The Cricket Thread 2014

[cheltenhamlion]

That is why it was a timely declaration. Roll them up and bowl back to back, with the option of a swinging session and go again. Two ways to win the match available.

[Villan For Life]

I only saw the last 30 minutes and thought Jordan's radar was way off. At times he bowled sublime deliveries but the rest were poor. The last over of the day was exceptionally poor, he hardly made them play. Hopefully he can put it down to a bad day.

[PaulWinch again]

I'm sure it was a bad day for Jordan. Excellent day for us, we really need to knock them over quickly tomorrow and score quick runs.

[Gareth]

Mo has done a good job because throwing in a Riley or a Kerrigan against Sri Lankan or Indian batsmen who play spin beautifully on pitches that don't really help a spinner are a recipe for disaster.  The time to blood a 'proper' spinner is against the Windies.

Agree that he has to eradicate the getting started and getting himself out though!

And for your bears fans you get 60% of the fee the ECB pay for his development

[PaulWinch again]

Big morning this we really need to knock them over within the first half hour and then bat and score quick. Ideally we want to set them 400 by mid afternoon and then declare.

[Dr Butler]

Big morning this we really need to knock them over within the first half hour and then bat and score quick. Ideally we want to set them 400 by mid afternoon and then declare.

agreed Paul, but as the pitch is playing well it might not be that easy shifting the tail-enders.....and we certainly will need 4 sessions to bowl them out a second time.

[Villan For Life]

330 all out and Jimmy gets a 5-fer on his birthday.

The lead is 239, personally I'd enforce the follow on but I don't yet know what they're going to do.

[Dr Butler]

batting...need to score 200 or so very quickly and get them in just before tea with about 420/450 runs to win,  and it gives us about 135/140 overs to bowl them out..

[UK Redsox]

Enforcing the follow on is rarely done now, its not just Cook & co being their normal ultra-cautious selves.

Taking just 15 minutes to wrap up the tail should mean that the bowlers are fresh enough to bowl again straight away but England are going to bat anyway.

There was an interesting period of commentary late yesterday with Victor discussing the change from the follow on almost always being enforced to now almost never being enforced.

[Villan For Life]

I'd have enforced the follow on but the general trend seems to be not to.

[UK Redsox]

I'd have opened with Buttler and Ballance and gone all T20 for a couple of hours.

[Villan For Life]

Enforcing the follow on is rarely done now, its not just Cook & co being their normal ultra-cautious selves.

Taking just 15 minutes to wrap up the tail should mean that the bowlers are fresh enough to bowl again straight away but England are going to bat anyway.

There was an interesting period of commentary late yesterday with Victor discussing the change from the follow on almost always being enforced to now almost never being enforced.

As recently as the 2010/2011 Ashes in Oz, we won a couple of tests by an innings so we were enforcing the follow on then.

[Dave Cooper please]

As recently as the 2010/2011 Ashes in Oz, we won a couple of tests by an innings so we were enforcing the follow on then.

In both of those games Australia batted first, got knocked over quickly and then England scored heavily, bowled the convicts out for a second time and did not need to bat again.

No follow on needed!

We, in fact, did it three times, not just two.

[Villan For Life]

As recently as the 2010/2011 Ashes in Oz, we won a couple of tests by an innings so we were enforcing the follow on then.

In both of those games Australia batted first, got knocked over quickly and then England scored heavily, bowled the convicts out for a second time and did not need to bat again.

No follow on needed!

We, in fact, did it three times, not just two.

I should really stop pretending that I know anything about this sport!

[PGW]

As recently as the 2010/2011 Ashes in Oz, we won a couple of tests by an innings so we were enforcing the follow on then.

In both of those games Australia batted first, got knocked over quickly and then England scored heavily, bowled the convicts out for a second time and did not need to bat again.

No follow on needed!

We, in fact, did it three times, not just two.

I should really stop pretending that I know anything about this sport!

A great series for England....a bit of meat on the bones:
!st Test at Brisbane
England 260 & 517-1 Strauss 110 Cook 235* & Trott 135*
Australia 481 & 107-1
2nd Test Adelaide
Australia 245
England 620 5 Cook 148, KP 227
Australia 304
England win by innings and71 runs

3rd Test Perth
Australia 268 & 309
England 187 & 123
Australia won by 267 runs

4th Test Melbourne
Australia 98
England 513 Trott 168*
Australia 258
England win by innings and 157 runs

5th Test Sydney
Australia 280
England 644 Cook 189, Bell 115, Prior 118
Australia 281
England win by innings and 83 runs

A great series indeed