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Post by hhsussex on Oct 13, 2015 6:45:16 GMT
First blood to Anderson and then the usual pattern reasserting itself: uncertain fumbling by Buttler and a straightforward chance to second slip put down by Bell. Nice to see things haven't changed.  |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2015 8:57:55 GMT
The perils of playing your home games in a foreign country: when Yasir Shah was ruled out with an injury, Pakistan's reserve spinner, Zafar Gohar, was unable to obtain a visa in time for the start of the match, so they've had to play an extra seamer instead.
The idea of the 'home' side's players needing visas might also act as a warning to the daft idea of playing the first month of the English domestic season overseas. "Ben Brown's broken a finger, can we get Callum Jackson out here on the next flight?"...."No, sorry, it'll take a week to get him a visa".
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Post by flashblade on Oct 13, 2015 10:09:21 GMT
Is it just me, or does anyone else fear that the wickets to be used in this series are so flat that we'll all die of boredom?!
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Post by hhsussex on Oct 14, 2015 6:56:49 GMT
Waking up to Rashid going for his maiden Test hundred. Would he have been better if he had been blooded in the Caribbean and had time to work on his bowling? Only if he had learned to bowl a little quicker, as we have been saying in the English county game for years. As it is he spins a couple that beat the bat, then drops one a little short thast the batsman has plenty of time to read and to hit, every over.
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Post by flashblade on Oct 14, 2015 7:32:01 GMT
Finn out of series - Chris Jordan flying out to replace him in the squad.
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Post by hhsussex on Oct 14, 2015 7:34:53 GMT
Finn out of series - Chris Jordan flying out to replace him in the squad. Well that might solve the second slip catching problem  |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2015 8:14:12 GMT
Finn out of series - Chris Jordan flying out to replace him in the squad. Well that might solve the second slip catching problem Unfortunately it won't solve the spin bowling problem. Inept rubbish from Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. No wicket for 217 between them so far, and they're being milked at 4 to 4.5 per over, double what the seamers are going for. All the talk was that you "have to" play two spinners on such wickets. But if they're as bad as that, there is actually no point in playing one, let alone two. |
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Post by hhsussex on Oct 14, 2015 11:59:53 GMT
34-0-163-0: the worst Test debut figures ever. Probably a bit harsh, and on a more helpful wicket he might have got 2-100, but nowhere near good enough at this level. Moeen is a better bowler and continues to improve, but the whole thing is a travesty of what Test cricket is supposed to be about.
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Post by flashblade on Oct 14, 2015 12:09:34 GMT
Michael Vaughan suggested that this series should have been played in Australia - a chance of decent wickets and the possibility of having some spectators.
Yesterday, someone reported - "Before play, the crowd changes were announced to the teams"
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Oct 14, 2015 13:41:15 GMT
Reminds me of those two football jokes.
: In the local 'Tittleton Gazette' they changed their 'Spot the Ball' Competition to 'Spot the Crowd'.
: And when someone phoned the ground to ask when their Saturday match started, they were told,
"What time do you want to turn up?"
Sorry, not sour grapes, but these types of series do nothing but harm to Test cricket. Wake me up
when the next Ashes begins.
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Post by hhsussex on Oct 16, 2015 7:50:41 GMT
The usually excellent Freddie Wilde, Tweeting as @fwildecricket, gets it right very succinctly with these two Tweets relative to the marathon in Abu Dhabi aka They make a desert and they call it cricket:
If poor administration of cricket received even half the media coverage given to poor pitches it would be an improvement.
Dead pitches do harm to Test cricket but poor administration is both the cause of such pitches and a far broader problem in itself.
The PCB website doesn't show any statement of Vision and Values, but the ECB does, and it would be very hard to argue that the current spectacle does anything to ensure that they are achieved:
" Our vision
To inspire the nation to choose cricket
Our mission
To increase the number of people that play, attend and follow cricket"
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2015 10:52:35 GMT
Cook currently averaging less than two fours an hour. Now that's entertainment.
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Post by flashblade on Oct 16, 2015 11:06:35 GMT
This is a dreadful advert for test cricket. I believe they can produce golf courses in the desert, so why can't they produce a decent wicket in Abu Dhabi?
It's bad for the game, bad for the spectators (both of them), bad for TV viewers and sponsors. Who is going to stop this happening again?
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Post by philh on Oct 16, 2015 15:14:51 GMT
What a fascinating fifth day it could be. If England pile on 250 runs in the morning session, it could be a tough two sessions for Pakistan to hold out. Alternatively, Cook may declare so that Pakistan can set England a chaseable total over 40 overs. All in all, it should have all cricket fans on the edge of their seats all day
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Post by hhsussex on Oct 17, 2015 6:52:30 GMT
What a fascinating fifth day it could be. If England pile on 250 runs in the morning session, it could be a tough two sessions for Pakistan to hold out. Alternatively, Cook may declare so that Pakistan can set England a chaseable total over 40 overs. All in all, it should have all cricket fans on the edge of their seats all day We really do need that "Irony" button. |
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