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West Indies v England 1st Test - Antigua

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Hammersmith harrier
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Post by sirfredperry Mon 13 Apr 2015, 2:41 pm

First topic message reminder :

WI win toss and decide to field. Not sure why. This "exploit early life in the pitch" thing is really overplayed. Feel England would have batted had they won the toss. Lot of pressure on Cook now.

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Post by JDizzle Fri 17 Apr 2015, 8:54 pm

Well bowled James Anderson. Very, very well deserved. clap

Now, for the win!

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Post by alfie Fri 17 Apr 2015, 8:56 pm

Great bowling from Jimmy ! Gets Ramdin with a fine catch from Cook ...and rekindles hope...

Little matter of a record too Smile

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Post by alfie Fri 17 Apr 2015, 8:59 pm

Hmm. Holder is looking like a taller version of Dravid ; so will have to get the others out.

Still Root. Fair enough. Though Broad wont be far away...

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Post by msp83 Fri 17 Apr 2015, 9:16 pm

Roach can hang around a bit, but its going to be a lot of pressure and the England bowlers are going to go hard at him, Taylor has a test hundred but he's not the hanging around type, and Benn is too stupid with the bat to have any hope....... So its England's game here....... And though he's playing well, young Holder is far too inexperienced at this level, not used to this kind of pressure, and he's a bowling all-rounder.......

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Post by msp83 Fri 17 Apr 2015, 9:20 pm

Stokes and not broad on.......

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Post by alfie Fri 17 Apr 2015, 9:22 pm

Stokes replacing Root . Hasn't had a wicket in the match yet so now would be a good time to break his "duck"

I am by no means confident of a England win yet. Three wickets to get so they really need to get Roach soon...even a rabbit can usually handle an over or two if he has to , especially with the ball not doing anything off this still docile strip. And Holder is pretty much locking up every second over.

Broad back now . I think he is England's best chance.


Last edited by alfie on Fri 17 Apr 2015, 9:23 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : .)

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Post by msp83 Fri 17 Apr 2015, 9:27 pm

Broad on taking over from Anderson. He can be a bit of a clown more than often, but his approach and attitude is a good fit for this situation.

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Post by alfie Fri 17 Apr 2015, 9:37 pm

Sixty balls left. Need three good ones...but in truth they need a mistake from one of these batsmen - and soon.

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Post by msp83 Fri 17 Apr 2015, 9:38 pm

Holder taking the Chanderpaul approach, not holding back from exposing the lower order batsman to the strike. Roach has taken a bit too much of the strike of late. He has done OK so far, but Holder should be careful........

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Post by Mike Selig Fri 17 Apr 2015, 9:39 pm

Hard work for England.

Cook trying plenty but nothing coming off so far.

Something needs to happen soon.

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Post by alfie Fri 17 Apr 2015, 9:46 pm

Very hard to force anything on this . Resolute batting from Roach as well as Holder ...they can be congratulated anyway on their efforts.

I do suspect England are out of tricks ; and just about out of time...

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Post by msp83 Fri 17 Apr 2015, 9:51 pm

Jordan now.......

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Post by msp83 Fri 17 Apr 2015, 9:55 pm

Jordan finding Roach's edge, but the ball out of reach of the keeper.

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Post by CaledonianCraig Fri 17 Apr 2015, 9:56 pm

This looks set for a draw now. No real disaster as the bowlers have plugged away very well and to their credit the Windies batsmen have acquitted themselves superbly. No doubt though the newspapers will have their knives out.
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Post by Mike Selig Fri 17 Apr 2015, 9:58 pm

Almost the almightiest of flukes! But you sense it's just not meant to be.

Really good effort from the West Indies this it has to be said.

How dearly England would love some out and out pace here.

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Post by JDizzle Fri 17 Apr 2015, 9:59 pm

England just don't have a Steyn or Johnson to turn to and blast a side away on a flat deck like this. And when the WI's produce this resilience, which they can when they want, it makes it tough. Think we've seen both sides of Tredwell though, he can hold up and end and pick up wickets if you try and bash him, but he isn't bowling a side out on Day 5. Still slightly gutted Kerrigan didn't get a go in this squad, he must have really fallen from grace in the selectors eyes.

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Post by msp83 Fri 17 Apr 2015, 10:00 pm

Jordan, then Root, Cook is ringing the changes.......

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Post by alfie Fri 17 Apr 2015, 10:06 pm

Mike Selig wrote:Almost the almightiest of flukes! But you sense it's just not meant to be.

Really good effort from the West Indies this it has to be said.

How dearly England would love some out and out pace here.

Amen to all that. Been a fascinating day though.

West Indies will take heart from saving the game from a tough position at lunch ...and England some confidence from bossing the game and doing everything they reasonably could to try and force the win on a very flat deck.

An edge off Anderson but never carrying to slip...Just about done.

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Post by msp83 Fri 17 Apr 2015, 10:07 pm

Anderson, to try and create further history, one last time in the test.......

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Post by liverbnz Fri 17 Apr 2015, 10:11 pm

England chose their containing spinner instead of their younger wicket taking one. Containment, safety, defensive, Cook, Moores, England.

Not saying this is why they haven't won but this type of approach is no longer working. Test cricket has moved on. England haven't.

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Post by JDizzle Fri 17 Apr 2015, 10:13 pm

Not sure you can call Rashid wicket taking. Doesn't have one in Test, which are a completely different kettle of fish to CC games.

Well batted Jason Holder. Tremendous innings. Real steel.

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Post by msp83 Fri 17 Apr 2015, 10:13 pm

Hundred for Holder!. The innings of the match from a fine young cricketer

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Post by msp83 Fri 17 Apr 2015, 10:14 pm

Last over coming up!.

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Post by alfie Fri 17 Apr 2015, 10:15 pm

Well played Holder clap

Saved his team and deserved his century .

Hard luck England .. But a very good Test Match . Look forward to the second one...

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Post by KP_fan Fri 17 Apr 2015, 10:17 pm

--"Talent-less" WI, T20 sloggers, limited over mercenaries’ stood up and held the fancied-practicing-test-match-cricket-all-the-time Eng to creditable draw...would be a sensational response especially to some of the pre-match "discussions" on WI here Smile

--Eng avoid defeat narrowly would be an “ultra sensational” one Smile

--More honest assessment though I didn't watch but only followed the scorecards and match reports....Eng was ahead all the time, each day of the game.
Just the characteristically docile pitches in WI mean to force a result the opponents have to have searing reverse swinging pace ( 95mph type) or high quality mercurial spinners...Or WI had to characteristically crumble at some stage

--Eng had neither that extra pace bowler....their seamers need assistance from the "English conditions" and they were found wanting ...especially Broad in my view given that his batting has declined significantly is the one to make way for an express pacer…if they have one?

Nor is Tredwell mercurial or mysterious in any way...although I like his lion hearted, steady bowling....his 4th inning failure...and that even Root picked up two wickets means Ali will be back.

--Nor did WI crumble...they kept tailgating Eng with pluck and fight ...talent they always had....application and will to fight is what they lacked in past but showed in plenty here...didn't let Eng shut the gate on them and got through with a draw….a credible one.
Holder is a mature man....way ahead of his years....Blackwood shone, Ramadin played a captain's knock and a lot of them contributed 20s and 30s….that they’d be looking to build upon next time they bat.

--Cook's captaincy will be scrutinized and Moore's will be hauled over coals.....not because they could have done much better under the circumstances but because they were already down and the media in Eng is articulate and critical by default.
And the inquisition that has been promised by the new Boss of English cricket....should they "fail to win" will add spice...looming in the background.

And the legend of KP will grow bigger in his absence Smile


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Post by msp83 Fri 17 Apr 2015, 10:21 pm

Roach survives 4 balls and that's the game saved for the West Indies!.
Now Who'd have thought that possible when Root had Chanders before lunch? Terrific performance from Ramdin, Roach and above all, Jason Holder!.
Blackwood before his act of stupidity did resist a bit, the skipper, after poor onfield captaincy and terrible first innings batting, finally made a telling contribution with the bat when it really mattered.
Then Roach, coming back from injury and taking on a significant bowling load, then gave excellent support to Holder with the bat, terrific from the fast bowler.......

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Post by alfie Fri 17 Apr 2015, 10:21 pm

Trust you to put that in , KP fan. Smile

If KP could bowl 90 plus I'd be interested...

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Post by CaledonianCraig Fri 17 Apr 2015, 10:22 pm

A yes the KP that flopped in India so massively. Doh

I bet he really wished he had kept his big gob shut instead of accusing anything in an England shirt of something/anything. If he had have taken the chop like a man and stuck to cricket instead of trying to sell copies of his book and scored big runs then I feel he would have much more likely have found a way back in.

However, lets remember his age in all this so what sense in calling him up in any case. His time has come and gone - time to look to the future not the past and KP certainly is not the future.

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Post by liverbnz Fri 17 Apr 2015, 10:40 pm

JDizzle wrote:Not sure you can call Rashid wicket taking. Doesn't have one in Test, which are a completely different kettle of fish to CC games.

Well batted Jason Holder. Tremendous innings. Real steel.

Never know to you try. Much higher SR than Tredwell in FC cricket. He goes for runs though. Won't suit England that so he'll likely never get a Test.

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Post by msp83 Fri 17 Apr 2015, 10:45 pm

The KP decision is one that has to be addressed, there is no running away from it, no matter what some of us here wish.
But this is Jason Holder's moment, Kemar Roach's moment, Denesh Ramdin's moment!.
And an opportunity lost for Alastair Cook, he failed with the bat, and though he captained well on field, the result didn't go his way against a low ranked West Indies side, and they managed to save the tame without a major contribution from Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Kraigg Brathwaite, their top 2 batters....

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Post by Mike Selig Fri 17 Apr 2015, 10:54 pm

I was waiting for the first person to comment on Tredwell being picked ahead of Rashid.

Funny how nobody said anything after the first innings... Without Tredwell England may have never gotten into a strong position in the first place. In any case Rashid had a chance in the practice match and bowled dross. And apparently has been bowling poorly in the nets as well. Giving someone a go just for the hell of it is hardly a recipe for success. I also think Rashid bowls too slowly to be that effective on that pitch. You needed someone who really bowled it into the pitch, almost a Panesar type bowler. Moeen would have been better, maybe someone like Kerrigan.

The spin cupboard is bare, we knew that. Tredwell did a job but was never going to run through sides.

England played some good stuff. The West Indies battled really well and deserve more credit than they are getting from some quarters. Winning test matches abroad on flat pitches isn't easy. Cook had a good game as skipper I thought. England just ran out of steam and ideas at the end.

A 90mph bowler would be nice, but England don't have that currently. Perhaps Meaker in time, but he hasn't yet developed as I hoped he would.

As for KP... yeah England definitely would have been better off with him instead of Ballance, or Bell, or Root.... oh hang on... Even by your standards KPF that is a particularly moronic remark.

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Post by kingraf Fri 17 Apr 2015, 11:09 pm

I'm quite high on Jay Holder, so obviously I'm happy that he had a good series with the bat. England have a real problem cleaning teams up. Had they been able to, they might have won (or at least not lost 5-0) the Away Ashes. West Indies can take plenty of heart from their resilience, but if being outplayed for five days and needing to snuff out on the fifth day represents the underlying "talent" we're all not seeing...
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Post by guildfordbat Fri 17 Apr 2015, 11:25 pm

msp83 wrote:...
But this is Jason Holder's moment, Kemar Roach's moment, Denesh Ramdin's moment!.
....

Didn't see anything after lunch so I'll leave the rest of you to comment on the play. However, I suspect that behind the scenes a clap is also owed to Phil Simmons.

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Post by guildfordbat Fri 17 Apr 2015, 11:32 pm

kingraf wrote:

... West Indies can take plenty of heart from their resilience, but if being outplayed for five days and needing to snuff out on the fifth day represents the underlying "talent" we're all not seeing...

Raf - I know it's something of a football cliche but it's probably still fair to point out that a team has to stop losing before it can start winning ....

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Post by alfie Sat 18 Apr 2015, 7:52 am

After a few hours sleep : I'd sum that up as rather a good "old fashioned" Test Match ; played on a pitch that was just a little too bland to be ideal - especially as neither team had quite enough strength in their attacks to overcome that handicap and force a result.
Not to complain though as the match retained tension right to the last few overs.
West Indies will be happy ; first to avoid defeat ; but also at the emergence of two genuine prospects in Blackwood and Holder - Taylor also looked good with the ball , at least while it was new. They probably need another real bowler ; so I'd give thought to moving Holder up the order and including another (not sure who ?) , probably at the expense of Samuels. Don't want to rush Holder on the strength of one innings ; but they need to make sure he doesn't turn into another Sammy , who makes useful runs but can't really fill the role of third pace man. Benn would seem unlikely to hold his place.

England also have selection issues. Seems to me there is quite a lot of talent in this team ; but they have not yet managed to combine it into a totally coherent whole...
Stokes has done well here with the bat ; but took no wickets. Jordan caught well , and grabbed a wicket in each innings ; but doesn't look - to me at least - threatening enough to take wicket taking pressure off Anderson and Broad. (Not saying dump him - though he may miss out on team balance in Grenada ; but I'd want a bit more from him)
Tredwell bowled pretty well I thought , and with a bit of luck might have had a couple more wickets. But is he good enough to be the main spinner in a team without a devastating pace pack? Lord how I miss Swann !
Moeen may or may not be ready...and Rashid remains a chance I suppose , though I wonder at some of the sweeping assertions from his fans that he would have made the difference had the timid selectors had the balls to pick him : I'd suggest that remains to be seen...not sure some people altogether appreciate the difference between County cricket and the International game. Given the number of Tests being played , I fancy he will get a chance to show his wares at some point , but am not certain it will be in Grenada.
Middle order batting was very good , but the openers need runs ! And Buttler is still a work in progress : great second innings knock , but that torturous 22 ball duck in the first innings was a bit of a concern...I'm in no hurry to move him up to six. Still doesn't look totally happy standing up to the spinners , though I'm not marking him down for the "stumping chance" - that wicked bounce left him no hope. ( Oddly enough , about the only ball that did misbehave !)
Finally the two bowlers on whom England are still (rather worryingly ) extremely reliant. Broad showed signs of coming back to his best at times in this match , though he has a way to go. Couldn't summon the extra punch needed on the last day to overcome the placid pitch - I'd like to have seen him attack Holder with some fierce short stuff but he didn't quite have it left in his tank.
Anderson remains the key bowler ; these conditions don't much suit him but he is still dangerous ...perhaps now the added pressure of the record is off his back he will relax and get a bit more movement with the new ball in Grenada.
Not sure how the team will look for Tuesday. But think getting the bowling combination right is crucial : nice to bat down to nine but not much help if you are still relying on a couple of bowlers to do nearly all the attacking.
I think I will leave it to the team management who are actually watching them in the nets Smile

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Post by VTR Sat 18 Apr 2015, 7:55 am

What a load of rubbish. Defied by the Windies number 8. Dear me, I think I am leaving the country when The Ashes are on

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Post by Gooseberry Sat 18 Apr 2015, 8:20 am

Mike Selig wrote:I was waiting for the first person to comment on Tredwell being picked ahead of Rashid.

Funny how nobody said anything after the first innings... Without Tredwell England may have never gotten into a strong position in the first place. In any case Rashid had a chance in the practice match and bowled dross. And apparently has been bowling poorly in the nets as well. Giving someone a go just for the hell of it is hardly a recipe for success. I also think Rashid bowls too slowly to be that effective on that pitch. You needed someone who really bowled it into the pitch, almost a Panesar type bowler. Moeen would have been better, maybe someone like Kerrigan.

The spin cupboard is bare, we knew that. Tredwell did a job but was never going to run through sides.

England played some good stuff. The West Indies battled really well and deserve more credit than they are getting from some quarters. Winning test matches abroad on flat pitches isn't easy. Cook had a good game as skipper I thought. England just ran out of steam and ideas at the end.

A 90mph bowler would be nice, but England don't have that currently. Perhaps Meaker in time, but he hasn't yet developed as I hoped he would.

As for KP... yeah England definitely would have been better off with him instead of Ballance, or Bell, or Root.... oh hang on... Even by your standards KPF that is a particularly moronic remark.

I agree with half of this. England are in the difficult position of only being able to select players who actually exist (KP aside).
he difficulty they now seem to face is that whilst the batsmen have for the most part sorted their lives out and delivered a collective performance indicative of their abilities the bowlers had a bad day at the office and their lack of spark was exposed. The first innings though it was that nagging accurate regulation patient bowling that got them the wickets on a dull pitch, and the "not even first choice at his county" offspinner who did most of the damage.

I was disappointed to see Trott and Tredwell selected over Lyth and Rashid but its hard to describe them as howlers, especially on a pitch where the ability to grind was likely to be the deciding factor in the game. In terms of seamers England simply dont have anyone with genuine x factor or a left armer worth a place to call on, nor was it a pitch that would give a fast bowler the best chance to make their mark. KPs part time spin certainly isnt that x factor, no more so than Root who did actually manage to do what the underperforming seamers couldnt.
Rather than KP what if it had been Ali in instead of one of the batsmen? Maybe two front line spinners wouldve done more, maybe not. Now Ali is an option they could see him back in, but finding a place is difficult. Theres not a spot in the middle order for him, he certainly isnt going to open. Maybe he could take Jordans place, or even Tredwells but Im not sure that would exactly fix Englands bowling issue, just deepen the batting.
Could a seamer be dropped for another boring fast medium right armer (Plunkett Wood?) Yeah maybe...but it wouldnt change anything about the fundamental make up of the side, quality or the options available. It still boils down to needing one of those seamers to turn up with a game winning performance, or at least above average. As it was England had 4 guys who at best were slightly below their best.

England need to play better. They should have won that game, Tredwell and the middle order gave them the lead time they needed to bowl out any side in the 4th innings. They had 5 bowlers and two part timers to call on. Whoever they select needs to actually turn up and do their job.

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Post by shivfan Sat 18 Apr 2015, 9:12 am

alfie wrote:Well played Holder clap

Saved his team and deserved his century .

Hard luck England .. But a very good Test Match .  Look forward to the second one...

clap
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Post by msp83 Sat 18 Apr 2015, 9:46 am

Now, we can talk about the pitch, the English bowling not bowling poorly, Holder playing well and so on. Lets also not forget it turned out to be a fine test match in the end.......
But lets also put England's performance into a bit of perspective. When Jermaine Blackwood got out, West Indies were 6 down, with another 51 overs to survive. 51 is a lot of overs for the last 4 wickets to survive.
Ramdin is no Gilchrist, no Dhoni or Hadin or even buttler or de Kock. He's a distinctly average wicketkeeper batsman who averages under 27 from his 65 test matches.
Young Jason Holder, though is very promising with bat is a bowling all-rounder at this stage of his career, who never scored a first class hundred before, forget international hundreds.
Kemar Roach is basically a fast bowler who bats number 9 because the 2 below him aren't capable of anything better. Yes he can hang around a bit, but to bat out almost a session?
When Blackwood, England had the perfect opening to the brittle lower order as he self-destructed on the stroke of the 2nd new ball. This new ball is supposedly 'Cheap', prone to vicious early swing, making life difficult for the likes of Alastair Cook!!!. Jerome Taylor got the new ball to do things consistently, Kemar Roach and Holder were pretty effective with the new ball more often than not. James Anderson is one of the best new ball bowlers in the world. Yet England could not dislodge Ramdin or Holder in such pressure situation.
A good game of test cricket in the end, but England left with more questions than answers.......

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Post by msp83 Sat 18 Apr 2015, 10:00 am

West Indies should also ask some questions about their combination. A senior batsman like Marlon Samuels to start with. Samuels bats at 4, he's not one of those new ball smashing openers. After Chanderpaul, he's the most experienced batsman in the batting lineup. But his approach in both innings, he batted as if he just didn't care. He's a positive batsman by nature, but he's one capable of building an innings. He's prone to the reckless throw aways even when batting well, but in both innings he was just too reckless in general. So if they have to bring in another bowling option, then perhaps they should take a rather radical call of dropping Samuels. Both Carlos Brathwaite the medium pacer, and Rahkeem Cornwall the offspinner, are capable of holding a bat.
Sulieman Benn had a pretty poor test match. He just didn't look like picking a wicket, and never offered the control in terms of stopping the runs. Can't bat, not a great fielder, in fact had put down a couple of chances. Devendra Bishoo should come in for him for sure?

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Post by msp83 Sat 18 Apr 2015, 10:09 am

Talking about the pitch, this certainly wasn't a bowling graveyard like the tracks on the other Antigua grounds were. It was certainly flat, but it was not all hopeless for bowlers. These kinds of tracks are now becoming more regular in test cricket. Sides like India and England are going to struggle on these.......


Last edited by msp83 on Sat 18 Apr 2015, 11:40 am; edited 1 time in total

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Post by KP_fan Sat 18 Apr 2015, 10:40 am

I see some are sniggering  at the mention of a KP return.....
The probability of his return stands at 70% now.....will go up or down depending on how Eng perform against WI and NZ.

In my mind if a side doesn't comprehensively defeat WI, then they will struggle to a draw at best or narrow defeat vs NZ and get royally thrashed by Aus

If he loses or draws the series in WI .....cook will go
If he draws or narrowly wins here but loses to NZ....he will be gone also....
And the exit of Cook will step up the probability of KP return to 99.9%

The question will then be.....can  they keep Cook as a player given when he is sacked from captaincy he turns bitter devoid of his birth right

His best option is simple...win, win as much
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Post by Hoggy_Bear Sat 18 Apr 2015, 10:54 am

Don't see how Cook being dropped (if it happens) hastens Pietersen's return. Is KP going to open?

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Post by Good Golly I'm Olly Sat 18 Apr 2015, 11:05 am

Was disappointed with the coverage - seemed to be more interested in Anderson getting the record than England winning the test match.

Some positives from the game - middle order looks solid with 3-6 all making good runs in the game.

Tredwell first innings was brilliant

Cook on the whole I thought captained well.

However stone negatives still remain for me

Cook still cannot buy a run - when does enough become enough?

Broad and Anderson were very poor with the new ball and thoroughly shown up by Jerome Taylor when he bowled with it

Tredwell second innings wasn't good enough - Root looked far more threatening and likely to take a wicket.

Jordan needs to offer more of a threat with the ball
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Post by kingraf Sat 18 Apr 2015, 11:08 am

Apparently this was the highest test attendance at Antigua. Of course the barmy army helped, but it's great for Test cricket.
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Post by guildfordbat Sat 18 Apr 2015, 11:33 am

I fully agree with Olly about the Sky coverage in the UK. I was out last night and got home shortly before 11. I turned on the tv, the game was already finished but the post match analysis was still going on. From the smiling English faces and all the talk revolving around Anderson's ''achievement'', I was sure he had got the record but also believed for a minute or so that we had also won.

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Post by Gooseberry Sat 18 Apr 2015, 2:14 pm

Its not just sky or even the bbc , cricinfo is just the same.

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Post by KP_fan Sat 18 Apr 2015, 8:12 pm

Hoggy_Bear wrote:Don't see how Cook being dropped (if it happens) hastens Pietersen's return. Is KP going to open?

may be root will or bell might or ballance might or none of them might and eng play only 4 bowlers to accommodate KP......that's not my problem to fit the pieces.
I stated as I see it...Cook is a major hurdle int he way of KP's return now that Downton is gone
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Post by Good Golly I'm Olly Sat 18 Apr 2015, 9:53 pm

guildfordbat wrote:I fully agree with Olly about the Sky coverage in the UK. I was out last night and got home shortly before 11. I turned on the tv, the game was already finished but the post match analysis was still going on. From the smiling English faces and all the talk revolving around Anderson's ''achievement'', I was sure he had got the record but also believed for a minute or so that we had also won.

Indeed Guildford - of course it is a great story how Anderson fought back from the struggle of his earlier career but the fact it seemed to take on more importance than the win itself is pretty indicative of English cricket at the moment (yes I know they have no control over Sky - but if you see Broad's tweets today of them in the dressing room post game, seems to be all smiles about Anderson, rather than the disappointment of not winning that match.)
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Post by JDizzle Sat 18 Apr 2015, 10:10 pm

To be fair to them, Anderson's immediate reaction when asked about the record taking wicket was that it was great that he had put them back in with a chance of winning the game. There are many things wrong with English cricket, but the fact that they are celebrating a mate's brilliant achievement isn't one for me.

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