2nd test

[Yorkshire Blue]

Its all gone horribly wrong in three balls.

Vaughan, who had played majestically, played on and then Bell predictably got out.

[C C Csiders]

All gone horribly wrong just as I was thinking we might make life uncomfortable for them just before tea tomorrow. We cannot afford any more wickets tonight.

Bopara for Bell next Test?

[canveyshrimper]

All gone horribly wrong just as I was thinking we might make life uncomfortable for them just before tea tomorrow. We cannot afford any more wickets tonight.

Bopara for Bell next Test?

As it's the last of the series, and England will have to win, I doubt that Bopara will get his chance. I reckon he must be in with a shout of the tours this winter.

311/6 - Prior cleaned up by Singh.

[Yorkshire Blue]

They'll stick with Bell.

Personally I'd have played Bopara ahead of Strauss for this series, but Strauss will now have scored enough runs to guarantee his place for another year.

The other story of today is Sreesanth. He's a lucky boy to still be allowed to be bowling. He's been involved in a lot of verbals, which IMHO is fine, but he then followed it up by beaming KP. This rattled KP who then got out next over.

Sreesanth then later bounced Collingwood, who had just failed to walk when he'd gloved it, but he overstepped by a full yard. I can't believe that international cricketers can accidentally overstep by a full yard, particularly when its a bouncer they are bowling.

[canveyshrimper]

They'll stick with Bell.

Personally I'd have played Bopara ahead of Strauss for this series, but Strauss will now have scored enough runs to guarantee his place for another year.

The other story of today is Sreesanth. He's a lucky boy to still be allowed to be bowling. He's been involved in a lot of verbals, which IMHO is fine, but he then followed it up by beaming KP. This rattled KP who then got out next over.

Sreesanth then later bounced Collingwood, who had just failed to walk when he'd gloved it, but he overstepped by a full yard. I can't believe that international cricketers can accidentally overstep by a full yard, particularly when its a bouncer they are bowling.

Sreesanth got the benefit of the doubt over the beamer for sure. Being somewhat cynical I would say it was deliberate, and his apology was less than effusive. I agree about the no ball incident.

To be fair Zaheer Khan has bowled beautifully, and I would wager he would like to take this pitch and conditions with him where ever he goes.

[Stats]

Sreesanth, tool of the highest order. Eyeballing Strauss yesterday for backing off when he was about to deliver the ball.

Every ball after that for the remainder of the over included a longer follow through and a few verbals spoken.

Hopefully either Tremlett or Anderson will stick in some short stuff when he gets out next.

[Yorkshire Blue]

Sreesanth, tool of the highest order. Eyeballing Strauss yesterday for backing off when he was about to deliver the ball.

Every ball after that for the remainder of the over included a longer follow through and a few verbals spoken.

Hopefully either Tremlett or Anderson will stick in some short stuff when he gets out next.

I've no problems with the eyeballing and the verbals, I like cricketers who play with intensity. But beaming and bowling bouncers a yard over the popping crease isn't on.

[Ailsa Road Shrimper]

Sreensath doesn't exactly intimidate with his demeanour either! He's skinny, not particularly tall, blatantly straightens his hair and wears glasses when he bats!

He doesn't bowl particularly quick as well...

[Matt the Shrimp]

They'll stick with Bell.

Personally I'd have played Bopara ahead of Strauss for this series, but Strauss will now have scored enough runs to guarantee his place for another year.
Who would you have opening - Vaughan? Does he still want to open?

:confused:

[Yorkshire Blue]

Who would you have opening - Vaughan? Does he still want to open?

:confused:

Yep, Vaughan. He was awesome today, back to his 2002 best. It would also give us a left-right combination opening, which is always handy.

I haven't heard him comment on where he'd prefer to bat.

I'm not entirely convinced about Bell at no.3 though.

[C C Csiders]

India in complete disarray 55-2.

[Yorkshire Blue]

They've probably been using jelly babies on the openers.

[canveyshrimper]

They've probably been using jelly babies on the openers.

In an effort to skittle them out I suppose.

[C C Csiders]

India staring at the abyss. Tendulkar gone for 1, Tremlett all three wickets 62-3.

Oh for another 50 runs.

[C C Csiders]

And we lose the match on 4 byes. Surely now we will pick the best wicket-keeper, by a distance, for the next match, in Chris Read?

[Yorkshire Blue]

And we lose the match on 4 byes. Surely now we will pick the best wicket-keeper, by a distance, for the next match, in Chris Read?

Read isn't the best wicket-keeper by a distance.

He is a better 'keeper than Prior (and was a better 'keeper than Geraint Jones) but the longer he's out of the international spotlight, the more the reputation of his keeping grows. Read himself recently said that he thought Foster was the best keeper on the county circuit. When Read was first picked there would have been at least a handful of better keepers on the county circuit. Someone like Keith Piper or Colin Metson were better keepers than Read is, but they couldn't bat. Read got picked ahead of players like Foster, Nixon and Hegg because he was considered the player most likely to score big test hundreds (he'd scored a big hundred the week before for Notts). Whilst he's kept tidily, he's only got this reputation of being a great glovesman because he was dropped for his batting.

BTW Prior averages more than Strauss and Bell.

[C C Csiders]

Read isn't the best wicket-keeper by a distance.

He is a better 'keeper than Prior (and was a better 'keeper than Geraint Jones) but the longer he's out of the international spotlight, the more the reputation of his keeping grows. Read himself recently said that he thought Foster was the best keeper on the county circuit. When Read was first picked there would have been at least a handful of better keepers on the county circuit. Someone like Keith Piper or Colin Metson were better keepers than Read is, but they couldn't bat. Read got picked ahead of players like Foster, Nixon and Hegg because he was considered the player most likely to score big test hundreds (he'd scored a big hundred the week before for Notts). Whilst he's kept tidily, he's only got this reputation of being a great glovesman because he was dropped for his batting.

BTW Prior averages more than Strauss and Bell.

Disagree, I'm afraid, which is a rare event. I think Read is head and shoulders superior to all others in the county game. I think he is still paying for ducking under Chris Cairns slower ball all those years ago.

Prior averages more than Bell and Strauss, but after only 5 Tests. What will his average be when he has played the same number of Tests as those two? Don't forget Geraint Jones' average was very healthy after 10 or so Tests, before ending at around 25 or so.

As for Foster, I can't say I rate his glove work at all. Comapred to the likes of Neil Smith, David East and Mike Garnham he comes a distance 4th as an Essex WK for me.

[Yorkshire Blue]

Disagree, I'm afraid, which is a rare event. I think Read is head and shoulders superior to all others in the county game. I think he is still paying for ducking under Chris Cairns slower ball all those years ago.

Prior averages more than Bell and Strauss, but after only 5 Tests. What will his average be when he has played the same number of Tests as those two? Don't forget Geraint Jones' average was very healthy after 10 or so Tests, before ending at around 25 or so.

As for Foster, I can't say I rate his glove work at all. Comapred to the likes of Neil Smith, David East and Mike Garnham he comes a distance 4th as an Essex WK for me.

I haven't seen much county cricket in recent years, so my judgements are based on what I've read and what I've seen at international level. I think Read's keeping is being talked up in the same way Jack Russell's was. Russell was a very good 'keeper and many bemoaned Stewart keeping ahead of him, yet Russell made a fair few mistakes and wasn't as tidy as some people, who thought it was a travesty Stewart kept ahead of him, remembered. By the same count, he was a better batsman than some people gave him credit for.

Foster's recent keeping has apparently been a bit sloppy by his standards. I still think he's a very, very talented keeper, based on when I've seen him standing up to bowlers of a decent pace. Read also makes mistakes - far too many catches went between keeper and first slip for my liking - but as he has a reputation of being a very good keeper, his keeping isn't under the spotlight in the same way as Prior's and certainly Jones' was.

I don't think the gap with the gloves between Read and the best of the county keepers is necessarily that big.

I agree totally that its early days for Prior, but batting with a current test average of 42 he deserves the opportunity for his test credentials to be examined over a longer period.

[C C Csiders]

I haven't seen much county cricket in recent years, so my judgements are based on what I've read and what I've seen at international level. I think Read's keeping is being talked up in the same way Jack Russell's was. Russell was a very good 'keeper and many bemoaned Stewart keeping ahead of him, yet Russell made a fair few mistakes and wasn't as tidy as some people, who thought it was a travesty Stewart kept ahead of him, remembered. By the same count, he was a better batsman than some people gave him credit for.

Foster's recent keeping has apparently been a bit sloppy by his standards. I still think he's a very, very talented keeper, based on when I've seen him standing up to bowlers of a decent pace. Read also makes mistakes - far too many catches went between keeper and first slip for my liking - but as he has a reputation of being a very good keeper, his keeping isn't under the spotlight in the same way as Prior's and certainly Jones' was.

I don't think the gap with the gloves between Read and the best of the county keepers is necessarily that big.

I agree totally that its early days for Prior, but batting with a current test average of 42 he deserves the opportunity for his test credentials to be examined over a longer period.

Good points well made. With a 'keepers beatting average though I think we need to deduct the number of unnecessary byes they let through. Which would probably have made G. Jones' average somewhere in the mid-high teens.