Ian Bell needs to show conviction in his forward press to defend the ball. He has all the flair as a batsman but it's basic stuff which gets him out.
India's tour of England
- Thread starter KM
- Start date
As much as England have had some terrible decisions, this whole pining for Pieterson really has no basis in reality. The facts are it had been sometime since he's consistently done anything for England, for a long time he got by on one big innings a series, not even that the last Ashes. He wasn't much better than any of the other batsmen who failed miserably on that tour. On raw talent yeah he would still be in the team, but his form for the past few years hardly suggests he'd be making much of a difference. Then away from the talent its pretty clear he's poisonous behind the scenes, this goes back years. Incidentally, as do the problems we're seeing now, the only difference is, rather than no Pieterson, the bowlers regularly used to bail England out, but with no Swann, and Anderson is not as good as he once was and is in decline, the bowling has just decreased to the level that the batting has been since 2012 onwards.
And as much as Cook should step down the captaincy after a 10 match run and still going run without winning (and in most of those games we've not even been close), you really do have to question who would even replace him. Bell as the most likely candidate is lucky the rest of the team is doing so badly otherwise his own position would be questioned, and I imagine it will do if his poor form continues for the rest of this series.
And as much as Cook should step down the captaincy after a 10 match run and still going run without winning (and in most of those games we've not even been close), you really do have to question who would even replace him. Bell as the most likely candidate is lucky the rest of the team is doing so badly otherwise his own position would be questioned, and I imagine it will do if his poor form continues for the rest of this series.
I think this 'Anderson in decline' story is a bit of a misnomer. I just think he's just not bowling very well in a unit thats not bowling very well and, tbh, consistently hasn't under Cook's captaincy. Yes, you can't blame Cook outright for them bowling too short, but theres something wrong at the minute with either the bowling plans or the execution. David Saker should have been the first to go and the fact he's still around is bizarre.
Anderson needs to bowl less overs, thats the crucial thing, he's bowling 9 over stints straight up which is ridiculous and then being asked to do donkey work, which is equally so. Even then he's still taken 24 test wickets at 28 this year, which is better than any season in his entire career bar 2010/2011 his strike rate of 60 this year is in line with his career strike rate too.
Anderson needs to bowl less overs, thats the crucial thing, he's bowling 9 over stints straight up which is ridiculous and then being asked to do donkey work, which is equally so. Even then he's still taken 24 test wickets at 28 this year, which is better than any season in his entire career bar 2010/2011 his strike rate of 60 this year is in line with his career strike rate too.
You can't play in a team with an 'absolute crunt' as Strauss said.
Cook relies too heavily upon Anderson (in particular) and Broad. He needs to put more trust in Stokes, Plunkett and especially Ali. If Jadeja ends up with 5, Cook should be seriously questioned for not bowling Ali more. Even in his few overs, he still picked up two wickets at a good economy.
Caus he was shit for like the first 6 years of his test career.
Indeed. Easy to forget that Anderson was pretty mediocre for many years.
India are 4/6, should I go in?
Ali and Root look like they'll hold a partnership, but if ones gets out the odds will be sent tumbling.
Ali and Root look like they'll hold a partnership, but if ones gets out the odds will be sent tumbling.
So, how confident are the Indian fans in here feeling?
I'm expecting you to win but I haven't given up hope, as yet. I kind of think both these teams are capable of having a very good or very bad session that can completely change things.
I'm expecting you to win but I haven't given up hope, as yet. I kind of think both these teams are capable of having a very good or very bad session that can completely change things.
After what happened at Jo'Burg, nothing is a safe bet with India trying to get the opposition bowled out in the last innings.
As I said yesterday, we are due a spell of truly pathetic bowling. Today's probably the day unfortunately.
They pointed out yesterday in commentary that only Sharma has bowled in a 4th innings victory for India and that was only on one occassion. We are fecked.
They pointed out yesterday in commentary that only Sharma has bowled in a 4th innings victory for India and that was only on one occassion. We are fecked.
All it takes is one wicket. However, the tail-enders have all produced career best innings in this series from like no.8 down to no.11 so i have no idea what is going to happen haha. Is the wicket not doing anything this morning? There seemed to be some major uneven bounce in the session after tea yesterday.
Its spinning, and reversing a bit but it doesn't look like a minefield, a bit uneven.
I reckon this test is in the balance, if these two make it to lunch England probably will be favourites if not India will win. Can't see a draw either way.
So there's hope yet for Ishant ?
Seriously though , how bad was he? I missed out on a lot of cricket in Anderson's first few years ,only saw him in Odi's. (I think he got a hattrick against Pakistan once if I'm not wrong)
Ishant's actually probably not a bad comparison. When Anderson was good in that period he was very good, showed glimpses of what turned him into one of the worlds best but had a capacity for self implosion and general shittiness. Definitely a very early example of England's bowling coaches trying to muck around with things that didn't need to be mucked around with, too.
Just need break the partnership and wickets might start falling.Last day of test match as always,brilliant to watch.
We broke him, basically. Some clever person looked at his action and decided that it would result in stress fractures, so we made him change it. At which point he became a crap bowler and ended up getting the first stress fracture of his career. He then got fed up and went back to his old action and gradually became the bowler he is now.So there's hope yet for Ishant ?
Seriously though , how bad was he? I missed out on a lot of cricket in Anderson's first few years ,only saw him in Odi's. (I think he got a hattrick against Pakistan once if I'm not wrong)
Innocuous stuff from India this morning
How are the boys doing? for some reason cant access cricinfo in office.
One word : toothless.
I think we should be pushing the score on a bit, obviously without taking risks.
Here we go again.
Wow. Yes Moeen had some luck last night but we're crap today. Just hoping the new ball does something.
Don't really follow India outside of their test matches but can any Indian residents of the Caf explain what has happened to Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron?
Touted around as future fast bowling stars. Yadav played well in Australia.
Touted around as future fast bowling stars. Yadav played well in Australia.
Told you English that our bowling attack is crap and you'll probably win this.
Unbelievable that it looks like we've let go of another test match victory.
Unbelievable that it looks like we've let go of another test match victory.
Aaron, tbf is quite wayward and apart from pace he hasn't got much going for him. Yadav is the inexplicable omission though. He's been sent along with the India-A team on an Australian tour instead.
One wicket and you guys will either draw it or win it. England will collapse before the tail wags.
Last ball of the session gets a wicket.Binny has scored a grand total of 9 runs this game and has bowled 10 overs in two innings giving away 45 runs for no wickets. India choosing to play with 10 men for some reason.
If Root can get his century, I think England will win it but it would be won largely down to Root and his runs. An England win would only paper over the cracks of this performance.
Finally. Good captaincy as well, with the short leg.
Meh, I'm still pessimistic. We've been here before.
Wow did Moeen do a Jimmy?!?!! Sad times. Surely Prior is fighting for his test career here. It is all or nothing for him after lunch. Test cricket at its best. So many careers on the line for England this series.
Congrats England.
That was a pathetic show from Prior. Every time I looked up he was swinging his bat at something above his head, any fool could see he was going to get out within minutes, and exactly how it would happen too.
Get rid, it's not like his wicket-keeping is worth keeping him in the side for.
Get rid, it's not like his wicket-keeping is worth keeping him in the side for.
England can still win this. Stokes, Broad, Plunkett and Anderson all bat well.
That was pathetic from Stokes.
That's that then...
Bizarre
Lol and that's Sharma in the India team until he retires