The Cricket Thread

[Tony Towner]

I've only seen the wickets, but some of his takes this series wouldn't have been made by Bairstow or a Buttler style wicket keeper batsman. That has to be factored in his worth. I still think we'd have won the Ashes if he'd kept last Summer

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

In spin-heavy conditions it's fine to prioritise that but I'd say it matters far less at home and away to Aus/NZ/SA/WI. So it's only going to be a factor for a small portion of the time, and after this we aren't going to play India away again for a while. You don't want some iron-gloved fool but I wouldn't say Bairstow is *that* bad a keeper in general.

You can't be averaging around what Jack Russell got binned for 25+ years ago, no serious teams would be happy with that. Even more so if you don't have someone like Woakes at 8.

As keeper Bairstow averages about the same as Stewart did. Only Prior beats them in the last 40 years (by miles too).

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Hmmm. India are 2-1 up and England must somehow win one of the last two tests. So India make a slightly surprising decision to rest the excellent Bumrah for the fourth test.

We rock up at the venue and the pitch has massive cracks two days before play is scheduled to even start. Not dodgy at all, BCCI

 

[Tony Towner]

Robinson and Stokes will be our seam options it would appear

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Seam won’t have a part to play. It’s a raging turner and a minefield

 

[Carrotdude]

The pitches have been fine so far tbf

 

[Sniffer]

The Indian press are saying that it will play differently to how it looks. I heard this morning that the Aussies played there a few years back and stated that it looked like the soil for the pitch had been bought in from Mars but I'm yet to look at scores from that game.

England team: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (captain), Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Tom Hartley, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson, Shoaib Bashir.

No Rehan Ahmed.

 

[Sniffer]

2017 Test at Ranchi

Australia
451 & 204/6

India
603/9d

 

[Mel Evo]

I'm not a Bazball basher so this comes with no side to it: just great to see Root batting with such authority. Maybe he needed a bit of responsibility and a licence to be normal.

 

[Tony Towner]

Hopefully they had a chat after that reverse in the last Test

 

[Stan Hullis]

Think we are back in the game at 260+ which is good to see, wasn't so likely when I woke up this morning

 

[jd1981]

Should be getting over 300 now which is a really good return on this pitch.

 

[Carrotdude]

Great innings from Root, nice back up from Robinson at the other end as well and an important knock from Foakes

 

[sycophantia]

England must be satisfied with that given the start and the pitch.

 

[Carrotdude]

Good morning for England so far but Jaiswal is becoming our kryptonite

 

[Stan Hullis]

Lovely bit of bowling from Bashir gets Jaiswal.

4 wickets for Bashir, seems to be bowling well. Just missed a tough chance for a catch also for Safaraz in the same over.

 

[Tony Towner]

He's now back in credit, I'd have fined him his match fee for the shot he played with Root at the other end.

 

[Stan Hullis]

Just Baz-balling isn't he!?

(I don't disagree)

 

[Tony Towner]

England's day, shame about the 8th wkt stand

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

A 31 over spell from Bashir is quite something. Looks to have a bit about him.