They got rid of Ian Bell too early. Ballance should never have been picked.
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Well done to @Fitzy, @Special_Olympiakos and @Little_Lord_Fauntleroy - Australia have finally won a test match.
Good test unfolding in Chandigarh. England looked very light when they were bowled out for 283, India still ahead on 271/6 at stumps on Day 2 but at least the last wicket England picked up was the in-form danger man Virat Kohli.
New Zealand hold a first innings lead of 55 over Pakistan in Hamilton after three days of a rain blighted test.
Keaton Jennings the latest opening partner for Captain Cook as the 4th test gets underway in Bombay. He’s going okay. 103 not out on debut. England 195/2.
Order restored to the England top order with a Saffer opening.
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Just listening to him being interviewed on Sky now. There’s something very reassuring about a top order England batsman with a big old Saffer accent on him.
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Wonderful response from India to that start from England. Great total in responsin and now have England under huge pressure on 50-3 and trailing by 181.
Kohli is truly becoming one of the greats. England spinners just not good enough though, as everyone knew before the tour really. Good effort by Root here against much much better bowling, he’s genuinely top class.
That’s the bottom line if you’re going to win in India you need a world class spinner. England had Graeme Swann four years ago and they won their first series there since 1984. For all the years Australia had Shane Warne, Australia’s test series win in 2004 is their only one in India in nearly 50 years. England have been outclassed in the spin department. Lower order runs have really hurt them as well. They were well in this game when they had India on 364/7, then a 241 run partnership for the 8th wicket.
India going for the kill now.
One wicket left and 9.3 overs to bat out. Another collapse. I assume Cook will quit after this series.
Red rover. beaten by an innings and 75 runs. Collapsed from 103/1 to 207 all out.
Yet another embarrassing capitulation to lose by an innings. Has Cook gone yet? He’s toast now.
Contrast Cook’s bumbling in India with Steve Smith’s coolness and patience at the Gabba. He persisted with Mitchell Starc and the outside off stump line he was bowling and victory was grabbed from the jaws of defeat.
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Epic stuff. The Pakis really bring something different to the game.
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You would think he is a goner. But it is harder to get dropped by England than picked. It’s a nice cosy club with a few nice egos in there. There are seven months until the next test so plenty of time for Cook to make a decision. He has two small kids now and he is England’s leading run scorer. He has nothing to prove. I reckon if he quits as captain he will jack the whole thing in.
The whole tour was a shambles. They don’t have a world class spinner, fair enough. But the batting has been abject. The wrong options all over the shop. Picking Duckett to open in Bangladesh on the back of a 60 in a one day game instead of putting young Hameed in. Taking Gary Ballance on the tour, failed too many times. The way they can’t bat for any length of time.
Smith is no Steve Waugh or Mark Taylor. Its only a month since he racked up five consecutive defeats as captain presiding over a shambles of a series loss to South Africa, following on from a 3-0 whitewash in Sri Lanka. The hole Australia found themselves in at the Gabba was as a consequence of the usual gutless Australia decision not to enforce the follow on.
But hey, it made their stats look good!
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The batting problems and the spinning problems are almost two sides of the same coin. They play most of their domestic cricket on pitches that assist seam bowlers. Spinners aren’t in the game, and 350 is a good score so doesn’t encourage huge double hundreds. Taunton is by all accounts the only track on the circuit that takes turn, and they seem to have produced a decent spinner in Leach (though turns out he may be a chucker).
Cook has spoken about going back to the ranks. Think he still wants to chase down a few records. Think he genuinely enjoys being out there scoring runs too. I’d say the only thing that might keep him on as captain is the chance to avenge the last trip down under. He looked absolutely dejected yesterday though, think it might be best for all concerned if he hands over to Root. No Test until July though, so correct not to make a snap decision.
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A top four of Cook, Hameed, Jennings and Root would be decent.
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Very funny article by Rob Smyth