*Official* Pakistan in England and Ireland 2016

[Scaly piscine]

Rubbish dismissal at a rubbish time.

 

[Groundking]

Aaahhh gazza that wasn't great. I'd send in Woakes

 

[Cabinet96]

Oh Ok I'm fine with this.

 

[Howe_zat]

Please no nightwatchman.

I dunno. Ben Stokes doesn't strike me as 'playing for stumps' is a strength.

 

[Groundking]

Called it. Woakesy <3

 

[GIMH]

91jmay gets his wish

 

[Compton]

That's an ugly dismissal, Gaz.

 

[Howe_zat]

Bairstow 8, Moeen 9 is weird as ****

 

[Stace]

That was so bad from ballance its about as suspect as Amir's no balls 6 years ago.

 

[Furball]

I could definitely get behind the idea of Woakes as a nightwatchman.

Didn't he bat 6 on debut?

 

[Howe_zat]

Oh Ok I'm fine with this.

It suggests that England are comfortable with having a flexible batting order depending on circumstances, which seems like a big plus

 

[Scaly piscine]

Certainly would not complain if they pick Borthwick but it is not as if he has been destroying county cricket like Bairstow did last year.

He's not that type of batsman. Still averages nearly 70. Most runs are from Keaton Jennings - another Durham batsman.

 

[Compton]

I like Woakes as night watchman far more than throwing up someone like Anderson for no reason.

Don't like giving them an easy wicket first thing the following morning.

 

[Daemon]

England's 4,5,6 are worse than their 7,8,9 (I know this isn't Woakes' usual position, stfu)

 

[Cabinet96]

Yeah I thought they were gonna send Anderson in which would've just been ridiculous. This is fine.

 

[Cabinet96]

England's 4,5,6 are worse than their 7,8,9 (I know this isn't Woakes' usual position, stfu)

So it's especially true when Woakes is in his usual position?

 

[Groundking]

I like Woakes as night watchman far more than throwing up someone like Anderson for no reason.

Don't like giving them an easy wicket first thing the following morning.

Plus if he can scrape himself to 30 odd we'll be close to 400 with Stokes coming in to an old ball, with licence to go hard, and that's super demoralising haha.

 

[smash84]

please get root before close (wishful thinking)

 

[nightprowler10]

To expand on this for you, I appreciate the pitch hasn't made things easy for the bowlers but there doesn't appear to have been any discernable plan from Pakistan for any of England's batsmen. Not even a token '**** it let's bombard the **** with short stuff and see how he does' burst. And Yasir simply hasn't been able to exert any sort of pressure, granted he's spent most of the day bowling at England's best 2 batsmen but he's had 3 maidens from 25 or so overs and seems a bit lost now that England's batsmen aren't falling over themselves to get out to him.

Would also add that everything which pierces the field basically is 4. True pitch, lightning outfield, good day to bat. Yasir's been really off today even taking into account that day 1 leg-spin is the toughest art in the game.

Sounds like a really bad toss to lose for us. We seem to not do too well and sort of lose the plot when bowling first on a batting pitch.

 

[Compton]

Plus if he can scrape himself to 30 odd we'll be close to 400 with Stokes coming in to an old ball, with licence to go hard, and that's super demoralising haha.

With Bairstow and Moeen still to come...