NPR

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 05, 2021 10:18 am

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Fri Mar 05, 2021 10:17 am Very disappointing hour. India put under no pressure whatsoever.

Comes back to the 'we should have played two spinners' argument - Bess started the rot after tea because he's not good enough. 'If I was England I would simply pick a second world class spinner' isn't viable.

I for one am very surprised that the young spinner who did fine in Sri Lanka and then got messed around including a huge vote of no-confidence when England begged Moeen to stay is having a tough time.

It's more than just whether he should have been picked. It's about how he's managed.

This is part of it (and how we handle him going forward is crucial), but the other half is that he bowled a lot of rubbish to pick up wickets in Sri Lanka, the Indian batsmen are a step up and less likely to hit long hops to cover.

He also got wickets with some pretty good balls. He had one lucky innings but that was it, really. He does have a bit of a golden arm and makes things happen.

I was being over-optimistic, clearly. This is brutal.

Pant is a hell of a player.

Can't believe Dom Bess is wasting the new ball like this

Shame Pant wasn't given out when the ball was smashing the top of off stump. But England are pretty brittle these days.

Pammy gets Pant for 101

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Fri Mar 05, 2021 10:42 am Pant is a hell of a player.

Yours

Pant dies by the sword, caugh trying to slog Jimmy with a wild hoick across the line, and walks off having a gigantic tantrum. Mate, you edged about 4 just past fielders and should've been given LBW about 70 runs ago, take it and be happy.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 05, 2021 10:54 am Pant dies by the sword, caugh trying to slog Jimmy with a wild hoick across the line, and walks off having a gigantic tantrum. Mate, you edged about 4 just past fielders and should've been given LBW about 70 runs ago, take it and be happy.

Big Nipper wrote: ↑Fri Mar 05, 2021 11:25 am

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 05, 2021 10:54 am Pant dies by the sword, caugh trying to slog Jimmy with a wild hoick across the line, and walks off having a gigantic tantrum. Mate, you edged about 4 just past fielders and should've been given LBW about 70 runs ago, take it and be happy.

Oh, he's a fine player and I'm not even remotely upset about England's utterly predictable mire they find themselves in. I just found it very silly that a guy who'd been slogging so much was so angry about finally getting his comeuppance - he reacted like he'd put in a 7-hour marathon session only to fall with safety in sight, not someone who constantly rode his luck and bagged a hundred.

Performative angst.

Sundar smashes one into his pads and the umpire gives him LBW. Thank God for DRS eh!

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 05, 2021 11:30 am Sundar smashes one into his pads and the umpire gives him LBW. Thank God for DRS eh!

And checked it about a dozen times to be sure.

Real shame how we've fallen away there. Probably end up losing by an innings now.

Yep. Two crucial periods - straight after lunch, when Bess was poor, and then with the new ball, when Jimmy and Stokes got smeshed.

Pant really is a gift name for sports headline writers... Pant's off, Pant's down, Pant's accident

if you have a mental age of 15 like me

England 160 runs behind on the first innings. I suppose a 3-day test is better than a 2-day test.

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Fri Mar 05, 2021 12:30 pm Pant really is a gift name for sports headline writers... Pant's off, Pant's down, Pant's accident

if you have a mental age of 15 like me

Liar, liar ...

England have the sames issues here as we do with the Aussies

Ashwin has 2 in 2 balls and England is 10 for 2

England 10 for two, still 150 runs behind.

this game will be done today.

10/2 and drama every other ball.

Root survives a close shout.

Odd.

Cricinfo seems to be a couple of minutes ahead of the television coverage.

I'm assuming that the coverage I'm getting on DSTV is the official Sky Sports coverage.

Hold on.

Didn't the ball hit the protective equipment?

Root and Stokes convene.

Stokes departs.

30 for four.

30/4

Stokes sweeps to leg slip

Pope charges Axar and is easily stumped

Then Root is caught plumb in front

.

Given up watching. The batting application is so poor.

Black Caps to play India at Lords. Really looking forward to this match.

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Sat Mar 06, 2021 10:13 am Given up watching. The batting application is so poor.

Lawrence batted very well for his 50.

Kiwias wrote: ↑Sat Mar 06, 2021 10:22 am Black Caps to play India at Lords. Really looking forward to this match.

Could be interesting - conditions are good for NZ's seam attack and wickets do take spin as well.

But it is almost a home series for India - the support for them will be huge (if crowds are allowed in).

Should be good.

Kiwias wrote: ↑Sat Mar 06, 2021 10:22 am Black Caps to play India at Lords. Really looking forward to this match.

Should be a cracker. Fingers crossed there’ll be a crowd in, would definitely go to that

Lawrence looked much more comfortable than the others. Bairstow was taking the piss this tour jeez

Bairstow just didn’t want to be there did he. Very disappointing

And yet he acts like it's his god given right to play test cricket.

Piss poor by England. Dobell has a typically incisive piece on this, and even he can't cover everything that's wrong:

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/indi ... em-1253895

Stating the bleedin' obvious but tests 2 and 4 showed how miserably ill equipped Eng are to play on turning tracks against decent spinners.

It's the doubly blunt sword of
- no credible spin attack
- and batsmen who can't play spin
Of course, they are 2 sides of the same coin. Domestic cricket is not generating the conditions for decent spinners and so the bats don't get to play against them.

The irony is the Ahmedabad pitch was so awful, there was a chance that India made it such a lottery they might have lost. Must be end of Bairstow's career.

Never missed Bob Willis more. Imagine the post series Verdict

Excellent start from India - 2/2 in the 3rd over.

If you enjoy watching fervent Indian cricket crowds collectively cry - then this might be the game for you.

Bit early to be saying that while Pant is still there!

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 1:53 pm Bit early to be saying that while Pant is still there!

But honestly - how satisfying was it to see all of the shocked faces in the crowd when Kohli went.