***Official*** England in Pakistan

[marc71178]

When the hell is tea? I was expecting it at 9.40am our time, that's 26 minutes ago.

It's put back to make up lost time from Day 1.

That extends the end of play by the same amount of time.

That extended time is then lost and made up by moving Tea on Day 3...

 

[marc71178]

Harmy deserved that - has been by far the best bowler today.

Good to hear - bizarre that on tour he's suddenly become twice the bowler he was for the rest of 2005.

Anyone any ideas as to why?

 

[marc71178]

Jones, Giles, Vaughan, Hoggard and, potentially, Flintoff are now injured. Wonder if Geraint can bowl?

He seems to have just got the hang of keeping, so can we leave him to do that instead?

 

[marc71178]

There's a few English players out in SA, Marshall, Shafayat, the Crooks

They're Aussies aren't they with a name like that?!

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Good to hear - bizarre that on tour he's suddenly become twice the bowler he was for the rest of 2005.

Anyone any ideas as to why?

Could be totally irrelevent, but ive seen a few interviews now where he's mentioned how Craig White lowered his pace while on the last tour. This enabled him to bowl longer spells with the change up of pace as the occasional surprise ball. Harmison mentioned how he was going to take this same approach, it could be that a good byproduct of this lowering of his pace has given him a bit more accuracy as well. As McGrath / Pollock has shown, providing you have a bit of height and are accurate then you dont need to bowl at 90mph+ to be able to get wickets.

 

[Jono]

Eng did well yesterday as the wicket is pretty good for batting and their attack isnt that suited to Pakistani conditions - remarkable how they were able to hoop English balls around during the Ashes with reverse swing but have hardly achieved any at all in its traditional birth-place with a Kookaburra.

As usual, everything depends on Inzy and Mo-Yo. Get one out and the rest are likely to crumble.

Pakistan are without doubt the weakest batting line-up amongst the major countries. People criticised the WI in Aus recently but even they are better. Aside from Butt, Inzy and Mo-Yo (and only when conditions suit) the rest are hopeless.

As usual, the Pakistanis could prove me wrong and rack up a score of 500+ tomorrow but I think 230-250 is more likely.

I disagree. If you put Younis Kahn back into that team, who is a good batsman, and if Asim Kamal can get into the form he was in late last year/early this year, they don't have that bad a batting line-up. In fact I reckon its pretty decent.

 

[social]

I disagree. If you put Younis Kahn back into that team, who is a good batsman, and if Asim Kamal can get into the form he was in late last year/early this year, they don't have that bad a batting line-up. In fact I reckon its pretty decent.

Trouble is that Younis Khan isnt playing and Asim Kamal isnt in form. As it stands, they are very ordinary.

 

[Jono]

If you're referring to this current match, then I agree. That being said, the way you worded it was implying that their batting general line-up is one of the worst out of the better test playing nations. I think its improving rather than getting worse. Younis Khan, Afridi and Razzaq are all not playing this match and at least 2 of them could slot into that team, possibly 3 (depends on whether Pakistan need Malik's bowling).

 

[magsi23]

Not a hope.

Read this. Against the traditionally stronger attacks of India, Australia, South Africa, England and Sri Lanka, he averages 32.61 in 37 Tests. I don't see how one streaky half-century changes that.

So on other words your saying that English attack is not strong enough?

 

[magsi23]

If you're referring to this current match, then I agree. That being said, the way you worded it was implying that their batting general line-up is one of the worst out of the better test playing nations. I think its improving rather than getting worse. Younis Khan, Afridi and Razzaq are all not playing this match and at least 2 of them could slot into that team, possibly 3 (depends on whether Pakistan need Malik's bowling).

Agree Younis, Razzaq and Afridi are most improved players for Pakistan recently

 

[Goldberg]

I really don't see Pakistan winning/drawing this test from here on with Injured Inzamam-Ul-Haq & out of form batsmen like Asim Kamal & Hasan Raza in the team.a lot depends on their today's performance,though.

 

[Barney Rubble]

They're Aussies aren't they with a name like that?!

 

[ClownSymonds]

I wonder if we'll see a repeat performance of Shoaib Akhtar's World Cup domination of England here. He has already scored more runs in this innings than specialist batsman Hasan Raza has scored all series.

 

[Neil Pickup]

I hate cricket. Akhtar looking supremely untroubled and England bereft of ideas.

Udal seeming as effective as I'd be.

 

[ClownSymonds]

I hate cricket.

Hahahahahaha

I think that warrants being banned.

The Pakistani fans are giving Flintoff the "yabadabadabadabadoooo" taunt.

 

[Blaze]

I hate cricket.

Just think of the Ashes Neil.

And look at your side compared to others in the world. I would love to be an English supporter these days.

 

[ClownSymonds]

Just think of the Ashes Neil.

And look at your side compared to others in the world. I would love to be an English supporter these days.

That's what you'll have to do for the next 20 years - think of the Ashes.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Just think of the Ashes Neil.

And look at your side compared to others in the world. I would love to be an English supporter these days.

I'm sure I'll think the same when I'm feeling rational, but right now it's 6.07am, I've been up for an hour and my morning has consisted of a) taking bins out, b) getting heavily rained on whilst taking bins out and c) watching Shoaib Akhtar club England around Lahore.

Now there's a d). Yousuf bringing up his hundred with a straight six off Udal. e). Fifty partnership.

 

[ClownSymonds]

Hooray for Sheikh Mohammad Yousaf. That six to bring up his hundred just screamed "screw you, England". To be fair, it was a terrible century, and he didn't deserve it. But Pakistan will take it. An interesting fact - Yousuf's last 3 centuries have been in losses. Perhaps it is a good omen for England.

 

[andyc]

Wow Shoaib seems to batting pretty well- I don't want to jinx it, but we could we see his first half century?