The cricket thread

crunchman

NZ going at four and half an over.  Think we need to bowl better.

scrumhalf

I watch Broad bowl at times and wonder how he has managed to take all of those wickets. It's feastoor famine with him. 

crunchman

scrumhalf said:

I watch Broad bowl at times and wonder how he has managed to take all of those wickets. It's feastoor famine with him. 

If he's in the mood, and gets a good rhythm going, he's very good.  That normally only happens when he's had 3 or 4 poor matches and everyone is talking about dropping him though.  For all the quantity of wickets he's taken, he's a step below the best England bowlers I've seen.

NorthernGooner

If we're not bowling on a seaming green top England's attack just looks average at best.
  The two 'in' Kiwi batsmen know how to build an innings and play correctly. Why can't our gormless lot?
  Jack Leach is the new 'wheelie bin' Ashley Giles. 
  English cricket 'new era' my arse. 

scrumhalf

I'll wait until England have batted, but the likelihood has always been that the "new era" was just a load of turd polish. 

crunchman

scrumhalf said:

I'll wait until England have batted, but the likelihood has always been that the "new era" was just a load of turd polish. 

England 84 for 1, so off to a reasonable start. 

NZ dropping catches as well.  Both the current not out batsman have been dropped.  NZ only have 4 bowlers, and no specialist spinner, which could be a problem for them given that  Leach bowled 35 overs in the NZ innings.   If we can put a few miles in the legs of the NZ bowlers, this could end up as a very high scoring draw.  On the other hand, England could totally collapse and lose by a lot.

Neil

scrumhalf said:

I'll wait until England have batted, but the likelihood has always been that the "new era" was just a load of turd polish. 

Nice aggressive (new era?) batting and we are within touching distance of NZ's big score.

guitars4you

This Stokes/Bairstow partnership pivotal - a min ago and the bookies were close to a 1/3 split for D W or L - But now around 120 to win then I bet that has changed a bit now 

A mate got into day free - what a day it could be 

guitars4you

1 ball to many for Bairstow for the fastest 100 by an Englishman - and that record goes back to 1902

guitars4you

 Total aggregate of boundaries in this match is now the highest ever in any test match - any team(s) any ground etc 

So far, we've 221 fours and 23 sixes.

Gassage

FUCK MY DAYS!

That is unbelievable.

WOW YJB!

scrumhalf

Well, that was, er, boundary-tastic. 

Gassage

scrumhalf said:

I'll wait until England have batted, but the likelihood has always been that the "new era" was just a load of turd polish. 

Errrr….

Teetonetal

What an extraordinary game... How many teams have scored 800+ runs in a 5 day match and lost...

When the 4 innings started I thought new Zealand were slight favourites Vs a draw, just because England's recent 4th innings record has been so poor 

Would much rather teams went for wins and died trying than batting for a draw and losing anyway!

pigface

Teetonetal said:

What an extraordinary game... 
...
Would much rather teams went for wins and died trying than batting for a draw and losing anyway!

I'd certainly agree with this.

NZ were poor this afternoon, though. To Bairstow, surely you should just bowl at the stumps. He'll miss a straight one sooner or later. Instead they gave him short stuff which he loves. He handled it spectacularly well :-)

crunchman

pigface said:

Teetonetal said:

What an extraordinary game... 
...
Would much rather teams went for wins and died trying than batting for a draw and losing anyway!

I'd certainly agree with this.

NZ were poor this afternoon, though. To Bairstow, surely you should just bowl at the stumps. He'll miss a straight one sooner or later. Instead they gave him short stuff which he loves. He handled it spectacularly well :-)

I was about to post something about that.  I couldn't understand why Boult was bowling short stuff over the wicket rather than come round the wicket and bowl at the stumps.

They were a bowler down, and only had a part time spinner on a day 5 pitch, which didn't help them.  Part of that was their own team selection though.  It's difficult to balance the team without an allrounder like De Grandhomme, but they didn't help themselves.  The three remaining quick bowlers were flogged into the ground, and the bowling didn't have a lot of venom.

It was still amazing hitting though.

I hope Stokes' knee is alright.

Stuckfast

Meanwhile, the England ODI team break their own record total against the Netherlands.

NorthernGooner

I can't see Jos Buttler getting anywhere near AB De Villier's fastest hundred.... 33 balls
Though it was at Jo'burg which is at altitude and it would seem the Windies bowling ' attack' had been on the
white rum the night before.

NorthernGooner

I've watched a lot of test cricket in my time but never seen anything so bizarre as that Nicholls dismissal. 

guitars4you

NorthernGooner said:

I've watched a lot of test cricket in my time but never seen anything so bizarre as that Nicholls dismissal. 

Out most of today so only just seen any updates - Yes totally bizarre and a first for me