***Official*** England in New Zealand 2018

[Flem274*]

De grandhomme has evolved a brain, yay

shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[91Jmay]

Sort of feel like if one of the top order for either team had stood up they could have won the game for their team, it's a very good pitch to bat on after ball is 15ish overs old.

 

[_Ed_]

50! Already a better innings than his ton v West Indies, IMO.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

Sort of feel like if one of the top order for either team had stood up they could have won the game for their team, it's a very good pitch to bat on after ball is 15ish overs old.

Yeah, Williamson's dismissal is the one that really disappointed me. He was well in and it was just a silly way to go.

Well batted so far CDG!

 

[91Jmay]

Great knock this, just smart cricket with some nice ball striking.

Need one more before tea.

 

[straw man]

Sort of feel like if one of the top order for either team had stood up they could have won the game for their team, it's a very good pitch to bat on after ball is 15ish overs old.

Completely agree and we've seen this pattern quite a lot on NZ pitches in recent years. Even just hanging around and soaking up balls is very useful from a top order player, as batting really does become very nice later for the middle order, keeper and any bowler that can hold a bat.

 

[straw man]

I'm glad Sky is making an effort to get a woman on the commentary team, but surely they can do better than Debbie Hockley? She is awful.

Yeah she's bad - just filler with a bad accent - though I don't think any of the other women NZ have tried have been any better. Just need to steal Alison Mitchell. Or the good female Indian commentator at the U19 tournament.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

53 off 84 is CDG's longest test innings, his WI 100 was 105 off 74.

 

[Flem274*]

its our score again

123/5

 

[Athlai]

53 off 84 is CDG's longest test innings, his WI 100 was 105 off 74.

A 50 at a SR of 60 being your longest innings Is great

 

[Larwood's_boots]

Leach looks pretty useful. Hope he gets a few more opportunities.

Moeen will come back in for the Pakistan series, get a nice surface in England to take a few wickets then be undroppable for the next year

 

[Larwood's_boots]

Now come on England- few early wickets this session could wrap it up

 

[straw man]

Wood bowling some nice short balls is all very well, but if he wants to Wagner he really needs to show some better facial contortions

 

[91Jmay]

Has been some really really good Test cricket today. Wood is really working over Watling but he is up to the task.

 

[straw man]

This tactic from England & Leach against De Grandhomme to pack the offside field is working really well. He can't be used to not being able to score runs and get that tied down.

 

[straw man]

Nice fifty Watling. A good return to form after his struggles in his most recent test matches (which were all ages ago anyway).

 

[Flem274*]

i don't think he's in nick at all - he's spooned a fair few drives which in unusual for him. he's just got the bottle to fight through some poor timing.

 

[Flem274*]

they're going to crock wood again if they try and give him wagners plan and workload.

 

[_Ed_]

Lucky to get away with that, CdG.

 

[91Jmay]

NZ moving into the driver's seat here.