England vs India - Fifth Test, The Oval

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Well this morning England have named an unchanged squad for the fifth and final test of the season

Means Plunkett hasn't recovered from his injury, Broad will be assessed with Stokes/Finn waiting in the wings and Sam Robson gets one more test

Looks like a decent game at OT, Durham 199-6 at the moment. Not quite as good as this one obviously

Dhoni making India's score slightly more respectable .

Bell's drop proving rather costly - at least in context. Last wicket partnership syndrome again ?

Massive respect to the Dhoni.

Showing steel. Annoying England a bit...

Just shows what a bit if application can do

Thank god for that.

Cook is an awful Captain.

After so much hard work what a poor way to get out.

Why is cook an awful captain? Not sure what else he could have done to get the wicket as those two didn't give a chance until the wicket fell.

Yeah... quite awful, given the amount of deliveries flying through the slips, or the covers... or anywhere really. Down with Cook

He has got to go at the end of the series, far too cautious.

Put a side in, bowl them out for under 150.

Cook must go?

Don't talk garbage, he has had catchers in for most of the day, Dhoni was looking for four or two that's why he had the fielders out, what would you rather that he just leaked boundaries? He's had a good day so far.

Scrumpy wrote:Thank god for that.

Cook is an awful Captain.

Wat.

Cook has had a good day and a good series - I told you beating India was his hobby!

As before then, if England muster a score of 300 or above then it will surely be match-winning.

Same as last game -get to 350 .. Declare or bat out and bowl them out. Bad weather is around us

Fair play to Dhoni, like at OT he showed the rest of his side the value of some grit and application

Sharma moaning about the foot holes, he seems to have more problems on the follow through than in his bowling stride.

Scrumpy has been singing that same song for ages. Hasn't much to do with what happens on the field...

Suppose everyone is entitled to an opinion. Mine is that Cook has done a pretty good job as the season has progressed , after having to battle with poor personal form and an inexperienced team lacking in confidence... Might not write a book on captaincy , but has got more right than wrong , especially over these last three matches. No evidence anyone else currently around would do any better...

On with the game. Kumar might bowl well on this , as long as he isn't too shattered by his efforts this summer. Ishant back too , so England need to bat well to drive home the advantage won by their bowlers.

Took a while, but the band's tuning up.

http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/india-vs-england-2014/james-anderson-on-a-par-with-world-no-1-dale-steyn-alastair-cook_794084.html

Anderson is more talented than Steyn, but the South African is more consistent, hence why Steyn is the more highly regarded.

Cook in bigging up own team shocker.

Robo doing well.

Jordan, Woakesy and robo have done da biz so far today...

I think we may have a team with zero passengers..

Come on England.

You don't half speak garbage, do you Duty? It's really not even close between the two of them, and Cook would be better served calling Ali the greatest spinner in history. Anderson-Steyn comparisons are as close to heresy as you get in cricket.

Anderson is good and all, but it's mind bending to even put him on the same plane as Steyn. This is even worse than Gerrard's "Cole can do everything Messi can do" faux pas.

That above comment is so ridiculous that I do not believe it merits a response.

Superb day for England, and one that probably ensures they will run out 3-1 winners.

I am particularly pleased for Sam Robson: he will be delighted to get through a testing mini-session and establish a base for a big score tomorrow which, hopefully, will confirm his place for the tour of the Windies

England, if they do not get careless, can rack up 450+ here; India will have totally surrendered by now.

Time for Lord Geoffrey on Channel Five! Ruuuubish!

It would take an effort beyond me to top the 2012 "Bell is better than Amla", "Pietersen > Kallis"... or the revisionist "England were not ready" "England were not right" pieces that followed.

day couldn't have gone any better for England could it!!!  Bat once, rack them up, and skittle India again!!

Anderson is a world class bowler

Steyn however is on a different planet to any other quickie in the world at this moment.

There was a real debate who was the best a few years ago as the 2-3 years before Anderson averaged better than styen, playing the same level of teams within that time frame. Anderson didn't start out great though and along with every other England player had a down period until the last 3 matches .


Steyn beats him. But over the last 5 years jimmy has to be considered no.2

mystiroakey wrote:There was a real debate who was the best a few years ago as  the 2-3 years before Anderson averaged better than styen, playing the same level of teams within that time frame. Anderson didn't start out great though and along with every other England player had a down period until the last 3 matches .


Steyn beats him. But over the last 5 years jimmy has to be considered no.2

For me its Steyn (head and shoulders above anyone else) then the rest (Anderson, Johnson, Ryan Harris, Boult etc).

Comparing Mitch and Harris to Anderson Isn't fair. They have only just become top draw. Anderson has years on them at the highest level.

It wasn't worth the debate, in any case, if you ask me. Anderson at that time was good, but he was hardly Johnson Summer 2013 good. That's a proper hot streak.

In any case, Steyn still wouldn't be the most talented bowler I've seen. Mohammad Asif was almost ridiculous. Had the ball on a string, he really did. It's a real pity he fell into some not so nice trappings.

kingraf wrote:It wasn't worth the debate, in any case, if you ask me. Anderson at that time was good, but he was hardly Johnson Summer 2013 good.  That's a proper hot streak.

In any case, Steyn still wouldn't be the most talented bowler I've seen. Mohammad Asif was almost ridiculous. Had the ball on a string, he really did. It's a real pity he fell into some not so nice trappings.

Amir is the one that got away, what a talent that kid was. The next Akram

He was good, but he wasn't anywhere near Asif. Given the fact that they were only looking to take wickets every now and then, their records are remarkable.

kingraf wrote:He was good, but he wasn't anywhere near Asif. Given the fact that they were only looking to take wickets every now and then, their records are remarkable.

Amir would've been great imo.

Youngest bowler to take fifty wickets in tests and 51 wickets in 14 tests at just under 30 for a guy in his teens is something special (especially as you say they were only meant to take wickets now and then at home).

Asif in his younger days actually played at a local club five miles down the road from me. Took over 100 wickets in I think 25 games (one innings games). Mental

Just watched the highlights.

Good to see Jordan/Woakes amongst the wickets, Woakes in particular has bowled better than his figures previously suggested. A much improved bowler from 12 months ago (be interesting to see him have a proper bat at some point too)

Pleased for Robson to get through to the end of play. Hopefully will kick on and make a score, securing a spot for the west Indies tour. He's got a few faults to iron out (bat comes down at an angle in defence too often) but he's mentally got the tools/temperament which can be half the battle. 

India - absolute shambles.

if Robson gets some runs today.....it will turn Eng into a "Zero Defect"  team   

everyone is contributing....no weak links

and that in itself should be a worry....too good to be true factor comes in  

In reality too many cracks might be papered here ......against an Indian team that just doesn't turn up.

Eng will get 400+ and win by an innings margin in under 3 days like the T4....
even Zim or many FC sides would offer more resistance

so read into these English performances with a pinch of salt

Nah take the positives Graf. It would be stupid not to.

Up the ENGLAND

Yeah, England's greater experience in five match cricket series' has seen them through. I think India are just mentally checked out now.

I am just gutted we have to wait so long till we play test again. We need more test matches.. When are we playing you guys next!

Next December mate. Will be an interesting series. Think Australia caught up at the right time (Smith mentally checked out, first series without Kallis, empty cupboards at spin... and Johnson), the pieces are coming together now. If Philander can get some form back, I think we've got too much firepower, but for sure I expect your team to put up some resistance, depending on the nature of the wickets.

We are not too dissimilar in regards to the make up of our teams(SA are just better with a similar type team). Neither of us have a mitch or a warne..

Its annoying we cant get some continuity going with our test team as we wont be playing again for ages.

No Test matches for England in seven and a half months, then ten Tests in four and a half months!

It's changing though a bit under Amla. We aren't strangling teams out with the ball anymore, we're going for the kill, even if it means going for a bit of tap. That's a good thing, but it does give teams a better chance to counter attack. That's probably your best chance.

Also, for all of Mitch's magic this summer, I'd always rather have Steyn.

Yeah I am not sure if Mitch can keep it up tbh. Time will tell

This may be robo's is last game ...

Now I am disappointed for Robson; that may of been his last chance.

My confidence in these two at the crease, though, is absolute.

Eh Robson will still be in the discussion, all depends what he does with the Lions in south Africa this winter. If he can score runs again there he'll get another go.

Hard to see what options we have for alternatives. Hales has the talent (if we change who I'd go with), Lyth had a good county season, his partner Lees has been earmarked for the future, maybe throw him in early.

Would it be a cray Idea to just move balance up. It's not as if he has managed his runs after great starts. He comes in early most of the time anyway..

Then we can give Taylor another go

mystiroakey wrote:Would it be a cray Idea to just move balance up. It's not as if he has managed his runs after great starts. He comes in early most of the time anyway..

Then we can give Taylor another go

Why would you move Ballance?! 

Just leave him where he is doing bloody brilliant!

Yeah I suppose.

It's a tough call for that opener spot. At least cook has the confidence back though. It takes a lot of pressure off the selectors and no.2 who ever it is