English cricket - winter 2016/2017.

[Smollet]

hornetrider said:

Smollet said:

If we can get to 350 and our spinners do a good job I think we can win this.

Have you seen the previous three tests?!

Yes, I foolishly listened to the Sky pundits who said 350+ was a good score for the first innings on this track as it would quickly deteriorate. I should know better by now not to listen experts. Great knock by Kohli and not doubt India will go 3 up. Still there are some positives to be taken from this test( I hate saying that as it sounds so clichéd) but we do have some cover in positions where we had none two years ago. No shame on being beaten by the world's no 1 team though.

[Smollet]

Gargamel said:

Boycs may have a point when he said that Cook and Bayliss need their heads examined picking four seamers for this test.

India do bat beautifully Kohli must be one of the classiest bats to ever wield the willow wand.

However England effective lost this test with the the selection.

Yes four seamers was a tad odd on a track known to take spin. I have a feeling Cook might stand down after this series as captain.

[Gargamel]

Yep we have got them right where we what them.

Root for a double century ....

[dav123a]

Poor show all round , too many catches gone down . Was a tough ask to come to India but still would have expected a better show.

[BlackLabel]

The foot movement of so many of the Indians on these type of pitches is sublime - it's as if they have so much time to play the ball.

[hornetrider]

I won't quote myself.

[hornetrider]

16 runs for the last 6 wickets. 16. Pathetic.

[dav123a]

England are in a downhill spiral and can get out of it , they simply aren't good enough. We lose too many wickets early on and then struggle. The selection has been muddled Batty is a has been , Anzari hasn't taken many wickets wearing Surrey blazers must still count for something , Ballance never sorted his technical issues out yet was brought back , Duckett thrashed v poor county attacks in the second division and this was good enough yet Jennings was sent to the Lions.

[Gargamel]

In fairness India are the number one team and playing at home, they have a very strong batting line up and a great skipper.

We don't have a settled batting line up, are shocking at playing spin, and can't bowl it that well either.

So no wonder we lost.

That said, the WAY we lost was pretty rancid. Cook is still far to complacent for me, doesn't seem to have the personal desire to get England motivated and fighting.

[BlackLabel]

Fans who were at the ground in Mumbai were invited to send messages of support for their team that were then displayed on the giant screen. Well it didn't really go to plan.

[Amirhussain]

BlackLabel said:

Fans who were at the ground in Mumbai were invited to send messages of support for their team that were then displayed on the giant screen. Well it didn't really go to plan.

Shouldn't laugh but

[Challo]

Gargamel said:

In fairness India are the number one team and playing at home, they have a very strong batting line up and a great skipper.

We don't have a settled batting line up, are shocking at playing spin, and can't bowl it that well either.

So no wonder we lost.

That said, the WAY we lost was pretty rancid. Cook is still far to complacent for me, doesn't seem to have the personal desire to get England motivated and fighting.

I'd be happy to have Cook continue batting at 1, but I would take the captaincy off him.

[spikeyhead]

Challo said:

Gargamel said:

In fairness India are the number one team and playing at home, they have a very strong batting line up and a great skipper.

We don't have a settled batting line up, are shocking at playing spin, and can't bowl it that well either.

So no wonder we lost.

That said, the WAY we lost was pretty rancid. Cook is still far to complacent for me, doesn't seem to have the personal desire to get England motivated and fighting.

I'd be happy to have Cook continue batting at 1, but I would take the captaincy off him.

Is Root mature enough for it yet? Are there any other candidates?

[Smollet]

spikeyhead said:

Is Root mature enough for it yet? Are there any other candidates?

Not sure if he's captained a Lions side. Might be worth sending him on a tour as one before we have our next test series at home that doesn't start until July next year

[Gargamel]

Cook has so far made 320 runs in 9 innings on this tour, 130, 54 his highest scores.

Average of 35.

So whilst not his usual class, not too bad either. Certainly not form you could drop him on.

However he clearly has had enough of skippering, Root is probably the realistic choice, don't think anyone sees Morgan back in the Test Side.

Bairstow is a possibility, but I don't think he has enough test experience yet.

[zygalski]

Smollet said:

Gargamel said:

Boycs may have a point when he said that Cook and Bayliss need their heads examined picking four seamers for this test.

India do bat beautifully Kohli must be one of the classiest bats to ever wield the willow wand.

However England effective lost this test with the the selection.

Yes four seamers was a tad odd on a track known to take spin. I have a feeling Cook might stand down after this series as captain.

Erm who are the English world class spinners who should have been playing...?

[hornetrider]

Anyone notice we played today? Moeen got dropped on nought and made a ton. 280 odd for four.

[spikeyhead]

We're halfway to a decent score, but there's a lot lot more work to do to score enough to create any scoreboard pressure.

[Gargamel]

hornetrider said:

Anyone notice we played today? Moeen got dropped on nought and made a ton. 280 odd for four.

Yep I was with Tms all morning, Root played well, Moeen too, YJB biff some big sixes. Not too shabby, but of course India are coasting in a dead rubber.

Plus they haven't batted yet.

We won't produce test standard spinners under the current county set up, with county pitches and county captains who don't bowl spinners until the last innings in a four day match.

Weirdly given the standard you need, England have been lucky with Tufnell, Giles, Swann, Monty. But right now there is no one. Moeen is not deceptive enough. They need a talent program for spinners, and it just isn't in place even now.

[Black can man]

Dawson & Rashid both approaching their 50's



Something we have missed this series