*Official* Second Test at Lords

[Athlai]

Disagree with Rich, the English commentary team really needs someone to contradict them because their fanboy nature was so cringeworthy. They were great 2 years ago and have now descended into the Aussie commentary team.

 

[GIMH]

Played Strauss

 

[Richard]

If we get 650, we put the Crims under such pressure that we might force the win.

Like we did against the notably-inferior West Indies batting on a pitch at Kensington Oval which was similarly flat and quite a bit quicker?

(Added of course to the fact that we only made such a massive score due to West Indies' diabolical fielding. With better catching on their part we'd have done our usual 450-and-in-massive-second-innings-trouble job there as well.)

 

[Richard]

Disagree with Rich, the English commentary team really needs someone to contradict them because their fanboy nature was so cringeworthy. They were great 2 years ago and have now descended into the Aussie commentary team.

Well fortunately that idiotic Mark Waugh commentary isn't part of the Sky team. Don't deny that it's cringeworthy of times but if you've ever experienced Mark Waugh you'd count your blessings when confronted with the Sky team.

 

[Prince EWS]

Personally from what Ive seen, think Katich is a better option than North tbh. North for me is more Pietersen-esque, doesnt really give the ball a huge rip and has little variations in flight or drift.

Katich is a better option than North if you just want someone to bowl a three-over spell in an attempt to break a partnership (ie. the role of a genuine part-timer), but North's a lot more reliable as a fifth bowler (or fourth bowler now that Hauritz is off) to bowl a couple of longish spells thoughout the day. Katich is genuinely a part-time partnership breaker (albeit a very good one) while North's one level above that in his general aptitude, for mine.

Regarding his drift, I've been disappointed that he hasn't really got the ball to do anything in the air whenever he's rolled his arm over in Tests as, if match reports are to be believed, he really did an excellent job last season for WA in exploiting the Fremantle Doctor and getting the ball to curve before pitching. So much so, in fact, that the WA coach actually said he was a better option - on bowling alone - than specialist spinner Aaron Heal at home. I reckon he turns the ball about as Pietersen, if not even slightly less than that, but his changes of pace, flight and (apparently) drift are superior and he's significantly more accurate than KP. He takes his bowling pretty seriously these days; he's got more up his sleeve than what he's shown in his Test career to date.

 

[Richard]

I'm gonna go ahead and bore you with my philosophy on England;

We are England. We are good at losing. We can lose from any position because we are England. It's what we do, it's what all England teams do. We haven't won anything until it's finished. We are England. Never ever ever forget that. Ever.

Call me a pessimist but you know that's right. We are just brilliant at failure.

If that post didn't make it sound a little bit like it was in-built rather than a result of the way things always work-out I'd agree with it to the last letter.

England have a way of messing things up not because of the way people are brought-up, but because of the fact that that's how it always happens.

 

[Richard]

In other news, Shane Warne sings the praises of Victoria\Hampshire player. Deal is big.

 

[James90]

Haha Warney.

"You add 20 runs to England's score and two wickets for Australia and England are 4/270. Australia really aren't doing that bad."

Haha...no Shane. It's 2/261 and Austraila are doing terribly.

 

[Richard]

In more other news, I'm far happier with Pietersen playing expansively and scoring quickly on this sort of deck than playing circumspectly and scoring at "average" pace. Yet with him scoring quickly I'm almost just waiting for him to play one stroke too many. Go figure.

 

[Pizzorno]

Oh dear, Pietersen's starting to look good. It's almost inevitable that he'll get himself out within the next 5 overs.

 

[pup11]

Insane amount of boundaries have been conceded by Australia today, just underlining the fact how **** the bowling really has been.

 

[wfdu_ben91]

Oh dear, Pietersen's starting to look good. It's almost inevitable that he'll get himself out within the next 5 overs.

His average of 50 is on the line, he'll make a ton.

 

[Richard]

In more other news, I'm far happier with Pietersen playing expansively and scoring quickly on this sort of deck than playing circumspectly and scoring at "average" pace. Yet with him scoring quickly I'm almost just waiting for him to play one stroke too many. Go figure.

Oh dear, Pietersen's starting to look good. It's almost inevitable that he'll get himself out within the next 5 overs.

You know, already once or twice in your brief time here so far I've thought "great minds think somewhere near alike".

 

[Richard]

Insane amount of boundaries have been conceded by Australia today, just underlining the fact how **** the bowling really has been.

To some extent, yes, but to an equal one how unbelievably much faster the outfield at Lord's is compared to the SWALEC one.

 

[Pizzorno]

His average of 50 is on the line, he'll make a ton.

Pietersen won't make a hundred. If he does i'll streak through Liverpool One city centre and film it.

THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT!

 

[wfdu_ben91]

I love Peter Siddle.

 

[Jakester1288]

Siddle!

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

maassive!

 

[wpdavid]

KP gone to the surprise of absolutely nobody.

Apparently no footwork at all, still that's the way the tosser plays, so that's OK then.

 

[.matt]

Siddle is quality! Gotta love him. So much aggression and accuracy!