The Cricket Thread

[Madmax 9,219]

Fucking have that, Anderson. Not a lot of lip from the English now, eh? Maybe they shouldn't have been crying about 'home advantage'.

Eyes on the prize, boys. Series win, please.

[Strike 6,961]

Ishant Sharma, wtf

I take back every negative thing I've ever said about him (and it's been a lot)

to be fair poor batting from england more than great bowling. he bowled better in the last hour yesterday

[Madmax 9,219]

to be fair poor batting from england more than great bowling

You're underrating his performance. To bowl such well directed short balls with an old ball on a dead pitch to batsmen who face short bowling from when they're kids is not easy.

[Ankit 3,176]

Fucking have that, Anderson. Not a lot of lip from the English now, eh? Maybe they shouldn't have been crying about 'home advantage'.

Eyes on the prize, boys. Series win, please.

Fact: England haven't STILL won a Test since pissing on the pitch after winning the Ashes last summer.

[EBH 283]

0-2-2 record in home games against notoriously poor touring opposition you can't do worse. One of them was 'a county attack' and the other hadn't won an away series in about 4 years. Really, summer 2014 was an easy rebound for Cook after the Ashes humping and he's blown it.

[EBH 283]

Ishant Sharma, wtf

I take back every negative thing I've ever said about him (and it's been a lot)

I don't think he can ever really come back from the Faulkner over. One of those career defining moments, like Broad's over to Yuvraj or the Klusner-Donald runout.

[EBH 283]

I'm hearing a lot of 'it's a flat pitch' talk, which I find difficult to believe, because if it's a road you don't finish on 2/247, even if your batsmen are as stodgy as England's are. Sub 3 an over on day 1 and batting wicket don't really mesh.

Also we're about to lose our first series under the Mathews captaincy. With Amla and de Villiers still to come alongside save-the-match specialists Duminy and du Plessis, South Africa will easily stonewall for 90 overs, unfortunately rain delays have cost the game at least a session's worth, which should have made the difference. Two match series are rubbish, this could have finished 1-1. One bad day's cricket from the ten is all you need to go down 1-0.

[Madmax 9,219]

I'm hearing a lot of 'it's a flat pitch' talk, which I find difficult to believe, because if it's a road you don't finish on 2/247, even if your batsmen are as stodgy as England's are. Sub 3 an over on day 1 and batting wicket don't really mesh.

It is a batting pitch, lots of brown grass on there. Barely anything has happened even with the new ball. England's top 3 are dour and Cook especially so because he was out of form. Plus India's attack is one dimensional in Ishant's absence. With Rohit Sharma in the XI we'll be okay if we just bat out time and let our natural fluidity handle the bad/tired balls.

[Madmax 9,219]

Well poised game. No chance of us winning of course but if we manage to avoid the follow on and keep England batting for 2 sessions, I'd give us an okay chance to avoid defeat. Majorly pissed off at Rohit, though.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Well poised game. No chance of us winning of course but if we manage to avoid the follow on and keep England batting for 2 sessions, I'd give us an okay chance to avoid defeat. Majorly pissed off at Rohit, though.

Cook wouldn't enforce the follow-on anyway, he's too conservative a captain.

[boshman 1,073]

Is there enough time in the game to not enforce the follow-on. Knowing England's recent inability to get rid of the tail it could take a while to take the last two. Add to that Cook and Robson are not the quickest scorer's., What lead would Cook want? 400+ knowing him. That will take a couple of sessions to get. Then maybe just over a day to knock over 10 Indian wickets. It has taken that long to get 8, and that is with some poor batting. For me you have to put them in again. There isn't enough time left in the game not to.

[boshman 1,073]

There goes my theory of taking a while to dismiss the last two... shows how much i know

[Ankit 3,176]

If and its a big IF England does not win this match, Cook should resign or just sacked.

Any chances of Rain tomorrow? Like a torrential downpour? No.

Can some one puncture the tyre of England's team bus so that they don't reach the stadium and India are declared winners.

[Madmax 9,219]

Run outs, chipping part time off spinners to fielders ... we sure know how to throw games away.

[Strike 6,961]

barring a kohli special, England have won

[boshman 1,073]

Run outs, chipping part time off spinners to fielders ... we sure know how to throw games away.

England know a thing or two about that as well

[zolayes 14,489]

If and its a big IF England does not win this match, Cook should resign or just sacked.

Any chances of Rain tomorrow? Like a torrential downpour? No.

Can some one puncture the tyre of England's team bus so that they don't reach the stadium and India are declared winners.

win or lose he should go

[Madmax 9,219]

barring a kohli special, England have won

Only Anushka Sharma gets a Kohli special these days.