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jazz15c

SC Supporter
Jul 29, 2010
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That’s why I don’t understand why countries don’t produce wickets to suit their attack.
If you are touring you need to expect to play on wickets you aren’t used to but in recent years all we’ve seen is these flat tracks (thank the ICC for that) as they favour high scores.
It doesn’t encourage kids to bowl at pace in some countries now, look at the Windies as a prime example.
Cricket needs wickets that are bowler friendly but that also give batsmen a fair chance otherwise what’s the point.
I’d much rather watch that test than the first!
Bang on, as, for the vast majority of the game it was a contest between bat and ball. 4 x innings of 350 or lower produce the best test matches, every damn time.
 

Impspur1

Well-Known Member
May 8, 2014
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I'm all for being positive, but there's being positive and being careless. Hey, I love seeing an English batsman biffing the ball to all parts, but as the saying goes, play each ball on its merit...poaitive doesn't mean smashing it for six every ball, it can mean rotating the strike every ball, get 4-6 an over plus your boundaries off the bad balls and you're there. It's easy, we could form an SC eleven and beat anyone! 😂 😂
Yes it does……want a run rate of 10 an over!
 

BPR_U16

Well-Known Member
Jun 28, 2006
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Looking forward to this 3rd and final test.
Appears Pakistan have done everything they can to get a Turner- need to bat first.
 

Archibald&Crooks

Aegina Expat
Admin
Feb 1, 2005
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We're having first dig and that was the right choice but I get the nasty feeling that this pitch might start acting up early. Hope i'm wrong and we get at least four days cricket.
 

Arnoldtoo

The thinking ape's ape
May 18, 2006
36,438
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This is not a Test match wicket. A shame for cricket lovers.

Not helped by some of the batting, admittedly.

3 days.
 

midoshairband

Well-Known Member
Apr 25, 2006
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i honestly think we might be done in 2.

don't think it'll be done in two. it'll be interesting to how our spinners go, but we've lost a couple of wickets at least to poor shots. you could argue they've been brought about by the pitch though.

as always, have to wait till both teams have batted to see for sure.
 

Dunc2610

Well-Known Member
Aug 7, 2008
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Am I allowed to say England have an issue playing spin? After the second test it seemed inevitable they'd prepare a spinning pitch again, and its working.
Not helped by some of the batting, admittedly.
This is the way though.

Will there be a conversation around Pope and his lack of (consistent) runs? (Never mind his horrendous reviewing, which may be a sign of his poor shot selection/decision making).
 

midoshairband

Well-Known Member
Apr 25, 2006
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Am I allowed to say England have an issue playing spin? After the second test it seemed inevitable they'd prepare a spinning pitch again, and its working.

This is the way though.

Will there be a conversation around Pope and his lack of (consistent) runs? (Never mind his horrendous reviewing, which may be a sign of his poor shot selection/decision making).

56/0 to 110/5 would say yes.

I'm not sure though, on the whole Duckett's approach seems to work for him. Root we can allow a low score now again, he's generally a brilliant player of spin.

Pope/Brook/Crawley jury is out on their ability to play good spin.

but its an away test in traditionally really tough conditions, the Pakistan bowlers know their way around these pitches.
 

Dunc2610

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Aug 7, 2008
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56/0 to 110/5 would say yes.

I'm not sure though, on the whole Duckett's approach seems to work for him. Root we can allow a low score now again, he's generally a brilliant player of spin.

Pope/Brook/Crawley jury is out on their ability to play good spin.

but its an away test in traditionally really tough conditions, the Pakistan bowlers know their way around these pitches.
For me the comparison would be England prepare seaming/swinging wickets to suit our bowlers, but are others countries ability to play seam/swing as bad as ours (for the most part) to play spin?

Re Duckett, I think his height really helps him, his ability to judge length is better than most, hence his ability to sweep, plus all his variations on the sweep shot.

Not sure what's going on with Pope, TMS just put up his last ten test scores on twitter which are 6, 6, 1, 17, 154, 7, 0, 29, 22, and 3, surely there's a conversation to be had around his spot? You try someone else and you risk what, one score in ten? Not much of a risk for me!

Re Brook, have always felt there's a bit of a temperament issue there, if he can't score at the tempo he wants, he gets far too easily frustrated, but he's young so hopefully that'll come with some maturity.

I like Crawley, specially as an opener with Duckett, and I like his temperament, positive but not brash. But shot selection sometimes an issue?
 

1882andallthat

Well-Known Member
Feb 2, 2009
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We're having first dig and that was the right choice but I get the nasty feeling that this pitch might start acting up early. Hope i'm wrong and we get at least four days cricket.
I think it’s a combination of 3 things, one them having decent spin, the pitch acting up, and us playing risky sweep shots which gives up wickets cheaply when we should know better on a pitch like this.
 

matty74

Well-Known Member
Aug 21, 2013
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3 of those wickets were avoidable. Looking to score at every opportunity don’t always work, especially on wickets like this .

surely pope is under pressure for his place in the side now. Vice captain or not
 

midoshairband

Well-Known Member
Apr 25, 2006
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For me the comparison would be England prepare seaming/swinging wickets to suit our bowlers, but are others countries ability to play seam/swing as bad as ours (for the most part) to play spin?

Re Duckett, I think his height really helps him, his ability to judge length is better than most, hence his ability to sweep, plus all his variations on the sweep shot.

i guess on your first point swing and seam is more common around the world than extreme spin and crumbling pitches, so batsmen are more likely to accustomed to playing it.

you only have to look at say, India's record over here to say they struggle to play the moving ball as much as we struggle against spin in the sub-continent.
 

midoshairband

Well-Known Member
Apr 25, 2006
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3 of those wickets were avoidable. Looking to score at every opportunity don’t always work, especially on wickets like this .

surely pope is under pressure for his place in the side now. Vice captain or not

I'm sure he is under pressure.

question is, who comes in? who are the number 3s in the county system good enough?
 

Dunc2610

Well-Known Member
Aug 7, 2008
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I'm sure he is under pressure.

question is, who comes in? who are the number 3s in the county system good enough?
Tom Abell and Jordan Cox (both bat at 4 for their Counties, and Cox has been with the squad), could Tom Banton move up the order to three?
 

jazz15c

SC Supporter
Jul 29, 2010
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Caveat: wait until both teams have batted...blah blah...but this deck ain't gonna improve!

There is preparing a pitch to suit your strengths; no issues with that at all, why wouldn't you. And then there's preparing a pitch where your frontline spinners share the new rock and use it for the entirety of the 1st session of Day 1. I'd be shocked if we saw any play beyond tea on Day 3; is that good for Test cricket/the fans? I'm not so sure. Have Pakistan been in such horrendous form that they sacrifice any sort of gate receipts in favour of ordering the preparation of a result sandpit? If so, that is very shortsighted of them.

I want to see a fair contest between bat and ball, where runs are worth something but can still be got. That point is somewhere between 500-3 and 110-5, which is a fairly large range, so should not be difficult to find at all.
 

Dunc2610

Well-Known Member
Aug 7, 2008
2,080
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Caveat: wait until both teams have batted...blah blah...but this deck ain't gonna improve!

There is preparing a pitch to suit your strengths; no issues with that at all, why wouldn't you. And then there's preparing a pitch where your frontline spinners share the new rock and use it for the entirety of the 1st session of Day 1. I'd be shocked if we saw any play beyond tea on Day 3; is that good for Test cricket/the fans? I'm not so sure. Have Pakistan been in such horrendous form that they sacrifice any sort of gate receipts in favour of ordering the preparation of a result sandpit? If so, that is very shortsighted of them.

I want to see a fair contest between bat and ball, where runs are worth something but can still be got. That point is somewhere between 500-3 and 110-5, which is a fairly large range, so should not be difficult to find at all.
I think yes, their form has been that bad and getting a scalp like England's after a drought of wins is big for the country, they'll not look at the pitch and think its because of that. Is it short sighted, possibly but for short term confidence boost I guess its a good thing for them?

Its said Test Cricket is evolving, but is it evolving passed the point of it being Test Cricket anymore, in to a sort of long form T20?
 
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