The Cricket Thread 2016

[olaftab]

Well that's set the day off well.

Can't imagine the football will make it worse...argh!

Well there you go an horrific day all around.

[adrenachrome]

Well that's set the day off well.

Can't imagine the football will make it worse...argh!

Well there you go an horrific day all around.

Add it to the Bears' collapse in the second half of the season, and it is all quite ghastly.

[Whiney MacWhineface]

Cheered up by watching SA smash 438 off India: three centuries, du Plessis retiring hurt after a century punctuated by cramp in both legs, the vast crowd cheering him to the rafters, also chanting de Villiers' name as he pummelled them for a ton off 60 deliveries. Amazing stuff.

Oh, and they smeared India by 214 runs.

[cdbearsfan]

Fifteen overs to survive with two wickets left. Anyone watching know if there's any chance of bad light?

[PaulWinch again]

No chance of it. This will be heartbreaking if we slide to defeat.

[PaulWinch again]

Here comes the pain.

[PaulWinch again]

There you go. Gutted, but big question marks over Bell and Buttler. Terrible third morning.

[taylorsworkrate]

There you go. Gutted, but big question marks over Bell and Buttler. Terrible third morning.

I'd add Bairstow and Moeen Ali (batting wise anyway to that list)

Only Cook and Root look worthy of their place in the batting line up at the moment

[cdbearsfan]

Still a bit annoying that it's not one-one.

[olaftab]

Well done to Rashid, Broad and Wood. Could have been a  great winning draw but never mind. This match has been a good advert for  Test Match Cricket.

[olaftab]

Andrew Samson

BBC Test Match Special statistician


"England faced 49 overs after the fall of the seventh wicket, which is the second longest in Test history for the fourth innings."

[PaulWinch again]

Taylor has got to play for me.

[Villan For Life]

It was disappointing to lose the test and ultimately we paid the price for an awful session on the third day. That said we got much closer to saving the test than I thought we would.

I watched a lot of the action yesterday and I thought that Cook was hampered by a groin injury so let's hope that he is fit for the next test. Bell looked to be playing himself back into form when he got out to a really good ball. Root was out to a similar one.

The application shown by Broad, Wood and in particular Rashid today was really good to see.

I don't think they will drop Bell but Bairstow will probably replace Buttler behind the stumps with Taylor coming in. My concern is with Ali as an opener we are weak at the top of the order. Ali is better at 6 or 7 and has shown that he has the temperament to play the right innings with the tail. Someone please find us an opener though!

[Dave Cooper please]

Buttler and Bell have got to be close to being dropped, and Ali is not an opener, but we are not far away. I tend to discount these pointless run dirges in the UAE, win the toss, win the game. 
South Africa will be the proper test, looking forward to that.

[Proposition Joe]

Cook's still the only batsman I have faith in.  If he's there at the crease we can score big, if he gets out I don't trust any of the other batters to take us onto big totals.  Including Root, talented though he is.  He just lacks a bit of the aura of obdurateness that Cook has that when he's in and set you know he's in for the long haul.