England v Australia, 2nd Test, Lords, 28 June - 2 July, 2023

Blackadder wrote:Hopefully haven't jinxed him , but the GOAT will become the first bowler to play 100 consecutive tests.

Remarkable effort of form and fitness.

skully wrote:

Blackadder wrote:Hopefully haven't jinxed him , but the GOAT will become the first bowler to play 100 consecutive tests.

Remarkable effort of form and fitness.

Aye , Northern District already have Mark Taylor Oval, maybe the Nathan Lyon scoreboard is next on the list.

Would be very well deserved.

skully wrote:

Blackadder wrote:Hopefully haven't jinxed him , but the GOAT will become the first bowler to play 100 consecutive tests.

Remarkable effort of form and fitness.

So even Jimmy hasn’t done that? (Or the three legendary spinners/chuckers in the 600 club…)

Remarkable effort, he will take some replacing when he calls it a day.

There is one bloke, ahead of him in terms of consecutive tests territory, who took ten wickets in a Test. Legend.

That Scottish chap?

Alan Border.

100 consecutive Tests club:

Alastair Cook (159), Allan Border (153), Mark Waugh (107), Sunil Gavaskar (106) and Brendon McCullum (101)

Allan was "the Scottish chap"!

Lyon might finish behind only Cook and Border

PeterCS wrote:Allan was "the Scottish chap"!

Ah, I see.

Only other active streaks above 50: Kraigggg Brathwaite 75, Minnowbasher Latham 74, Elgar 58.

Best ever for a frontline seam bowler appears to be Kapil Dev with 66, he had a separate streak of 65 which Botham also matched. Excluding genuine all-rounders, McGrath’s run of 54 takes the honours. Neither Anderson nor Broad has managed a half-century of consecutive Tests.

Get it right, "Ian":

Kraiggggggggggg Brathwaite

Would love to see the GOAT overtake Koala jnr.

I don't think there's any doubt of that. He should add 4 in this series, then 3 v Pak and 2 v WI in our home summer. That will take him to 108, past MEW (107).

And I'm sure he'll keep playing beyond our summer.

The two test Agar interruption has cost him any chance of finishing any higher than third on this list.

(If he’d played those two games, without injury, he’d be sitting on 123 now; and he’d already have his 500 wickets)

Probably. Or he’d have failed in those two games, and been dropped and forgotten.

England bring in Tongue for Moeen in an all-seam frontline attack.

Interesting.

I guess they may as well, given their limited spin options.

Can Tongue bat?

FC average of 13 doesn’t look too hopeful… expect he will come in at 10.

Maybe a few edges will trip off the Tongue ... to the boundary.

That's if he's sharp, and not loose.


Either way, he'll be looking for a few slips when he bowls.

I suppose I'd better watch my Tongue.

I wonder what his favourite sort of meat is?

I know they have Root - who can more than turn his arm over.

But I regret the absence of a frontline spinner, when they (at least theoretically) have a couple they could use.

If they still want a slow drying track, in hot & heavy conditions, it's an odd move. Incidentally - yes, I know, can't be a prime consideration, but all the same - also to prevent fines for dragging over rates (drinks breaks, DRS only drawing the game out as it is), and to give the quick men a break, end-change etc.

But any decent spinner adds variety and a different sort of challenge.
I believe the young chap can get it up to 140, but the risk of a rather samey attack again. Esp if Wood is not also coming in to replace one of our geriatrics (sorry Stuart - I know you're not as old as The Burnley Express, though alays yoked together).

"And we brought Tonguey into the team as a like-for-like with Woody."

So that means the team must be

Crawleyey
Ducky
Popey
Rooty
Brooky
Stokesy
Bairstowy (Bluey? Just for a changey)
Robby
Tonguey
Broady
Andy

Bit of a taily there?

I hope the pitch remains greenish. So Ollie will be lipping off and we will be getting a bit of tongue too.