The Cricket Thread 2016

[Villan For Life]

Nice to have TMS on in the morning again. I've always loved listening to cricket on dark, cold mornings.

Lost the toss and we're bowling.

[PaulWinch again]

Yeah me too, it makes me think of Christmas. Bloody annoying that Bell dropped Malik, on these pitches you really can't afford dropped catches.

[PaulWinch again]

This is going to be a real struggle.

[Villan For Life]

It was a poor drop by Bell.

I'm concerned that we seem to be trying too many things. Whilst it is always good to have a plan B and even a plan C, we seem to trying too many variations. On one hand it is understandable when you're searching for wickets; I really feel that tight bowling that contains the batsman and makes them lose patience and play rash shots is a much better plan.

Also, how empty is the ground? Around 7am Tuffers was on TMS and was speculating that there were no more than 80 in the stands. You have to hope that Pakistan can eventually return to playing in Pakistan so you get a test match with a bit of atmosphere.

[PaulWinch again]

Wicket off a no-ball now.

[OzVilla]

Wickets from no balls seem to afflict England more than any of the other nations, i wonder if hey bowl like that in the nets?

[DaveD]

Wickets from no balls seem to afflict England more than any of the other nations, i wonder if hey bowl like that in the nets?

First no ball of the day (first extra even), so no, just unlucky.

[Dave Cooper please]

Pakistan will be disappointed with less than 700 here I reckon.

Test matches in the UAE are awful, no fans, no atmosphere, horrible slow pitches.

[UK Redsox]

TMS reckoned that if you added up all the players, support staff and media it would come to more than the number of spectators

[PaulWinch again]

Wickets from no balls seem to afflict England more than any of the other nations, i wonder if hey bowl like that in the nets?

First no ball of the day (first extra even), so no, just unlucky.

First no balled called. It's a big difference, I guarantee there's been more no balls but umpires don't check until a wicket falls. It's the bowler's mistake, but the umpires are culpable as well because the bowlers are never called for overstepping before a wicket falls. So they don't know their run up is wrong until it's too late.

[olaftab]

Pakistan will be disappointed with less than 700 here I reckon.

Test matches in the UAE are awful, no fans, no atmosphere, horrible slow pitches.

Probably not 700 but 400 plus (as scoring is slow) however with Yasir Shah out injured this should be a draw.

[DaveD]

Wickets from no balls seem to afflict England more than any of the other nations, i wonder if hey bowl like that in the nets?

First no ball of the day (first extra even), so no, just unlucky.

First no balled called. It's a big difference, I guarantee there's been more no balls but umpires don't check until a wicket falls. It's the bowler's mistake, but the umpires are culpable as well because the bowlers are never called for overstepping before a wicket falls. So they don't know their run up is wrong until it's too late.

If they're not looking except at wickets, then I don't agree with that. As a bowler, I always appreciated it when umpires gave me a friendly warning that I was getting close (translation : you were over and I let you off this once), but you definitely need to know if you're past the line, or you'll just keep doing it.

[paul_e]

Wickets from no balls seem to afflict England more than any of the other nations, i wonder if hey bowl like that in the nets?

First no ball of the day (first extra even), so no, just unlucky.

First no balled called. It's a big difference, I guarantee there's been more no balls but umpires don't check until a wicket falls. It's the bowler's mistake, but the umpires are culpable as well because the bowlers are never called for overstepping before a wicket falls. So they don't know their run up is wrong until it's too late.

If they're not looking except at wickets, then I don't agree with that. As a bowler, I always appreciated it when umpires gave me a friendly warning that I was getting close (translation : you were over and I let you off this once), but you definitely need to know if you're past the line, or you'll just keep doing it.

That's definitely the case, the sky commentators made a big deal of it all through the ashes.

[Villan For Life]

Wickets from no balls seem to afflict England more than any of the other nations, i wonder if hey bowl like that in the nets?

First no ball of the day (first extra even), so no, just unlucky.

First no balled called. It's a big difference, I guarantee there's been more no balls but umpires don't check until a wicket falls. It's the bowler's mistake, but the umpires are culpable as well because the bowlers are never called for overstepping before a wicket falls. So they don't know their run up is wrong until it's too late.

If they're not looking except at wickets, then I don't agree with that. As a bowler, I always appreciated it when umpires gave me a friendly warning that I was getting close (translation : you were over and I let you off this once), but you definitely need to know if you're past the line, or you'll just keep doing it.

That's definitely the case, the sky commentators made a big deal of it all through the ashes.

There is so much technology available at tests these days that the detection of no balls should sit with the TV umpire. That would go some way to curing bowlers from overstepping.

[PaulWinch again]

Sounds like Misbah got a bit of a shocker when it was reviewed. But England have done quite well to keep plugging away, we could do with another couple though.