Yes, the stats of the first 5 english batsmen are abysmal excluding Pietersen. Their averages look decent over their full careers but in recent form say last 15 tests are terrible. It suggests that once guys get onto the team they are undroppable. Bell failed again yesterday.
I think Bell should be dropped and I wouldn’t have any qualms with Collingwood being replaced either. The latter’s a weird one - he often goes on a run of poor scores but then, as calls for him to be dropped get louder, he’ll respond with a big hundred. This generally serves to cement his place in the side for another while even though he usually fails to build on the big score and reverts back to getting dismissed cheaply. Then the process is repeated and he’ll get a defiant hundred after another run of poor form. He did it in Australia a few years back when he got a double hundred and he also got a ton against India recently but he’s not consistent enough to be a top six test match batsman in my opinion.
Agree, the worst thing that could have happended for E&W was his ton against SA last year. He got one in India at a snails pace because himself and Strauss were playing for themselves and their places on the side. If they had upped the scoring rate and attacked they could have set India a completely ungettable target in Bombay. But he isn’t that kind of player when he is scratching for form.
Play is after being suspended in Colombo in the test match between Sri Lanka and India…India were fielding and a spectator threw something onto the field(presume it was a form of a political protest) and India were deeply insulted by this and their captain took his players off the field
This referral system is pretty interesting. Flintoff trapped Devon Smith in front but the umpire gave it not out. Strauss used one of his referrals and he was given out by the third umpire after reviewing the replays.
Then Harmison had an LBW shout against Sarwan and it was given out but West Indies used one of their referrals and it was overturned by the third umpire even though it was a marginal call.
Gayle and Sarwan are still there having both made 50s, with West Indies on 122/1 chasing England and Wales’ 318. Matt Prior made a good 64 earlier on. He needs to keep improving his 'keeping and then he’ll be a real asset - he’s average 40+ with the bat in test cricket.
India are generally deeply insulted if nothing happens while they are in tour, its traditional for their host country to provide some form of insult so that India can storm off and threaten to leave on the chartered jet they always have waiting at the nearest airport. The host country will scrounge around for a few apologies and India will grudgingly accept so that play can resume. It was ever thus and ever will be, no Indian tour is complete without them being insulted.
[quote=“Bandage”]This referral system is pretty interesting. Flintoff trapped Devon Smith in front but the umpire gave it not out. Strauss used one of his referrals and he was given out by the third umpire after reviewing the replays.
Then Harmison had an LBW shout against Sarwan and it was given out but West Indies used one of their referrals and it was overturned by the third umpire even though it was a marginal call.
Gayle and Sarwan are still there having both made 50s, with West Indies on 122/1 chasing England and Wales’ 318. Matt Prior made a good 64 earlier on. He needs to keep improving his 'keeping and then he’ll be a real asset - he’s average 40+ with the bat in test cricket.[/quote]
The referral system’s a bit of a joke if you ask me. Whatever happened to players accepting umpire’s decision, rightly or wrongly and just getting on with the game? And this is a universal thing across sport, all this bollocks about stopping games for action replays. Just accept the officials are human, they sometimes get it wrong and get on with the fucking game.
I haven’t fully made my mind up on it yet. I like the idea in practice of having a certain amount of challenges. It shouldn’t really hold up the game too much but the third umpire was taking 4 or 5 minutes to come back with his decisions today and it was severely disrupting the flow of the game.
West Indies finished on a healthy 160/1. Panesar was very disappointing. Again.
Its hard enough getting captains (Ponting especially) to keep over rates going well, without a referral to the third umpire which take 4-5 minutes every time, extending imterruptions to play. Umpire makes decision - accept decision - let media and tossers on internet discussion boards worry about decision. This is the way it should be.
If this practice continues and extends to all sport, then what the fuck will we have to complain about on places like TFK or Clarehurlers? They’re doing us out of business, and we need to take action Bandage, action I tells you.
Mad I am, mad…
In other news - England are fooked, can’t bowl and only two and a half of them can bat.
I’m with Fitzy on the referrals thing. I hate video replays in all sports that just try and introduce evidence to replace interpretation. You still get crazy calls and you still have the issue of video referees deciding whether the call was wrong enough to be overturned. All the latitude and thought is being stripped from referees.
E&W getting their holes opened 50-8 still haven’t erased the 1st inns lead.
Fooking hell - 51 ao.
That’s pathetic and disgraceful.
Harmison took 7/12 at Sabina Park five years when West Indies crumbled embarrassingly so today’s a bit of payback.
Australia aren’t at the peak of their powers these days but England and Wales are conspiring to make it look retaining the Ashes will be a formality for Ponting and co.
All out for 51, lost by an innings and 23 runs. Come back David Moores all is forgiven. Can’t see them getting within an asses roar of Aus this summer, no matter that Aussies are in transition. Only Pietersen, Broad and Prior worth anything in this test. How anyone could pay money for Collingwood in the IPL I just don’t know.
Thought Flintoff bowled particularly well also.
True enough,and he got a few runs, I forgot him.
Owais Shah and Jimmy Anderson are in for Ian Bell and Steve Harmison. West Indies won the toss and have put England and Wales in.
Match abandoned for the day after two overs and one rain break. The pitch is dangerous. Like a beach apparently.
That’s scandalous for a test match venue. It’s not the actual pitch, the problem’s with the outfield apparently. It was covered in sand to hide the fact the ground had given way in several parts of the field, most importantly around the area the bowlers run up. So the bowlers were losing their footing and falling into holes in the ground and sinking into the sand as they ran up to bowl. Shambolic.
Something I lifted off another site:
As I write this column, the 2nd test between the West Indies and England is just about to start and even though I have been banging on about the hosts being under-rated I didnt expect them to absolutely murder the tourists as they did last Saturday. As I also mentioned the 8/13 on England to win the series before that game was far too short and they are now 11/4 best priced with Bet365 to do this. I dug up some interesting stats on Englands underperforming batting line-up here and it picks out clearly where the problems currently lie as only 2 of the top 6 batsmen average over 40 in the last 18 months. Change is well overdue in the top 6 and its high time some fresh blood was brought in, and at least Owais Shah is getting a game.