Perversely, I'm disappointed. A Test win (which, obviously, I'm hoping for) always feels that little bit less good when you've not managed to take 20 wickets.
Pah, can't stand coffee. Fruit flavour >> coffee-bean. Biscuits sounds appealing though, I'm off to ' kitchen.
I've been up at 8:30-9 throughout this game and I've always managed 1AM (about halfway through the 2nd session) at least. I've got the same thing today, and as long as the game stays interesting, I'm staying up. That's what alarm-clocks are for.
I've got to run around a football pitch in two consecutive semi-finals though... I refereed hungover last weekend and it wasn't pretty, sleep deprived will probably be worse given my tolerance of late nights.I've been up at 8:30-9 throughout this game and I've always managed 1AM (about halfway through the 2nd session) at least. I've got the same thing today, and as long as the game stays interesting, I'm staying up. That's what alarm-clocks are for.
TBF, a batsman like Cook is never ideally suited to this sort of situation. 99 times out of 100, if not more, he'd leave that no questions asked. But he's got to go for it now, really, and indeterminate shots like that result.
I've worked a 10-hour shift (on my own, on a Saturday) having had not one second of sleep the previous night, and having drunk several cans of Scrumpy Jack, several alcopops and about half a bottle of vodka (not that I was supposed to have the latter...) several years ago, which isn't quite as difficult as running around a field refereeing, but isn't a million miles behind.
England have almost no chance of winning the game imo. It will be a bit of a miracle if England does manage to win this according to me. If New Zealand need to tighten the scews, Vettori is always there and we all know what happened when Vettori and Patel bowled in tandem on the third day (lovely piece of test match bowling). This is a fifth day pitch now.Perversely, I'm disappointed. A Test win (which, obviously, I'm hoping for) always feels that little bit less good when you've not managed to take 20 wickets.
Anyway, I'm now dosed-up on the old RedBull-substitute (94p for 4x what you get for £1.25 - pretty good) so we'll see what happens for the rest of the day(\night).
Cook off-the-mark with consecutive fours to third-man. TBH, I think Vettori's mad not to have a third-man in against the new-ball. I usually think that anyway, but doubly so now.
If I was working a shift, I wouldn't complain. But seeing as my job involves physical exercise...
I'm certainly not confident of our chances - as I've said several times and as even Pietersen has said this morning - this surface is exceptionally difficult to force the pace on, especially against a spinner of the calibre of Vettori.England have almost no chance of winning the game imo. It will be a bit of a miracle if England does manage to win this according to me. If New Zealand need to tighten the scews, Vettori is always there and we all know what happened when Vettori and Patel bowled in tandem on the third day (lovely piece of test match bowling). This is a fifth day pitch now.
As England have almost no chance of winning according to me, I don't quite agree with the aggressive counter attack approach they came up with first up. Play the first session safe guarding wickets and see if you are still in with a chance by the middle/end of the second session would have been the far better approach imo. Even if they fancy that given the pitch, the runs are chaseable, going for them this early can prove disastrous.
Red Bull is good btw...
Don't think it was too difficult a call where and when to declare. I'd say it was 60% draw, 30% New Zealand win and 10% (maybe less) England win when he declared.
Mate TBH I reckon if Vaughan was in the same position he would have batted out every over he had and made the draw a near certainty, Dave and Dan didn't do that, they scored the runs and the declaration was set.
Good attitude.
He's also now 2nd on the list of "most Test runs without a six". Only Vijay Manjrekar stands ahead. Cook has to make 550 more without hitting a six to do it.
ITSTL.
