The Cricket Thread 2016

[PaulWinch again]

We are in real trouble here.

[andyaston]

What a bunch of jokers on an easy paced pitch as well. And another thing is concentration levels, we seem to lose wickets after breaks of play far too often for my liking.

[paul_e]

I'm starting to think batting first was a mistake, the ball is moving all over the place.

[PaulWinch again]

Come on Root and Ballance dig in. This is a seriously flat pitch.

[paul_e]

The pitch isn't the important thing, it's the atmospheric effects, the swing is varying a lot, Starc in particular is getting some really interesting movement.

[Villan For Life]

Not sure why Bell hasn't reviewed that, looks well worth checking.

Umpire's call on leg stump so he'd have been out if he'd called for a review.

[Jon Crofts]

Oh dear.  Looks like it might be a long summer.

[Ads]

Bell is averaging 6 over his past 9 innings.

We will have lost the Ashes if we have to carry his awful form across another 9. Time to bin him.

[PaulWinch again]

Bell really is in dreadful form, he's probably got until the end of the next game.

[Ads]

We go through this all the while with Bell though. He's great to watch when in form, but when out of touch (which happens far too often) he's rank.

We can't carry him again, especially with the Pietersen debacle.

[Dave Cooper please]

Bairstow in for Bell next Test please, he needs to find his form playing some county stuff.

Our top order continues to be shite.

[PaulWinch again]

Good to see Root starting to play well.

[PaulWinch again]

Hazelwood looks a very good bowler.

[PaulWinch again]

I'm glad to see Ballance sticking in, but I worry when he gets stuck for a long time. Of the batsmen out so far it's only Cook that actually looked good.

[UK Redsox]

Good counterattack by J.R.