The International Cricket Thread

[dcdavecollett]

...and without Tests having to be squeezed into September because the 16.4's on.

[Nev]

I think it's been quite the grim spectacle for the Sport at the back end of this month. The International One Dayers interrupted by weather as was the OD Cup final. I know this can happen in the height of summer but to see top class international players on the field in such poor weather, the dismal spectacle of the grounds shrouded in cloud as the drizzle falls and the games are truncated or abandoned altogether is jarring compared to the colour and razzmatazz of the Hundred, which, due to it's brevity is probably more suited to this time of year.

What a mess.

[paul_e]

I think the hundred will be abandoned in a few years but I don't see them moving things back into the summer to repalce it, instead we'll end up with another t20 competition.

[LeeB]

I love my cricket but I'm not an active fan in the way I am with Villa and football in general, and I have to say the game seems to be in a right state at the moment domestically. As someone with a passing interest I haven't got a fucking clue what's going on in terms of the competitions, when they're played and if they're actually worth winning and haven't be relegated to a kind of 'EFL Trophy' status for youngsters and has-beens.

[paul_e]

I love my cricket but I'm not an active fan in the way I am with Villa and football in general, and I have to say the game seems to be in a right state at the moment domestically. As someone with a passing interest I haven't got a fucking clue what's going on in terms of the competitions, when they're played and if they're actually worth winning and haven't be relegated to a kind of 'EFL Trophy' status for youngsters and has-beens.

What I really dislike is the big split in the middle of the championship season. A red ball only player basically gets July and August off, which is clearly ridiculous in a summer sport.

[Villan For Life]

I think the hundred will be abandoned in a few years but I don't see them moving things back into the summer to repalce it, instead we'll end up with another t20 competition.

Unfortunately if the planned private investment in The Hundred goes ahead then the competition is going nowhere. I suspect we will see the 50 over format disappear first, it’s already been marginalised and once that happened it’s effectively dead.

[Monty]

Hell of a start for Pakistan.

[PaulWinch again]

This is pretty ugly for England.

[Stu]

Like pulling teeth, this.

As much as I like Chris Woakes, have we really canned Jimmy Anderson in on 700+ wickets only to be left with a 35 year old Woakes who doesn’t do great outside of England? Wood is injured half the time. It’s the Ashes in 14 months time. It’s not going to be pretty, I suspect.

[Bully2345]

In Woakes' defence, I think he's playing this game as Stokes' replacement. Despite Atkinson's ton, i'm not sure him or the others would work at 7.

[UK Redsox]

Looks like the Pakistan plan is to bat forever and then allow England to dig themselves a Bazball hole of conditions inappropriate batting

[Stu]

Sigh

[Villan For Life]

I think we batted well after the loss of Pope to a fantastic catch, however it remains to be seen how bad Duckett’s injury is. There’s not a lot in the pitch so we still have a long way to go to save this test but sensible batting will be key.

[PaulWinch again]

We’ll still be thinking about winning it I’m pretty sure.

[Gareth]

Bravo Joe Root - highest scoring English test batsman in history