*Official* Fifth Test at The Oval

[Prince EWS]

3 full tosses in this over imho

The real question is - how many will take wickets?

 

[Spikey]

The real question is - how many will take wickets?

3

 

[Furball]

Would you say he's better or worse than Ponting?

Hard to say because IMO the captain's main responsibility is to lead his troops. I'm not particularly fussed about a captain's tactical nous provided his vice-captain is pretty sharp tactically and the captain isn't pig-headed about listening to the vice (or anyone else).

 

[Maximas]

wow, the areas...

 

[Maximas]

raise your hand if you expected an over like that

 

[Spark]

well that might be the most accurate over smitteh has ever bowled

 

[91Jmay]

Yeah I agree.

Given the state of the game, England should not be looking to unnaturally up the scoring rate for the sake of it. That is, they should still be sticking to the mantra of batting at the tempo that allows them to score the most runs. When the bowling is poor and/or the conditions are good for batting then sometimes that's at over 4rpo, but you get situations like this too. England should absolutely not to be looking to "bat time" at this point and Root missing blocking back pies isn't going to make him any less likely to get out anyway, so that was gifting away free runs and was poor. However there's absolutely no need to force the pace at this point just because some fans want their side to play big dick cricket or because it might make a better spectacle.

Yeah that's exactly right. Batsmen aren't good enough to bat like Australia early 00s, and bowling is to good even if they were.

 

[ajdude]

i wasn't paying attention there and thought that was smith still bowling and thought "**** that's a huge wrong-un"

 

[jackbyrne91]

Anyone else think Michael Vaughan is trying to become the next Bumble?

 

[Uppercut]

He seems a very defensive person. I don't think it's what this England team needs to flourish. Players like Pietersen, Root & Prior haven't had the best of series and they are all scoring at much slower rates than they are used to/can comfortably do. There is room for someone to drop anchor and everyone to bat around them but yet again we are 142/2 off 67 overs, its absolutely dire batting and we are just going nowhere. It's a good wicket, quick outfield and we are putting ourselves under pressure here.

He is naturally quite defensive in a sense, but I think reactionary might be a better word. When he bats he only ever plays the ball that's bowled to him, and I think that comes out in his captaincy. But it doesn't make him a bad batsman and I don't think it'll make him a bad captain either. There's more than one way to skin a cat, and Cook's method just happens to be the polar opposite of Warne's.

 

[jackbyrne91]

Simon Katich just passed 1000 runs for Lancs this season. Good lad. Glad he didn't get a call up, he has looked in top nick the few times I've seen him this season.

Thats a 1000 in Championship Cricket *

 

[Spark]

He is naturally quite defensive in a sense, but I think reactive might be a better word. When he bats he only ever plays the ball that's bowled to him, and I think that comes out in his captaincy. But it doesn't make him a bad batsman and I don't think it'll make him a bad captain either. There's more than one way to skin a cat, and Cook's method just happens to be the polar opposite of Warne's.

Eh, if anything he's not reactive enough - he's too rigid at times. I know the comms harped on about it tons, but keeping the extra fielder on the legside when Warner was clearly only trying to hit the ball through the offside at Durham was pretty daft captaincy.

 

[91Jmay]

Really good start from Smith. No pie's, a couple of big turners.

 

[Spark]

well i'm astonished at those two overs

 

[the big bambino]

Wow, Lyon is a really classy spinner these days

Might all turn to **** if KP gets on top of him but you have to admire the way he's come back from some pretty massive beatings over the last few months to become such a confident and effective bowler. Has our search for a spinner ended?

 

[Uppercut]

Eh, if anything he's not reactive enough - he's too rigid at times. I know the comms harped on about it tons, but keeping the extra fielder on the legside when Warner was clearly only trying to hit the ball through the offside at Durham was pretty daft captaincy.

Yeah that is true. I was making more of a comment on style than quality. I just mean he's someone who reacts to events rather than someone who looks to make things happen. Maybe 'reactionary' would have been a better word.

 

[MW1304]

Eh, if anything he's not reactive enough - he's too rigid at times. I know the comms harped on about it tons, but keeping the extra fielder on the legside when Warner was clearly only trying to hit the ball through the offside at Durham was pretty daft captaincy.

He may have been trying to actively counter his usual reactionary field placings there tbh. He often follows the ball.

 

[Spark]

Might all turn to **** if KP gets on top of him but you have to admire the way he's come back from some pretty massive beatings over the last few months to become such a confident and effective bowler. Has our search for a spinner ended?

I can't see how KP could get on top of him right now - and I don't think KP does as well, which is a pretty incredible feat

 

[Cabinet96]

He may have been trying to actively counter his usual reactionary field placings there tbh. He often follows the ball.

Yeah, I'd say he's pretty reactive in general, certainly far more so than Strauss. Think he just isn't really innovative enough to have the extreme fields that were probably warranted in Durham.

 

[Spark]

i'm amazed it took him that long to try that