The summer of cricket 2020

First topic message reminder :

Stokes gone at last...and Roach gets one at last ! Bit fluky , reverse leg side edge but I think Kemar was entitled to dome good fortune...

Hell of an innings from Stokes

Apparently Archers been allowed out his room and is now doing nets. Could be a real selection headache for the final test with everyone available again and Broad and Woakes making a pretty good case so far...as Woakes gets the key man!

Woakes !  That was coming...Brathwaite stuck on the crease , plumb.

Big wicket.

Edit : actually marginal on height , though fair enough decision. Looked very clear live , but the height issue was apparent on slow replay.
He actually wouldn't have burned his review had he tried it ...Shane Watson would have referred it

That's the key wicket! Woakes pitches it up and traps him stone dead.

Can England nip another out before lunch?

Only umpire's call on height, actually. Brathwaite didn't even bother reviewing he thought he was so out.

He's not called Sir Chris for nothing

Broad now...

Perfect ball

Hope gone. Maybe not all hope ; but looking grim for the tourists now...

Hope properly cut in half by a right beauty of a delivery. Stumps splattered.

England in total control.

Gooseberry wrote:Apparently Archers been allowed out his room and is now doing nets. Could be a real selection headache for the final test with everyone available again and Broad and Woakes making a pretty good case so far...as Woakes gets the key man!

He did the same yesterday.

Meanwhile, Woakes getting Brathwaite. 2 down by lunch - exactly what we wanted. Surprised, he didn't review. Bit on the high side as Bumble thought but clipping top of the stumps. Decision wouldn't have been changed although the Windies would have retained the review.

And that's better still! 3 in the hutch as Hope goes. Broad with one that nips back in and takes top of off. Lovely, lovely bowling.

Duty281 wrote:That's the key wicket! Woakes pitches it up and traps him stone dead.

Can England nip another out before lunch?

Only umpire's call on height, actually. Brathwaite didn't even bother reviewing he thought he was so out.

Might wrankle a bit ...they had 3 calls on Sibley/Stokes reviewed that were given n/o for height that clipped the top of the bails but stayed umpires call. Maybe the umpires re-calibrated a but I suspect he didnt review because they knew the umpires were giving benefit of the doubt on height and it would have to be very wrong to get it overturned.

That wicket was a bit more cut and dried anyway, no arguments as Hope goes in both senses? Surely Englands game (I said that in the first test)

Maybe, just maybe, dropping our best bowler of the past 12-18 months for the first test, was I dunno, a bad idea?

Don't do it again, you plebs

Well, 76 overs to take 7 wickets. Plenty of cloud, lights on, England bowling brilliantly. And two of those wickets are Roach and Gabriel!

Difficult to see how the West Indies can get out of this one.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Maybe, just maybe, dropping our best bowler of the past 12-18 months for the first test, was I dunno, a bad idea?

Don't do it again, you plebs

England have got six good choices (Anderson, Archer, Broad, Curran, Woakes, Wood) for three spots (presuming they retain Bess) in the next test.

I'd probably go for Anderson, Broad and Woakes, but any combination of that three is acceptable.

Duty281 wrote:

I'd probably go for Anderson, Broad and Woakes, but any combination of that three is acceptable.

Any three from three?

Gooseberry wrote:

Duty281 wrote:

I'd probably go for Anderson, Broad and Woakes, but any combination of that three is acceptable.

Any three from three?

I meant any combination of that six is acceptable!

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Maybe, just maybe, dropping our best bowler of the past 12-18 months for the first test, was I dunno, a bad idea?

Don't do it again, you plebs

Ha. I don't want to remind everyone that I was with Olly in the "leaving Broad out was nuts " camp...

Well , actually I do


But hey , let us give them the excuse : perhaps it was a cunning plan to get him revved up for this game ?

Just unfortunate if it cost them a Test Match on the way

Anyway best not get too excited...still seven more to get. After last week I'm counting no chickens...

Terrible review! Oh well they have a spare

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:He's not called Sir Chris for nothing

Shouldn't you be working?

That's wasn't a good review. But it was a good session. A near-perfect session.

Duty281 wrote:

Gooseberry wrote:

Duty281 wrote:

I'd probably go for Anderson, Broad and Woakes, but any combination of that three is acceptable.

Any three from three?

I meant any combination of that six is acceptable!

Well not quite... Any (unlikely) combination that leaves out both Anderson and Broad is not acceptable. But otherwise .

Two sessions left ...seven needed. England favourites now. ; but not guaranteed.

Duty281 wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Maybe, just maybe, dropping our best bowler of the past 12-18 months for the first test, was I dunno, a bad idea?

Don't do it again, you plebs

England have got six good choices (Anderson, Archer, Broad, Curran, Woakes, Wood) for three spots (presuming they retain Bess) in the next test.

I'd probably go for Anderson, Broad and Woakes, but any combination of that three is acceptable.

It's a good mix of strengths as well to allow horses-for-courses selection.

Swing bowlers - Anderson and Curran
Seam bowlers - Broad and Woakes (Olly Robinson pushing)
Pace bowlers - Archer and Wood (Olly Stone pushing)

It's by no means perfect and we will need both Archer and Wood fit and bowling well to improve our Test record overseas. It is a strong stable of bowlers though.

I think that when Stokes is bowling well he complements the swing bowlers in Jimmy and Curran really well. If it swings then Jimmy and Sam can be lethal but if it's a bit more dead Stokes can take a few more overs. If Stokes is needing to manage a niggle or his bowling workload a bit then Jimmy or Curran can be more of a risk. With Stokes bowling well I think picking one of those swing bowlers is worth the risk for this attack though.

Well, the morning could hardly have gone any better for England or worse for WI (the Campbell drop of Stokes was a big miss).

The way the runs were flying around at the end of England's innings, I think Root was OK in letting them have an over or two more, as it meant taking the target out of Windies range and allows more attacking fields, not that it matters where the fielders are when you get deliveries like the one that got Hope out - close to the perfect in-seaming delivery.

I think to have any chance, WI need to get through the lunch to tea session for the loss of no more than one wicket, and I just can't see them managing that.

That ball from Broad to Hope just looks better and better on each viewing.

Two wickets or more in this session and England will be happy. If the West Indies are to have any chance, Chase needs to play another long, gritty innings.

Well I thought England had the first match in the bag at lunch on day five...so I'm not putting the house on them yet !

Different this time in that West Indies have no chance of winning. And I fancy the ball might do a little more this time. But these two have batted well on this tour , and showed patience in the first innings . I think Root will be praying for an early wicket in this session before the ball softens too much.
Last game I felt Wood and Archer rather overdid the short stuff after lunch. They had three with full balls before lunch ; and I'd have liked to see more of that in the afternoon - though you could see why they resorted to a bumper barrage as the pitch seemed to go a bit dead. I hope England mix it up a bit more today , if they get stalled for a while.

Oooh ... out?

Stuart Broad is godly

That's a massive wicket, Broad again. On fire since yesterday afternoon.

First innings that Chase has lasted fewer than 80 balls in this series.

Just what the doctor ordered !

Three for Broad , the big wicket of Chase. He has bowled exceptionally well today ...as he did last night.

Duty281 wrote:That ball from Broad to Hope just looks better and better on each viewing.

Two wickets or more in this session and England will be happy. If the West Indies are to have any chance, Chase needs to play another long, gritty innings.

Does seem to be hitting the right spot and then the pitch doing the work making the balls unplayable, but still takes skill t put it there with the seam in position

Its another one clipping the top of the stumps that the umpires werent giving when England batted....wheres KPfan

Brooks has played soundly so far. I fancy Blackwood might not find this his ideal situation...he seems to prefer to play his shots ; but I'm not sure he has much incentive to do so today. Still expect him to try to score ...but with no realistic target the pressure won't shift back to the bowlers to the same degree.
West Indies could really do with a long partnership now...

Ridiculously Holder batting at 8 has the second best test average of anyone in this side, Blackwood at 6 is third. It really will be a hell of a thing if a side without a single real test class batsman manages to see this out.

Gooseberry wrote:Its another one clipping the top of the stumps that the umpires werent giving when England batted....wheres KPfan

They weren't giving them in West Indies first innings either , to be fair. England have used their reviews better in this game...

This is the kind of situation where I hope Stokes gets a short burst with a newer ball. Variable bounce and a crack for him to aim at suits Stokes bowling style well.

king_carlos wrote:This is the kind of situation where I hope Stokes gets a short burst with a newer ball. Variable bounce and a crack for him to aim at suits Stokes bowling style well.

Agree with this. Just a short burst , mind ...he has already done a lot of work in this game. But they don't want to let this pair settle by taking their foot off the gas now...

alfie wrote:

king_carlos wrote:This is the kind of situation where I hope Stokes gets a short burst with a newer ball. Variable bounce and a crack for him to aim at suits Stokes bowling style well.

Agree with this. Just a short burst , mind ...he has already done a lot of work in this game.  But they don't want to let this pair settle by taking their foot off the gas now...

Agreed. 3 overs maybe 4 at the very most. Then you've got the option of giving Bess a quick whirl by which point Broad will probably be raring to go again with how he's bowling!

Lot of talk about Leach coming back for the next match. Seems harsh on Bess and he still has a chance to make a statement now hes been given the ball

Out, out, out. Why is Buttler not screaming for a review (again)?

It was a great ball from Woakes, getting one to rear up after a few that kept low.

Moral wicket for Woakes....just feel theres constant chances and wickets will come with the unpredictability of the surface

Are the England close fielders all deaf ? Why on earth didn't they review that ?

Somewhat dangerous period for England here . Broad resting ; Curran not finding much movement...a risk this could go a bit flat , as these two bats seem settled in (apart from that Woakes lifter !) Bess might feel under some pressure to do something after a disappointing first innings.

Stokes might have to dust off his magic wand again...

Yes, it's one of those surfaces where the batsmen are never 'in' and settled...apart from Ben Stokes.

Think we all knew there would be one part of the day like this, with a partnership developing and wickets hard to come by. Still bucketfuls of overs left.

Here's Stokes...

alfie wrote:Are the England close fielders all deaf ? Why on earth didn't they review that ?

Somewhat dangerous period for England here . Broad resting ; Curran not finding much movement...a risk this could go a bit flat , as these two bats seem settled in (apart from that Woakes lifter !) Bess might feel under some pressure to do something after a disappointing first innings.

Stokes might have to dust off his magic wand again...

Because the only discernible impact was to the forearm. It was only out by a real feather a fraction of a second before the clear impact to the arm, so to anyone with a good it would've looked not out with only a marginal chance of there having been a second impact. They could've reviewed it but it wouldve been a fishing trip.

I must be the only one getting a little uneasy as this pair push past their fifty stand ?

Just the memory of that first match and the way England lost inspiration as the afternoon wore on... Far from a done deal , this match , I think.

That is better from Bess ! Couple of balls troubled Brooks then. Need a contribution from the spinner today I think.

alfie wrote:I must be the only one getting a little uneasy as this pair push past their fifty stand ?

Just the memory of that first match and the way England lost inspiration as the afternoon wore on... Far from a done deal , this match , I think.

That is better from Bess ! Couple of balls troubled Brooks then. Need a contribution from the spinner today I think.

Pitch is misbehaving more than a child with ADHD. England will be reet.

Granted, if it's still four down at tea, I'll be concerned. But a breakthrough doesn't look too far away.

Gooseberry wrote:

alfie wrote:Are the England close fielders all deaf ? Why on earth didn't they review that ?

Somewhat dangerous period for England here . Broad resting ; Curran not finding much movement...a risk this could go a bit flat , as these two bats seem settled in (apart from that Woakes lifter !) Bess might feel under some pressure to do something after a disappointing first innings.

Stokes might have to dust off his magic wand again...

Because the only discernible impact was to the forearm. It was only out by a real feather a fraction of a second before the clear impact to the arm, so to anyone with a good it would've looked not out with only a marginal chance of there having been a second impact. They could've reviewed it but it wouldve been a fishing trip.

Maybe. I must say I immediately thought "out" on the vision - though my eyes aren't that good And it sounded right . But I guess that may be how it appeared from behind. Perhaps if they hadn't wasted that "hopeful" lbw review earlier on...

Gooseberry wrote:

alfie wrote:Are the England close fielders all deaf ? Why on earth didn't they review that ?

Somewhat dangerous period for England here . Broad resting ; Curran not finding much movement...a risk this could go a bit flat , as these two bats seem settled in (apart from that Woakes lifter !) Bess might feel under some pressure to do something after a disappointing first innings.

Stokes might have to dust off his magic wand again...

Because the only discernible impact was to the forearm. It was only out by a real feather a fraction of a second before the clear impact to the arm, so to anyone with a good it would've looked not out with only a marginal chance of there having been a second impact. They could've reviewed it but it wouldve been a fishing trip.

Yeah the only one who really should've known was Woakes...behind the stumps all they'd have seen is it smash into his arm (as the umpire did). Also looked like his hand was potentially off the bat too...can see why they didn't review it.

16 overs without a wicket now and the ball softening. England could do with another one here.

Duty281 wrote:

alfie wrote:I must be the only one getting a little uneasy as this pair push past their fifty stand ?

Just the memory of that first match and the way England lost inspiration as the afternoon wore on... Far from a done deal , this match , I think.

That is better from Bess ! Couple of balls troubled Brooks then. Need a contribution from the spinner today I think.

Pitch is misbehaving more than a child with ADHD. England will be reet.

Granted, if it's still four down at tea, I'll be concerned. But a breakthrough doesn't look too far away.

Hope you're right , Duty. Will revisit this conversation at tea

Or earlier , I hope !

This is going down to the wire...assuming weather stays good

Dow to the wire means last over.....with WI having a wicket or two in hand
and 3 in hand when new ball comes.

45 overs of grit from next 3 wickets

In the absence of imminent excitement from the cricket I've looked for something perfectly benign to get angered by. I've settled on Stuart Broad's cele-appeal. Love Broad. Dislike that the no-look appeal.

It's a bit like a bloke who's been married for years forgoing the delicacies of foreplay in favour of chucking his clothes in a corner, loose change rolling all over the floor, socks still on and preceding to just lie there at half mast expecting everything else magically happen for him. Fair enough the end result might sometimes be the same but the lack assiduity shown is upsetting when repeated over time.

I hate to think how poor Richard Illingworth feels. Thoroughly unbeloved I'd guess. Imagine if Broad changes ends then starts appealing more thoughtfully to the other umpire. Then what will Richard be thinking.

king_carlos wrote:16 overs without a wicket now and the ball softening. England could do with another one here.

Joining me in the "getting twitchy" camp , KC ?

Problem as I see it is that the ball is definitely softer now ...and although Duty says the pitch is playing up I don't think I've seen anything too dramatic for quite a while.
Yesterday all those wickets came with a rush to the second new ball. They're not getting five or six wickets in the five overs they could have with one this evening...so a breakthrough has to come from somewhere else.

Bess is having a good couple of overs. Question is whether he can keep it up ; and whether he will actually get a break.

Still Dowritch and Holder to come.