Prince EWS
Global Moderator
They're killing Test cricket.This might be the normal day of Test cricket England has played in a long time.
They're killing Test cricket.This might be the normal day of Test cricket England has played in a long time.
Nah conditions will suit him. If they suited Nitish Kumar Reddy- a 80 mph trundler- more than others, then they would certainly suit a 82 mph Woakes, with the kind of knowledge of conditions he has.A lot riding on an out of form Woakes then. Maybe England are relying on his track record at Lords. But is this the kind of pitch he is used to at Lords? England might be relying on his record without providing the conditions that have led to his success.
The first time he's bowled like a Test bowler and I'm taking the L? Come on, get a better shtick.
isn't that normal for youIt's worse than that, I think I am having a seizure.
YesThe first time he's bowled like a Test bowler and I'm taking the L?
Man conte was really meme during his spurs days
I don’t want to sound like a broken record but I don’t think he’s as out of form as his figures suggest. He bowled seriously well first up at Edgbaston. Obviously he went on to toil but if he bowls like that with the new ball here i am certain he will take a bag.A lot riding on an out of form Woakes then. Maybe England are relying on his track record at Lords. But is this the kind of pitch he is used to at Lords? England might be relying on his record without providing the conditions that have led to his success.
Not a chance with Root in form, Smith in Form and Stokes beginning to find form (Injury aside)Need peak bumrah today![]()
Perhaps a normal England (Bazball) innings on that pitch might have been England already 320 all out with India having already had a few overs. The final innings total may not exceed that but it will have put in substantially more overs into the India's premier bowlers and that might be a good thing. The upshot of this innings is that we must still have concerns over Pope and that we really can't expect anything more from Crawley. Pope's defence is still terrible, no matter how good he can be to watch when he gets his favourite drives and cuts away. He may continue to produce up to a point, but I can't help feel that he's not very far off his outright ceiling. It is talked about his average at 3 is 42, but that is considerably boosted by the big innings against Ireland and up to a point by this summer's ton against Zimbabwe. Indeed, his batting average at 3 when you take away that minnow bashing/downhill skiing goes to 36.6, more in line with his career output as a test cricketer overall. I guess you could argue that it is about par, and you wouldn't want to make a change for someone likely to do no better. That's a conundrum.As it stands, this is England’s slowest BazBall era first innings, and only torrid 2nd innings in India and Pakistan are slower overall than this
You've got to bowl well on this pitch but rely on the batter to make mistakes. Duckett and Pope got themselves out, Crawley's dismissal wasn't that good a ball, but Brook was probably the only wicket that the bowler earned. Scores should be as high as the last two tests really. I suspect Woakes has usually bowled at Lords when there is something for the bowlers and on flat decks he is usually a passenger. He has a lot riding on him though as he is the senior bowler by far.A lot riding on an out of form Woakes then. Maybe England are relying on his track record at Lords. But is this the kind of pitch he is used to at Lords? England might be relying on his record without providing the conditions that have led to his success.
Yeah he’s been great the past 12 months really. Good to see him straight back into it after this broken finger with that 70 odd in Grenada last week too.Smith in Form
True! the unbelievably challenging Sri Lankan attackStill scores runs on tough tracks and against good attacks where other pretenders like Root and Brook only dream of doing so.