The Cricket Thread

Moggy wrote:

Dangerblade wrote:I have no idea about cricket. Can anybody put this victory in football terms? Turning around a huge first leg defeat like Liverpool/Spurs in the CL last year?

Yeah it’s basically like that but if Liverpool/Spurs had been 6-0 down and all 6 goals were away goals.

And then Liverpool/Spurs pull a couple back before one lad comes on and scores 5 screamers with a few assists from a lad wearing glasses.

Tomous wrote:

Moggy wrote:

Dangerblade wrote:I have no idea about cricket. Can anybody put this victory in football terms? Turning around a huge first leg defeat like Liverpool/Spurs in the CL last year?

Yeah it’s basically like that but if Liverpool/Spurs had been 6-0 down and all 6 goals were away goals.

And then Liverpool/Spurs pull a couple back before one lad comes on and scores 5 screamers with a few assists from a lad wearing glasses.

And if Liverpool scored a goal that VAR showed was offside but the referee let stand anyway. And then the Spanish/Dutch press threw a hissy fit about it.

Tennis analogy:

First set (Australia 1st innings): England win 7-5. It's close but England do come out on top.

Second set (England 1st innings): England lose 0-6, double faulting every point they serve and getting aced for ever point they don't. Probably the worst England innings I've ever seen. Australia had one like that against us a few years ago and you can buy commemorative t-shirts...

Third set (Australia 2nd innings) - Australia win 6-2.

Fourth set (first half of England's 2nd innings/day three) - England fight tooth and nail to sneak it against all odds.

Final set (second half of England's 2nd innings/day four) - Australia are 5-0 up and have match point. From there England win every game, but have to defend three match points in every game.

Ok, cool, yeah the lads did fine I guess.

Quite seriously, it's one of the best things I have ever seen in any sport.

And capped by a borderline superhuman performance by Ben Stokes, who has just done something you wouldn't even believe in a Roy of the Rovers comic.

I think it will be replayed forever. I am still reeling from it, from barely being able to look at the screen one minute to hooting in joy as he launched another six into the stands when he must have been out on his feet. Amazing

Genuinely keep watching the BBC's two minutes of highlights every few hours. Just brilliant. I still, still can't get over Lyon's fumble.

twitter.com/bbctms/status/1166099690984808456

Amazing.

Also - Re: the LBW given not out. My first thought was it hit front pad first and this was confirmed by Stokes today. Have seen this time and time again with DRS. Ball deflects off front pad onto back pad, DRS uses back pad impact as the marker. It should be from first pad impact, obviously.

Still elated.

Rex Kramer wrote:Given that's it's all calmed down a touch since yesterday, what team do we expect England to field at Old Trafford? It looks like Jimmy will make himself available but who gets dropped? Also, someone has to get dropped out of that batting line-up so who is the one?

For me, Jimmy comes in for Woakes (who doesn't seem to be bowling much) and Buttler gets a rest for Foakes. Burns and Denly has done just enough to keep their places for now but Roy might have to go. Big game to drop a new opener in though so maybe Denly opens with Roy at 3. Root back to 4.

It hasn’t calmed down at all. I still can’t believe it! Still though, two more to go...

That is one hell of a tail. Promote Leach to 8?

I’ve slowly come around to the ‘Buttler is incredible we just need to find a way to get the most out of him’ point of view. Nonetheless I’d still alternate him Jonny and Foakes in the last two Tests (so to be clear Foakes plays both). I’d probably just shuffle the rest: Denly to open or to three, Root to 4. Roy’s a mistake but now is not the time to blood Sibley really. As for bowling, Woakes for Curran perhaps. Is Jimmy fit? Is he really fit? If so then maybe him over Broad to give Broad a rest. Then Broad back for Jofra in the last Test if England win the fourth, before Jofra breaks.

Rex Kramer wrote:Given that's it's all calmed down a touch since yesterday, what team do we expect England to field at Old Trafford? It looks like Jimmy will make himself available but who gets dropped? Also, someone has to get dropped out of that batting line-up so who is the one?

For me, Jimmy comes in for Woakes (who doesn't seem to be bowling much) and Buttler gets a rest for Foakes. Burns and Denly has done just enough to keep their places for now but Roy might have to go. Big game to drop a new opener in though so maybe Denly opens with Roy at 3. Root back to 4.

Pretty much agree with all of this. Foakes takes the gloves. Sibley in for Roy, Denly bats at 3.

The bitterness of the missed LBW call from the Australian media

Think the criticism of the umpire is harsh too. He got almost everything right and don't think that was nearly as easy an obvious call as people are implying.

If only Lyon had nailed that run out. Or Marcus Harris had thrown to the striker's end. Or if Harris had taken the catch at third man.

Or England hadn’t been 67 all out in the first innings. Small margins.

ICC Player Rankings have been updated. Just in case anyone was in any doubt about how shite England are as a Test side, behold.

Batting
7. JE Root - 726pts
13. BA Stokes - 693pts
31. JM Bairstow - 589pts
43. JC Buttler - 547pts
55. SM Curran - 505pts
66. RJ Burns - 447pts
73. BT Foakes - 429pts
75. CR Woakes - 423pts
77. KK Jennings - 419pts
81. MM Ali - 412pts
90. JJL Denly - 386pts
96. MD Stoneman - 357pts
99. JM Vince - 342pts

Bowling
3. JM Anderson - 814pts
15. SCJ Broad - 731pts
27. CR Woakes - 596pts
28. MM Ali - 594pts
28. BA Stokes - 594pts
40. AU Rashid - 419pts
42. MJ Leach - 411pts
43. JC Archer - 406pts
62. MA Wood - 286pts
68. SM Curran - 245pts

Those are kind of nonsense though. Curran and Foakes are skewed by not playing many matches. On the flip side, I reckon there are more than 6 batsmen in the world better than Root right now.

Balladeer wrote:Those are kind of nonsense though. Curran and Foakes are skewed by not playing many matches. On the flip side, I reckon there are more than 6 batsmen in the world better than Root right now.

They aren't though. Performances are averaged out so however many matches a player has played is immaterial. Root is that high for two reasons: 1) his form prior to his current rough patch was brilliant, which is holding his
position inside the top ten, and 2) test match batting is on the whole of poor quality at the moment.

Really? I can’t imagine Foakes would be that low if his few matches were spread out... Anyway, Root’s current form does not deserve that ranking.

Mini E wrote:I'm listening to the final hour on TMS for the second time, after watching the extended highlights and the Verdict on Sky last night. I'm hoping my wife doesn't figure out I'm listening/watching the same thing over and over again.

Rex Kramer wrote:Me too. Currently painting with last hour or so on repeat. TMS

Can't believe they only leave them up to listen to for a few days and there's no way to download them. Which is why I recorded the last 2 hours of the show on my PC

Saint of Killers wrote:

Mini E wrote:I'm listening to the final hour on TMS for the second time, after watching the extended highlights and the Verdict on Sky last night. I'm hoping my wife doesn't figure out I'm listening/watching the same thing over and over again.

Rex Kramer wrote:Me too. Currently painting with last hour or so on repeat. TMS

Can't believe they only leave them up to listen to for a few days and there's no way to download them. Which is why I recorded the last 2 hours of the show on my PC

If I send you my e-mail address, please could I have it?

Mini E wrote:

Saint of Killers wrote:

Mini E wrote:I'm listening to the final hour on TMS for the second time, after watching the extended highlights and the Verdict on Sky last night. I'm hoping my wife doesn't figure out I'm listening/watching the same thing over and over again.

Rex Kramer wrote:Me too. Currently painting with last hour or so on repeat. TMS

Can't believe they only leave them up to listen to for a few days and there's no way to download them. Which is why I recorded the last 2 hours of the show on my PC

If I send you my e-mail address, please could I have it?

Of course.

EDIT: I have a Dropbox link if anyone else wants the audio file. It's just under 2 hours and 10 mins.

twitter.com/bbctms/status/1167421534723592194

Well, that's one selection issue resolved. Jimmy