England vs Pakistan Test Series

[Swiss Tony]

Surely Cook is running out of chances. He was poor in the Ashes and in Australia he will be a soft target for the Aussies (he averages only 26 against them). He needs 2 or 3 big scores in this series or I fear Trott will be moved up to open with KP at 3 and Bell coming back in at 4.

Not so sure about KP,needs to remove his head from his arse rather quickly.

 

[Bluesmanager]

Very impressive stuff from Morgan, and a big hand for the selectors who have shown so much faith in him. He's guaranteed to be on the plane to Australia this winter and fair play to him. I hope he can go on tomorrow and post a big score.

Cert for 150, very probable a double-100 for me. The Pakistanis haven't really got a hang of this DRS yet, have they? (Mind you, their 'keeper didn't really get a hang of the ball on occassion from what I saw on the highlights).

 

[MrB]

Cert for 150, very probable a double-100 for me. The Pakistanis haven't really got a hang of this DRS yet, have they? (Mind you, their 'keeper didn't really get a hang of the ball on occassion from what I saw on the highlights).

Or maybe not.....

Dreadful morning!!

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

A procession.

I think it was 7 wickets this morning, and it should have been 9. Swann was plumb lbw but not given and Morgan was spilled off a regulation slip chance.

Anderson should pick up 5 wickets and skittle them, because he swings both ways, at pace.

 

[EastStandBlue]

A procession.

I think it was 7 wickets this morning, and it should have been 9. Swann was plumb lbw but not given and Morgan was spilled off a regulation slip chance.

Anderson should pick up 5 wickets and skittle them, because he swings both ways, at pace.

Ooo err...

 

[southend4ever]

drats! 23 runs. 6 wickets. come play at the home of cricket tomorrow boys if you want.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Can always rely on England to throw away a good position. Nobody does it better.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Or maybe not.....

Dreadful morning!!

LOL - it almost makes you all nostalgic for the early 1990s. No one does a middle-order collapse quite like England. Over the course of this morning's session, we were effectively 23/6. Marvellous. Asif picks up a five-fer - fair play to the lad.

Still, Butt has already gone. Pak 16/1.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

LOL - it almost makes you all nostalgic for the early 1990s. No one does a middle-order collapse quite like England. Over the course of this morning's session, we were effectively 23/6. Marvellous. Asif picks up a five-fer - fair play to the lad.

Still, Butt has already gone. Pak 16/1.

That wasn't a middle order collapse, it was the tail.

And anything we can do, Pakistan can do just as well, if not better.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

That wasn't a middle order collapse, it was the tail.

And anything we can do, Pakistan can do just as well, if not better.

If our tail starts at 5, we should be very worried indeed.

Agreed re Pakistan's soft underbelly, however.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

If our tail starts at 5, we should be very worried indeed.

Agreed re Pakistan's soft underbelly, however.

The fact that the 5th wicket was a record partnership would suggest that the tail doesn't start there....

 

[MrB]

That wasn't a middle order collapse, it was the tail.

But one of our big strengths in the last few years has been the depth of our batting, how many times did we add lower order runs against the Aussies last year? Swann, Broad and Anderson all scored runs. It was like we had an extended middle order.

I recall Broad being touted as a future No. 6 a while back. I know they're working intensively on his bowling but his batting seems to have gone backwards recently. Test averages by year:

2008 - 37.10
2009 - 25.35
2010 - 7.50

Swann's batting also seems to have regressed somewhat.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

But one of our big strengths in the last few years has been the depth of our batting, how many times did we add lower order runs against the Aussies last year? Swann, Broad and Anderson all scored runs. It was like we had an extended middle order.

I recall Broad being touted as a future No. 6 a while back. I know they're working intensively on his bowling but his batting seems to have gone backwards recently. Test averages by year:

2008 - 37.10
2009 - 25.35
2010 - 7.50

Swann's batting also seems to have regressed somewhat.

Regression to the mean.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

The fact that the 5th wicket was a record partnership would suggest that the tail doesn't start there....

Ok, captain pedant. If our tail starts at 6, we should be worried.

It was a lower-middle order collapse, not sweeping up the tail. 6th, 7th and 8th wickets ought to be considered as "lower middle order" if we have any pretensions of getting towards the top of the Test tree.

 

[Pubey]

32-2, Farhat B Anderson 19

 

[southend4ever]

Get in there Jimmy. get your balls out there son.
Broad has gone backwards with his batting!

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Incidentally, Jimmy is having a cracking spell so far:

O...M...R...W
9...5...11...2

Pak: 32/2

 

[southend4ever]

Oh jimmy jimmy

jimmy jimmy jimmy jimmy anderson!!!

 

[Pubey]

Finn gets in on the action too 40/3

 

[southend4ever]

47/6 - finn 3 and anderson 3 - i kid you not.