The International Cricket Thread

[PaulWinch again]

Yikes it’s gone a bit wrong. They could still pull it off but NZ big favourites now.

[tomd2103]

Don't want to go in too hard on them given the results they have had with their approach and they still might well go on and win it, but this just seemed an unnecessary risk really when the series was pretty much in the bag. 

[Gareth]

Massive hour after lunch, see if Stokes can get that leg moving…hopefully he channels an inner Gordon Greenidge and bats beautifully on one leg!

Knock ‘em off 10 at a time…could do without seeing Broad, Leach or Jimmy with the bat

[Villan For Life]

What a tense finish, who needs sleep?

[taylorsworkrate]

Unreal game of cricket. I do think that in any other circumstance then the umpire would have correctly called the penultimate ball a wide though.....

[TelfordVilla]

A test match that will be talked about for many years, for many reasons. Surely that is a better outcome for test cricket than a boring draw and 1-0 series win for England.

[PaulWinch again]

What a Test match, shows what a great game it is. Congratulations NZ and no shame to England either, they’ve been incredible and are making the game completely compelling. Can’t wait for the summer!

[Monty]

Mental, totally mental. This English team is the best thing to happen to Test cricket in years.

[JD]

Great test and fair play to NZ. They never gave up and there were so many twists and turns in this match.

[Rory]

Mental, totally mental. This English team is the best thing to happen to Test cricket in years.

Absolutely agreed, Monty.

[olaftab]

Muggins here went to bed as soon as score turned to 200 with 5 down thinking it’s done now😥

[olaftab]

The win in Rawalpindi and this defeat are both absolute legendary results. Lsvilla you are very lucky having witnessed the Wonder of Wellington.

[olaftab]

Mental, totally mental. This English team is the best thing to happen to Test cricket in years.

Absolutely agreed, Monty.

Seconded. They are doing exactly the stuff I always thought teams should do in a Test match.

[tomd2103]

A test match that will be talked about for many years, for many reasons. Surely that is a better outcome for test cricket than a boring draw and 1-0 series win for England.

Losing a test and drawing a series is better than winning it?  Not sure I follow that to be honest.  Just seemed like an unnecessary risk at the time, though NZ did bat very well in their second innings. 

Wouldn't have minded at all if it had been a dead rubber game, but the series was still live.  It didn't even have to be a boring draw either, given that England score so quickly and could have set the Kiwis a target they could have had a go at.

It just seems to me that we are almost trying too hard to be different and unconvential in almost every game, but it has worked wonders so far I suppose.  This just seemed like another example of that and it has cost a series win. 

They have been excellent over the summer and winter though and maybe this will not be a bad thing in the long run if a couple of lessons are learnt.  There will be a real anticipation going into the Ashes now though.

[olaftab]

Test match cricket was on it's way to extinction not totally but mostly based on far too many draws or two and half day results. Draws was dur to over catious approach, captains totally focussed on avoiding defeat first. This England approach is brilliant.
So, yes risking a loss in order to have a chance of winning is always better. This is sport.