The summer of cricket 2020

First topic message reminder :

Great ton from Morgan. Came in at 44/3 - now victory looks assured for England after this partnership.

(Spoiler: It wasn't.)

Now DRS against Woakes...twas a bit desperate. Reminded me of Australia's last review against England in Headingley...that cost them the match.

No reviews left for Pakistan.

alfie wrote:

Duty281 wrote:Runs just drying up now...over half an hour since the last boundary.

These next 46 runs will be tougher than the previous 100-odd.

Usually happens. Hope they don't go too cautious ...just three or four boundaries would almost break the game from here ; but I can understand why they don't want to throw it away now.

That last Yasir over showed there is still danger out there .

Question. If a wicket falls now , do you think about sending in Broad to smash a few ?

Pakistan now lose their last review.

I'd probably stick Broad above Archer, but not Bess. But England will probably maintain Broad at 10.

Almost certain to see the new ball now, but how many left when it comes?

Yes I imagine they won't change the order ; but it is a bit tempting to think of Stuart whacking a couple of big sixes while Bess is still in reserve.
Hopefully not needed. But I think they'll be confronting the new ball with a few still needed now.
Buttler seems to have tightened up a bit lately...nearly holed out just then. That's the trouble with these long chases ...closer you get the more you start telling yourself not to stuff it up now : just human nature.

Ha ! Warne has been listening to me about Broad

Buttler plumb in front with 21 to get. There's the twist.

Actually only umpire's call, which surprised me.

So. Down to just 21... But Jos is gone now, that's stone dead.

Actually closer than it looked. But still out.

Fine 75

Always a twist ...can the bowlers bring it home ?

And it is Stuart Broad coming in !

Two overs to the new ball. Dare I take off my Trebell mask yet ?

Safe to say that was Buttler's finest test knock. Pakistan have to be brave with the field and cut off the singles. Force England to be aggressive.

It is Broad that's come out!

Could this be a final twist...

What an excellent Test yet again.

Think Broad will be delighted to see Shadab bowling at him, not Abbas.

alfie wrote:Yes I imagine they won't change the order ; but it is a bit tempting to think of Stuart whacking a couple of big sixes while Bess is still in reserve.
Hopefully not needed. But I think they'll be confronting the new ball with a few still needed now.
Buttler seems to have tightened up a bit lately...nearly holed out just then. That's the trouble with these long chases ...closer you get the more you start telling yourself not to stuff it up now : just human nature.

Ha ! Warne has been listening to me about Broad

And so has Root!

Wouldn't have been my call but the key thing is to ensure Archer doesn't get out there and run out Sir Chris!

Broad loves batting against Pakistan!

Admit I'm surprised Root had the nerve to take my advice...I thought it would be too radical for him.

Liking it so far...seven quick runs added...

Down to 6 to win. This would be one of the most incredible comebacks from the dead.

Just ten more...and now just six

Stand up Sir Christopher Woakes !

Duty281 wrote:Down to 6 to win. This would be one of the most incredible comebacks from the dead.

Not quite Stokes and Leach . But it ain't a bad finish

Got to get Abbas on the other end I think. It's worth the risk of changing ends for Yasir.

Imagine not liking this sport

That's a brilliant shot from Woakes in the circumstances. Low risk and perfectly timed.

Hmm...Broad out with 4 left. What chance a tie?

king_carlos wrote:That's a brilliant shot from Woakes in the circumstances. Low risk and perfectly timed.

Less good from Broad then... Bess now to try and put this to bed...

Duty281 wrote:Hmm...Broad out with 4 left. What chance a tie?

None. Even England don't lose four for four...

But you can bet the dressing room is nervy....not now

Phenomenal

How many runs is Buttler in credit for now

England may not be the best side in the world but it seems like they end up in the best test matches

Brilliant innings from Woakes in the circumstances, he is that good which has been the frustrating thing in recent years but bravo to him and Buttler.

England win.

That was an outstanding comeback. Another stupendous test match for drama and excitement throughout. The finest innings of their lives from Buttler and Woakes.

(And yes, I thought that Woakes edge was flying straight to slip).

That really is the incredible, not far off Headingley last year

Wonderful game ...fantastic finish ...Pakistan will be gutted .and you have to feel a little sorry for them.

Buttler had probably his worst ever Test as a keeper - and his best as a bat. And Woakes was immense

GSC wrote:Phenomenal

How many runs is Buttler in credit for now

He could have just caught Shan Masood in the first innings and saved us the drama. Ever the showman is Buttler.

A real test of 2 halves

An excellent game and a good win for England. What a time for Woakes and Buttler to come good. Yasir bowled well and it was a good battle.

Similar to Paine at the Headingley Test last summer I feel that Azhar Ali had a poor final day as skipper. After the Headingley Test a few people said, "if Root captained like that he'd be crucified by the pundits". I feel similar here.

A brilliant game for England though.

I'd still be dropping Buttler for the next match though.

It doesn't paper over all the cracks, and England could really do with not having to defy the odds to win a game.

It's fun tho

Wonderful, wonderful Test match.

Delighted for Woakes. So often an undervalued member of the chorus, today he took centre stage and totally starred.

Echoing Warne earlier, great credit to the groundstaff who produced a proper Test wicket at Old Trafford for the third time in as many weeks. I don't claim to understand all the skill and work involved but I certainly appreciate it.

My only sorrow is for the members of the public who had tickets to attend.

Agreed GSC. It doesn't paper over the cracks. I think this England side needs another batsman in it. Hopefully Stokes can bowl in the 2nd Test.

Soul - Outside suggestion given this England set-up aren't adverse to a funky selection. Buttler stays at 6, Foakes comes in and takes the gloves? It wouldn't be my move but Smith has picked Buttler as a batsman before.

1.Burns
2.Sibley
3.Crawley
4.Root (c)
5.Stokes
6.Pope
7.Buttler (wk)
8.Woakes
9.Curran/Archer (dependent on pitch)
10.Bess
11.Broad

Having gone one up I think I'd go for that. Full complement of batsman, longer tail and a bit more difficult to bowl out. Anderson looked a long way from himself in this Test so I'd be very surprised if he isn't left out.

Soul Requiem wrote:I'd still be dropping Buttler for the next match though.

You're a hard man , Soul ! Won't happen though. Think they can release Foakes back to Surrey now. Though Bess might think Jos owes him a glass or two...

king_carlos wrote:An excellent game and a good win for England. What a time for Woakes and Buttler to come good. Yasir bowled well and it was a good battle.

Similar to Paine at the Headingley Test last summer I feel that Azhar Ali had a poor final day as skipper. After the Headingley Test a few people said, "if Root captained like that he'd be crucified by the pundits". I feel similar here.

A brilliant game for England though.

Would agree. Tactics after tea to Buttler/Woakes were all wrong, far too many easy singles were allowed and the game drifted for far too long (from Pakistan's perspective). I'd also question the decision that Abbas didn't bowl towards the end.

king_carlos wrote:Agreed GSC. It doesn't paper over the cracks. I think this England side needs another batsman in it. Hopefully Stokes can bowl in the 2nd Test.

Soul - Outside suggestion given this England set-up aren't adverse to a funky selection. Buttler stays at 6, Foakes comes in and takes the gloves? It wouldn't be my move but Smith has picked Buttler as a batsman before.

1.Burns
2.Sibley
3.Crawley
4.Root (c)
5.Stokes
6.Pope
7.Buttler (wk)
8.Woakes
9.Curran/Archer (dependent on pitch)
10.Bess
11.Broad

Having gone one up I think I'd go for that. Full complement of batsman, longer tail and a bit more difficult to bowl out. Anderson looked a long way from himself in this Test so I'd be very surprised if he isn't left out.

King Carlos = the ultimate cricket professional. No celebratory beer but instead straight on to a selection meeting for the next Test.

I'll consider a bit later.

Dunno how England will rotate their seamers but would guess Crawley for one of them is how it ends up.

Duty281 wrote:

king_carlos wrote:An excellent game and a good win for England. What a time for Woakes and Buttler to come good. Yasir bowled well and it was a good battle.

Similar to Paine at the Headingley Test last summer I feel that Azhar Ali had a poor final day as skipper. After the Headingley Test a few people said, "if Root captained like that he'd be crucified by the pundits". I feel similar here.

A brilliant game for England though.

Would agree. Tactics after tea to Buttler/Woakes were all wrong, far too many easy singles were allowed and the game drifted for far too long (from Pakistan's perspective). I'd also question the decision that Abbas didn't bowl towards the end.

Absolutely. Though to be honest I half expected them to back off after tea...the quick runs just before the interval , especially off the spinner , rattled them a bit. It's a common error - and England were similarly guilty in that Test against West Indies a few weeks ago. Sometimes you can just wait and the remaining wickets come to you ...but I always feel it isn't the right way to approach the game so I'm always happy to see a chasing team make them pay for it.
Abbas with an old ball probably wouldn't have made an impact. Once the lead was under 100 you could see England were going to get them unless they made a silly mistake - or got another wild ball like the one that got Pope.
But take nothing away from the England pair. Buttler was under a lot of personal pressure after his dreadful keeping , and Woakes hasn't made a run for ages ; but they both kept their nerve and closed the job beautifully.
And I loved the Stuart Broad cameo

Had to drive during most of the afternoon play and accidentally caught the result on the news....ruined my evening but I can forgive Waokes. Not so sure about Buttler.

Wow just wow. What a summer of tests!

I love this Pakistan side and really hope they don't fold over the series a la west indies. Who turns up to England and plays two leg spinners? Bonkers and brilliant.
.

This is exactly what I feared two days ago, I wanted England to win but I wanted Buttler to fail, whether he stays in the team as a specialist batsmen is another discussion but his position behind the stumps is untenable. Bess didn't bowl brilliantly before the drops but his head visibly dropped afterwards and one thing you don't want is a spinner who has no faith in the keeper.

What happens if Buttler takes one of the chances when Masood was on 45 is unknowable granted but it certainly isnt a good thing. The Pakistan tactics at 5 down were ridiculous, if you one of the finest ODI finishers at the crease do not turn it into a limited overs game.

Have to feel sorry for Pope somewhat, on the receiving end of two balls that misbehaved when outside of that there was little up or down.

king_carlos wrote:Agreed GSC. It doesn't paper over the cracks. I think this England side needs another batsman in it. Hopefully Stokes can bowl in the 2nd Test.

Soul - Outside suggestion given this England set-up aren't adverse to a funky selection. Buttler stays at 6, Foakes comes in and takes the gloves? It wouldn't be my move but Smith has picked Buttler as a batsman before.

1.Burns
2.Sibley
3.Crawley
4.Root (c)
5.Stokes
6.Pope
7.Buttler (wk)
8.Woakes
9.Curran/Archer (dependent on pitch)
10.Bess
11.Broad

Having gone one up I think I'd go for that. Full complement of batsman, longer tail and a bit more difficult to bowl out. Anderson looked a long way from himself in this Test so I'd be very surprised if he isn't left out.

I actually quite like that idea with Buttler. I feel he deserves a place on his batting more than crawley does right now, although Crawley has a lot of potential for the future IMO, and puts Root where he's most comfortable.

I think the one selection we all expect to see, assuming stokes is fully fit, is Anderson rested. The only question would be if Broad has done too much with 3 back to back tests, but with the break week I think they'll want to keep him in. Noo e would want to explain that at the press conference!

Whichever way they go theres pros and cons to the selections. I do feel they are in a vastly better place than a year ago when they just had lots of wrong choices. Overlooking Sibley last summer was a mistake theyve now righted.

A quiet shout out to Sibley who despite only getting a lowish score was valuable in seeing off Abbas.

Soul Requiem wrote:A quiet shout out to Sibley who despite only getting a lowish score was valuable in seeing off Abbas.

Agreed, Soul. Abbas was excellent as usual and arguably under bowled. He bowled the most overs of the seamers but I would definitely have given him the new ball at the end at the very least.

Abbas, Afridi, Naseem and Yasir is an excellent attack though so I can understand that side of things for Azhar Ali.

Naseem and Afridi not changing their lengths to Woakes early on and some lackadaisical field placings as the game drifted were less debatable bits of poor captaincy though. Too many singles on offer and latterly when the new ball came now having mid-on/mid-off straighter to allow Shaheen to bowl full and straight.

Terrific match and fantastic finish. I thought England might have a chance of knocking off the runs. They had scored more to win in the 4th innings at Old Trafford before, and they didn't have to get the highest score of the match to win (as they did at Headingley last year).

Having said that, I thought P would get home, especially as this is not one of England's greatest batting line-ups. And when Eng were five down it looked - and should have been - all over.

Although P did smash a few more quickly this morning, they really lost the match on Fri evening after being more than 200 ahead with six wickets left.

No doubt the Buttler wicketkeeping discussion will run and run. Can't see him being dropped, though. At least not yet.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Think Woakes was right in his post day interview about how they need to be proactive in this chase, as just sitting there you’ll have one with your name on it sooner rather than later. Particularly against Shah, when Root/Pope were being proactive against him late day 2, he was serving up some right tripe...then the lower order sits in today and he runs through them.

Only having 250 on the board, if England do get a good start against Shah or in general, one or two of those catchers might be moved into run saving positions...

Long way off yet - need those two wickets early tomorrow! Woakes and Broad first up for me

Is there anything this man can’t do? We’re not even playing at Lords, he might take all 20 if we were playing any games there this summer...

Just caught the highlights, having played myself today (32 off 27 balls if anyone cares), obviously doesn’t get the whole situation, but superb stuff from the much maligned Buttler, and Sir Chris himself! Gutsy stuff to play like they did there, especially Buttler with the game he’s had behind the stumps, and the pressure on him...brilliant knock. Sir Chris just doing Sir Chris things in England again of course.

Thoughts on highlights Burns was unlucky with his LBW, and actually Buttler too (Shah had been ragging it from what I saw, surely it was turning more than DRS said there...anyways), and enjoyed the thought behind promoting Broad up the order too. That’s two tests on the bounce we’ve won with virtually no contribution from Ben Stokes too...good to see some others pickup the slack!

Been treated to some proper good test cricket this week, and this summer. Too early to be having the selection debates for me, gonna need to see how the bowlers pull up fitness wise (and Stokes) before they make any other decisions (they must have some concern about someone if Robinson has been called up surely?). At the moment, I’m personally not sure Crawley should be a lock to come back in...but we’ll see. Might be some news early next week on fitness

As for Pakistan...they absolutely Tim Paine’d their reviews, and Azhar looked totally flustered from what I saw (Akram and Atherton noted before play he hasn’t captained much, and definitely not in a “close” game...not a good start). Didn’t understand Shadab bowling to Broad when he came in, didn’t seem like Abbas bowled much in that final session from the highlights? Would’ve thought he was the logical choice there.
They’re gonna have to get over this pretty quickly, and hopefully for the entertainment purposes of this series they do...

This is slowly turning into a competent England team; personally think Burns got a rough decision regardless of DRS, that ball was not hitting the stumps but hey ho. Chris Woakes is a very frustrating batsmen, tend to think he had the ability to play in the top five as he showed today but regularly plays beneath himself, hopefully propels him onto better things.

Bit of distrust of DRS on here I see

Sometimes confounds me , I must admit : the odd "height" call catches me out ; and others - like the Burns decision - seem to suggest a certainty that is not apparent viewing live. However I think it would be extremely strange if the technology really manages to produce random incorrect results in a few cases while generally being completely accurate so I think we should accept that our eyes aren't always as good as we might like to think!

(I don't like DRS . Never have ; wish it had never been brought in. But I know we ain't going back to the Old Ways , so I have learned to live with it if not to love it ; and I reckon it gets the lbw calls correct. Maybe the odd wrong call re edges ?)

While saluting the win , I caution against getting too carried away with the team because of it - in much the same way as I said a couple of days ago that we should not be going overboard in condemnation of a couple of poor sessions.

Pakistan were all over England for much of the game. Then their second innings folded up in the face of some spirited English bowling - and at least one moment of madness : the run out - at a crucial stage - was down to unnecessary carelessness as well as a bit of excellent fielding by Sibley.
Did they lose a bit of focus after their strong bowling performance when they came out to bat the second time ? Really all they had to do was turn in a solid innings of about 200 and it was game over...but I guess a team with as fragile a tail as theirs is always vulnerable if several top batsman fail.

England by contrast : well we were justifiably nervous about our long tail too - especially in the light of recent slim pickings for the nominal all rounders. But in truth there is no comparison between the apparent "rabbits" of the two teams : Jimmy Anderson would bat nine for Pakistan

I see KC and Soul agree with me that the Pakistan tactics in the field after tea played into England's hands. Relatively inexperienced captain , of course ...but again , it's a fault a lot of captains make , especially these days : may be one of the reasons why there seem to be more improbable successful run chases in recent years ?  Not at all sure Root wouldn't have erred the same way given the chance (he has done in the past , more than once). Brearley wouldn't have .

So I don't think we can take it for granted that England are massively superior or automatically favourites to win the next game . If Pakistan don't let themselves get too downhearted from losing the unloseable they are well capable of bouncing back - and should really be better for the match practice. Selection , toss , pitch conditions all may play a part in what happens next week.  Pakistan may question whether two spinners is really what is needed in England . The home team still has to consider what is the best balance for their attack - and surely must revert to a full complement of batsmen - I think we can assume Stokes is up for bowling !

Whoever they pick , both teams will be aware , if they weren't before , that their batting is their weaker part. This pitch was no minefield , but collapses were never far away. Expect two more results unless it rains a lot in Southampton ...

So what was the main sport headline on BBC news last night? Oh yeah, Chelsea going out of the Champions League. Absolutely ridiculous, get Sir Chris on the front and back page!