*Official* England in West Indies

[Richard]

Don't think any of us predicted the run rate would be around 7.

Prior has been the main reason for that, and he's now made 50.

Sadly this session only really confirms what we thought - if you can't even take 6-7 wickets with a team going hell-for-leather, you've virtually no hope if they're stonewalling like West Indies are likely to later.

 

[Uppercut]

So us England fans have no right to complain even though we roundly condemned it when England did it last summer?

Every single team would do the same in these circumstances. And it's despicable, really, that they would. How to stamp it out, though, is a difficult question - else, clearly, it'd have been done before now.

England have no right to complain =/ English fans have no right to complain. Should have made that clear.

 

[GIMH]

Both England batsmen at the crease average 50+, when did that last happen?

 

[Uppercut]

Prior has been the main reason for that, and he's now made 50.

Sadly this session only really confirms what we thought - if you can't even take 6-7 wickets with a team going hell-for-leather, you've virtually no hope if they're stonewalling like West Indies are likely to later.

There's that, but then England actually played a few bowlers. They'll need A LOT to go their way, but the Windies definitely look a bit nervous this morning.

Put it this way, i won't be switching off.

 

[four_or_six]

Both England batsmen at the crease average 50+, when did that last happen?

Don't know, but I'm definitely liking Prior at 6 and five bowlers. I think that's a reasonable way to go for now.

 

[TT Boy]

Prior has been the main reason for that, and he's now made 50.

Sadly this session only really confirms what we thought - if you can't even take 6-7 wickets with a team going hell-for-leather, you've virtually no hope if they're stonewalling like West Indies are likely to later.

You might if you bowl people who can actually turn their arm over and don't have only 3 men in the circle. Gayle's field makes 6 an over a piece of piss and given Nash and Simmons can't bowl for toffee, the odd pie will go the distance as well.

Be nice if the captain goes first ball. Have a lot of time for Gayle but the way the Windies have gone about this game in the field has left a bad taste in the mouth.

 

[four_or_six]

We're going to have to pull out soon.

 

[Richard]

Don't know, but I'm definitely liking Prior at 6 and five bowlers. I think that's a reasonable way to go for now.

I've said it before - when Flintoff returns as one of said five bowlers, anyone expecting Prior to stay at six is likely to be disappointed.

 

[Richard]

You might if you bowl people who can actually turn their arm over and don't have only 3 men in the circle. Gayle's field makes 6 an over a piece of piss and given Nash and Simmons can't bowl for toffee, the odd pie will go the distance as well.

There's that, but then England actually played a few bowlers. They'll need A LOT to go their way, but the Windies definitely look a bit nervous this morning.

Easy to say, but on the opening day scoring this quickly, against the same attack, was pretty impossible. A-run-a-ball with this field is obviously straightforward, but England are clearly aiming to hit some boundaries, not just score off every delivery.

Put it this way, i won't be switching off.

I won't be at the start. But I suspect most people might well be by Tea.

Anyway, that's the end of Prior, hopefully they might declare ASAP.

 

[four_or_six]

I've said it before - when Flintoff returns as one of said five bowlers, anyone expecting Prior to stay at six is likely to be disappointed.

I disagree. I think Strauss has the required gumption to move Flintoff to seven.

 

[Uppercut]

So us England fans have no right to complain even though we roundly condemned it when England did it last summer?

Every single team would do the same in these circumstances. And it's despicable, really, that they would. How to stamp it out, though, is a difficult question - else, clearly, it'd have been done before now.

Penalty runs IMO.

 

[GIMH]

Prior should have referred his dismissal, the way the system has worked in this series you never know

 

[TT Boy]

Let KP get his ton then pull out over lunch.

 

[Prince EWS]

Baker's got his Test average below Powell's now.

Despite not being very effective in this game, he's looked a lot better to me than he did on debut. I'd back him in for an extended run ahead of Powell when Taylor returned.

 

[Richard]

I disagree. I think Strauss has the required gumption to move Flintoff to seven.

Strauss isn't the chief selector. His amount of influence should be minimal.

Geoff Miller clearly favours Flintoff at six. And that's been the case for quite a while, and it should've changed long ago but still hasn't.

 

[Richard]

Penalty runs IMO.

That'd work in some circumstances and I've long said I support penalty runs for slow over-rates.

However, the most stringent offences involving poor over-rates generally come on the part of a team playing for a draw, so thus run penalties would make zero difference.

 

[Uppercut]

There's still 70 overs left. It's pointless to pull out now, because even if West Indies bat normally, you'll only get 60 to go at them before they've got the total and it's all over. What they have to do is make sure they get through their overs quickly so they get everything in.

It really is a long shot.

 

[Prince EWS]

Strauss isn't the chief selector.

Do the selectors actually pick the batting order though? I'm sure they discuss it to an extent but surely that's something that can change mid-game and hence falls to the captain.

 

[Uppercut]

That'd work in some circumstances and I've long said I support penalty runs for slow over-rates.

However, the most stringent offences involving poor over-rates generally come on the part of a team playing for a draw, so thus run penalties would make zero difference.

Nah it'd work plenty in tests to make it worth doing. It would work here, for instance, if the umpires turned round and added 10 runs to England's total every time Gayle decided to fap about.

 

[Richard]

Do the selectors actually pick the batting order though? I'm sure they discuss it to an extent but surely that's something that can change mid-game and hence falls to the captain.

I'm not sure it only falls to the captain TBH, but clearly he'd have some amount of influence on second-innings changes.

In the first-innings, though, I imagine the selectors would've given the order and the captain would have to have damn good reason to change it.