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Cricket 39: Playing COVID-19 With a Straight Bat


Jeor

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3 hours ago, Paxter said:

ETA: Make or break for Buttler? This is such a critical innings to his long-term future. 

He did have a tough time in the field missing two catches and a stumping. Masood played well but he did benefit from some good fortune.

Abbas and Afridi look like a good opening duo for English conditions.

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Abbas is an excellent bowler for English conditions. Not too quick, but he's accurate and lands the ball in the right places, and he gets just a little bit of nibble and movement off the seam. Sort of like a poor man's Glenn McGrath, although his statistics so far look amazing.

This wicketkeeping problem for England has dragged on so many years. If you pick Bairstow and then Buttler for their batting, and they only give you a 30 average, then that's clearly not working. They've had plenty of chances. I still think Foakes should be selected as more of a "pure" keeper and it's not as if they're getting much batting out of the position as it is (plus Foakes' batting record isn't really that bad).

Historically, England have probably been a bit spoilt by having Alec Stewart who regularly provided a lot of batting from the wicketkeeper position, and then conversely they might have been scared off wicketkeeping specialists by the Chris Read experience.

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Broad can be dangerous in these situations. I’m always worried that Pakistan will give up a lead by handing easy runs to the tail.

Nice to see Shah taking a bag. He’s one of the most aggressive spin bowlers going around, which makes him fun to watch if not a consistent performer.

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1 hour ago, Hereward said:

This Test is done. If only we had a decent spinner. Does anyone have Simon Harmer’s number?

Not saying it would be a panacea, but I do think Leach is the better option. His batting might not be as good as Bess, but he's no mug. And he offers much more control and a better chance of taking a wicket against a Pakistan line-up packed with right-handed batsmen.

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20 hours ago, Jeor said:

Historically, England have probably been a bit spoilt by having Alec Stewart who regularly provided a lot of batting from the wicketkeeper position, and then conversely they might have been scared off wicketkeeping specialists by the Chris Read experience.

More recent Matt Prior had a great batting record when he was in the side as well, it was always going to be potentially tricky to replace him.

3 hours ago, Mosi Mynn said:

Oooor ... England fight back and give themselves a chance (Stokes really is a superhero) :P

He might have to be a superhero with the bat (again) if England want to win the Test. I agree they've potentially got a chance now but it's going to be a really tricky chase and Pakistan must be the favourites at the moment.

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13 hours ago, williamjm said:

More recent Matt Prior had a great batting record when he was in the side as well, it was always going to be potentially tricky to replace him.

Of course! Forgot about Prior more recently.

This is shaping up to be a very good Test match. Will be a good day's play today!

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Abbas gets an opener LBW, call me surprised.

It did look quite high, though...when you get hit on the thigh pad you reckon it would be going over.

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35 minutes ago, Jeor said:

Abbas gets an opener LBW, call me surprised.

It did look quite high, though...when you get hit on the thigh pad you reckon it would be going over.

It was his back leg but, yeah, I can see why Burns reviewed it.

ETA: It’s a lot of fun watching good leg spinners in test cricket. It’s a shame it the focus for most of them coming through seems to be on the limited overs formats.

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