Good start to the Series

[Matt the Shrimp]

West Indies are 81/3 at lunch. Lara's gone - for 23 - his scalp having been claimed by Simon Jones, whose first over in Test Cricket for 16 months was a maiden.

That's a good morning's work by England, by my reckoning.

Matt

 

[Notts Shrimper]

Was a very good early morning start but then again the Windies aren't exactly renowned for their great starts and this showed as we tailed off in afternoon session, clark(?) got his ton but overall its a very nice first day for england...now lets carry it on. (didn't mean to sound this negative, should have been more in praise of our bowling i guess!!)
one thing i gotta say tho is i reckon jamie foster should be wicket keeper, not read?

 

[Notts Shrimper]

not Clark, but Smith who scored the ton (knew it was the name of a southend player!) 311-9 at close, its a very beatable target...just depends what our attack does about it. gotta go out early and get the final wicket, then hopefully we'll get most of the morning session to smash some runs. just please no stupid mistakes!!
GO ON THE BARMY ARMY!!!

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (Notts Shrimper @ Mar. 11 2004,23:00)]but then again the Windies aren't exactly renowned for their great starts

Au contraire... The West Indies usually start their Home Series at Sabina Park, and they've only lost there twice in the last 48 years - to England in 1990 and Australia in 1995.

Last time Oz toured there, the Baggy Caps lost the Sabina Park Test by almost 200 runs...

Matt

P.S. Big up to Mr. S. Warne - awesome stuff.  10-159 in his first Test back in over a year, becoming only the second player to pass 500 wickets (pipping Murali to the post), and in the process destroying the Lankan top order in their 2nd Innings.  The man is a legend.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (Notts Shrimper @ Mar. 11 2004,23:00)]one thing i gotta say tho is i reckon jamie foster should be wicket keeper, not read?

I'm sure Mr. Craven may have something to say about this, but for me Foster didn't have a great season last summer... Whilst he's definitely "a contender", I think they've got it right with Read for the time being.

Foster needs to consolidate - especially on his glove-work, but also in terms of his ability to play all types of bowling - before he's ready to be thought of England's long-term wickie.  However, with Gough & Kaneria at the other end of the middle for Essex, he's got a fantastic opportunity to develop this summer - both in terms of glove-work with Gough's pace & Kaneria's spin, and also with his batting.

Matt

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I feel sorry for Jamie Foster, after a dodgy test debut for England he put in some real guttsy displays with the bat playing his part in building some crucial partnerships, and his keeping looked solid enough, the highlight becoming the first keeper to stump Tendulkar in tests.

He only got displaced as Read was considered to be the batsman more likely to make regular test tons, something which common wisdom now realises isn't going to happen.

FWIW I think Foster would be a more valuable batsman than Read to have in the side because of his battling qualities. Despite a short test career Fozzie has hung in there and put the break on England collapses on numerous occasions. I'd even go as far as saying he is a better batsman with the tail than Stewart was. A world class batsman Stewart undoubtably was (at least against pace), but he couldn't bat with the tail. The value of having 7 front-line batsmen in the team was always undermined when the tail was never marshalled and fell away before No.7 could get any runs up on the board.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Matt - whilst I don't disagree with any of that, I think conventional wisdom is that you have to be a truly outstanding batsman if you're going to get away with sub-standard glovework... i.e. Gilchrist.

There's certainly little doubt in my mind that Read's glove-work is several notches above Foster's.  That's why Jamie needs to work on that - and with Goughie & Kaneria posing their different problems this summer, Jamie couldn't wish for a better schooling than at Essex.

Once the glove-work has improved, I don't doubt that Foster will be challenging VERY hard with Read for the wickie berth with England.  After all, Foster has been offered a central contract before (I think?), so he's definitely someone whom the selectors will be keeping their eyes on, particularly with so many vocal advocates for him (Nass, Goughie, Sir Ronald, Goochie) in his county side.

I'm sure, as well, that it has done no harm for Foster that Graham Napier has recently toured with England A - in other words, the selectors will I'm sure be keeping a beady eye on activities generally in Chelmsford over the coming months...

Matt

 

[mighty_blues]

At the end of Day 1 the Windies are 311/9. However with England batting last the test match is in the balance. As i saw James Foster regularly last season i think that Read is a much better keeper/batsman but still got along way to go, to match Stewy

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I think Foster's chance has gone. He was flavour of the month but no more. Nasser is also yesterday's man and despite being England's best captain since Brearley, his voice will carry little weight, especially as so many have it in for him.
I think Foster has talent, his keeping was already at least as good as the 'keepers i've seen play tests in recent years - Gilchrist, Boucher, Jacobs, Parore, A. Flower, Stewart, Sangakarra but they are predominantly batsmen and there-in lies Foster's problem. Foster is a good batsman, with that vital ingredient bottle, but England will long-term follow the trend and go for batsmen who keep. Read will shortly be ditched and replaced by either Geraint Jones or if Read survives until the summer someone like Prior or Ambrose (both of Sussex).

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

I guess you're right about him being "at least as good a keeper" as the likes of Gilly... indeed, he may be a better keeper than Gilly - the point being that Gilly ain't a great keeper!

It's true that few of them, for example, are as gifted in the keeping department as (say) Jack Russell...

But I wouldn't write Fozzie off yet. Despite our lowly status (in the County Championship at least), Essex as a county still wields a fair bit of influence at Lord's - especially through Goochie & Keith Fletcher.

Matt

 

[mighty_blues]

Butcher and Nasser making a fight back 146-2. Looks promising

 

[Notts Shrimper]

we're currently on 316-8, nasser and butcher both hit 58 and flintoff and read had a good partnership before a few more fell, we're winning by 5 runs overall with 2 wickets to spare this innings...gotta get some good bowling tomorrow and try to press for the win but with the rain-breaks we've had i can see this one phasing out for a draw...
i'm guessing too anderson is injured? thats a shame cos he's a good bowler and not bad with the bat either

 

[mighty_blues]

11-0 on the end of day 3. Cant see there being a draw, if England have any chance of winning they need to take quick wickets with the new ball, because when the ball gets past 20 overs it dont do anything

 

[Notts Shrimper]

we came out this morning with Windies on 11-0. it's now 21-5. hit 5 wickets giving away 10 runs, harmison got 3 of the wickets. lara, chanderpaul and sarwan all went for 0. we're well in the driving seat now, could have it wrapped up by lunch!

 

[Barmy Army]

41-7 Thorpe just dropped an easy catch. 13 runs behing Windies now, so should win it by 6ish our time at the latest.

 

[Dave Towers Was Here]

47 for 9. They're having a laugh aren't they!!!!!!

 

[Notts Shrimper]

47 all out. worst score ever. Result!!

 

[mighty_blues]

Won by 10 wickets BARMY ARMY!! What bowling by Harmy

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Check this out... pure joy. Never thought I'd ever see an England field setting like this, least of all one in the West Indies...

Matt

 

[Notts Shrimper]

that is a fantastic picture, i noticed that we had about 4/5 slips watching it on skysports news the rest were all out of shot i guess! only ever seemed to go to first slip though!!