The International Cricket Thread

[Steve67]

And Archer still can't seem to get the ball in the right spot.  All over the place.  England beginning to bleed runs, lack of urgency etc.  Lots going through the  third man area but we have no extra catcher in there. We have a leg slip and a deep fine leg,  who is redundant.  Crap captaincy and I cannot understand why the management don't get messages on to the field.

[Villan For Life]

I’m beginning to question whether Archer has any desire to play test cricket. He just doesn’t look interested at times and is nowhere near the bowler that gave Steve Smith a massive work over at Lords last summer.

[tomd2103]

To be chasing a 4th innings score of 370 plus halfway through day 3 when the opposition only scored 280 in the first innings just sums up where we are and where we have been for some time now. 

[UK Redsox]

Some more bad shots in the England second innings to add to whatever Sibley was trying to do yesterday.

I suspect that's the last we'll see of Bairstow in Tests for quite a while.

[PaulWinch again]

I’m not really sure what Bairstow did to justify jumping the queue in front of Crawley anyway, but yes his innings were a demonstration that he hasn’t done anything to change his game.

[tomd2103]

This kind of performance has happened so many times over the past few years, it's hardly worth commenting on anymore.  I do. However, think there is a spine of side worth persevering with, even if we accept they are not going to be very successful, as the cupboard seems pretty bare with other options.

Two questions for me though - why choose Silverwood when he was part of the set up that hadn't exactly been a great success in test cricket? 

As good as they are, I have wondered for some time now if Broad and Anderson are a negative influence in the set up?  Things just haven't looked right in the test set up for sometime now and it is interesting to note just how together the ODI sides have looked in comparison without them around.  Kevin Pietersen spoke about their attitude in the past (though he is not exactly one to talk in that department) and how damaging it was on morale in the squad.

[PaulWinch again]

So Burns out of the Test after injuring ankle playing football. I do wonder why they do it.

[spangley1812]

So Burns out of the Test after injuring ankle playing football. I do wonder why they do it.

The King of Spain did tell Joe Root when he took over it was not something they should be doing 

[paul_e]

They were told not to tackle and the injury came from root tackling him. Add that Sibley has been ill and we look fucked at the top of the innings.

[manic-road]

England win the toss and bat, hope they dig in and get a decent score.

[olaftab]

Here we go:

[olaftab]

[olaftab]

[olaftab]

Bit of cloud cover here but right decision to bat first.

[Villan For Life]

Great flag Olaftab, there was another one in the last test with the round badge on so it's good to see the Villa well represented out there.

That batting line up worries me, it's paper thin.