Cricket fred

[Puja]

Piss.

[Stom]

Typical. Last ball before lunch and all...

[Mellsblue]

Typical. Last ball before lunch and all...

Tell me he’s a batsman for England without telling me he’s a batsman for England.

[Banquo]

Typical. Last ball before lunch and all...

was a ripper

[Puja]

Crucial partnership this. England need to get 400 to be par on this pitch, which requires a hundred from one of these.

Puja

[Banquo]

throwin' it all away. Lorra pressure on YJB.

Bar Crawley all soft outs.

[Puja]

This is turning into a mini-collapse - from 92-1 to 176-5. You felt that, before Pope went, Australia were starting to lose faith and were starting to wilt under the relentless run-rate. As soon as he fell, they've felt back in the game and we've just been leaking wickets.

Puja

[Puja]

Just seen the replay for Brook's dismissal - utterly ridiculous luck. Very sensibly leaves a Lyon ball on line and length that was bouncing over and spinning down leg, only for the ball to richochet off his thigh pad, fly high into the air, land on his back, hit the pitch and then spin backwards into his stumps. Absolutely nothing you can do with that, except what he did, which was shake your head and walk off laughing.

Puja

[Banquo]

i suppose the bright side is that under previous regimes we'd be 120-5 rather than 210-5 (possibly).

[Puja]

i suppose the bright side is that under previous regimes we'd be 120-5 rather than 210-5 (possibly).

That's the thing, isn't it? May as well make hay for a quick 35-40 rather than be boxed into a corner and get out for a scratchy 17-18.

Root and Bairstow wrenching the game back - 262-5 with Root starting to reverse scoop Boland for 6. A wicket will still make the outlook very different, but looking better now and we're batting deeper than usual with Moeen still to come.

Puja

[Banquo]

i suppose the bright side is that under previous regimes we'd be 120-5 rather than 210-5 (possibly).

That's the thing, isn't it? May as well make hay for a quick 35-40 rather than be boxed into a corner and get out for a scratchy 17-18.

Root and Bairstow wrenching the game back - 262-5 with Root starting to reverse scoop Boland for 6. A wicket will still make the outlook very different, but looking better now and we're batting deeper than usual with Moeen still to come.

Puja

Yjb remarkable after so long out and under a lot of pressure. Pleased to be wrong about him a couple of years back.

[Stom]

i suppose the bright side is that under previous regimes we'd be 120-5 rather than 210-5 (possibly).

That's the thing, isn't it? May as well make hay for a quick 35-40 rather than be boxed into a corner and get out for a scratchy 17-18.

Root and Bairstow wrenching the game back - 262-5 with Root starting to reverse scoop Boland for 6. A wicket will still make the outlook very different, but looking better now and we're batting deeper than usual with Moeen still to come.

Puja

Yjb remarkable after so long out and under a lot of pressure. Pleased to be wrong about him a couple of years back.

Why did you say that?

[Banquo]

That's the thing, isn't it? May as well make hay for a quick 35-40 rather than be boxed into a corner and get out for a scratchy 17-18.

Root and Bairstow wrenching the game back - 262-5 with Root starting to reverse scoop Boland for 6. A wicket will still make the outlook very different, but looking better now and we're batting deeper than usual with Moeen still to come.

Puja

Yjb remarkable after so long out and under a lot of pressure. Pleased to be wrong about him a couple of years back.

Why did you say that?

Cos he had another run of bad scores after being recalled for the third time and had a major technical fault on the off stump and his overall average was 34, and we had plenty of lower middle order options. He then promptly got into a mega rich vein of form

Played well here, but like Stokes got himself out.

[Stom]

Yjb remarkable after so long out and under a lot of pressure. Pleased to be wrong about him a couple of years back.

Why did you say that?

Cos he had another run of bad scores after being recalled for the third time and had a major technical fault on the off stump and his overall average was 34, and we had plenty of lower middle order options. He then promptly got into a mega rich vein of form

Played well here, but like Stokes got himself out.

Literally read your comment as he got out, lol.

[Puja]

Moeen's clearly understood the assignment - 18 off 15 balls so far, including a 6 and a 4 off a Cummins over.

ETA. And stumped. Bugger.

Puja

[Banquo]

Suppose you have to take the rough with the smooth with Bazball but Ali and YJB were very rash and have let Aus right back.

[Banquo]

Moeen's clearly understood the assignment - 18 off 15 balls so far, including a 6 and a 4 off a Cummins over.

ETA. And stumped. Bugger.

Puja

As above, I think that was daft. There were men out for it as well had he connected. The earlier batsmen were scoring at 5 an over knocking into gaps.

[Banquo]

Root you legend.

[Banquo]

Robinson been excellent supporting him to his ton

[Banquo]

wow.....declaration.....not sure. we shall see

Lyon....bowled well, but conceded near 150 ....must be some sort of near record in one day?

[Puja]

Declaration. Bloody hell, no-one can ever question whether Stokes has minerals. Wouldn't've been what I'd do - could've been another 50-60 runs left with Root still in and Robinson hardly looking shaky, but it's knocking the Aussies off-balance and far better than if we lost the last two wickets cheaply and gave them the upper hand. If we get a wicket tonight, it was the right call. Otherwise, I'm really not sure.

Puja

[Banquo]

Declaration. Bloody hell, no-one can ever question whether Stokes has minerals. Wouldn't've been what I'd do - could've been another 50-60 runs left with Root still in and Robinson hardly looking shaky, but it's knocking the Aussies off-balance and far better than if we lost the last two wickets cheaply and gave them the upper hand. If we get a wicket tonight, it was the right call. Otherwise, I'm really not sure.

Puja

Yep as I thought too. And no wicket….so let’s see. Fair play, unconventional- no Jimmy to open too.

Great days cricket. What a great game test cricket is.

[Banquo]

yeah...that yjb

[Banquo]

yeah...that yjb

yeah but...shame about missed stumping, easy one

[Puja]

yeah...that yjb

yeah but...shame about missed stumping, easy one

And now a dropped catch. He's just not a Test quality wicketkeeper and, when chances are as rare as they have been on this track, he'll cost more runs than the batting difference between him and Foakes. I think we need him as a batter or not at all.

Not a clue who we'd drop for him though. Possibly Pope, although that requires pushing Root to 3 where he doesn't want to go.

Puja