England tour of West Indies 2015

[blockerdave]

Cook did well, owes the third umpire a beer (how that catch at short leg was given not out i'll never know) but most hundreds need a bit of luck and i can't think of another chance he gave in the innings. 240/7 is well below par on a good batting pitch. will need Buttler and Jordan to push the score up today and then we need to bowl well. it would be ironic if having scored a hundred, England were to lose this game and heap pressure back on Cook. we shouldn't do so, but so far West Indies will be the happier.

 

[MUFC1987]

Good innings from Cook, turns out I was right when I said his next century was only a matter of time.

Speaking of timing, we really needed that innings from him, with the rest of the top order folding. Shame to see Buttler left stranded at the end too. A guy averaging 50+ (albeit early in his career) batting at 8, is insane.

Anderson looks back to the peak of his powers too. I think Broad might explode if he doesn't get a wicket soon, what with the drop and edges flying past slips.

 

[blockerdave]

Shame to see Buttler left stranded at the end too. A guy averaging 50+ (albeit early in his career) batting at 8, is insane.

Long term I wouldn't be surprised to see Buttler bat above Stokes and Ali.

Anderson looks back to the peak of his powers too. I think Broad might explode if he doesn't get a wicket soon, what with the drop and edges flying past slips.

Anderson's performances in the last innings of the previous test and so far this one have been hugely encouraging, because he seemed to be on a downwards curve over 18 months or so. but he bowled beautifully this morning especially.

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what a catch from Jordan!!

 

[cooks1st100]

what a catch from Jordan!!

I'm not convinced by him yet as a bowler but in the slips he is something else. He's made some fantastic catches this series.

 

[IceAgeComing]

Its good that England have decided to let the West Indies back into the game, to make things interesting for the fans

 

[Dutch]

Great attempt at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory!

 

[grkrama]

is the pitch that bad 18 wkts a day?

 

[blockerdave]

is the pitch that bad 18 wkts a day?

it's dry, and some uneven bounce and turn, but not so bad. Jimmy bowled wonderfully, but there was very poor batting on both sides.

 

[IceAgeComing]

I called it a road earlier on which is obviously wrong; but its not an eighteen wicket pitch! If you had a world class spinner you could rip through a side and its swung a lot; but its not a minefield by any means. Blackwood batted very well and might actually have won the West Indies the game; depending on how Ballance, Stokes and Buttler bat today. Yesterday was fun and you need a day like that occasionally: and it really makes this next session important for both teams, if the Windies grab even one early wicket this afternoon it could really help them.

I was going to miss it because I was meant to have a game today, but we got rained out which is a little annoying, but means that I can watch a potentially interesting day today

 

[Samuels]

is the pitch that bad 18 wkts a day?

Pitch is all good it was good bowling and some bad batting. Anderson and Taylor bowled beautifully. Taylor looks a whole different bowler when he bowling with all the gas and rhythm. Blackwood, I think has now done enough to make that spot his own.

 

[MUFC1987]

Good flourish from Buttler at the end there, but once again he's been left stranded.

 

[grkrama]

this is going to be a tight finish

 

[abhi_jacko]

This is going to be fun. Hopefully windies put up a fight and take it right till the end

 

[abhi_jacko]

Fantastic game .. well played Windes .. Bravo! Bravo

 

[Aislabie]

Well, this was meant to be the gimme series before the Kiwis and Aussies in England, Proteas in South Africa, and Pakistan in the UAE. It was meant to be the series in which England could try out a couple of young players - Lyth, Wood, Rashid, etc. Not only did they fail to win, but they failed to try out any young players.

Full credit to the West Indies, but England are a joke.

*

I think we also say goodbye to Jonathan Trott and Shiv Chanderpaul. Thanks to them both.