5 Test series : India v England

[Fauxstralian]

"All 4am starts in the UK 1st Test Jan 25-29 2nd Test Feb 2-6 3rd Test Feb 15-19 4th Test Feb 23-27 5th Test Mar 7-11 Harry Brook has gone home ,replaced by Dan Lawrence of Surrey Virat Kohli not available for first 2 Tests Indian coach Dravid reckons the First Test pitch might turn. No shit Sherlock England havent bothered with a warm up game presumably as they would be put on a green top against an attack of medium pacers"

[Eerie Descent]

"What was Pope's average for the series if you take away the 196? 9 innings at just about double figures, maybe? As I said earlier, never looks in. Frenetic is the word I'd use, not great for a no.3. Personally I like the thought of him taking the turtles, but not gonna happen. He's a middle order batsman all day long, I'd still go with Brook at 3, has the confidence for it, Pope looks like a rabbit in headlights. Stokes needs to bowl a bit to make up for his overall poor form with the bat for quite a while now. Ahmed to be our spin option everywhere apart from away to India. Crawley Duckett Brook Root Pope Stokes (c) J. Smith (WK) Ahmed Atkinson Wood/Carse/Potts/whoever deserves the chance Anderson"

[Fauxstralian]

Congratulations to NZ who have just moved past S Africa as the biggest CHOKERS in World cricket Australia chasing 278 to win & take the series 2-0 34/4 80/5 220/7 281/7 .... Carey 98no Marsh 80 Cummins 32no

[Dr Matt]

Rew > Jurel Brook > Kohli Smith > Rahul Coles > Jadeja

[Fauxstralian]

"India's depth and quality is the difference Kohli & KL Rahul go out and they bring in Jaiswal (averaging high 60's after 9 Tests), Gill & Padikkal Pant turns his car upside down and they find Jurel (averaging 63) Shami out but not missed Most/all other countries struggle beyond their best 11 Australia put Smith to open when Warner goes and are struggling with their needed top order replacements. England have Brook to come back but have noone else knocking on the door."

[Dr Matt]

Difference was no Leach and no Brook. Far bigger loss than Kohli and KL Rahul. Literally the 2nd best batsman of all time and England’s 3rd best post war spinner.

[Ron Greensward]

One of the results of the whole bazball thing is that it absolves all the players of taking responsibility. The whole it doesnt matter as long as you are trying to be positive is self distructing. Batters need to be allowed to build innings.

[stewie griffin]

"LOL at helpful indian conditions. England scored 477 first innings and India scored 757 in their first innings. Besides the point, he's a far better bowler now than he was then. And as I said, you don't get to give it all the patronising 'didn't they do well' nonsense because people are young, when you leave out your best option. Poor selection, plain and simple. I don't see why this regime should be immune from the same criticism every other regime in England's entire history would have got after a failed home ashes campaign and a 4-1 thrashing in India."

[zebthecat]

stewie griffin 1:04 Sat Mar 9 You summed it up. The sad thing is I doubt Hartley and Bashir will see much cricket this season as they will be the second spinner for both their county sides behing Nathan Lyon and Jack Leach (if he gets fit) and the Hundred blocks out the Summer yet again. Foakes will get dropped again no doubt to shore up the middle order. Ben Stokes had a Brearly-esque tour batting without the genius captaincy. Ben Foakes only keeps his place at home if Stokes can bowl as a third/fourth seamer. I'd be amazed if Rahan Ahmed ever plays for England again Jimmy Anderson did his thing as usual but is nowhere near as dangerous as Jasprit Bumrah. Just as well for us that Kohli Pant and Shami were all absent.. The averages don't make great reading. https://www.espncricinfo.com/records/tour/averages-batting-bowling/england-tour-of-india-jan-mar-2024-15633/test-matches-1

[Westside]

"I""s it Dawson you are referring to? "" The Dawson who's taken 7 test wickets at 43? Admittedly, only one match was in helpful Indian conditions, where he took one wicket, at 65. And being 34, he's hardly one for the future."

[southbankbornnbred]

"Yeah, but “Baaaazball”!"

[Fauxstralian]

"They were all debutants werent they? Up against Ashwin, Jadeja & Yadav who have over 850 Test wickets ... and vastly experienced in bowling on their pitches I'd say they did better than expected once sicknote Leach bailed Is it Dawson you are referring to. Obviously not rated by the management at Test level. Read somewhere they targeted TALLER spinners as they thought that higher release point would be useful .... guess that meant Hartley and the bloke who reviewed being bowled with Ahmed for some leg spin variety"

[stewie griffin]

"Our spinners averaged 36, 33 & 44 on spinning wickets against and Indian team without its best, and its most destructive batsman. we lost 4-1. Theirs averaged 20,24 and 25. Atrocious selection and you forego any right to moan about the domestic system when you leave out the best spinner in domestic cricket"

[Fauxstralian]

"The 3 young spinners have done than could have been expected.... took 50 wickets between them. Stokes, Anderson, Wood, Leach & Root totalled 25 (Wood 4 wickets @ 78, Anderson 10 @ 34) Crawley & to a lesser extent Duckett did ok as openers ... Crawley was the only one to average 40 but should have turned some of his 4 50's into 100's Root improved but still averaged 36 which is less than expected Pope had one innings of 196 & averaged 13 in the other 9"

[stewie griffin]

"Positives With our two meaningful series out of the way, having failed to win either and being second bottom of the world test championship, we can go back to winning games we should win and everyone can get back to pretending there's been a massive transformation in our performances. CrawLOL and Duckett did OK again. Bashir and Hartley did just about enough that everyone will ignore the absolute lunacy of failing to select the leading spinner in domestic cricket, who took 50 wickets at 20s and averaged 40 with the bat Ben Foakes. Just because apparently everything Ben Foakes does is amazing. The best 8 I've ever seen in the second dig here. Mark Wood. We're always told we need EXTRA PACE on flat pitches. He proved that emphatically here."

[Northern Sold]

Yeah deffo Hartley and Bashir the big stand outs for me... really good attitude in very testing conditions... Bashir today had me in stitches today reviewing after he just been bowled !!

[Westside]

"""Ben Stokes us looking forward to taking the positives from this tour which are...."" 1. It's over early. 2.England won't have to go back to India, for test cricket for a while. 3. The emergence of Bashir as a test bowler, who would have topped the the average for wickets per runs conceded, taking out Stoke's 5 over spell. 4. Hartley bowled decently. Obviously need to see Bashir and Hartley bowl in non helpful conditions, to see their true worth."

[zebthecat]

Ben Stokes us looking forward to taking the positives from this tour which are....

[Far Cough]

"Northern Sold 12:24 Sat Mar 9 Re: 5 Test series : India v England ""I'm highly impressed with new improved Sven... went through the whole series without mentioning Sheffield Shield cricket and that cսnt Merv Hughes.... or Rod Marsh... or Dennis Lillee... or that cry baby cսnt Kim Hughes.... or that other cry baby cսnt Dave Warner... or that other cry baby cսnt Steve Smith... or that other cry baby cսnt ... etc etc"" AG AG AG"

[Manuel]

Fauxstralian 12:25 Sat Mar 9 ''I guess getting to 700 now gives him the milestone to call it a day'' Fair point.

[Fauxstralian]

"I guess getting to 700 now gives him the milestone to call it a day Sometimes the selectors need to do what is best for the team in moving forward You'd think so after a 4-1 shellacking by an Indian team without Kohli, KL Rahul, Shami and Pant where they rested Bumrah for 1 Test. Though Stokes and McCullum seem to regard the tour as a triumph where they would have done nothing different r That said at 41 he seems much fitter than the 70mph fat cսnt Robinson and more durable than Mark 'Balsa' Wood"

[Northern Sold]

I'm highly impressed with new improved Sven... went through the whole series without mentioning Sheffield Shield cricket and that cսnt Merv Hughes.... or Rod Marsh... or Dennis Lillee... or that cry baby cսnt Kim Hughes.... or that other cry baby cսnt Dave Warner... or that other cry baby cսnt Steve Smith... or that other cry baby cսnt ... etc etc

[Northern Sold]

I'm highly impressed with new improved Sven... went through the whole series without mentioning Sheffield Shield cricket and that cսnt Merv Hughes.... or Rod Marsh... or Dennis Lillee... or that cry baby cսnt Kim Hughes.... or that other cry baby cսnt Dave Warner... or that other cry baby cսnt Steve Smith... or that other cry baby cսnt ... etc etc

[Manuel]

"I'm not sure reaching 700 wickets is that much of a big deal, beating Warne's 708 is a much bigger fete."

[stewie griffin]

"Just for you, sven son. Dry your tears and have a read https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/james-anderson-from-master-of-swing-to-master-of-all-conditions-1424186"

[Fauxstralian]

"Was just thinking .... first morning at Lords , beautiful sunny day and bowling an opener in front of a full house sending the rabid MCC members into a sea of pogoing OAP's Instead of a junk tailender wicket at 5am UK time at the end of a massive Indian innings before England hurtle to an innings defeat inside 3 days to set up 2 DAYS OF GOLF Maybe like Warne bowling Strauss through the gate on Boxing Day at the G on the way to taking 5/39 setting up an innings victory for 4-0"