The Cricket Thread 2014

[OzVilla]

Hopefully that will give Cook some confidence as a skipper. Manipulating the field to pick up a couple of wickets.

Shame Warne snt on commentary as that's just the sort of thing that if Michael Clarke had done it he'd be knocking one out all over the desk about.

Lovely to hear the dulcet tones of Bumble and Athers though in the long, dark Queensland winter. Struggled to 21c today FFS!

[Villan For Life]

I wonder how much India payed the groundstaff to produce such an ideal pitch for their batsmen?

We'll see a lot of test pitches like this, the new drainage systems that were installed at all test grounds mean that the squares drain too well which produces dead surfaces.

[OzVilla]

Fucksticks. Botham and Ganguly are on.

Time for bed.

[PaulWinch again]

Excellent since lunch.

[PaulWinch again]

Good to see Cook chopping and changing things.

[PaulWinch again]

This pitch really isn't good enough for Test cricket.

[paul_e]

Have Plunkett or Stokes looked remotely threatening?

[PaulWinch again]

Not particularly.

[PaulWinch again]

Oh I think Cook should have got there.

[PaulWinch again]

What a catch from Cook! Plunkett gets a wicket.

[Ads]

Hopefully that will give Cook some confidence as a skipper. Manipulating the field to pick up a couple of wickets.

Shame Warne snt on commentary as that's just the sort of thing that if Michael Clarke had done it he'd be knocking one out all over the desk about.

Lovely to hear the dulcet tones of Bumble and Athers though in the long, dark Queensland winter. Struggled to 21c today FFS!

They were moaning that it was on 27c when I was in Port Douglas the week before last! That cyclone thay had over Easter has done something to the weather.

[PaulWinch again]

This pitch is terrible, to be keeping this low on a first day is rubbish.

[Dave Cooper please]

I reckon you can partly blame the ECB for this disaster of a pitch, they have started the game on Wednesday so will almost certainly have asked the groundsman for a pitch which would produce a five day Test match so they can get a decent crowd in on the Sunday. In trying to do this he has produced this flat, dead thing which has sucked all life out of the game.

[taylorsworkrate]

I think the blame partly lies in the fact that counties have to pay money to host international cricket. They need the games to go the distance to make it financially viable.

About time the system was changed and grounds were awarded internationals based on quality of surface, atmosphere etc

[PaulWinch again]

I thought England and Cook did well on a completely dead pitch yesterday, but we really need a good morning today.