The International Cricket Thread

[olaftab]

Yes indeed. Well done to Windies.  It’s called a Test match for a good reason. Time allows players to totally change the outcome of the match from hopeless situations.

[PaulWinch again]

This far Wood has been a bit of a passenger, need something from him.

[olaftab]

Leach and Ahmed have thrown this away.

[Gareth]

Looking ok now :-)

[olaftab]

Time for Wood to do something like knocked Siraj’s middle stump out of the stadium.

[olaftab]

Never in doubt. Well done Hartley.

[Meanwood Villa]

So many appalling takes on here after the first couple if days, including from me. Never write this team off!

[Monty]

Best England Test comeback since...how long? Decades? It's an amazing victory. Pope and Hartley channeling Beefy and Bob, incredible stuff.

[TopDeck113]

Incredible win.  Arguably the best of the Ben-Baz era - and there's a few to choose from.

[tomd2103]

We’ll be bowled out for less than 120 in the second innings. Reality is this isn’t a 350 pitch, but a lack of control and just poor bowling generally has given India way too many freebies.

Yep, would be surprised if it goes on any longer than tomorrow.  I am a big fan of the test format, but this is the first time I can feel just a touch of apathy creeping in. 

It's probably.because we knew it was going to be a tough tour, but I can't remember an England trst series where the build up has been so low-key.  Even down to the team flying in just 3 days before the test started, it seems almost am.inconvenience. 

You then look around the world and see horrible mis-matches being played out in virtually empty stadiums and you do have to.question how long this can go on for.

Well that post certainly did the trick!  West Indies win in Australia for the first time since 1997 and England record one of their finest wins that I can recall. 

[Risso]

That's an extraordinary result, even in the context of recent amazing England performances. Firstly any sort of win in India for England is a feat in itself. We're the test country probably least used to the conditions, but then you add in the inexperienced attack, and a big Indian first innings lead, and it's simply incredible.

[paul_e]

Incredible win. How do you pick between Pope and Hartley for motm?

[simboy]

Good win that.

Before this India had lost 3 tests in 10 years (46 games) at home, they had never lost with a 100 run advantage after first innings.

Pope’s innings is the highest ever in India in an England second innings.

Brave captaincy, a belief throughout the side and brilliant execution.

[olaftab]

Incredible win. How do you pick between Pope and Hartley for motm?

It’s easy. Hartley could have still picked up 7 and England lost the Test match, Pope’s 196 made the most significant contribution in this result. So MotM Ollie Pope.

[Monty]

Brilliant as Hartley was, and it was an incredible, match-winning effort, we'd have been dead without that Pope innings, one of England's all-time greatest in the subcontinent.