England tour of the West Indies

[canveyshrimper]

Powell has just edged Swann through to Prior......

Given not out.

Does anyone walk?!

Only Adam "The Walker" Gilchrist, and he's retired.

A good day for England and well done Graeme Swann on getting his first 5fer. I think it was the right decision not to enforce the follow on. England need to get another 200 or so in their second innings, I wouldn't fancy batting on that on the last day there seem to be more instances of the ball keeping low.

 

[Moridin]

Only Adam "The Walker" Gilchrist, and he's retired.

A good day for England and well done Graeme Swann on getting his first 5fer. I think it was the right decision not to enforce the follow on. England need to get another 200 or so in their second innings, I wouldn't fancy batting on that on the last day there seem to be more instances of the ball keeping low.

Have to agree with you there!


Well done to Swann, I was annoyed that he was selected but he has done the job.

I watched bits and pieces of the game, and from what I saw Swann was very consistent with his line and getting a little turn as well, so the selection has worked out so far. Hopefully he can do as well wrapping things up.

Thought Anderson was unlucky to go wicketless, he beat the edge quite a few times and looked much better than Sidebottom has done for a while. Broad looks to be coming along as well, they couldn't get him away.

Right decision not to enforce the follow on, the pitch looks to be getting worse. Swann and Flintoff should be a handful on the last day.

 

[Bluesmanager]

Gayle goes lbw to Swann for 46 - 81-2.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

England's attempts to take time out of the game aren't looking so clever now it has rained as forecasted.

Good news is that Ravi Bopara has been called up, along with Amjad Khan.

 

[number11]

England's attempts to take time out of the game aren't looking so clever now it has rained as forecasted.

Good news is that Ravi Bopara has been called up, along with Amjad Khan.

It did seem an overly cautious decision when we need a win to get back into it.

I guess the call ups means bad news on Flintoff. Give him the next few months off (I guess IPL place may be in jeopardy) so he can play some part in the ashes.

Interesting choices to replace him though. We dont have a genuine all rounder as a like for like replacement, so he will have to be replaced by either a batter or bowler.

Replacing him with a batter is an more defensive proposition. An out and out batsman at 6 (Bell or Ravi) would give good depth to the batting, with Prior and Broad in at 7 and 8 and we should be able to put together decent totals. However, on unhelpful pitches Im not sure a 4 man attack of Broad Anderson Harmison Broad (or with Monty or Sidebottom) would fill me with confidence at getting 20 wickets.

Replacing Freddie with a bowler (for instance Sidebottom) would give a 5 man, varied attack, but would put a lot of pressure on Prior coming up to 6 and Broad 7.

I dont think Ravi's golden arm is really useful in test cricket as anything other than a fill in to allow the others to rest, but if we went with a batter at 6 surely Ravi would offer more than Bell. Another interesting proposition would be, if the pitch looks like it is taking spin, to play Rashid and so we have a 6,7 8 or Prior Broad Rashid and a 5 man attack.

Interesting options

 

[Perth Bambi]

Not sure if anyone has been watching but did anyone watch the career highlights of Brian Lara about half hour ago. What an absolute legend. Would he have done so well facing Ambrose and Walsh though? Before anyone says anything I know he still had to face Mcgrath, Warne, Murali etc

 

[number11]

Not sure if anyone has been watching but did anyone watch the career highlights of Brian Lara about half hour ago. What an absolute legend. Would he have done so well facing Ambrose and Walsh though? Before anyone says anything I know he still had to face Mcgrath, Warne, Murali etc

I think any batsman of that era (90's) had it far tougher than today. He would have not only had to face McGrath and Warne, but also Pollock and Donald and Wasim and Waqar (and Saqlain and Mustaq). Even his two huge scores against England were not against the worst attacks we have put out.

As you say, he played against the great Australian attack. When they beat the Aussies in the late 90's it was just after I got Sky and watching his innings in that series was awesome.

Its a shame Lara had to carry the team for the later part of his career, but I would always have him above Tendulkar as he has had far more career defining innings.

 

[Perth Bambi]

I think any batsman of that era (90's) had it far tougher than today. He would have not only had to face McGrath and Warne, but also Pollock and Donald and Wasim and Waqar (and Saqlain and Mustaq). Even his two huge scores against England were not against the worst attacks we have put out.

As you say, he played against the great Australian attack. When they beat the Aussies in the late 90's it was just after I got Sky and watching his innings in that series was awesome.

Its a shame Lara had to carry the team for the later part of his career, but I would always have him above Tendulkar as he has had far more career defining innings.

Something I didn't realise was that it was only a year after he made his first test century that he got thta 375 and it was only something like his 3rd century ever (the first hundred of the 375 obviously)

 

[Boreham Shrimper]

Sarwan bowled :clap:

 

[BrettieAngell]

Chanderpaul out!! 5 down, come on england!!!!

 

[canveyshrimper]

Something I didn't realise was that it was only a year after he made his first test century that he got thta 375 and it was only something like his 3rd century ever (the first hundred of the 375 obviously)

I think I am right in saying that Sir Garfield Sobers first test hundred was 365 not out which stood for over 35 years until Lara scored his 375.

 

[canveyshrimper]

2 wickets to get and about half an hour left.

 

[Jay_Shrimper]

Drawn. :stunned:

 

[Bluesmanager]

After all that, the light conks out.

 

[Boreham Shrimper]

Some people are saying what a wonderful advert this is for test cricket and I would tend to agree. Definitely very exciting. My mother on the other hand, says it epitomises everything she hates about the sport. :madman:

 

[BLUEBLOOD]

Some people are saying what a wonderful advert this is for test cricket and I would tend to agree. Definitely very exciting. My mother on the other hand, says it epitomises everything she hates about the sport. :madman:

I thought it was an excellent contest .. fair play to the Windies for their stubborn resistance, though i still feel we batted too long second time around

Hindsight is a wonderful thing i know, but another 20 minutes and we would've won it

 

[A Century United]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing i know, but if Fred wasn't the cricketing Barnard, we would've won it

Corrected....

 

[Perth Bambi]

Or if Strauss hadn't decided he wanted 80 more runs then the world record we would have had around an extra hour or so to bowl.

 

[C C Csiders]

Or if Strauss hadn't decided he wanted 80 more runs then the world record we would have had around an extra hour or so to bowl.

Absolutely! Totally negative from Strauss and Flower (who I assume had a say in the decision), allied to the snails-pace innings from the completely over-rated Cook.

Hopefully Strauss will either learn from this or be replaced by a more positive individual in time for the Ashes.

 

[Exiled Shrimper]

Absolutely! Totally negative from Strauss and Flower (who I assume had a say in the decision), allied to the snails-pace innings from the completely over-rated Cook.

Hopefully Strauss will either learn from this or be replaced by a more positive individual in time for the Ashes.

I think you have to put the declaration into the context of the winter England have had - the last day of the first test in India would've played massively on Strauss' mind, given that Gayle, and to a lesser extent, Sarwan, are both capable of playing an innings like Sehway did to set up that massive chase of almost 400 in the last innings.

Then there was the collapse to 51 all out in Jamaica, which clearly England had to recover from - it was imperative not to suffer another morale-denting defeat (although admittedly this probably won't feel far short).

The main gripe I would have with England's second innings was Anderson's employment as night-watchman - with England effectively 300-1, it was needless, and Shah should've gone in. Cook's grinding knock was personally important to register another 50 - in the long run it could be argued that this was good for the team going forward, although in this particular match, it certainly didn't help.