Cricket fred

[Banquo]

I would so drop him right now. And I don’t mean for one test, I would not pick him this summer until he can show he has the mental application to succeed.

And also that England know what they bloody want from him.

Think the dilemma is that they want different things from him depending on who else is fit. He certainly seems to not be certain what he is doing, if being kind.

32 more runs is hardly the end of the world, but it’s the way they got them and the change In momentum...

[Galfon]

ffs..2 gone for 10 runs..pendulum swings back towards Pak. These two need to keep it steady.It will be good win
if achieved.

[Banquo]

ffs..2 gone for 10 runs..pendulum swings back towards Pak. These two need to keep it steady.It will be good win
if achieved.

Tricky now. Leggy in the groove

[Galfon]

The top-order decide to convene back in the shed.

[Banquo]

Entertaining stuff

[Digby]

We're not so much playing catchup as playing behind the game, and it's not working. Fair play to Pakistan, they're thoroughly outplaying us.

200 runs from the top 6 across 2 innings isn't going to do other than lose a lot of games, though the hope hasn't been killed off yet

[Galfon]

Nearly home and hosed now..buttler & woakes show their mettle as pitch behaves itself.
Never in doubt

[Banquo]

Oh joss so nearly bit unlucky tbh. Rather he was there with the tail really

[Banquo]

Nearly home and hosed now..buttler & woakes show their mettle as pitch behaves itself.
Never in doubt

Good jinxing work

[Banquo]

Great game whatever.

[Big D]

Buttler did well today.

Woakes is such an unassuming guy but delivers for England regularly.

[Big D]

Great game whatever.

Indeed. Should be a good series.

Drama with 4 runs needed

[Banquo]

Great win. Woakes and Buttler were fantastic. Woakes motm you’d think.

[fivepointer]

Yep. Top stuff this afternoon when it looked very grim when Pope was out.

[Mellsblue]

That made for a very entertaining day. There’s not much in sport that can match the ebb and flow of a close test match.

[Puja]

That made for a very entertaining day. There’s not much in sport that can match the ebb and flow of a close test match.

Agreed - it's absolutely unique.

I'm still not sure Woakes is suited to anything but English conditions, but he's certainly earned the right to be given another go overseas after this summer. He's played excellently, with a match-winning innings to add the cherry on top.

Buttler somehow achieved the impossible and rescued his test place for the next game. I don't think he came out in credit vis-a-vis runs conceded after drops vs runs scored, but it showed a lot of minerals to put in that innings and the best argument to show his keeping won't lose us test matches is to be heavily involved in the winning of it.

Not sure where Pakistan go from here. Their heads dropped massively across the day and it'll be hard for them to pick back up. Now that Stokes is fit, we'll surely bring back Crawley (and drop Anderson to see if Archer is more effective with the new ball) which will stiffen our batting and remove the obvious weakness.

Puja

[Digby]

I remember one G. McGrath at Wuss saying it's much easier to bowl in defensive fashion to attacking fields than bowling in attacking fashion to defensive fields. And Pakistan have a group of seamers who go hunting wickets and 2 leggies who don't tie down an end, what they'd have given for a Hoggard or Giles today.

Not sure if Pakistan has an off spinner, but they don't use the 2nd leggie much, it might give them more control if they had a finger spinner, and it'd present a different threat from the ball going the other way and uses the footmarks left by the left arm seamer. Or maybe the next pitch will lead them to pick an extra seamer.

We fell around 100 runs short in the first innings, they maybe the same in their 2nd, but how they ended up with 5 men on the boundary whilst chasing a win I don't know, that's a captain not trusting his bowlers and/or his plans

I wonder if either side will rotate a seamer or two? If we had Curran that really would give Bess something to bowl at, not that Bess has bowled all that well when having something to bowl at

[Banquo]

Whilst it was a brilliant partnership and run chase, need to bear in mind how green (:)) that Pakistani attack is- though they did have a holding bowler in Abbas to Digby's post, and Yasir had a decent economy rate as their attacking leggie. Buttler and Woakes were excellent- hitting boundaries early on (some from decent balls as well) and then just rotating the strike as Azhar started to panic a bit.

On our selection, we have an embarrassment of seam bowling riches- quite rightly, Anderson's place is under scrutiny- to me he has been pretty unlucky in his opening spells, and his pace is still well up there, but maybe he has lost the zip off the pitch which reduces his effectiveness, and he is 38, so...
Our top order is a problem; whilst Burns and Sibley are dogged, they just look technically iffy- both have a lot of moving parts. No nearer to solving 3 either. I'd like Root at 4 and Stokes at 6 (especially when he gets back to bowling) ideally.
On Bess, I think he is worth persevering with- he could do with a chat with Warne, whose commentary and insight is brilliant imo. Fielding needs a big improvement- I think Stokes should be in the gully area for the quicks.

[Banquo]

Jimmy to retire rumour

[Digby]

Whilst it was a brilliant partnership and run chase, need to bear in mind how green (:)) that Pakistani attack is- though they did have a holding bowler in Abbas to Digby's post, and Yasir had a decent economy rate as their attacking leggie. Buttler and Woakes were excellent- hitting boundaries early on (some from decent balls as well) and then just rotating the strike as Azhar started to panic a bit.

Abbas could do the job of a holding bowler, but he's on a very full length for a holding bowler, I think he's looking to pick up wickets more than lock down an end, and even if he locks down an end he still needs help from his bowling partner. Doesn't seem to be a new thing that Pakistan are a little too aggressive in their style, it's what's so often made them a great team to watch, and such a frustrating team to coach

[Big D]

Jimmy to retire rumour

With a winter tour schedule ahead to SL and India it is likely he would be lightly used and perhaps he sees the writing on the wall before India come calling in the summer.

It would be sad to see him limp into retirement next summer if that's how it goes.

Intriguing selection dilemmas ahead in the winter. Which pace bowlers play. 2nd spinner - could Rashid come into contention? Buttler poor keeping to spin and you can't miss chances v India so does Foakes come in and Buttler play as a batsmen?

[Banquo]

Whilst it was a brilliant partnership and run chase, need to bear in mind how green (:)) that Pakistani attack is- though they did have a holding bowler in Abbas to Digby's post, and Yasir had a decent economy rate as their attacking leggie. Buttler and Woakes were excellent- hitting boundaries early on (some from decent balls as well) and then just rotating the strike as Azhar started to panic a bit.

Abbas could do the job of a holding bowler, but he's on a very full length for a holding bowler, I think he's looking to pick up wickets more than lock down an end, and even if he locks down an end he still needs help from his bowling partner. Doesn't seem to be a new thing that Pakistan are a little too aggressive in their style, it's what's so often made them a great team to watch, and such a frustrating team to coach

His run rate is miserly in all tests, so does the job anyway; like Hoggard, also takes wickets. So you were making the point that they needed a holding bowler like Hoggard or Giles, and they had one. How he was used is another matter, and you now seem to be saying they needed two holding bowlers ; on a serious note, as I said before, the other two seamers are relatively new to test cricket, and as such did pretty well, as did Shah. I think the skipper missed some tricks more than their attack bowled poorly.

[Banquo]

Jimmy to retire rumour

With a winter tour schedule ahead to SL and India it is likely he would be lightly used and perhaps he sees the writing on the wall before India come calling in the summer.

It would be sad to see him limp into retirement next summer if that's how it goes.

Intriguing selection dilemmas ahead in the winter. Which pace bowlers play. 2nd spinner - could Rashid come into contention? Buttler poor keeping to spin and you can't miss chances v India so does Foakes come in and Buttler play as a batsmen?

On Buttler as a batsman that would depend on whether Crawley and Pope seal the deal. If they do, no.

Still the top 3 is the elephant in the room.

[Banquo]

Stokes out for rest of series- sounds like his Dad is very poorly still. All the best.

[Stom]

Stokes out for rest of series- sounds like his Dad is very poorly still. All the best.

That’s going to have big implications for our lineup.

So simply Crawley in, right? I would probably bring in Curran or Wood.