*Official* England in West Indies

[Richard]

Good job you aren't out there captaining

I said bowl around-the-wicket and pitch it up. Amazingly enough, that was what got the wicket. He's now too short again and unless he pitches it up MSP must come on pronto.

 

[Nate]

I am a troll. Trolly trolly troll.

Awta.

 

[Richard]

Hinds looking, somewhat surprisingly, like the main stumbling-block here.

 

[pskov]

WI chance of winning is sliding, england has no chance of winning.

It's amazing how hard it is to win a series after not winning for a very long time.

You're talking rubbish there. The draw is still the big favourite, but England have a far, far better chance of winning from here than WI do.

 

[Richard]

This is like an old-time fourth-innings with some surreal economy-rates for the spinners.

 

[WindieWeathers]

WI chance of winning is sliding, england has no chance of winning.

It's amazing how hard it is to win a series after not winning for a very long time.

I'm not surprised to be honest, we've bottle it many times before, i'm just hoping we shut this down now and make sure we win this series.

 

[Richard]

If Anderson can just get a few of those inswingers right up there you feel it's only a matter of time.

Why oh why has he wasted 3-4 overs bowling mostly short when he's getting it going like this when it's full?

And FFS stop throwing \ intimating to throw. Waste of energy and makes you look like a clown.

 

[Uppercut]

If Anderson can just get a few of those inswingers right up there you feel it's only a matter of time.

Why oh why has he wasted 3-4 overs bowling mostly short when he's getting it going like this when it's full?

And FFS stop throwing \ intimating to throw. Waste of energy and makes you look like a clown.

When he takes a crucial wicket with a fantastic ball it's time to stop your whinin'

 

[BoyBrumby]

I wonder what'd have happened had he been picked in 2005/06.

One thing's for sure, Duncan Fletcher'd not have taken so much flak in 2006/07 as he did, because he'd not have had qualms about losing Ashley Giles' batting.

TBF it was largely because of Big Dunc he wasn't picked. Swann toured SA way back in 99/00, played one ODI, (allegedly) blotted his copybook and was sent back to the shires for the better part of the decade.

Awta.

Can't see the Windies holding on here. Anderson and Swann have been so good in tandem.

Amatuerish attempt to invoke the mockers gods from young Patrick there....

 

[superkingdave]

Could be the draw sealing bowling change here with Amjad coming on for Swann

 

[Richard]

When he takes a crucial wicket with a fantastic ball it's time to stop your whinin'

1 crucial wicket in 4-5 overs isn't enough. Time is ridiculously short in a match like this, you can't afford to be making basic errors like pitching most deliveries short.

 

[King Pietersen]

Please Amjad, get it right. If he bowls a spell similar to the one where he got Sarwan then he may pick one up. If he doesn't and keeps trying to bowl bouncers, he'll just look ineffective and an awful selection. Man we'd be looking good right now if we had Flintoff!

 

[Uppercut]

1 crucial wicket in 4-5 overs isn't enough. Time is ridiculously short in a match like this, you can't afford to be making basic errors like pitching most deliveries short.

Yes it is. Every bowler doing that=victory.

 

[Richard]

Could be the draw sealing bowling change here with Amjad coming on for Swann

Unless Swann is feeling his fingers\elbow this is utterly baffling.

He just had to bowl through this session for England to have a chance.

Amjad could conceivably produce a magic ball out of nowhere but you'd have to say he's the weakest link in this attack BY FAR!!!!!!! and to use him now just makes zero sense, even if it does pay-off.

 

[Richard]

Yes it is. Every bowler doing that=victory.

Is it remotely likely every bowler will do that? No. We need at least one burst of a couple of bang-bang wickets.

And I suppose the one upside of Amjad bowling all these no-balls is that at least the unthreatening deliveries can be bowled again.

 

[pskov]

This is like an old-time fourth-innings with some surreal economy-rates for the spinners.

It's as if we're in the 1950s playing on uncovered pitches and there was a 30 minute shower over lunch.

 

[Richard]

TBF it was largely because of Big Dunc he wasn't picked. Swann toured SA way back in 99/00, played one ODI, (allegedly) blotted his copybook and was sent back to the shires for the better part of the decade.

I've sometimes wondered whether it was entirely coincidence that he returned to the fold just 6 months after Duncan left. Given he bowled largely the same between 2003 and 2007, you'd have to think it's not that likely to have been.

Much as it's common knowledge that Duncan Fletcher didn't much fancy him on that 1999/2000 tour, despite one remarkable delivery in the Bloem ODI he did play, I'm always a bit surprised he preferred MSP to him given Swann's superior batting and adaquete as opposed to inadaquete fielding.

And meanwhile Anderson continues to bowl too many that're too short.

 

[Uppercut]

Unless Swann is feeling his fingers\elbow this is utterly baffling.

He just had to bowl through this session for England to have a chance.

Amjad could conceivably produce a magic ball out of nowhere but you'd have to say he's the weakest link in this attack BY FAR!!!!!!! and to use him now just makes zero sense, even if it does pay-off.

Equally, Amjad will be much more effective when bowling with as old a ball as possible against tail-enders (assuming they get that far). Why bowl him now?

 

[wpdavid]

Equally, Amjad will be much more effective when bowling with as old a ball as possible against tail-enders (assuming they get that far). Why bowl him now?

I can only think it's a cunning plan to get the RRR down so that WI will start playing some shots.

 

[Richard]

If a spinner (whether Swann or MSP) doesn't bowl again within the next couple of overs we've had it.