Shockingly bad performance so far. Playing as though we have already lost. Which as a result we now effectively have.
Watching the SA/Pakistan match in a bar in northern Sri Lanka. Toggling between the joy which is the forum & the despair which is Cricinfo.
This one is vacay. Delighted for Holder. Amidst the WICB inspired chaos which is Windies cricket these days, he is a beacon of rectitude.
Looks like we are stuffed this time However the Windies have given us a much better chance of salavaging a draw out this by being unprofessional and batting on just for their two players personal glory. Because they really should have declared considerably earlier than they did, perhaps as much as 150 runs earlier.
Perhaps the cricket experts could tell us this: how rare is it for a test match to go a whole day without a single wicket falling?
Rare indeed. Australia batted through the first day of the first test in England in 1989, I recall. Laxman & Dravid vs Oz in the Indian follow on victory c 2004? Did I see Holder’s marvellous effort was only the third double by a number 8 or lower? We live in unusual times.
It’s happened more than you might think, including just over a month ago in NZ, but this seems to have been only the second occasion on which both sides have batted in the day: http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283079.html
That escalated badly - seems we failed to cope with the part time spinner - or rather we weren't prepared.
Time and time again we give our wickets away as if in a T20 match. Someone in that 11,preferably more than one,has to knuckle down and stay in. We really miss Cook in such predicaments. Dismal.
Nobody seems to know how to play Test Cricket any more, save the Windies who you might have thought would have been the least likely.
All far too cosy. Root, Bairstow, Stokes all wildly over promoted & underperforming. Boy Root isn’t captaincy material & hardly batting material in this moment. Stokes averages 25 since the Bristol contretemps. YJB has been bowled more often than anyone else this century. All too slack. Time for Operation Poshboy. Buttler captain & as many Surrey players as poss. Hildreth & Leach from shires.
No wonder our batters failed: West Indies were bowling too slowly ! https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/47110267
Respect to Joseph. His mother dies & he continues playing. Rather puts the antics of Zaha & others into perspective.
Definite gutlessness about the current set up. Smith clueless & Root weak as leader. One test until Ashes. Frightening.