England cricket, 2019-20 winter tours

[littlebabyjesus]

Of course he knew. He may have forgotten but there's no way that he wouldn't have been informed.

Not what was being said on TalkSport. They said he didn't know. And given that all three of his other demerit points were weeks away from being expunged, I think it is at least plausible. That's where I think the common sense should have kicked in - he got three points nearly two years ago in short succession, then none since. That suggests that he has learned something.

 

[Teaboy]

Of course he knew. He may have forgotten but there's no way that he wouldn't have been informed.

It would pretty poor team management if he didn't know. I can't imagine a professional footballer not knowing they were one yellow away from a ban.

Buttler gone now. Are England going to fall in a heap? Curran needs to play for Pope for a bit and get him to his hundred. Then start going through the gears. It's still only 350, after all.

Agreed but it's not really Curran's game is it? He plays his shots and takes it to the bowling, I'm not sure he has another game. Pope has got a bit stuck here, probably need to go into one day mode and rotate the scoreboard with singles and twos.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Pope can't get the strike at the moment.

He's not really stuck, just starved of the strike - 5 runs off just 11 balls in the last 10 overs. Curran/Buttler not doing him any favours.

 

[Casual Observer]

Big Vern around the wicket to Curran = footholes for Bess to the SA right-handers.

Rebada gave Crawley an up close send off in the last match but got away with it without a demerit point. Maybe that emboldened him.

Hold your nerve, Ollie lad.

 

[Teaboy]

Pope can't get the strike at the moment.

He's not really stuck, just starved of the strike - 5 runs off just 11 balls in the last 10 overs. Curran/Buttler not doing him any favours.

Yup, you're right here. Pope is rotating the strike OK but the courtesy is not being returned. Curran is dealing in blocks or boundaries.

 

[Teaboy]

I will say its a decent exhibition of containing spin bowling to a containing field. Every run has to be won and there is quite a lot of risk in the way Curran is countering it.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Hundred for Pope. Dare we say that we might have found someone here?

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I will say its a decent exhibition of containing spin bowling to a containing field. Every run has to be won and there is quite a lot of risk in the way Curran is countering it.

tbf Curran didn't play for Pope, but he did play for the team. Fair play to him - it's probably the only way he can bat tbf, he's not really a proper batsman. And Bess can bat, so it wasn't like he was Pope's last chance.

 

[Casual Observer]

The first of many test hundreds for Pope. I've been purring about the lad on the county cricket threads since I first saw him in 2017.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Bess gone on the stroke of tea. England bat five sessions! With rain around, when do they declare? Wood can give it a smack, so maybe play on until the next wicket. tbh there's no point sending Broad out. It just risks him getting hit.

Or leave it ten minutes, then declare at tea? I'd be tempted to do that tbh.

 

[Teaboy]

Tea and England really well set. Bess pissed with getting out there but he shouldn't be as the ball is clearly turning and that's about all its doing on this pudding
Wood and Broad will give it a bit of the long handle after tea and should set it up for a decent evening session bowling against a SA team who have been in the field best part of two days. If I was Pope I'd have my eye on collecting a nice little asterisk.

 

[Teaboy]

Bess gone on the stroke of tea. England bat five sessions! With rain around, when do they declare? Wood can give it a smack, so maybe play on until the next wicket. tbh there's no point sending Broad out. It just risks him getting hit.

Or leave it ten minutes, then declare at tea? I'd be tempted to do that tbh.

Personally I'd bat on till you're all out. Wood and Broad won't hang around anyway and give them a bit of a flogging to rub it in. Wickets look hard to come by on this pitch so no point ending your innings prematurely.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Still 36 overs left to bowl, so I guess that's a factor. Do England want a 2.5-hour session, or would they prefer two hours? That said, it's plenty of time for SA to get themselves into a right mess overnight.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Fair enough. Worth giving Wood a go. I would definitely declare on the next wicket, though.

 

[Teaboy]

Fair enough. Worth giving Wood a go. I would definitely declare on the next wicket, though.

Yeah, agreed. I've revised my original thoughts. Floodlights on and rain around, they should get out and bowl soonish. Would be annoying if they lose the lights and start tomorrow in bright sunshine on a pitch doing very little.

 

[Teaboy]

No sooner said...


ETA: Wait... Wheels are coming off.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Now they declare. That was definitely worth it. Top work from England. Some recovery from 146-4. Wheels definitely off for SA. Philander only bowled 16 overs, which was a bit odd. Injured, or pulling rank on a pudding?

 

[butchersapron]

15.3 Notification

A captain shall notify the opposing captain and the umpires of any decision to declare or to forfeit an innings. Once notified, the decision cannot be changed.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Laws are out of date. They don't allow for the off-field review of no-ball. Correct decision to allow England to continue imo, even if the laws might be read otherwise - laws are wrong.

 

[butchersapron]

Laws are out of date. They don't allow for the off-field review of no-ball. Correct decision to allow England to continue imo, even if the laws might be read otherwise - laws are wrong.

Of course, just throwing that in there to see what came up.

Curran and Wood adding 80 odd for 10-11 overs there. I remember this feeling.

 

[Casual Observer]

Wood staking a claim for the T20 world cup later this year.

 

[Teaboy]

I think it's unrealistic with our current batting line-up. We are a long way from great. Heck, we're quite a way from good.

Looking at 7,8,9,10,11 I just can't see where another 180 runs come from. Love to be wrong. Recent history suggests I'm not.

I'm getting carried away here. Just seen Sporting Index have us at 390-400. Selling at 390 for £1 a run might produce a healthy profit while if you lose, surely you can't lose much above 400 unless Stokes goes mental.

That looks too good to miss.

How did that bet work out?

 

[Teaboy]

I really think England should have 2 slips for Elgar when Bess is bowling. Turn (albeit slow turn) is the only thing this pitch is offering for the bowlers.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Surprised Wood didn't open. I can see why you'd open with Curran, but I'd have had Wood as well. Broad pulling rank, I guess. On pudding pitches, really fast bowling can still do it.

 

[Teaboy]

Surprised Wood didn't open. I can see why you'd open with Curran, but I'd have had Wood as well. Broad pulling rank, I guess. On pudding pitches, really fast bowling can still do it.

Curran is bowling a lot of dross here and wasting the new ball.

 

[butchersapron]

Wood first quick change to an under pressure tired team isn't a bad idea in principle, but not really working.

 

[SpookyFrank]

A bit of common sense from the ref was needed there, imo, for the sake of the series.

Then you've got a situation where you're treated differently if you're a more valuable player, which would be shit.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Curran is bowling a lot of dross here and wasting the new ball.

Yeah but I can see why you'd give him a go. If he's going to swing it, it will be early. And as he's not working, you pull him off sharpish. SA off to a flier now. Pull out Curran now and give Wood the breeze for four or five overs. If that doesn't work, give the breeze to Stokes. They're England's two quickest.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

And Curran continues. Poor captaincy, imo.

 

[Teaboy]

Yup, its the keeping him on when Elgar is going at virtually a run a ball without having to take any risks.