The Cricket Thread

[btb]

Just now, Sir Tarmo said:

England collapsing. 211-2 to 225-6 mainly thanks to Sajid Khan. 

Yeah just when the English commentators were getting ready for another Brooks century - shame! 

[Boo Khaki]

Pakistan trundle along at 3rpo and make 366, England 225-6 at nearly 5rpo

I get having a plan and sticking to it, but I wonder if this is one of those instances whereby Bazball needs to be put away and you bat to the conditions instead. 

[die hard doonhamer]

1 hour ago, Boo Khaki said:

Pakistan trundle along at 3rpo and make 366, England 225-6 at nearly 5rpo

I get having a plan and sticking to it, but I wonder if this is one of those instances whereby Bazball needs to be put away and you bat to the conditions instead. 

I don’t think that’s really the case here, they got to 211-2 playing their normal way. Only Duckett got out playing an attacking shot from what I’ve read, and given he was past 3 figures I think that’s allowed. It reads that the pitch just got very difficult and the spinners took full advantage.
Smith and Carse then batted very conservatively to get to the close, some may even say they batted to the conditions. 

[Boo Khaki]

4 minutes ago, die hard doonhamer said:

I don’t think that’s really the case here, they got to 211-2 playing their normal way. Only Duckett got out playing an attacking shot from what I’ve read, and given he was past 3 figures I think that’s allowed. It reads that the pitch just got very difficult and the spinners took full advantage.
Smith and Carse then batted very conservatively to get to the close, some may even say they batted to the conditions. 

Fair enough. I'm not watching the Test, just struck me that's a fair difference in scoring rates, and it's not like this iteration of England don't have previous for braindead batting relative to conditions/situations.

[Savage Henry]

36 minutes ago, Boo Khaki said:

Fair enough. I'm not watching the Test, just struck me that's a fair difference in scoring rates, and it's not like this iteration of England don't have previous for braindead batting relative to conditions/situations.

Pakistan seem to have produced a wicket that has gone from a road on day one to a minefield by the end of day 7.   I’m not sure this is a great advertisement for test cricket when all is said and done.  Could definitely see a couple of sub 100 third and fourth innings.   

Edited Wednesday at 14:57 by Savage Henry

[Sir Tarmo]

To be honest, the pitch on day 1 didn’t have much in it, but it was slow and definitely not as flat as the previous Test. There was cracks threatening to break up and there was some reverse on offer. It looks as if it’s beginning to fall apart now and Pakistan with their 4 frontline spin options along with Shakeel/Saim Ayub will fancy themselves to bowl England out for under their total. England can do the same back to them, Leach has bowled well so far but Bashir needs to up his game or they’ll have to lean on Root a lot.

[Boo Khaki]

3rd Test in Rawalpindi?

That's usually a bit of a seamers' deck is it not? Sure that used to be where Wasim and Waqar would run riot.

[Sir Tarmo]

22 minutes ago, Boo Khaki said:

3rd Test in Rawalpindi?

That's usually a bit of a seamers' deck is it not? Sure that used to be where Wasim and Waqar would run riot.

Yeah it’s a seam deck. Last month vs Bangladesh, 24 of the 34 wickets fell to seam. Would expect Pakistan to bring in Mohammad Ali and Mir Hamza for 2 of the spinners (probably Zahid and Noman). Shaheen and Naseem appear to be completely out of the squad.  

[Boo Khaki]

Just now, Sir Tarmo said:

Yeah it’s a seam deck. Last month vs Bangladesh, 24 of the 34 wickets fell to seam. Would expect Pakistan to bring in Mohammad Ali and Mir Hamza for 2 of the spinners (probably Zahid and Noman). Shaheen and Naseem appear to be completely out of the squad.  

Sorry, but that will never stop making me giggle.

For a kid of the 70s, any time I see the muslim equivalent of "John Smith", I immediately think of this -

 

[Sir Tarmo]

If it is gonna be pace friendly they really should look at bringing Shaheen or Naseem back. Jamal has slowly broken apart throughout the series and those two are by far their best seamers. Why they were dropped after conceding a load of runs on a road is a mystery, but it is Pakistan.

[Sir Tarmo]

England spinning into a heap here

[Savage Henry]

1 hour ago, Sir Tarmo said:

England spinning into a heap here

And Pakistan following them.  I dare say they’ll need to outlaw playing back to back tests on the same track - a day eight pitch isn’t fit for purpose.   95/7 so far.  

Edited yesterday at 07:15 by Savage Henry

[Sir Tarmo]

1 minute ago, Savage Henry said:

And Pakistan following them.  I dare say they’ll need to outlaw playing back to back tests on the same track - a day eight pitch isn’t fit for purpose.   93/7 so far.  

Bashir has gone from barely taking a wicket in months to spinning out a top 3. The pitch is definitely turning now. It’ll be some state on Day 10 but we won’t see it.

[Sir Tarmo]

India are 40/9 at home to New Zealand right now so it could be worse lads

[Sir Tarmo]

This is a sizeable lead now on this pitch

[jaggyness]

320+ would be a hard total to chase down given England can't/won't bat for time and how much this pitch has started to turn, who knows what it'll be like tomorrow and Saturday (if we get that far) 

[jaggyness]

Just for further context, England's record chase in a 4th innings in Asia is 209

[Sir Tarmo]

Duckett gone second ball sweeping. Sajid Khan is ripping it.

[die hard doonhamer]

I can’t see England getting anywhere near this. Crawley out stumped looks awful on the scorecard, but it was a cracking delivery. 

[Sir Tarmo]

Have to say Brydon Carse looks a serious bowler in not exactly the most helpful conditions. If England can get him, Wood, Atkinson, Stone and (wishful thinking) Archer all bowling together in Australia, with maybe some help from Potts and Tongue, they could have a chance to win a Test down there.