England in Pakistan

[C C Csiders]

We are struggling in the opening tour match against the Patron's XI with only Marcus Trescothick holding things together. A bit of a recovery from the 60-6 we were though.

Scorecard (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/shared/fds/hi/statistics/cricket/scorecards/2005/10/12286/html/scorecard.stm)

Interesting that the deceased former President of the Palestinian Liberation Organsiationand latterly Palestinian Authority, has picked up three wickets.

[C C Csiders]

The link (above) updates the scorecard. We are no longer struggling a ton for Banger and 50 for Prior.:D

[Matt the Shrimp]

Top effort from Banger. As for Matt Prior... I thought he was a batter? How come he's so low down the order?

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[C C Csiders]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ Oct. 31 2005,11:26)]Top effort from Banger. *As for Matt Prior... I thought he was a batter? *How come he's so low down the order?

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14 players are named for both sides, of which only 11 can play. I guess with us in bother it was decided to bat Prior to get some runs and I guess, therefore, a bowler has been sacrificed.

Talking of sacrifices - that is post #666 on Hallowe'en. http://www.shrimperzone.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/ghostface.gif http://www.shrimperzone.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/ghostface.gif http://www.shrimperzone.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/ghostface.gif

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (C C Csiders @ Oct. 31 2005,11:33)]
Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ Oct. 31 2005,11:26)]Top effort from Banger. *As for Matt Prior... I thought he was a batter? *How come he's so low down the order?

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14 players are named for both sides, of which only 11 can play. I guess with us in bother it was decided to bat Prior to get some runs and I guess, therefore, a bowler has been sacrificed.

Talking of sacrifices - that is post #666 on Hallowe'en. http://www.shrimperzone.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/ghostface.gif *http://www.shrimperzone.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/ghostface.gif *http://www.shrimperzone.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/ghostface.gif
Fair enough... hardly what you'd call match practice under normal match circumstances, though - bringing in Prior at number 10!

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Still, cracking effort by Prior - good to see him making a very decent bid for selection. He doesn't normally bat at number 4 does he, by any chance?!

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[C C Csiders]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ Oct. 31 2005,11:39)]Still, cracking effort by Prior - good to see him making a very decent bid for selection. *He doesn't normally bat at number 4 does he, by any chance?!

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Couldn't do much worse than the present incumbent! http://www.shrimperzone.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/down.gif

[canveyshrimper]

Loudon is not a bad bloke to have at eleven either. I think the idea is, is that they use all 14 players in the game. Therefore Anderson, Plunkett & Hoggard won't be asked to bat, but will be in the field in place of Loudon, Prior and one other. It has been said that Prior will share the gloves with Jones.

Great effort by Trescothick, he does like the sub-continent, and well done Matt Prior to come in at 10, when he would normally bat around 4 for his club is terrific.

[Hong Kong Blue]

Great knock by Tresco, but another England tour looks like suffering from the fact that the players are undercooked. They need more warm-up time to adjust to playing in Pakistan.

[canveyshrimper]

Quote[/b] (Hong Kong Blue @ Oct. 31 2005,13:43)]Great knock by Tresco, but another England tour looks like suffering from the fact that the players are undercooked. They need more warm-up time to adjust to playing in Pakistan.
At least for this tour they get two warm up games. In South Africa last winter it was one, which we lost, but still managed to win the first test and then the series. By all accounts it is what the management and players ask for, but Harmison & Flintoff are yet to arrive on tour.

[Hong Kong Blue]

Personally I'd lose the one-day series and add an extra four day game to the front, but I suppose money dictates otherwise.

[canveyshrimper]

Quote[/b] (Hong Kong Blue @ Oct. 31 2005,16:31)]Personally I'd lose the one-day series and add an extra four day game to the front, but I suppose money dictates otherwise.
Agree, but it won't happen as the one dayers are where the money is made. Surprisingly the test matches are sparsely attended in Pakistan.

[Hong Kong Blue]

Bit of a shocker with the bat today. 39-6.

The bowling appears OK, we reduced the Patron's XI to 150-9, but Anderson, Plunkett and Udal all took 3, when in probability only one will start. Hoggard and Giles the only two bowling certainties for the tests in the 14 were wicketless - Giles not even being able to bowl through illness.

[canveyshrimper]

Looks like it will be a close one Patrons XI are 75-5 chasing 158 to win. 3 wickets for Liam Plunkett & 2 for Giles.

[C C Csiders]

88-8http://www.shrimperzone.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[canveyshrimper]

Three fat ladies.
Looks like it could be a nice win after all.

[C C Csiders]

105 all out and England win by 52 runs. Must have been a cracking batting track.

The prolific Ian Bell made 1 in our second innings, and you would have to say that he will be lucky to play in the 1st Test.

[canveyshrimper]

Sounded like a belter.
Looks like Collingwood may have overtaken Bell. However it seems that only Trescothick was convincing.

Bell will come again as he is a good batsman.

[Matt the Shrimp]

Banger got 44% of all of England's runs. That's mildly concerning...

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Anyhow, saw this on Cricinfo... what a great photo. What I wouldn't do to be a lottery winner that could follow the England side around all year... *sigh*

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[Hong Kong Blue]

Been contemplating doing it myself, even without a lottery win.

Slightly put off by the fact that Pakistan and India are notoriously tough places to visit and one of my best mates returned from a trip there two months ago in a only slightly better state than Best Mate. As a result South America has more lure for me this winter.

The other main drawback is the number of Southend games you'd miss, but that aside I could think of worse ways to spend your time.

[Matt the Shrimp]

Admittedly, I've not been to Pakistan since 1993 - I imagine it's changed a lot since then. *Loved it, though - a truly fascinating place, genuinely warm and interesting people, great food, stunning mountain scenery, some wonderful buildings (largely in Lahore, it must be said) and (oddly, for a Muslim country) better beer than India.

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India is becoming very accessible now, though. *I was last there a couple of years ago, and travelling around isn't too bad at all. *Passed by the cricket ground in Bangalore whilst we were there - a one-dayer there (alas, the subcontinental fans oddly don't "get" test cricket) would be superb.

As for intestinal issues... have to admit, the first time I went to the subcontinent I was sick as a dog... lost something like 4 stone. *Think it's the only time in my life I've ever been almost skinny...

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Since then, repeat visits to India have seen the constitution harden up no end - absolutely no problems last time I went!

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Alas, however, I won't be going anywhere for a while (other than to see the folks at Xmas)... pennies need to be saved for my impending wedding & honeymoon.

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[canveyshrimper]

Slightly better batting performance by England todat 230/7 with 50's for Strauss and Collingwood.
Vaughan is doubtful for 1st test having retired hurt with a leg injury.

[MrB]

Not a good finish, can't believe the test is so close and we don't look at all ready!

[canveyshrimper]

Quote[/b] (MrB @ Nov. 08 2005,23:29)]Not a good finish, can't believe the test is so close and we don't look at all ready!
The same as South Africa last year really, the difference being that we did not have injury problems.

[Hong Kong Blue]

Yeah, having got away with it in South Africa, you'd have thought we'd learnt our lesson.

[canveyshrimper]

Probably, but if individuals aren't playing well or are out of form it doesn't really matter how many warm up games they have.

[canveyshrimper]

Alastair Cook of Essex has been called into the England squad as cover, although Michael Vaughan remains with the touring party but seems unlikely tp play in the 1st Test starting on Saturday.

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (canveyshrimper @ Nov. 09 2005,13:13)]Alastair Cook of Essex has been called into the England squad as cover, although Michael Vaughan remains with the touring party but seems unlikely tp play in the 1st Test starting on Saturday.
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Blimey... talk about being chucked in at the deep end. Here's hoping he can swim...

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Still - one plus point: presumably Cook will be a bit better at reading Danish Kaneria than most of his colleagues...

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[canveyshrimper]

I am sure he can & will, but i think it will be unlikely he will get a game as Matt Prior will be batting cover if anyone else drops.

Really pleased for him, but there are easier places than Pakistan to start out from, and hopefully he won't have any problems with Mr Kaneria.

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (canveyshrimper @ Nov. 09 2005,14:21)]I am sure he can & will, but i think it will be unlikely he will get a game as Matt Prior will be batting cover if anyone else drops.

Really pleased for him, but there are easier places than Pakistan to start out from, and hopefully he won't have any problems with Mr Kaneria.
Very good point about Prior - especially after his useful knock in the first game...

Very pleased for Ali Cook too... always knew he'd be sporting the three lions sooner or later...

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[canveyshrimper]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ Nov. 09 2005,14:24)]
Quote[/b] (canveyshrimper @ Nov. 09 2005,14:21)]I am sure he can & will, but i think it will be unlikely he will get a game as Matt Prior will be batting cover if anyone else drops.

Really pleased for him, but there are easier places than Pakistan to start out from, and hopefully he won't have any problems with Mr Kaneria.
Very good point about Prior - especially after his useful knock in the first game...

Very pleased for Ali Cook too... always knew he'd be sporting the three lions sooner or later...

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Agree with you it was going to be a matter of time before he got the call. By all accounts he is very highly regarded.

Come on England!!

[Matt the Shrimp]

Superb knock from Banger for his 193, but apart from a first-rate score by Ian Bell (of all people - well done, Ian!) of 71, the rest of the top order didn't really spark at all - 10 for Colly, 9 for Strauss, 5 for KP.

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With Pakistan at 125/2 in their second innings, 19 runs behind, I'd say the match was very much in the balance. *England need to strike early to get rid of Salman Butt, who looks in cracking form, and Inzy (once the night-watchman, Mohammed Sami, has been dispatched).

This Test is definitely winnable, but will require a top class bowling performance from us tomorrow.

Matt

[canveyshrimper]

It is just possible that England may just have missed the boat with their first innings score. They probably ought to have got nearer 500 with a lead of 200 plus.

Having said that Inzy may have also missed a trick by not taking the new ball earlier.

If the pitch starts to break up as forecast then I don't want to see us chasing much over 150.

[Shrimper2thecore]

Bad day for the tourists today.

Are we heading for yet another draw in Pakistan?

[C C Csiders]

Three or (probably) four wickets before lunch tomorrow should put us very much in the driving seat. Here's hoping:)

[canveyshrimper]

Pkistan 308/7 leading by 154.
Top effort from Flintoff another 4 wickets so far.

[Matt the Shrimp]

That's a magnificent fightback. When I left home, Paksitan were edging towards 250/3 after lunch - that was a lead of 106 with two big run-makers in the middle (Butt & Inzy) and plenty of batting to come.

For me, the plaudits go not to Freddy but to Hoggy for getting two huge wickets - Inzy & Butt. Both were absolutely crucial to the Pakistan effort - not least psychologically - in setting a stiff total. Having got those, Pakistan's middle order has gone to pieces.

Let's hope the tail collapses in similar fashion.

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Bloody hell, this England side really are quite special, aren't they?!

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[canveyshrimper]

Agree with you there Matt, they are turning into a special side, more so when you consider that only Giles & Udal are over 30, they could be together for a few years yet. With blokes like Ali Cook, Shah, Joyce, Anderson et al in reserve the future looks rosy.

Agree about the two big wickets for Hoggy, but Freddy put in a great spell in the first hour and then came back and got two more later on. All on a largely unresponsive track.

[canveyshrimper]

341 all out, which leaves 198 to win, plus a tricky half an hour or so batting tonight.

[Hong Kong Blue]

STOP PRESS: Kevin Pietersen takes a catch!!!!

England need 198 to win.

I'd set my alarm early in order to watch it, but was depressed to find that Inzy and Butt were batting with ease so I stayed in bed and listened to it on the radio and ending up nodding back to sleep. Even when I woke up again they were still batting.

There is still plenty of opportunity for England to make me lose sleep when chasing 198 to win in the 4th innings.

[C C Csiders]

The pitch is still holding up well. I would have thought that there will be no more than 20 minutes batting time as the light fades. All the time in the world tomorrow to score the runs. The only (mild) concern will be if we lose 2 this evening, and that we are a specialist batsman light.

I predict a 5 wicket win.

[canveyshrimper]

Quote[/b] (C C Csiders @ Nov. 15 2005,11:09)]The pitch is still holding up well. I would have thought that there will be no more than 20 minutes batting time as the light fades. All the time in the world tomorrow to score the runs. The only (mild) concern will be if we lose 2 this evening, and that we are a specialist batsman light.

I predict a 5 wicket win.
Hope you are right, sometimes these small(ish) totals are hard to achieve. The 20/30 minutes left will give Shoaib & Sami the chance to really steam in and ready for another burst in the morning.

From what i saw this morning before braving the elements for work showed the pitch as still looking pretty flat.

[C C Csiders]

174 needed tomorrow with 9 wickets in hand. http://www.shrimperzone.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif

[Matt the Shrimp]

Good that we didn't lose another wicket. We have a full day's play to get 174 runs - that's about 2 an over needed. In other words, absolutely no pressure at all time-wise - so Strauss & Bell can play their normal game, wait for the bad ball, and then score.

The only unquantifiable factor is whether or not Kaneria can get anything out of the pitch. He's the key figure tomorrow, I reckon. If he can't get much turn, then this is England's game for the taking.

Blimey, a five-day Test, and (probably) a result either way (can't see this being a draw now)... what on earth is going on?!

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[MrB]

Could've done without Banger going so early in the reply but hopefully Bell can put in another gritty display in the morning. Still very nervous about this one.

[Museshrimper]

137-7 at lunch, what a sh!te session, especially from 64-1 http://www.shrimperzone.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[canveyshrimper]

Lost by 22 runs - bugger it.

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ Nov. 15 2005,13:10)]The only unquantifiable factor is whether or not Kaneria can get anything out of the pitch. *He's the key figure tomorrow, I reckon. *
I so wish I'd been wrong about that...

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Arse. 1-0 down in a three test series is never a great start... and, fundamentally, Banger & Bell aside, we batted like total drains. KP, in particular, needs to apply himself a lot better.

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[canveyshrimper]

The batting performance was pretty average, and 2nd innings both Freddy & KP were out to really poor shots. However that is the way they play, and they should not stifle their natural play.

One good thing was that Englands quicks took 18 out of 20 wickets and we bowled Pakistan out twice.

The downside is that the pitches at the next two tests will be as flat as a witches tit.

[The General]

Looks like tresco might be on his way home due to his father falling off a ladder and being seriously injured. Decision should be made today. It seems the chances of Vaughan being back are quite high at the moment but all of this could give Ali Cook a chance to go out there and show the country what he's made of.

Also, 2 of the Pakistan bowlers have been reported by the match officials about dodgy actions. Both have been previously tested in the lab and its been proven their action is OK but the match officials "naked eye" have picked something up which they found a bit suspect so more news should come to light on that soon as well.

[canveyshrimper]

Heard something on the news earlier that Trescothick had a family problem, bad news for him & them & England. If Ali Cook has his chance i am sure he won't let anyone down & good luck to him.

I hadn't heard about the report about the dodgy actions of two of their bowlers. I do know that previously there has been doubts about Shoaib Akhtar, plus Malik & Shabbir.

[southend4ever]

Shame about Tresco's dad. Me birds step dad did that. nasty as you like. what with broken heels! you have to learn to walk again. nasty.

Alistair Cook is a decent young talent, I didn't think he would have had as good a season as he did. I would love to see him face the Pakistan attack. He simply isn't good enough yet. danish will know how to get him out.

He comes from a very wealthy background, and having heard him on the phone just 2 seasons ago loving getting a 50 in the seconds! when he had already played first team and england under 19s was great to see his love for the game. I think his England debut could be something similar to that of the great Graham Gooch MBE or OBE?

[C C Csiders]

Come to think of it. If Banger has to return because of the father-in-law, and Vaughan fails his fitness test, who will be England captain. At a guess I suppose it'll be Andrew Strauss.

[canveyshrimper]

Quote[/b] (C C Csiders @ Nov. 17 2005,14:23)]Come to think of it. If Banger has to return because of the father-in-law, and Vaughan fails his fitness test, who will be England captain. At a guess I suppose it'll be Andrew Strauss.
Flintoff or Giles, as Strauss is unlikely to be available for the 3rd test.

[Hong Kong Blue]

Peter Gregory.

[The Flying Scotsman]

How I'd love to see a Thorpe, Hussein or even Butcher in that batting line up. All players who can grind out an innings which is especially important in the sub-continent.