1st Test, Edgbaston, Birmingham

[Victor Ian]

English crowds are amazing. Any other test venue in the world the home supporters would have left hours ago.

Any other ground in the world didn't require a mortgage to get in.

 

[Stowford Mess]

Plenty for Lyon to work with, surely?

Really? You could knock out a **** in the time the ball hits the pitch and then on to the keepers gloves. Horrifically slow turn. Ball keeping low maybe might be an issue, or if it rains overnight.

 

[slippy888]

This is tame thinking by Australia 340 is enough against this fragile English team, why make them bat less overs tonight.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Just don't get this. Eng don't even have enough time to get this. Just hit out for couple of overs and ball

especially with the rain around

Over 100 overs left. They shouldn’t give England even a sniff.

 

[harsh.ag]

Will be funny if this isn't the final over before declaration

 

[MW1304]

Really? You could knock out a **** in the time the ball hits the pitch and then on to the keepers gloves. Horrifically slow turn. Ball keeping low maybe might be an issue, or if it rains overnight.

We're talking about this England team though. Not convinced they have the stomach to bat out the day to save a Test, unlike the England of a few years ago.

 

[Stowford Mess]

Root’esq captaincy from Paine here. Get England in before the umpires offer us the light.

 

[Stowford Mess]

Over 100 overs left. They shouldn’t give England even a sniff.

Birmingham wont have 2 days in a row where rain was predicted and it didn’t come. Brummies just aren’t that lucky.

 

[Gob]

Over 100 overs left. They shouldn’t give England even a sniff.

Threre's no sniff though. England aren't getting near this

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Birmingham wont have 2 days in a row where rain was predicted and it didn’t come. Brummies just aren’t that lucky.

Not the soundest basis for declaring in a Test Match.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Threre's no sniff though. England aren't getting near this

Almost certainly they won’t. But that’s not what a sniff is. It’s not impossible.

 

[MW1304]

This is what we should have done to Australia in our first innings. Just have an inability to put the foot down when we're on top.

They probably should have declared by now, but it's still pretty dispiriting.

 

[trundler]

Superb shot from Patto. Moeen Lolali. This is why downhill skiing is important

 

[vcs]

He won't take any chances. There's always the risk that things don't go as planned, opposition finds itself at 220/2 at tea and then there's the fear that they may go into ODI mode.

 

[Stowford Mess]

The Aus ball change stopped England from scoring 550+ imo. Was a big moment in the game.

 

[slippy888]

Its hard to bowl out teams under 100 overs

 

[Spark]

Two more overs of this max please

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

380 would be a nice target

 

[fredfertang]

Two more overs of this max please

They've got this far - should bat out the day imo

 

[mr_mister]

He won't take any chances. There's always the risk that things don't go as planned, opposition finds itself at 220/2 at tea and then there's the fear that they may go into ODI mode.

Yeah. England have scary batsmen when they click, no run rate is too much for them. I'm happy to guarantee no chance of a loss, which would be devastating