***Official*** England in Pakistan

[Jono]

Deer? I guess we can't all be illiterati, people so dense that they don't realise it and live in blissful ignorance of their own shortcomings. Now you can go back to supporting India and watching them lose every ODI of significance.

Oh my, a spelling error. And having a crack at India

Aren't you original.

Or maybe I was calling you a deer.
Bucko!

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Interesting comment from Mohammad Akram - England lacking a middle order player like Thorpe, Butcher or Hussain...

Maybe we are but we haven't got one. I say show faith in the boys again (although I would love to see Cook get a game) as we have done recently. This series has just begun and there's a fair way to go, we can't win every close match, and I think we've been rather spoiled of late.

 

[Hanuma]

SOUR GRAPES. Pakistan bowled brilliantly in both the innings. They didn't bat as well as they should have , but they bowled much much better.

oh come off it....england were a joke...they collapsed like hollow fruit....****ing joke.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Final Report

 

[wpdavid]

You know as well as I do that the game's never over until the fat lady burns the Indian captain's house down.

Games have been won from worse situations than the one Pakistan found themelves in (more prophetic words from the day 4 report) - I just find it easier to speculate nowadays. Flights of fancy often, but Nostradamus-like on occasion.

Sure, and the idea that pakistan were well out of it were always way off the mark, which is why some of us were trying to point out that chasing anything over 150 would be anything but a formality (apologies for going into "told you so mode", but it's the only consolation at the mo)

 

[andyc]

oh come off it....england were a joke...they collapsed like hollow fruit....****ing joke.

So when Australia collapsed during the Ashes, was that just Australia's fault?

 

[ClownSymonds]

In their defense, most of the england fans on this forum are very fair - although most did go a little over the top after the ashes (but who could blame them after 16 years). Its just ashame that the odd scaly individual out there gives England fans a bad name.

Fair enough. I was thinking more of the casual fans rather than the hardcore ones on this forum, anyway.

 

[Sanz]

Awesome picture, looks like Shoaib bowled some good balls.

That's amazing stuff..Thanks Andyc.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

So when Australia collapsed during the Ashes, was that just Australia's fault?

No of course that was a brilliant English performance! DUH.

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Hahah, I was thinking the same thing

*puts Uruguay shirt on*

 

[SJS]

Awesome picture, looks like Shoaib bowled some good balls.

Yes I would assume it would take at least two to get that effect

 

[dinu23]

well done pakistan. a whitewash is in the cards.

 

[luckyeddie]

Sure, and the idea that pakistan were well out of it were always way off the mark, which is why some of us were trying to point out that chasing anything over 150 would be anything but a formality (apologies for going into "told you so mode", but it's the only consolation at the mo)

I'm trying to work out why you are quoting my post.

Are you agreeing with what I said (Pakistan have won games from far worse positions and were definitely in with a chance)?

If so, why apologise for the 'I told you so' bit?

It's akin to saying "I'm really sorry, Eddie, but you are right".

Maybe I'm being thick here - help me out.

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Terrible effort from Giles there, no Englishman should ever get out to such a delivery..

 

[luckyeddie]

Terrible effort from Giles there, no Englishman should ever get out to such a delivery..

WG Grace wouldn't have.

One stump was still standing.

 

[SJS]

well done pakistan. a whitewash is in the cards.

HUH !!

 

[Beleg]

HUH !!

Well, a whitwash is always on the cards whenever a team goes 1 up after the first test in a series.

 

[Jono]

HUH !!

A draw didnt happen, mathematically its possible.

 

[Slow Love™]

.

"That's a bewdy!"

 

[wpdavid]

Maybe we are but we haven't got one. I say show faith in the boys again (although I would love to see Cook get a game) as we have done recently. This series has just begun and there's a fair way to go, we can't win every close match, and I think we've been rather spoiled of late.

Indeed. I also think that there was a certain mentality that we'd get away with being undercooked going into the 1st test because that's what happened in SA. It is hard to avoid the impression that there was a certain level of complacency, whatever Vaughan & co said to the contrary. Probably it was only on a subconcious level, but I think it was there, certainly with the batting, anyway. That doesn't mean that Pakistan didn't bowl well, but we let them off the hook in the 1st innings after reaching 250odd for 2, and you just can't afford to do that and get away with it every time. Again, there might be a slight attitude that it was OK because we did much the same a couple of times in WI and again in the 1st test in SA, but you really have to bat the opposition out of games in these situations.

As for the middle order, we'll learn a bit about them this winter. Around now, some folks will remember that if KP hadn't been dropped twice before reaching 20 in *that* innings, we'd be looking at a pretty unedifying run of scores. Bell will probably get a chance to establish himself, but he needs to go on with it when he does get a start. I don't see Collingwood as a test number 4: I know he's usually had to bat in difficult situations, but sometimes in life you just needs to take an opportunity, and I wonder if he's good enough.

But I do wonder why so many of them can't read Kaneria. Surely there's enough footage available to take a goood look at him before the tour and get the batsmen sorted on that front. It was hardly news that he'd be a major threat.