Cricket

[SteveHFC]

County cricket starts next month! In fact there may be some pre-season friendlies this month, although with the current weather (has it stopped raining at all since the September heatwave??) many a groundsman will be in need of a very stiff drink.

Big match first up on the 5th April; Lancs v Surrey; I would have thought the first round would have southern-based teams at home just to give the north another week to thaw?

Thaw? After the warmest February on record?

I did read somewhere that Worcestershire have had to move their first two home games from Worcester to Kidderminster because of the state of the ground following the amount of rain we've had (also the wettest February on record I believe).

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I am sure that in the 1970's, the County Championship match between Derbyshire v Lancashire at Buxton was affected by snow in the first week in June.

 

[HST43257]

Cannot wait for county season. A really exciting year for many of the counties. My county, Yorkshire unsurprisingly, is looking fairly decent for the new year. A good balance of the Championship side with 8-9 batters and 6 bowlers, including some quality young talent. I hope we can push on after last year’s points deduction and a bit of giving up led us to lose hope in the fight for promotion. We need another overseas, I’m hoping for an attacking keeper-batsman in the side to replace Jonny Tattersall. I expect Finlay Bean, George Hill and Matty Revis to be ones to watch with bat in particular, but Hill and Revis have the potential to make a difference with the ball also. We’ll also get our first good look at Matt Milnes after his season of injury last year.

 

[Howardh]

I am sure that in the 1970's, the County Championship match between Derbyshire v Lancashire at Buxton was affected by snow in the first week in June.

It was, after the Sunday league game they woke up to inches of snow. All melted by Tuesday and Lancs rolled Derbys over twice. If memory serves the wickets were uncovered then, but would have been covered after the Saturday play and also on Sunday evening; so snow wouldn't have got on the pitch. But might be wrong on the covering issues, I was only a lad then!

 

[75A]

New Zealand making a game of it against Australia in Wellington.
The bowled Oz out for 164 with Glenn Philips taking 5-45 (he didn't bowl a ball in the 1st innings). Nathan Lyon was top scorer with 41.
Chasing 369, they were 111-3 @ the close, leaving them 2 days to get another 258.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

It was, after the Sunday league game they woke up to inches of snow. All melted by Tuesday and Lancs rolled Derbys over twice. If memory serves the wickets were uncovered then, but would have been covered after the Saturday play and also on Sunday evening; so snow wouldn't have got on the pitch. But might be wrong on the covering issues, I was only a lad then!

I believe that was 1976, before the really hot summer! (if not, 1975)

 

[Busaholic]

I believe that was 1976, before the really hot summer! (if not, 1975)

I haven't checked this, but I remember it as 1975. Apologies if I'm wrong!

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

I haven't checked this, but I remember it as 1975. Apologies if I'm wrong!

Yes, you are correct, apologies for my error, it was my second choice....2nd June 1975!
Same year that the Test Match was abandoned at Headingley following damage to the pitch by 'Free George Davis' supporters, I remember that as
I was travelling aroud Europe that summer and didn't have any information about Cricket until I returned home.

 

[Busaholic]

Yes, you are correct, apologies for my error, it was my second choice....2nd June 1975!
Same year that the Test Match was abandoned at Headingley following damage to the pitch by 'Free George Davis' supporters, I remember that as
I was travelling aroud Europe that summer and didn't have any information about Cricket until I returned home.

I too have memories from 1975 in which that cricket match had a context, so glad I'm not totally doolally yet.

 

[75A]

Nathan Lyon is having a superb morning on the 4th day, he has reduced New Zealand from 111-3 to 149-6 currently taken 5-42, to go with his 4-43 in the 1st innings and being Australia's top scorer with 41 in their second innings. Could be Player of the Match.
I don' t think i'll be too late to bed tonight.

Oz won by 172 runs
6-65 for Nathan Lyons.

 

[HST43257]

Nathan Lyon is having a superb morning on the 4th day, he has reduced New Zealand from 111-3 to 149-6 currently taken 5-42, to go with his 4-43 in the 1st innings and being Australia's top scorer with 41 in their second innings. Could be Player of the Match.
I don' t think i'll be too late to bed tonight.

Oz won by 172 runs
6-65 for Nathan Lyons.

A spectacular performance. Henry, Green, Phillips and Lyon really stood out and performed properly for their teams. I’d love NZ to take the second test but they need to get some consistency going. There’s also talk of Neil Wagner returning for the second test if Will O’Rourke is injured. I’d also try and get another seamer (Ben Sears? Henry Shipley? Doug Bracewell?) in for Kuggeleijn as he’s really underperformed I feel.

 

[Busaholic]

Assuming he is picked, which is almost certain, the coming 5th test India v England will see Jonny Bairstow's 100th test appearance. Personally, I would like to see him do well in it and perhaps even help England to make it 3-2 rather than 4-1. A consensus of cricket writer opinion though is that it may well be his last test once Harry Brook is slotted back into the side for the next home season. Ollie Robinson (the Durham wicketkeeper one) is being touted as the 'next' batsman/ keeper by one at least after his 'A' tour. Interesting if he made the same team as his Sussex namesake!

 

[Harvester]

I think Foakes will keep the gloves this summer in the Test series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka, and with Brook’s return Bairstow does look vulnerable. Anderson needs 2 more Test wickets to reach 700, and could get them in the 5th Test v India, although so far in the series he has struggled somewhat, averaging only 2 wickets per Test.

 

[HST43257]

Will be very interesting to see what the summer squads look like. I expect there’ll be some new faces in the bowling lineup at times. Given we are talking about 2 lower quality sides compared to recent opposition, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Matty Potts, Sam Cook and Josh Tongue given more opportunities where we may see less of Broad, Anderson and Wood moving forward. Maybe Matthew Fisher, John Turner and Gus Atkinson as well. Also I expect some competition for the spinner spot with plenty of young developing spinners, and I hope that some of them aren’t forgotten like Patterson-White (seemingly disappeared) and the Parkinsons (both at new counties) were last season. On the subject of keeper-batters we’ve got a few to look at - Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith and James Rew are all potential Test players.

 

[Harvester]

Wood has been brought in for Robinson as the only change for the 5th Test. There is a doubt over Bashir, but he is expected to recover from an upset stomach and play!

 

[75A]

England continued their poor form in India in the 5th and final Test. All out for 218 with Crawley top scoring with 79. Kuldeep took 5-72 & Ashwin 4-51.
India are 24-0 after 6 overs.

At the close India are 135-1, Jaiswal was stumped for 57 & Rohit was 52 not out.
Anderson bowled 4 overs for 4 runs, Wood bowled 3 overs for 21.
The other two bowlers were: Hartley 0-46 from 12 & Bashir 1-64 from 11.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The England first innings total is very poor, when you consider they had a good start when their score was 100-1.

 

[75A]

175-4 wasn't too bad, but they then lost 3 wickets without scoring.

 

[HST43257]

175-3 to 183-8 is inexcusable. Bring in Lawrence and Brook for Pope and Bairstow.

 

[Harvester]

India are in total control at lunch on day two They are 46 runs ahead with 9 first innings wickets in hand.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

After 72 overs, India are now 315-3. The two wickets to fall after lunch were the stand centurions:-
Rohit b Stokes 103
Gill b Anderson 110

Anderson now on the 699 Test wickets mark.

 

[75A]

After 72 overs, India are now 315-3. The two wickets to fall after lunch were the stand centurions:-
Rohit b Stokes 103
Gill b Anderson 110

Anderson now on the 699 Test wickets mark.

Interesting to see that Captain Stokes has bowled in this match - 5 overs 1-17.
Woods continued to be hit around the ground as now has figures of 11.3 overs 0-70.

The day finished with India leading by 255 runs with 2 wickets remaining.
Shubman Gill 120 & Rohit Sharma the Captain 103 were India's top scorers.
Shoaib Bashir took 4 - 170 in 44 overs.
Mark Wood who was brought back for this game had 0-89 off 15 overs.

In the second Test in New Zealand, Australia won the toss, put the hosts in and bowled them out for 162. Josh Hazelwood took 5-31.
At the close Oz were 124 - 4, Smithy opened again and was out lbw for 11.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Woods continued to be hit around the ground as now has figures of 11.3 overs 0-70.
Mark Wood who was brought back for this game had 0-89 off 15 overs.

I like Mark Wood, but he can frequently look very ordinary. Doesn't seem to be on the receiving end of much criticism though.

 

[75A]

I like Mark Wood, but he can frequently look very ordinary. Doesn't seem to be on the receiving end of much criticism though.

Maybe because others are having a worse time!

 

[Harvester]

India were eventually all out for 477, with Anderson claiming his 700th Test wicket. Then another woeful England collapse, reaching 103-5 at lunch!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

After 31 overs, England are 133-6. Root and Hartley currently at the crease.

Hartley at 15 not out has surpassed the total number of runs accumulated by Crawley, Duckett, Stokes and Foakes of just 12...

UPDATE..... After 48.1 overs, England were all out for 195. Root last man out for 84, so India win in three days by an innings and 64 runs.

Why does this result remind me of the Battle of the Little Bighorn

 

[Harvester]

It’s all over! India have won by an innings and 64 runs within 3 days, to take the series 4-1.

 

[75A]

Bazball dead and buried?

 

[SteveM70]

Bazball dead and buried?

Stick to our plans ….. take the positives …. keep working hard …. signs of promise

You know the guff they come out with

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The only way of checking how good (or not) the current England team is, is to play one of the top two sides in Test Cricket on overseas five-match series.

Not doing very well is the verdict based on that premise.