where it makes most sense for the team. Batting at 3 doesn’t make you a default hero. Smith changing position doesn’t suggest a character fault. Given his spectacular rise in the last few years, it’s hard to understand how you might think he is retreating in some way. It’s the first I’ve heard of it, but at first guess I’d say Smith wants to take control of the middle order.
As regards Captain Steel, dropping back down the order is hardly an option for him is it? His game is made for only one role.
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Gentle tease, Fred. Gentle tease.
That said – Khawaja or Smith at three? Really surprised they went back to Khawaja and not to someone new. Smith at three solved a major issue, and there is a view that captains do retreat down the order when they get the leadership job. Macho doesn’t come into it. Why (through gritted teeth) I admired Ponting for sticking there.
The armchair thing was between me and Dennis over Joe Root at 5!
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Gentle teasing is nice.
Regarding Khawaja, I guess they haven’t given up on him yet and still believe he can make it. It takes time to make a cricketer. Root is the only person I can think of who has lived up to his early billing.
Don’t use Ponting as an example, he was exceptional, a freak. When he was 16, he was mixing it with tough old bastards. I’ve faced tough old Australian bastards as a young adult, I can only imagine what Ponting must have been confronted with when he was 16, small and slight, and with delicate looks, they must have crucified him. But they respected his talent too. Australia won’t see his like again for some time.
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The attitude that, unless you’ve played at the highest level, your opinion is invalid, or so much less valid you might as well shut up, is one I associate with Robbie Savage on football radio phone-ins.
Now why would someone obviously far more intelligent wish to emulate that gobshite?
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Always makes me laugh when Savage says that. How many Champions league games or World Cup games did he play in?
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Anderson and Broads performance today was incredible. When England lose these two, and with a dodgy batting line up England are going to be in big trouble.
But I never played 3 test matches for England 40 years ago so I’m not qualified to give an opinion.
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Cook caught at short leg for 49. Shah looking noticeably more dangerous since lunch.
Effect of the roller wearing off or Pakistan just bowling better?
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Shah tends to be bowling better with a (slightly) older ball. Might also help if some reverse comes on offer, because if Wahab / Rahat Ali can keep it tight, we might see some dodgy shot selection soon.
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It is starting to reverse and Root after several play-and- misses edges low to Sarfraz.
Nice easy gig for James Taylor – spitting leg-spin and reverse swing…..
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Especially when aware, that you’re basically the last specialist batsman to be picked that is available to the cause, with Stokes injured, Bairstow having taken the gloves, and Patel batting below that.
It is effectively 97/4, and that is an extremely tricky position to be in on this wicket. Taylor at least will have seen some quality legspin in the Lions’ tours, but other than that, the occasional game against Yorkshire in May really will not have prepared him.
England will do well to get past 250 from here.
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England appear to be falling into the same trap that Pakistan did yesterday: strokeless passivity, enabling the bowlers to get into a nice attacking groove. Easy to say, difficult to do something about.
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48/2 is a session result Pakistan will not be too unhappy about, especially considering that they have taken care of Cook and Root. Still a lot of work for both sides to do.
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I’ve noticed a little scepticism about the Guardian reporting on this blog. May I refer you to: https://membership.theguardian.com/supporter before my sides split 😂
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“The Guardian publishes the stories that others keep hidden.”
“We had the [ICC takeover] document and chose not to run it.”
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As James Taylor’s score increases, the probability of a gratuitous —– ——— reference in the match report approaches 1.
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What? That Gooch never rated him? Or was it Flower?
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You’ll be hard pressed to find a more interesting thread than this one…
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Certain predictable mentions on twitter already.
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The answer to the KP haters who try to use his comments about Taylor is simple.
Why did Cook and the England selectors not pick him earlier then? Looks like he’s should have been in the side at the begining of this tour.
I will wait for the ex 3 test match genius, now a so called journalist, who claims he knows everything to ask that question at his next press conference or golf day.
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Newman took the bait in his report (he’s been noticeably quicker than the Guardian and Telegraph at publishing online this series)
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To be fair, he didn’t point the finger at KP alone. He mentioned others but not, of course, by name.
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It’s almost as if Newman is obssesed with KP. How odd.
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They’re out in full effect at the Guardian. But of course they are, because its readership is so famously broad-minded.
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Talking of sports journalists who won’t hold to account those they cover here is a good piece about football journos who cower in front of football managers (currently the Cheslea boss) instead of calling them on theIf claptrap.
http://www.football365.com/news/mourinho-master-manipulator-or-are-press-too-soft
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You know the answer to that and it lay at the hands of Ferguson. He did it with the BBC. Extend that to papers who knows access, even limited access to the likes of United and Chelsea for example, sells papers means you can’t rock the boat. For local rags that’s even worse.
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Absolutely. The Hold the back page generation went on that show and boasted about how they were banned by Ferguson and then they all giggled like little schoolgirls. It was pathetic.
This is the problem with the whole acces thing. However whenever Fersuon wanted to put a story out their to unsettle a ref or an opposition manager the media should have refused to run the story if they were banned. It works both ways.
When Ferguson was trying to let everyone know that he wanted to buy a player the story would appear in a news paper. The press were happy to act as his hatchet man. The media can play tough as well if they wanted too. Don’t print pictures of players with shirts with the clubs sponsors on them. The clubs like the free publicity. It’s all becoming a giant sewer of mutual back slapping and conflicts of interest.
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Highlights of yesterday’s ODI:
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