West Indies v England, 1st Test, Antigua, 13-17 April 2015

Poor techniques pretty much all the way down. I'm surprised WI aren't working Root over with the short ball full ball routine.. He's a sucker for that

I was just wondering if the ECB had called the WICB during the rain break to ask them to put a spinner on to keep the game alive for a bit longer.

Then Benn comes on and starts turning it. He could take the next few for nowt and then it just gets more absurd.

Time to 'take it on the chin' Peter?

1.96 rpo. Moral victory to me?

Useful bowling spells though

I'd dispense a few sneers @ England but I'm busy living the IPL dream.

The dodgy stream I'm watching is advertising lube free pocket catheters. Christ alive. Sounds almost as painful as watching England.

furriner wrote:I'd dispense a few sneers @ England but I'm busy living the IPL dream.

You're like the presenters on Sky - they think because we've tuned in to watch the test match that we're actually wanting to watch the IPL instead. Well, I'm not for turning. I'll forego wham, bam, thank you ma'am for 2 runs an over blockapalooza thank you very much. :-)

Brass Monkey wrote:1.96 rpo. Moral victory to me?

Useful bowling spells though

Indeed. It's heady stuff.

Decent bowling - pretty dismal batting though don't you think?

Lindsay no.2 wrote:

furriner wrote:I'd dispense a few sneers @ England but I'm busy living the IPL dream.

You're like the presenters on Sky - they think because we've tuned in to watch the test match that we're actually wanting to watch the IPL instead. Well, I'm not for turning. I'll forego wham, bam, thank you ma'am for 2 runs an over blockapalooza thank you very much. :-)

It's racist to hate the IPL.

Furri, have you saved the Make in India campaign by exporting effigies to England? Oh, and a note saying IPL's great.

Is Stokes cut out for the no.6 spot? I haven't seen enough of him batting to have a really good sense of it - but from what I have seen it seems a bit high up, especially if we lose early wickets. Anyone got any insights on his batting?

furriner wrote:

Lindsay no.2 wrote:

furriner wrote:I'd dispense a few sneers @ England but I'm busy living the IPL dream.

You're like the presenters on Sky - they think because we've tuned in to watch the test match that we're actually wanting to watch the IPL instead. Well, I'm not for turning. I'll forego wham, bam, thank you ma'am for 2 runs an over blockapalooza thank you very much. :-)

It's racist good sense to hate the IPL.

That's what your sub-conscious was thinking.

tricycle wrote:Furri, have you saved the Make in India campaign by exporting effigies to England? Oh, and a note saying IPL's great.

I have a few effigies of Cook if anyone wants them.

Henry wrote:The world has figured out Cook.

I doubt he'll get another short delivery to hit away for the rest of his career.

Until he switches countries and plays against England, Then all he'll get is half-trackers.

Lindsay no.2 wrote:Is Stokes cut out for the no.6 spot? I haven't seen enough of him batting to have a really good sense of it - but from what I have seen it seems a bit high up, especially if we lose early wickets. Anyone got any insights on his batting?

He's a batsman who bowls. Admittedly, his batting form's been iffy McSquiffy for a few seasons now, but he does line up in the top 4-5 for Durham and has done all his career.

Seems like he bats like a tailender if you put him in a tailender's position. That's the argument, anyway: give him the responsibility of a proper batsman and he'll play like one.

Work in progress, to say the least, but he's got all the attacking strokes and some ticker. It's a starting point.

Lindsay no.2 wrote:

Brass Monkey wrote:1.96 rpo. Moral victory to me?

Useful bowling spells though

Indeed. It's heady stuff.

Decent bowling - pretty dismal batting though don't you think?

Yes definitely. A couple of wafts, the usual gate merchant stuff from the skipper, plus some incredibly circumspect batting, letting half volleys sail through to the keeper. TBF Bell and Root have been more industrious in this session.

As an aside, I see Phil Hughes has had an impact on us - they all seem to have new attachments on the back of their helmets

furriner wrote:

tricycle wrote:Furri, have you saved the Make in India campaign by exporting effigies to England? Oh, and a note saying IPL's great.

I have a few effigies of Cook if anyone wants them.

Was one of your effigies out in the middle in Antigua earlier today? Very lifelike, I must say.

Oh, they've picked it up, now going at more than 2.5 per over - might manage 230 in the day yet!

Turgid, with the emphasis on "turd". Sounds like the first session was everything we've come to recognise as ECB cricket in recent times. Unambitious, negative, and still not getting results.

beamer wrote:Oh, they've picked it up, now going at more than 2.5 per over - might manage 230 in the day yet!

Turgid, with the emphasis on "turd". Sounds like the first session was everything we've come to recognise as ECB cricket in recent times. Unambitious, negative, and still not getting results.

This is why they missed a prime opportunity to blood a 27 year old specialist opener and it's incredibly indicative of the regressive mindset of this current selection panel. Christ, even Nick Knight said he'd have gone for Lyth.

So similar in the case of Tredwell and Rashid - one played a reasonable part in the team winning the championship, one got some charity picks by a loan county (probably at the behest of the ECB). Better batsman, better fielder, better bowler. But pick Tredders, he's safe. You know what you'll get with him.

Quite.

Why take Lyth and Rashid and not play them? Or do the ECB see their respective tours merely as a battle to the death for the role as a future 'good tourist'/replacement drinks waiter, taking over from our new secret weapon Tredders.

This must be the first test series in years not shown on SA TV.

Either the WI are asking too much for the rights or they know more than me.

Decent partnership from those reliable middle order rocks, Belf & Neph, rescues England from the disaster of Tree fer Turty Tree (well almost).

Wicket looks bland as. I guess the Windies made the most of any early life.

taipan wrote:This must be the first test series in years not shown on SA TV.

Either the WI are asking too much for the rights or they know more than me.

The WICB should be ashamed if they had the gall to charge anything for this. Trust me you're being spared some very average cricket - played in a 2/3 empty stadium with zero atmosphere.

Root goes for 83. Good innings, bar a mistimed pull in the mid 60s.

Ton up for Bell. Very good knock. Couple of false shots, but otherwise assured and relatively lively

Bell's clearly no Wally... he's just moved above Hammond on the all time list.