Cricket

[TheGayTent]

Think Bell's eyes are going.

Difficult to see anything other than a Pakistan series win, just can't see England's batsmen scoring enough.

[kaosmark2]

Bell has never been a good slip fielder and I don't know why he's been used there in recent months.

[TheGayTent]

Bell has never been a good slip fielder and I don't know why he's been used there in recent months.

He's been used in the slips longer than just a few months. He isn't great but the trouble is there aren't better alternatives. That fact, together with him being a senior player and someone useful for Cook to have alongside him to discuss tactics and field placing is why he is there.

We've lost Strauss and Swann, two of England's best slippers in decades. Jordan (correctly) is out of the side, which leaves just Root as a good slipper to go with Cook.

[kaosmark2]

He's been used in the slips longer than just a few months. He isn't great but the trouble is there aren't better alternatives. That fact, together with him being a senior player and someone useful for Cook to have alongside him to discuss tactics and field placing is why he is there.

We've lost Strauss and Swann, two of England's best slippers in decades. Jordan (correctly) is out of the side, which leaves just Root as a good slipper to go with Cook.

I get the shortage of options, but bell has been one of our best fielders in every other position for years. Bairstow isn't bad in the slips either. Bell, and previously trott, have both dropped quite a lot on the slips, and often had bad games with the bat of they've already made a drop. It just feels like a mediocre option that costs the team elsewhere.

[TheGayTent]

I get the shortage of options, but bell has been one of our best fielders in every other position for years. Bairstow isn't bad in the slips either. Bell, and previously trott, have both dropped quite a lot on the slips, and often had bad games with the bat of they've already made a drop. It just feels like a mediocre option that costs the team elsewhere.

I don't disagree, just saying it as I see it. Bell was given slip duties as far back as 2008. He dropped a few so was taken out. Well that and Flintoff came back from injury. He also slipped all the way through the 2013 series in New Zealand.

The idea clearly, was for Lyth to do the job along with Cook and Root. Trouble is, he couldn't bat!

Bairstow is a shockingly bad player - but agree if he's in the team he's the only serious alternative to Bell that I can think of.

Bell's too old for short leg anyway now.

Edited October 13, 2015 by TheGayTent

[kaosmark2]

I don't disagree, just saying it as I see it. Bell was given slip duties as far back as 2008. He dropped a few so was taken out. Well that and Flintoff came back from injury. He also slipped all the way through the 2013 series in New Zealand.

The idea clearly, was for Lyth to do the job along with Cook and Root. Trouble is, he couldn't bat!

Bairstow is a shockingly bad player - but agree if he's in the team he's the only serious alternative to Bell that I can think of.

Bell's too old for short leg anyway now.

Oh yeah I'm aware of that, but he's been restored there in recent months.

I don't rate bairstow either, fielding excluded, he had just had a great domestic season and it seems the England selectors want to give him another chance. I feel his England status will be decided fairly permanently by the end of the winter, one way or the other. Endlessly pulling him in and out of the team isn't fair to him or to the other batsmen in the running.

[kaosmark2]

Get him out of the slips ASAP. These drops won't help his batting confidence.

[TheGayTent]

I wouldn't worry about it - with England's batting record out there Pakistan probably already have enough runs to have a first innings lead.

[kaosmark2]

No argument. Unless Root and another do something spectacular we'll have a big deficit.

[kaosmark2]

Poor finn.

[TheGayTent]

62-2-272-0

Spinners are doing well

[lharris92]

you can tell how bad its got when Stokes is bowling off spin...

[kaosmark2]

At least we didn't lose wickets after they declared. 

[kaosmark2]

Anyone know if highlights are available anywhere other than sky?

[TheGayTent]

It might be a road but scoreboard pressure is a big thing. For England to reach tea at nearly 200 with only 1 wicket down you really do have to doff your cap. 

Bell has scored more in this innings thus far than he managed in any of his 6 innings last time we toured. He hasn't looked pretty but it just might be one of those knocks that gives him back some confidence. Mind you, he still needs to score another 150 odd to be back in credit after his dropped catches !

 

As for Cook - there aren't enough superlatives to use. Well done skip. 

[kaosmark2]

What TGT said.

Any point trying to up the pace for a win or just let the draw happen? Once the follow on is avoided though. 

[TheGayTent]

Notionally, the best way of trying to win the game would be to declare in arrears and tempt Pakistan to set them a target.

They won't though of course, and they should even be thinking about it at the moment with a lot of runs still required just to avoid the follow on. 

 

Edited to add: Good comeback that from Bell, another half century to his name. 

Edited October 15, 2015 by TheGayTent

[kaosmark2]

Utterly right that they shouldn't think about it, but theres little else for us to talk about right now. 

I'm reluctant to give bell much credit for this 50 yet until we see what comes of it. Jittery 50s on roads is something even Steven finn had managed. 

[TheGayTent]

Harsh I think. 

No chance of accelerating now. We'll (aim to) bat out a draw, and after losing the toss that would be a perfectly acceptable outcome. 

[kaosmark2]

Yeah, Finn's situation wasn't as challenging with far less scoreboard pressure than this, but at the same time, I don't really see this as a change in his form.

3 days done and 27 wickets remaining? Should be a draw.

[TheGayTent]

Cook really is quite incredible, and will really only be appreciated properly once he's finished. After today's century there isn't an overseas player who has more test hundreds in Asia than him, and only Kallis that has scored more runs. With 5 more innings in this series to come plus 7 tests in the sub continent next year even that record is likely to pass to Cook too. 

Long before then, he'll have passed 10,000 test runs. I salute you Captain Cook 

[kaosmark2]

Completely agree, an astounding batsmen. Up there with all the greats and deserves to be.

I wasn't a big fan of his captaincy for the first 12 months or so, but I felt he continued to get slack long after he'd improved to become a very good captain and leader.

[kaosmark2]

I thought he was a terrible ODI captain, and took about 18 months to become a good Test captain. I think since he stopped playing ODIs, his Test captaincy has been impressive. The right balance between faith in plans and variation. 

[TheGayTent]

Well he didn't need the 2016 tests, or the remaining 2 tests of this tour, or even his 2nd innings....Cook has now past Kallis and is the highest overseas run scorer on the sub-continent in the history of test cricket.  

[GlastoSimon]

Pakistan all out, England require 99 to win from 20 overs.

Didn't see this coming!