The International Cricket Thread

[paul_e]

Another really poor review but that's their lot now.

Chase is a poor spinner but he's getting a lot of movement here, Bess could be a lot more important than we'd have expected in this match.

[hilts_coolerking]

I think if anything the run rate has dropped since Sibley got out.

[hilts_coolerking]

This is what I was afraid of.  Yes, Sibley needed to change gears but he and Stokes were going fine.  Sibley, Pope, Stokes and Woakes all out now in pretty quick succession  and the run rate is still 2.77.

[hilts_coolerking]

Game's going nowhere at the moment.

[Steve67]

Game's going nowhere at the moment.

It's been a bit tippy tappy for the last hour or so, not sure this helps England too much with a dodgy forecast weather wise tomorrow.  Get on with it, or get the West Indies into bat.  There does still seem to be something in the wicket for the bowlers though.

[hilts_coolerking]

Gabriel is a very good bowler but my god he's chucked a few pies today.

[PaulWinch again]

Sibley is a good solid player. He needs to develop a way of rotating the strike more, particularly against spin, but I’ll take solid and big runs for now.

Stokes is bloody brilliant.

[PaulWinch again]

Ebony Rainford-Brent is a good pundit.

[Steve67]

All a bit boring at the moment isn't it?

[hilts_coolerking]

Broad hasn't really done much to justify all the hoo ha about his having been dropped for the 1st test.  Wicketless and going at nearly 4 an over.  It's a batting day, as they've said on Sky, but all the other bowlers have kept it well below 3.  Still, with Broad sometimes all it takes is one wicket.

[paul_e]

Broad looks like a bowler who is struggling for rhythm after a long break, Woakes and Wood have looked similarly 'off' so far. The difference between them is that Broad and Wood tried to force things to happen whereas Woakes is sticking to his natural game more. Not easy on this track though which looks like it was setup in the knowledge that there's another game coming.

[paul_e]

That's better from Broad and a big wicket. Even if we'd bowled them out for less than 270 I don't know if we'd have pushed the follow-on so I'd be ok with them going a little over and leaving us with an advantage of 150+ and an hour or so to play tonight. That way we can go for a quick 150ish and then declare and give it a go.

Very nearly 6 down, Curran smacked Chase on the pads but it pitched about 2mm outside leg and the wicket was overturned, very unlucky because it was a belter of a delivery.

[hilts_coolerking]

And another for Broad.  Let's hope this is one of his sessions.

[paul_e]

Good delivery but I reckon the pitch gets an assist there, stayed very low.

[hilts_coolerking]

And now a third.  Must say Holding is spot on, the umpiring has been pretty good this match.