[Mr Mercury]

Middle East, on 13 November 2022 - 02:45 PM, said:

A fantastic result! I also think we had the right mental attitude and approach to have won even if Afridi didn't get injured.

That’s a close call my friend, but a win is a win is a win, as they say!

[JonB]

Some ridiculous batting scenes been happening in Rawalpindi today!

[Benno Spire]

JonB, on 01 December 2022 - 11:36 AM, said:

Some ridiculous batting scenes been happening in Rawalpindi today!

Just seen the score, was it great batting, bad bowling, short boundaries or a combination?
We will get a better idea of the pitch when Pakistan bat.

[Westbars Spireite]

Benno Spire, on 01 December 2022 - 11:59 AM, said:

Just seen the score, was it great batting, bad bowling, short boundaries or a combination?
We will get a better idea of the pitch when Pakistan bat.

Some abysmal bowling coupled with positive and smart batting. Not sure why they don’t start earlier in the day if it goes dark an hour before the scheduled close. We would have got 600.

[JonB]

Benno Spire, on 01 December 2022 - 11:59 AM, said:

Just seen the score, was it great batting, bad bowling, short boundaries or a combination?
We will get a better idea of the pitch when Pakistan bat.

Bit of a flat track but mainly just very positive batting that never let the bowlers settle and always keeping them under pressure. Brook hitting 6 consecutive fours in one over was particularly amusing.

[clarevoyant.]

Not sure if there's room for flexibility (I know that, would mean applying common sense) re the start time otherwise it virtually becomes a 4 day game with losing 15+ overs per day due to light which may make getting a result difficult And infuriatingly they loose 20 minutes tomorrow due to Friday prayers.

[JonB]

It’s where cricket shoots itself in the foot and they don’t seem to learn. So fixed when it comes to hours of play at times.

[jack bauer]

JonB, on 01 December 2022 - 08:17 PM, said:

It’s where cricket shoots itself in the foot and they don’t seem to learn. So fixed when it comes to hours of play at times.

this match is as dull as it gets, nothing in it for the bowling side whatsoever, this kind of game/spectacle makes test cricket vulnerable i reckon.

[JonB]

jack bauer, on 03 December 2022 - 11:41 PM, said:

this match is as dull as it gets, nothing in it for the bowling side whatsoever, this kind of game/spectacle makes test cricket vulnerable i reckon.

You’re right it does happen too much that these sort of tracks are prepared especially in the subcontinent. The one thing that could save this one and it be a result is the way England will go about batting. Their run rate in the first innings left loads of time in the game and they won’t mess about second time around either.

[jack bauer]

JonB, on 04 December 2022 - 07:26 AM, said:

You’re right it does happen too much that these sort of tracks are prepared especially in the subcontinent. The one thing that could save this one and it be a result is the way England will go about batting. Their run rate in the first innings left loads of time in the game and they won’t mess about second time around either.

hi JB, used to watch cricket years ago, then a combo of having kids and sky's takeover of the sport menat i lost touch with it, during lockdown i signed up to skysports and have got back into it but have never really followed a test series abroad, so is this fairly typical then of Pakistan wicket? or typical of that particular ground?

[JonB]

There hasn’t been much test cricket in Pakistan the last 15 years because of the security issues but it’s not unusual to see these feather bed batting tracks in the likes of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Arab emirates. They are probably half the reason limited overs stuff is more popular recently as test cricket is a hard watch. England have gone about trying to win this one about the only way they can really and could possibly lose doing so but it’s better for the audience to watch than 800 all out plays 700 all out over 5 days where they may as well stick bowling machines out.

Englands approach will upset some who will whine if they lose but hopefully the majority are on board with the new approach.

[JonB]

England 1 wicket away from a great win.

[Mr Mercury]

JonB, on 05 December 2022 - 11:09 AM, said:

England 1 wicket away from a great win.

Pope showing there why he’s not a normal first choice . Keepers catch all day long!

[JonB]

Mr Mercury, on 05 December 2022 - 11:20 AM, said:

Pope showing there why he’s not a normal first choice . Keepers catch all day long!

Yep, his inexperience as a keeper showed there. Only done it 8 times in FC cricket.

[clarevoyant.]

Was the disappearance of the batsman at drinks literally the ultimate in sh..housery?

[clarevoyant.]

jack bauer, on 03 December 2022 - 11:41 PM, said:

this match is as dull as it gets, nothing in it for the bowling side whatsoever, this kind of game/spectacle makes test cricket vulnerable i reckon.

Never under estimate test cricketor or draw conclusions on a few hours play.

[JonB]

clarevoyant., on 05 December 2022 - 11:40 AM, said:

Never under estimate test cricketor or draw conclusions on a few hours play.

It would likely have been a safe thing to say for most teams playing in that game but the way England went about it made a win possible...for either side.

[clarevoyant.]

JonB, on 05 December 2022 - 11:44 AM, said:

It would likely have been a safe thing to say for most teams playing in that game but the way England went about it made a win possible...for either side.

Not sure that's the case nowadays there are alot more flare players due to other formats. Periods of games may appear dull but are part of the longer picture and changing conditions will play apart as well. The flare players can change the direction of the game quickly. Never write a game off after a couple of sessions.

[jack bauer]

i was quite surprised when stokes declared at the point he did, thinking "ooh, you've given them a sniff here on this pitch" until the penny dropped with me that this is exactly how stokes is going to go about his captaincy, he left a tempting target, bit like steve davis all those years ago leaving jimmy white that tempting long red from break off time and time again, white could never resist it and played straight into davis hands, as a returning cricket fan, is that kinda right?

[JonB]

clarevoyant., on 05 December 2022 - 12:09 PM, said:

Not sure that's the case nowadays there are alot more flare players due to other formats. Periods of games may appear dull but are part of the longer picture and changing conditions will play apart as well. The flare players can change the direction of the game quickly. Never write a game off after a couple of sessions.

There are flare players and there is a sustained effort by the side as a whole to score quickly like England did. Both innings over 6/7 runs an over the whole innings that left time in the game then the tempting declaration.

jack bauer, on 05 December 2022 - 12:23 PM, said:

i was quite surprised when stokes declared at the point he did, thinking "ooh, you've given them a sniff here on this pitch" until the penny dropped with me that this is exactly how stokes is going to go about his captaincy, he left a tempting target, bit like steve davis all those years ago leaving jimmy white that tempting long red from break off time and time again, white could never resist it and played straight into davis hands, as a returning cricket fan, is that kinda right?

Yeh pretty much, had we declared on a score they knew they couldnt chase it would have been a nightmare trying to shift batsman happy to block out.