The Cricket Thread 2014

[PaulWinch again]

I agree, I just pray Cook isn't playing for a century because I fear for him if he is.

[Villan For Life]

I don't understand the people commenting on the BBC criticising Cook for not enforcing the follow on. It makes much more sense for us to be batting now, but we need to get a move on.

A poor decision to bat on more akin to not losing rather than going for a win. He has given India a chance now to save the Test.

Either decision still gives India the opportunity to save the test, no one of them really increases India's chances because on both counts they have to bat for the best part of 120 overs.

[olaftab]

It is unlikely that India would have got 300 today batting again so the fear of England having to go in at say lunch time tomorrow needing 200 and being bowled out is bunk. Aggressive approach was to get them in again this morning but.....

[Villan For Life]

I would certainly declare now and give them a tricky 30 minutes before tea where Jimmy and co throw everything at them.

[olaftab]

Cook will not declare before 450.

[peter w]

Thing with following on is that if we hadn't have made any in-roads with Anderson and Broad then it is risky hoping to win a test with Woakes, Jordan, and Ali. Give your front two as much of a break as possible because they could be doing a lot of work. A declarartion after tea should still give us roughly 115-120 overs to bowl India out with. Which should be more than enough.

[PaulWinch again]

Not enforcing the follow is the right call in my opinion, any rest for the bowlers is valuable and also it confuses the minds of the opposition batsmen. It's hard to prepare when you don't know when the opposition are going to declare.

[UK Redsox]

A compromise would have been to bat again but do so in a far more attacking manner (ie my suggestion of opening with Buttler and Ballance). I still think that Cook might be doing what's best for Cook rather than doing what gives the best chance to win.

[peter w]

I doubt that UK. If he fails he'll be piling even more criticism on top of what he's been getting. I think it's a fair call to have batted again. Now, it's just when they think it's right to declare. There is also an argument to be made for batting until tea.

[PaulWinch again]

Thing is a Cook scoring runs is the right thing for England, but he needs to be careful not to push it too far.

[Ads]

They will decalre after 45 overs.

[olaftab]

Not enforcing the follow is the right call in my opinion,

Not in every case. Follow on  induces huge pressure on the batting side and has yielded wins for the enforcing sides in most cases.  A few games have ended  as draws and very very few, statistically negligible,  have  gone the other way. However enforcing follow on is the only chance  and therefore a risk that the followers  will turn it around. So not  enforcing is a defensive strategy.

[Dr Butler]

can't declare now it would be an early tea.......

***so they now declare  after Root is out...India need 445 to win...

[PaulWinch again]

Well I disagree, it was the right call in this instance. In any case we should be declaring now.

[PaulWinch again]

Declared good stuff.