The International Cricket Thread

[Meanwood Villa]

Maybe the white ball game isn't having too negative an impact on players

[Meanwood Villa]

You've got to take your hat off to Stokes. Two tests in and he was already thinking about winning it Sunday night when he was teeing off. Took a lot of incredible application which you can't always bank on of course but fair play to the intent.

[Chris Smith]

Maybe the white ball game isn't having too negative an impact on players

Judging by what Bairstow just said it’s the opposite.

[dave shelley]

I've never been at a Test Match but I've watched a good many on telly and that was up there with the best of them.  Enthralling stuff.  Both sides have to be commended.

[paul_e]

Surely this wil will go down as one of the best test matches ever, I can't think of anything else that could have happened to make it a better game to watch.

[Villan For Life]

Phenomenal test match, full credit to both sides.

[Lsvilla]

Well that was fun ! Makes up for some of the turgid stuff in the West Indies earlier this year.

[Meanwood Villa]

Well that was fun ! Makes up for some of the turgid stuff in the West Indies earlier this year.

Well worth the wait on the website last night!

[TopDeck113]

Well, having spent the second day at Trent Bridge, I wasn't expecting that!

[tomd2103]

Excellent advert for the longer format of the game at a time when it was really needed.  Going in to the last session with all three results very possible is the ideal scenario in test cricket and credit goes to both teams for trying to win the game.

Great win for England and a good series win as well.  Credit also to Trent Bridge for allowing fans in for free today and what a day they got!

[olaftab]

Well that was fun ! Makes up for some of the turgid stuff in the West Indies earlier this year.

Days like this make up for the other hundreds of days we spend watching dross.

[Lsvilla]

Well that was fun ! Makes up for some of the turgid stuff in the West Indies earlier this year.

Well worth the wait on the website last night!

Yep !

[Whiney MacWhineface]

Now if only find a top class spinner...

[olaftab]

There is far too much nonsense talked about different formats of cricket. Too much talk of specialist this and specialist that. Too much talk about colour of the ball and length of the uniform. This can't be done because it's Test match conditions and that can be done because it's limited overs. All of this leads to barriers being built, mental barriers in players minds. Great players with good techniques will not succeed in any format if their mental approach is not right. It's not the format of cricket that defeats them it's the format of their conditioning. Great Test cricketer of the past who never played a single limited over game will no doubt still excel in that format.  Despite Bairstow's wonderful knock the record for England's fastest Test century is still held by one of those greats. If England needed 299 in 50 overs to win a match no one would have bet against them so it was totally right that the coach and players adapted the correct approach and got the job done. Remove all shackles and play the game in the most positive way you can whatever format it is. It's still about hitting a ball with the bat and uprooting 3 stumps at the other end. SIMPLE!

[paul_e]

I mostly agree. I do think some players are better at switching formats than others though. Maybe that's down to mental barriers as you say or maybe they just need a little more familiarity to be at their best.