NPR

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 2:34 pm

Torquemada 1420 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 2:25 pm

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 2:17 pm This is becoming incredibly hard to watch

Big problems for Eng now with Robinson off and Moeen getting slaughtered. Root on next over?

Ali is an absolute liability, as is Bairstow’s keeping. Looks ominous

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 3:55 pm 90mph plus bowling is truly one of the great spectacles in sport.

Thor Sedan wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 3:45 pm It is quite frightening that England could have had Wood and Archer bowling in tandem.

Kawazaki wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 4:46 pm

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 3:55 pm 90mph plus bowling is truly one of the great spectacles in sport.

Imagine what it must have been like in the 70s and 80s facing the West Indies on dry tracks.

Kawazaki wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 4:46 pm

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 3:55 pm 90mph plus bowling is truly one of the great spectacles in sport.

Imagine what it must have been like in the 70s and 80s facing the West Indies on dry tracks.

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 5:11 pm

Kawazaki wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 4:46 pm

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 3:55 pm 90mph plus bowling is truly one of the great spectacles in sport.

Imagine what it must have been like in the 70s and 80s facing the West Indies on dry tracks.

No or poor quality helmets as well. Genuinely terrifying

Torquemada 1420 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 7:17 am

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 5:11 pm

Kawazaki wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 4:46 pm



Imagine what it must have been like in the 70s and 80s facing the West Indies on dry tracks.

No or poor quality helmets as well. Genuinely terrifying

As I repeatedly point out, the likes of Zaheer and Lloyd were both tall men who batted with no helmets, wore glasses and faced the quickest bowlers the world has seen. Ditto helmetless "Magic" Khan who simply smiled at the Windies express men and plundered them for runs. The advent of the helmet was a necessary safety intervention (although not mandatory.......) but since it's arrival, batting techniques have plummeted against genuine quicks. Batsmen no longer keep their eyes on the ball. The old ability to bend inside or outside the line of a bumper has gone. And with it, we see far more batters hit facing equivalent short balls than before. Whilst this doesn't matter physically (rather that than Gatting v Marshall), it means they get out to the short stuff more often and that has been a real theme this series.

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 9:26 am

Torquemada 1420 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 7:17 am

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 5:11 pm

No or poor quality helmets as well. Genuinely terrifying

As I repeatedly point out, the likes of Zaheer and Lloyd were both tall men who batted with no helmets, wore glasses and faced the quickest bowlers the world has seen. Ditto helmetless "Magic" Khan who simply smiled at the Windies express men and plundered them for runs. The advent of the helmet was a necessary safety intervention (although not mandatory.......) but since it's arrival, batting techniques have plummeted against genuine quicks. Batsmen no longer keep their eyes on the ball. The old ability to bend inside or outside the line of a bumper has gone. And with it, we see far more batters hit facing equivalent short balls than before. Whilst this doesn't matter physically (rather that than Gatting v Marshall), it means they get out to the short stuff more often and that has been a real theme this series.

Yeah I agree with this. Old cricket is far more watchable and recognisable than old football and rugby (if you stuck the West Indians of the 80s into a modern test they’d still be good without having to adjust their game radically. Someone like Barry John or George Best would of course still be top class now but they’d have to adjust everything about how they played). Probably the two biggest changes are ground fielding, if anything slip fielding generally seems better back in the day, and how people play short pitched bowling.

Re: getting out to the short ball, the risk/reward has changed. If you take it on, you’re probably not going to get badly hurt, and you’ve got a much more powerful bat and the boundary is in from the fence, giving you a much better chance of hitting it for 4/6 than was true 40 odd years ago.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 9:53 am Sky discussing Bairstow with a montage labelled "Bairstow mixed series". Mixed? It was about 18 different fuckups.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 9:53 am Sky discussing Bairstow with a montage labelled "Bairstow mixed series". Mixed? It was about 18 different fuckups.

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 10:29 am We’re not getting close here, are we

Sandstorm wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 10:42 am

Paddington Bear wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 10:29 am We’re not getting close here, are we

Follow-on beckons......

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 10:49 am

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 10:45 am Been busy since 11 so assuming we've kicked on and are looking to hammer home our advanta- oh. I see.

Bairstow is averaging 27 this series with the bat btw.

Big D wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 11:17 am

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 10:45 am Been busy since 11 so assuming we've kicked on and are looking to hammer home our advanta- oh. I see.

Bairstow is averaging 27 this series with the bat btw.

His place would be untenable if they weren't so stubborn.

Thor Sedan wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 12:00 pm Let the Stokes fireworks commence.

Sandstorm wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 12:03 pm

Thor Sedan wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 12:00 pm Let the Stokes fireworks commence.

He can barely walk.

Thor Sedan wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 12:19 pm

Sandstorm wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 12:03 pm

Thor Sedan wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 12:00 pm Let the Stokes fireworks commence.

He can barely walk.

Danger of wounded animals and all that.

Sandstorm wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 12:52 pm Wood caught going for a hook shot too. He's only just re-joined the team.

These Poms are not well-coached.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 12:59 pm Not going to criticise Wood - he can hit quick runs and he hit quick runs. First bit of momentum we've had since the Aussies were batting.

clydecloggie wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 1:02 pm

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 12:59 pm Not going to criticise Wood - he can hit quick runs and he hit quick runs. First bit of momentum we've had since the Aussies were batting.

It's the quintessential cameo but is it really what's needed just now? It's a hard and true pitch, sun's shining - maybe hang around and support Stokes for an hour or so?