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RE: India v England - 21/11/2012 7:56:34 AM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

quote:

ORIGINAL: Skiba

This tickled me from the Guardian's OBO:

"l cannot not believe this. I mean really, really, that may be the single most idiotic, pathetic, embarrassing, humiliating, disgraceful, desultory, excruciatingly awful dismissal I have seen from an English batsman in five years of writing over-by-over cricket coverage. Really, that's not a joke, or an exaggeration. It is a good thing Ian Bell is about to fly home to be there for the birth of his child, because if he wasn't - barring a hundred in the second innings - I would really suggest that he should have been dropped from the team on the strength of that shot alone. Mercy me. To recap: Ian Bell walked out to the middle, in the most jaunty, cocksure fashion, marked his guard, took a step down the wicket and chipped a catch straight - and I mean straight - to mid-off. It was, truly, the shot of a moron. He's gone for a golden duck."

Not too keen on Bell's dismissal!

Bell is always the first to get picked on, he's never going to win any fans with the modern day cricket fan, or writer for that matter, the only fans Bell really has are the ones who have followed him his entire career, like myself. Yes, it was a very, very poor dismissal, mind you we very rarely see them from him (he was incredibly unlucky during the Pakistan tour, he got the three best balls bowled in that series) because his technique is far too traditional to see him waltzing around attempting shots like that. The article is vicious though, they don't write articles like that even about Pietersen despite his ego, stinking attitude and consistent ability of getting out in the most moronic of ways, you know, like the pre-meditated on the sub-continent against spin.

That's been one of the few positives of this test match so far for me, his distinct no-show. I'm sure his fans will create some feeble excuse about hurt legs or hurt feelings

I've been at a wedding most of the weekend and whilst some resiliance and grit was created by England, and namely Cook and Prior, you always felt India could skittle us out swiftly on the final morning and set themselves a reachable target for the afternoon and that was that. Once again England suffer against the basic principles of spin, question their own decision-making process with deja vu squad selection and are left to rue a host of mistakes ranging from dropped catches to easy pickings with the bat that make this look a weary England team of a final test match of a long and relentless series, not the first one. I'll try and catch up as much as possible on the highlights over the next few days before the second test starts.

_____________________________

"It is the Shawshank Redemption! Just with more tunneling through shit and less fucking redemption."

Last Film Watched: Flight ****

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Post #: 4411

RE: India v England - 21/11/2012 5:41:54 PM

The Lensman

Posts: 1731
Joined: 15/3/2007

The thing with Bell was, as with any type of cricket and any level of cricket. You need to allow yourself time to adjust to the conditions to give yourself a fighting chance. The ONLY time I would see that would be during a T20 when England are chasing down a figure. Not when its a Test match, on your first ball of a Test series, after someone got out the way KP did at the time.

The difference you see is when Michael Clark comes down the pitch more often than not its for a single. Michael Clark is someone who Ian Bell drastically needs to copy in terms of temperament.

I don't want to see Bell dropped but he needs to start putting in series defining efforts now, he has been exposed to the international game long enough. Has he ever won a Man of the Series before?

(in reply to Goodfella)

Post #: 4412

RE: India v England - 22/11/2012 8:33:46 AM

The Lensman

Posts: 1731
Joined: 15/3/2007

I know I used Clark as an example yesterday, but my word. Did he prove me right.

Australia nearly 500 test runs in ONE day of cricket. Remarkable.

(in reply to The Lensman)

Post #: 4413

RE: India v England - 23/11/2012 7:47:49 AM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

quote:

ORIGINAL: The Lensman

The thing with Bell was, as with any type of cricket and any level of cricket. You need to allow yourself time to adjust to the conditions to give yourself a fighting chance. The ONLY time I would see that would be during a T20 when England are chasing down a figure. Not when its a Test match, on your first ball of a Test series, after someone got out the way KP did at the time.

The difference you see is when Michael Clark comes down the pitch more often than not its for a single. Michael Clark is someone who Ian Bell drastically needs to copy in terms of temperament.

I don't want to see Bell dropped but he needs to start putting in series defining efforts now, he has been exposed to the international game long enough. Has he ever won a Man of the Series before?

But that kind of shot that early in an innings is a rarity from Bell, he's not a typecast player for that kind of action, unlike a Pietersen or Prior perhaps may be. I'm trying not to make excuses for him but for starters he's far too traditional and orthodox anyway for this to become a regular habit, a rush of blood intensified by the predicament around him perhaps the best answer for what happened in the first test. I certainly don't expect it from him when he returns from England for the third test, pending his return to the team of course.

It's no secret Clarke is my favourite convict.

He has excelled with the bat his entire career and with issues still over the selection of a number three (I'd still like to see Phil Hughes or Usman Khwahja back in the team) and Ponting's questionable form, not to mention the fitness concerns of Hussey, he's had the extra impoteus as both captain and leading top-order batsman to really rally the Australian troops. He goes through the gears magnificently well and is a precision player, you don't often see him get caught in the slips or gully, patience has formed him as a player throughout his career and despite boyish good looks and a seemingly sensitive character, he has fought back against his early criticism that he perhaps wasn't even good enough to prop up the Australian middle order, let alone captain the test team.

I believe Bell and Broad shared the man of the series award against India two summers ago but I could be wrong.

Good start from England this morning. Need we even bring up about having two frontline spinners in the team, well it's made all the difference especially given the complete opposites that Swann and Panesar are. Swann an offspinner who gets the revolutions on the fuller delivery and Panesar a tremendous finger-spinner who gets the extra pace and drift across and back in, they complement each other beautifully and will even give Patel confidence when he gets his hands on the ball. Cook's field settings are the only other thing hampering us at the minute, get an extra man up, don't play to the mid-wicket worry every over, at 119-5 don't let them bed in and build a partnership, get into them and try and create two more quick wickets. There is a great opportunity here for England and this fierce and hot afternoon session is always crucial in sub-continent tests at this point in a match.

_____________________________

"It is the Shawshank Redemption! Just with more tunneling through shit and less fucking redemption."

Last Film Watched: Flight ****

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Post #: 4414

RE: India v England - 23/11/2012 9:35:04 AM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

Get Broad out of this, to be honest he's only in the team to bolster the batting with the extra spinner, trying to bowl him in at this crucial stage in the day is a fatal mistake, there's nothing in this pitch for him, the ball is well over 60 overs old and the bounce has disappeared from the pitch, bowling half-volleys at a batsman like Pujara with the technique he has is just playing into India's hands. Get him moving across his crease and playing against the spin, only way we're going to get such a solid number three out.

_____________________________

"It is the Shawshank Redemption! Just with more tunneling through shit and less fucking redemption."

Last Film Watched: Flight ****

(in reply to Goodfella)

Post #: 4415

RE: India v England - 24/11/2012 8:57:41 AM

impqueen

Posts: 6776
Joined: 24/7/2006

This. Oh and Trott...well maybe not but England were going well and then...So KP now is the time to step up and not be the berk you are.

_____________________________

Yes, always.

Mr Clever!

(in reply to Goodfella)

Post #: 4416

RE: India v England - 25/11/2012 7:44:25 AM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

Pietersen should have been dismissed about eight times during his innings, he has had the proverbial run of luck that in some other players cases would have lasted an entire career. He has played some ridiculously sublime shots whilst somehow managing to find the feather of gaps between keeper and first slip. Typical really, although I notice there's been no overreaction yet, we all know he's done for the series after this, that's usually the way it works with Pietersen and Cook has been England's best batsman by far and wide this series.

_____________________________

"It is the Shawshank Redemption! Just with more tunneling through shit and less fucking redemption."

Last Film Watched: Flight ****

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Post #: 4417

RE: India v England - 25/11/2012 2:54:22 PM

impqueen

Posts: 6776
Joined: 24/7/2006

_____________________________

Yes, always.

Mr Clever!

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Post #: 4418

RE: India v England - 26/11/2012 8:07:25 AM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

Well a resounding win for England in the end, one that even at yesterday's stage of India being 86-5 I don't think many of us thought would actually be this comfortable. So what have England done differently to be more successful? Well it's quite simple really, they picked a second frontline spinner. That's about it. They batted a bit better too but then with only one real true innings at the crease this test and still the spin-inflicted middle-order collapse where we lost six wickets for 93 runs still intact we can't really judge it, in the first test a beleated and battered Cook and Prior played their hearts out on more of a ghoster than Mumbai in the face of growing adversity, I'm not belittling what Cook and Pietersen achieved in this test but it was against an old ball, underconfident spinners and once England hit their stride everything went their way. This is where I, to some degree, agree with Atherton about spin in the sub-continent, it's a pyschological issue in some parts almost as much as it is a practical one. Take Pietersen's innings against Ojha and Ashwin yesterday and the day before, when he had got in and pushed on the other side of 50 a comfort zone against the spin just appeared, the ball didn't stop turning, the spinners just became nervy and began to shorten their lengths to get him playing on the front foot, they took pace off the ball and the field settings began to be changed, the attacking edge of sub-continental spin was replaced with preservation and trepidation, it played into both Pietersen and Cook's hands and they thoroughly exploited, Patel and Prior both got in well before getting out in bad situations too.

No taking away from Pietersen, his innings was wonderful. His powerful physique lends him to attacking this kind of bowling with his ability to drag his bat hard and long through the ball, he abandons footwork for sheer strength, shot ability and placement although you see the negative when he misjudges a length and almost finds Sehwag off the toedge of his bat as he tries to slogsweep for four. I want to talk about Cook though. 357 runs in this series so far, his debut as test captain in these tricky conditions and off the back of a distinctive struggle of a year, as usual the headline-grabbers will want to talk about Pietersen and how "amazing" and "crucial" he is to England's success. He's not though, and Cook has shown in the opposite exactly why he is. He's led from the front, his technique has been unquestionable, his poise, his leadership, his decisions in the field. Everything has been near spot-on, even in the first test when the only decision so far to leave him short was not selecting Panesar. The way he handled that final session of the day yesterday, putting India under a trial of spin and bringing in three close catchers was a sentiment of a Waugh or a Ponting, not an English captain. He's young, hungry and eager to succeed and in that session alone you saw all of that. His batting has been sheer bliss to watch from a test opener, the way he has seen off the new ball and gone through the gears of an innings, picking his areas in the field to strike and remaining unruffled by MS Dhoni's frequent attempts to change things up and find an edge, his leaving against Zaheer Khan as perhaps exciting to watch for us more traditional cricketing fans than the fours and sixes that both himself and Pietersen struck later in the innings. It's very early days in the Captain Cook reign but all the signs point towards a challenging but exciting and hopefully successful journey. After yesterday's evening session, I certainly don't see him being accused of being a 'defensive captain', that's for sure...

As for Monty, well, Monty. He's just been as exotic as ever when the wicket is right for him, he swallowed the Indians up, he limbered through his first few overs and then just ran amok. His finger-spin is devestating in these conditions, he interlocks the ball inside his long fingers and rips it off both ways, he's fast, he spins the ball and his length is hard to read, especially late in the day, take that surprisingly poor dismissal of Kohli, it wasn't a miscue, he just didn't spot the length and was outside his line before he realised his mistake, Root was in at short mid-wicket because Panesar had been bringing these kind of shots in his last few overs and it worked, that about summed up Pansear's contributions for me, Swann did very well too if a little lazy in the odd spell but he found the drift and made the Indian batsman sweat for that great ball he always delivers and that really changed the face of the game. A spinner at either end with the batsman never quite knowing what the stock delivery is or isn't. Notice just how hot and flustered the Indian batsmen looked for staters, they looked calculated and unfazed in the first test, not in Mumbai. They were welll and truly on the rack, and they knew it.

Pietersen won MOM, no surprises there. I'm giving mine to Cook and Pansear, Pietersen can bat all day like that and it's beautiful to watch, but Cook and Panesar changed the game and true cricket fans will know this.

_____________________________

"It is the Shawshank Redemption! Just with more tunneling through shit and less fucking redemption."

Last Film Watched: Flight ****

(in reply to impqueen)

Post #: 4419

RE: India v England - 26/11/2012 8:25:40 AM

impqueen

Posts: 6776
Joined: 24/7/2006

As usual it's always a pleasure reading your comments on the Cricket Goodfella.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Goodfella
Pietersen won MOM, no surprises there. I'm giving mine to Cook and Pansear, Pietersen can bat all day like that and it's beautiful to watch, but Cook and Panesar changed the game and true cricket fans will know this.

This.

_____________________________

Yes, always.

Mr Clever!

(in reply to Goodfella)

Post #: 4420

RE: India v England - 26/11/2012 10:56:01 AM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

quote:

ORIGINAL: impqueen

As usual it's always a pleasure reading your comments on the Cricket Goodfella.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Goodfella
Pietersen won MOM, no surprises there. I'm giving mine to Cook and Pansear, Pietersen can bat all day like that and it's beautiful to watch, but Cook and Panesar changed the game and true cricket fans will know this.

This.

Thank you impy! I can't get away from the fact it was another spellbinding innings from The Ego but he's inconsistent as ever and it wouldn't surprise me to see two more poor scores from his next test. I don't like it when he comes up against Zaheer either, his ability to reverse the new ball and take that little bit of pace off makes it more deceiving and someone like Pietersen with his huge strokes is a sitting duck for that kind of bowling. If I was Dhoni I'd scrap a spinner against Pietersen, and get more of Zaheer for him, especially if they get him early in the innings.

Player Ratings

COOK - 10
This is a further series of revelation for Captain Cook. His captaining instincts, his leadership and his prowess with the bat. It's not that he didn't do a lot wrong in this test, he didn't do anything wrong. And after three and a half days of hard fight he still had the mindset and desire to go out and help Compo knock off those last few runs to win it, others would have gone out and tried to play smash and grab, not Cook, he started it, he finished it.

Compton - 6
He's not there yet by any means but he's getting better, he's getting in, he knows the balls to leave and he's just bedding into international cricket. No question the ability is there, that 30 from 28 balls to win it will do him the world of good too. Fielded excellently as well, he's an absolute stalwart close to the wicket, another Anderson who can move anywhere within the distance.

Trott - 1
Poor from Trott, weak dismissal and as per usual quiet in the field tucked out in the middle of nowhere to cut off the odd boundary here and there. Didn't even bowl on a wicket with some drift.

Pietersen - 9
Magical stuff right out of a video game. The six of Ashwin that he just steps foward and half-volleys straight back over his head is the best, his size and upper arm strength is what makes him so destructive. Could have got out a number of times though trying to be too cocky.

Bairstow - 6
Tough baptism of fire for Bairstow with the bat and didn't last very long but fine work in the field at short leg and short mid-wicket, never took his eyes off the task. Showed why he'll keep wicket for England in the future, didn't give Bell a run for his money with the bat though.

Patel - 6
Got in, got out. Worked hard in the field and bowled a neat four overs. Probably deserved a bit more.

Prior - 6
See above, dreadful run-out, shouldn't be occuring that stage in a match, luckily it didn't come back to haunt England. Missed a few takes too but he is still in the process of recovering from a sickness bug and was awfully good in the first test so he can be forgiven this one.

Broad - 3
He's going nowhere fast in these conditions, the batting doesn't suit him either as he's slower with his strokeplay. To be honest I'd look at playing Bresnan as he can get the older ball to reverse, it's nothing against Broad, it's just the lay of the land.

Swann - 8
Great stuff from Swanny. A little laboured on occasion but revolutions, flight, want, belief. He gives it everything with the spinning ball and this series should help get him fully back on track as England's number one spinner.

Anderson - 6
You have to credit Jimmy for perservering. He kept his line and length well and took a solitary wicket, reliable in the field this time too.

PANESAR - 10
Monty's back...........again! That evening session yesterday is a two-hour spell of spin bowling I could watch time and time again. That's what test cricket is all about.

< Message edited by Goodfella -- 26/11/2012 10:57:06 AM >

_____________________________

"It is the Shawshank Redemption! Just with more tunneling through shit and less fucking redemption."

Last Film Watched: Flight ****

(in reply to impqueen)

Post #: 4421

RE: India v England - 26/11/2012 4:38:18 PM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

Alastair Cook v Michael Clarke

I don't know about anyone else but this is already starting to garner the feel of a mouthwatering prospect for the Ashes series next summer. These two are arguably in the prime form of their careers, Clarke with his two double hundreds and his fourth of the year so far in the series against South Africa and now Cook, in his captaincy debut, with his 357 runs in the tricky conditions of the sub-continent, squaring up for the battle of the colonials. These two have more similarities than just their form with the bat though. They are both young test captains, both of whom weren't everyone's favourite to replace their much-tributed predecessors, they were, in some views, the only real choice of their eras, they are both still not without their critics and they are both gentlemans of the modern game going about their business quietly and efficently. A Cook v Clarke Ashes is already an exciting prospect with nine or so months to go!

_____________________________

"It is the Shawshank Redemption! Just with more tunneling through shit and less fucking redemption."

Last Film Watched: Flight ****

(in reply to Goodfella)

Post #: 4422

Giles joins England staff! - 29/11/2012 12:47:47 AM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/20527855

This has been in the making for sometime and it seems that England are now moving their coaching appointments in coalition with their England captaincy tree as Giles takes over from Flower's head coach duties within the ODI and T20 formats of the game. We may not get a much sweeter appointment in our lifetime, it is fully expected that Giles will eventually replace Flower across the entire job, most likely post the 2015 World Cup. Giles has made Warwickshire, a once flailing and delapidated county, a real force across all formats of the domestic game, eventually taking the all-important crown, the county championship this year. He has honed a fine mixture of homegrown experience and raw talent, see the opposite ends of those scale within the county he departs in seasoned skipper Jim Troughton and vibrant young England all-rounder Chris Woakes. Giles is both the romantic and realistic appointment, I for one will not deny I fell in love with this when I saw it earlier today, the great thing about Giles and I mean this with no disrespect whatsoever, is, he was a fairly average England cricketer, perhaps only England's frontline spinner because he lacked real competition within his generation. But this was what made Giles so brilliant and enthralling, every wicket was thoroughly worked for, they didn't just come for him in stages like to some degree they did for a Warne, a Murali or a Harbjhan, he had to really put in the hours. He will be key to helping mature England's younger one-day players on how to build self-esteem, confidence and belief and overcome their demons, namely the sub-continent, which I also think makes it great that England now have a prominent coach who knows spin so well on both sides of an innings. It is also, and I say this without any disrespect or xenophobia, nice to see England appoint an English-born former cricketer to the staff. That just feels good in itself does it not?

In far less thrilling news, Pietersen has been "rested" for England's two T20 matches in India. Rested? Pull the other one Morris. He was always going to get his own way in the end, we knew that when you caved in and let him come bouncing back in like a child. This is something Giles won't stand for, former team-mate or not, he knows what English cricket is all about and what the chance to play in an England shirt or wear a test cap means. I suppose at least this means Buttler should play some more T20.

_____________________________

"It is the Shawshank Redemption! Just with more tunneling through shit and less fucking redemption."

Last Film Watched: Flight ****

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Post #: 4423

RE: Giles joins England staff! - 29/11/2012 8:42:12 AM

The Lensman

Posts: 1731
Joined: 15/3/2007

Gotta say. England having one coach for Tests and another for the Limited Covers format is just ridiculous!!!!!! Either Flower says its all or nothing. Or the ECB say if he can't handle all formats, give him an advisory role and let Giles take over everything.

It was bad enough with 3 captains in the different formats. But this is a joke, what other country would do this?

(in reply to Goodfella)

Post #: 4424

RE: Giles joins England staff! - 29/11/2012 9:41:21 AM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

quote:

ORIGINAL: The Lensman

Gotta say. England having one coach for Tests and another for the Limited Covers format is just ridiculous!!!!!! Either Flower says its all or nothing. Or the ECB say if he can't handle all formats, give him an advisory role and let Giles take over everything.

It was bad enough with 3 captains in the different formats. But this is a joke, what other country would do this?

I have absolutely no idea where your coming from with this mate, first off this gives Flower a much-needed break to focus on test cricket, although not entirely, as he remains England's director of cricket, meaning Giles reports to him with regards to ODI and T20 cricket. I think England's three-tier captaincy system has worked quite well so far, limited success in ODI cricket has absolutely nothing to do with that, that's no new news now is it? We know the changes we need to make and we're finally making one of the most important ones the year after next when we ditch the 40-over format in domestic cricket and revert to a 50-over, one, that frankly, we should have just got on with next year. Get it all back on Sunday afternoons as well but that's a seperate matter. Since his appointment in 2009 Flower has pretty much worked nonstop, the job has almost become too much and several members within the England set-up, especially his right-hand man Richard Halsall, have warned he's close to burn-out. Flower is a huge part of England's recent success and this appointment helps take the burden off his shoulders but still retains a close-knit unit of England coaches, this won't have been an overnight decision, this will have been in the offing for sometime and all avenues will have been closely inspected.

By the way with regards to your last point, no other country plays as much international cricket per year as us.

_____________________________

"It is the Shawshank Redemption! Just with more tunneling through shit and less fucking redemption."

Last Film Watched: Flight ****

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Post #: 4425

Farewell Punter, it's been a pleasure mate! - 29/11/2012 3:02:16 PM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/20537420

I got just a little choked up when I saw this news announced, I grew up watching cricket in the 1990s and into the 2000s when Ricky Ponting broke through as both a cricketer and a dominating captain of international cricket for what almost span a decade. I loved watching him bat and lead his team in the field, he had a enthusiasm and vibrance about him which I felt helped make Australian cricket great, and especially the Ashes rivalry, and that is for me why he retains a spot as one of the greatest captains of all time, add to that the length of which Australia stayed at the top of the test rankings and the two successive World Cup victories, no other captain has yet to top that, he deserves to go down in the history of the game and I'm quite disappointed it's now official that I won't get to see him bat next summer at Old Trafford. I've seen him bat more, I reckon, than any other leading international batsman in the game. I've had the pleasure of meeting him and he's a stand-up bloke, the way he gracefully stood down from test captaincy the pinnacle of the man and the way he's now handled his departure. The response of his successor Michael Clarke this morning spoke volumes.

The Ashes rivalry will perhaps miss him most of all, he really gave it some, he wanted it perhaps more than any other Ozzie and his one great regret I'm sure is never leading his team to an Ashes series victory on English soil, he's done pretty much everything else and that's not said lightly, that's statistical fact. I wish him the very best of luck in his next line of duty as a cricketer, be it IPL, playing Sheffield State with Tazmania or perhaps, just perhaps, a plane trip to Taunton. Come on Punter, you know you want to mate!

_____________________________

"It is the Shawshank Redemption! Just with more tunneling through shit and less fucking redemption."

Last Film Watched: Flight ****

(in reply to Goodfella)

Post #: 4426

RE: Farewell Punter, it's been a pleasure mate! - 29/11/2012 3:34:39 PM

superdan

Posts: 7228
Joined: 31/7/2008

Ah Punter. The man we love to hate but can't help respecting. Great skipper, terrific cricketer, the Ashes won't be the same without him.

(in reply to Goodfella)

Post #: 4427

RE: Farewell Punter, it's been a pleasure mate! - 29/11/2012 4:02:24 PM

The Lensman

Posts: 1731
Joined: 15/3/2007

2 questions.

1. Why do England play more cricket than anyone else?!
2. Why would England still do this, when no other country wouldn't, as the dangers of such a precedent has been set, if by chance Giles screws up and England fail miserably, will Flower take over again, or will he leave it to someone else? If it is the other way around, what will happen then.... Force Flower out?

All this smells of disaster.Liverpool did it with Evans and Houllier that was the end of Evans before it got started.

I don't see someone like Fergie saying "because we play more matches than everyone else, I'm gonna give Cantona control of the Cup matches while I concentrate on the League"

Doesn't matter what sport it is. This is not going to help either man, either player, either fan.

(in reply to superdan)

Post #: 4428

RE: Farewell Punter, it's been a pleasure mate! - 29/11/2012 4:17:13 PM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

quote:

1. Why do England play more cricket than anyone else?!

A question I'm going to have to refer to the ICC, the Future Tours Committee, the BCCI and various broadcasting companies across the world that show cricket. Australia are not too far behind us but the rest are quite a distant third, except for India when it comes to T20, no surprise there.

quote:

2. Why would England still do this, when no other country wouldn't, as the dangers of such a precedent has been set, if by chance Giles screws up and England fail miserably, will Flower take over again, or will he leave it to someone else? If it is the other way around, what will happen then.... Force Flower out?

That's the point though isn't it, Giles can't screw it up anymore! England's one-day cricket needs a new and fresh approach, it needs a new face and it needs new leadership and new ideas behind the scenes. Flower is not going to be 'forced out' of anything, it's already a given he'll be stepping aside after the 2015 World Cup, this isn't a competition between two coaches, as you know thoroughly well these two sets of the game are entirely different and as much as they sometimes need different players, they also need different approaches. This takes the pressure off Flower, I can't help but feel the sudden decline in test cricket for England has been due to the fact that almost straight away after going top of the test rankings following the 4-0 series win over India suddenly publicly announced our focus was now prominently on one-day cricket and retaining both our World T20 title and winning our first ever World Cup and we all saw how that started in September didn't we? The seemingly, assumption, that we would just remain top of the world test rankings effortlessly was both crass and foolish, this isn't about who is the better coach at what, this is about getting England right and ready for each format with the right personnel with the right balancing act.

quote:

All this smells of disaster.Liverpool did it with Evans and Houllier that was the end of Evans before it got started.

I don't see someone like Fergie saying "because we play more matches than everyone else, I'm gonna give Cantona control of the Cup matches while I concentrate on the League"

Doesn't matter what sport it is. This is not going to help either man, either player, either fan.

Comparing cricket to football? You!? No, your better than that!

Well I think we'll have to agree to disagree, I'm looking forward to it. Of course I have little faith still in England's one-day selection policy, the way we play the game and the fact we should have been playing 50-over cricket domestically by now again but those are seperate issues and ones that hopefully, over time, Giles can have an influence on.

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Post #: 4429

RE: Farewell Punter, it's been a pleasure mate! - 29/11/2012 8:05:42 PM

The Lensman

Posts: 1731
Joined: 15/3/2007

I highly doubt that even if Australia are playing nearly the same amount of games they would consider the same. My impression of the future tours were to even up the amount of cricket being played, so I'm not sure about that one....

I can guarantee that the media will make it a competition for the two. Especially if one fails.

And its a valid point using football or rugby, or tennis or any other sport. Elite sports and elite team sports that want to follow this is asking for trouble.

Right, scenario (s)

Flower has an issue with a player whom gets on great with Giles - conflict.
Young player who has issues with something, who does he go to? - conflict.
Giles doesn't feel that a player is ready for limited covers international cricket but Flower is insisting on that as its too soon for Test cricket - conflict
Giles wants a player to focus/train on one aspect that will do brilliantly for limited over cricket, but Flower says no. Focus on his plan. What does player do? - conflict

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Post #: 4430

RE: Farewell Punter, it's been a pleasure mate! - 30/11/2012 12:44:25 AM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

quote:

I highly doubt that even if Australia are playing nearly the same amount of games they would consider the same. My impression of the future tours were to even up the amount of cricket being played, so I'm not sure about that one....

They brought in a rugby legend to try and right their Ashes-and-post demise, they created two new cricketing specalist roles, one within the international game and one within the domestic, and they issued an inquest into their heavy home Ashes series defeat. No they may not have appointed two seperate head coaches but they have been making breakthrough changes too to try and improve their cricketing standards across all formats of the game.

The FTP is a complete mess, in most countries. It's nothing to do with evening up the amount of cricket played, it's about who wants to pay the most for what, example, obviously a slightly different one, the FTP's handling of the counties bidding to host the Ashes series in 2013. Until the ICC starts by setting up a window for the IPL and also helps support domestic cricket more, nothing much is going to change. We keep talking about this happening in 2017 and that happening in 2019, it's just a laughing stock now.

quote:

quote:

I can guarantee that the media will make it a competition for the two. Especially if one fails.

The media pay little attention to what happens in cricket much outside of an Ashes year anyway and I don't see either of these two failing spectacurlarly enough to draw that kind of attention.

quote:

Right, scenario (s)

Flower has an issue with a player whom gets on great with Giles - conflict.

It won't be an issue because the formats are completely seperate from each other, it is an issue like what's recently happened with Pietersen i.e. it's not actually about their cricket performances, then it gets handed off straight away to managing director Hugh Morris who then works with both HCs for a resolution. I firmly believe that both Flower and Giles are very professional men who get along (this won't have been an overnight appointment as I previously stated) and they won't get into a public slanging match. That's where I draw the line with the comparison to football, I fully expect it in a sport with that ego and arrogance. Our ego and arrogance belongs to one man in the England dressing room.

quote:

Young player who has issues with something, who does he go to? - conflict.

Flower is still technically in charge of all international cricket within the ECB, Giles will be reporting to him as Flower's actual role is director of cricket so depending on what the issue is, if it's performance related then keep it in that format camp, if not then the issue is going to end up at Flower's door regardless anyway.

quote:

Giles doesn't feel that a player is ready for limited covers international cricket but Flower is insisting on that as its too soon for Test cricket - conflict

Well for a start these two will only have advisory roles on selection anyway and the way that England and Warwickshire have been run over recent years is very similar, I envision these two not disagreeing on much. Obviously there's no real way of predicting this without a set example and like I already said these three formats need to be treated entirely seperately, not as each one a stepping stone to the other, that happens if it comes naturally, it shouldn't be formulated.

quote:

Giles wants a player to focus/train on one aspect that will do brilliantly for limited over cricket, but Flower says no. Focus on his plan. What does player do? - conflict

Giles is likely to be handed the reigns entirely on how he goes about coaching, preparing and planning for one-day cricket. I'm sure this will be discussed between both himself and Flower away from the players, possibly with captains present. But one of the reasons Flower is giving up the HC role within one-day cricket is to give England a better chance of success in those formats not because he has done a bad job but because he needs more of a break from his hectic schedule and can be allowed to focus on his forte, test cricket, I'm sure he will trust Giles to make the right call.

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Post #: 4431

RE: Farewell Punter, it's been a pleasure mate! - 3/12/2012 7:30:17 AM

hozay

Posts: 3333
Joined: 13/10/2005
From: the long,dark teatime of the soul

quote:

ORIGINAL: Goodfella

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/20537420

I got just a little choked up when I saw this news announced, I grew up watching cricket in the 1990s and into the 2000s when Ricky Ponting broke through as both a cricketer and a dominating captain of international cricket for what almost span a decade. I loved watching him bat and lead his team in the field, he had a enthusiasm and vibrance about him which I felt helped make Australian cricket great, and especially the Ashes rivalry, and that is for me why he retains a spot as one of the greatest captains of all time, add to that the length of which Australia stayed at the top of the test rankings and the two successive World Cup victories, no other captain has yet to top that, he deserves to go down in the history of the game and I'm quite disappointed it's now official that I won't get to see him bat next summer at Old Trafford. I've seen him bat more, I reckon, than any other leading international batsman in the game. I've had the pleasure of meeting him and he's a stand-up bloke, the way he gracefully stood down from test captaincy the pinnacle of the man and the way he's now handled his departure. The response of his successor Michael Clarke this morning spoke volumes.

The Ashes rivalry will perhaps miss him most of all, he really gave it some, he wanted it perhaps more than any other Ozzie and his one great regret I'm sure is never leading his team to an Ashes series victory on English soil, he's done pretty much everything else and that's not said lightly, that's statistical fact. I wish him the very best of luck in his next line of duty as a cricketer, be it IPL, playing Sheffield State with Tazmania or perhaps, just perhaps, a plane trip to Taunton. Come on Punter, you know you want to mate!

Well said. Poor bugger's going out with a whimper over in Perth at the moment. Bit of a shame but he's had a good innings what.

(in reply to Goodfella)

Post #: 4432

RE: Farewell Punter, it's been a pleasure mate! - 5/12/2012 6:01:52 PM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

Strong start from England in the third test in the notorious conditions of Eden Gardens, although I don't wholly agree that we have the complete advantage. It seemed an odd decision for me that upon winning the toss, MS Dhoni decided India should bat. There wasn't a great deal of pace or carry in the wicket but then England only really have one out-and-out fast bowler in their ranks in Steven Finn. But with Jimmy Anderson being irreplacable as he proved today (Broad and Bresnan can be rotated but his figures of 21-5-68-3 show why he can never not be considered for selection when he's fit) and the spin duet of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar and the effective slow bowling of Samit Patel (who wasn't needed in the end today), you felt India were offering themselves a little bit. Much like ourselves really, bar star turns, their batting hasn't been wholly convincing across the board and the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli having yet to really turn up to the party.

England did take advantage of that and were calculated in their assault with the ball and their smart fielding. They were helped along the way by some cheap shots from the Indian batsmen who seemed too aggressive on a slow surface, struggling to build an innings, batting more like they were chasing one starting with the run-out as Sehwag begged for a third he wasn't going to get and certainly didn't need with just 47 runs on the board in the very first session of play. Pujara's wicket the next perhaps even more unsettling for the forces of Indian cricket as he somehow managed to play outside a fairly straight and untypically slow delivery from Panesar that rattled his stumps, Monty did some mad celebration and Pujara will have been left wondering after a well-worked 16 why he wasn't still there this evening. Anderson's bowling was the pick of it all for England though as he worked the new ball hard, had some close lbw shouts turned down and managed to find some nice early reverse swing, that prompted Kohli to play into his hands as he tried to pick the inswinger, mistook the outswinger and found second slip, leaving India in the rather tentative position of 136-4 after Gambhir, who was on a troubled 60, had finally holed Panesar to Trott at slip, who has been doing a fine job in Strauss' former role.

Tendulkar batted very well for India through the next period, amid frequent lbw shouts from the very lively Anderson who was getting the ball in and out all the time, it took him time to get to his fluent best but he cracked some fine shots through the mid-wicket boundary and was hurling out the spinners with precision, it won't be an innings many complile to memories of Tendulkar but it was much required and there were some beautiful bullets in it that were just too good for England in the field. Swann broke the ranks though and got rid of the returning Yurjav, or rather the latter did as the pressure appeared to get to the all-rounder and he leant into a fuller one from Swann and found Cook at short extra cover, it looked a Sunday afternoon dismissal rather than one of international test cricket. Tendulkar was eventually gone for an impressive 76 as Anderson delivers the outswinger with perfection and the little master nicks it through to Prior who goes full stretch to catch it, the wicket of the day given the old ball, the length and pace and the man on the receving end of it who had been looking to push onto a century, Anderson's excellent day concluded as he grabbed the seventh wicket of the affair, this being Ashwin who played on via his pads to the full inswinging delivery. Anderson was definitely the star of England's show and on the spinners of spinners decks that is Kolkata, he was rampant. Swinging the ball both ways with devilish pace, there could have even been calls, along with Broad's omission, to consider Onions over Anderson for his pace and straight-pitched delivery but again Anderson showed why he's England's best bowler, in any conditions, and why he can so consistently change games.

Back to my earlier point though, I don't believe England have the complete advantage here. 273-7 on a slow pitch is not a bad score and we've seen England struggle to wrap up tails in the past. Dhoni is a masterful batsman in these cirucmstances too, he hits hard and can compile runs quickly on his day, he'll feel the onus is on him tomorrow morning after his decision to bat as well. If England can wrap these last three wickets up very quickly then they're in a great position but India are not out of the question to get 350 and that will be a real benchmark for England, especially given the fact that only four batsmen have really performed so far for us in this series (Cook, Pietersen, Prior and arguably Compton), it would be nice to see some others step up, especially Bell who could do with his silence his never-far-away critics once again, now he has back in the side.

quote:

Well said. Poor bugger's going out with a whimper over in Perth at the moment. Bit of a shame but he's had a good innings what.

It was never going to be the romantic finish was it? Nor was it for the Australian team, eventually losing a rather dour series 1-0 to the South Africans who reaffirm why they are currently the best test side in the world, when it went down to the wire they were the ones who came out on top, they also have a top order who can make life so difficult for you chasing when you have to take on the new-ball trio of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander. Australia need to take a look at Phil Hughes and Usman Khwaja now, especially with the Ashes being on English soil next year.

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"It is the Shawshank Redemption! Just with more tunneling through shit and less fucking redemption."

Last Film Watched: Flight ****

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Post #: 4433

RE: Farewell Punter, it's been a pleasure mate! - 6/12/2012 4:04:54 PM

gazpop

Posts: 2465
Joined: 26/6/2010
From: 666 Godwin Street, Naziland

never have I been so happy to see GF proved wrong....ok, not wrong, but to have his fears calmed by Captain Cookie! What a great way to wrap up the tail. 316? Amazing. And Cook's new round of broken records? Unbelievable man! India didn't seem to know what to do. Listen to Boycs on the podcast as he puts it so much better than I
Bring on tomoro!!
ps-yay England!

_____________________________

Yeah, that's real fine expensive gear you brought out here, Mr. Hooper.'Course I don't know what that bastard shark's gonna do with it-might eat it I suppose. Seen one eat a rockin' chair one time. Hey chieffy, next time you just ask me which line to pull

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Post #: 4434

RE: Farewell Punter, it's been a pleasure mate! - 6/12/2012 5:31:16 PM

boaby

Posts: 2788
Joined: 29/12/2006
From: Aberdeenshire

This lad Cook is looking the part like.

He vs Clarke will be a sight to see. I think Clarke has the edge at the moment - more attacking. I think Cook has the edge in personnel.

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Post #: 4435

RE: Farewell Punter, it's been a pleasure mate! - 7/12/2012 12:11:59 AM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

quote:

ORIGINAL: gazpop

never have I been so happy to see GF proved wrong....ok, not wrong, but to have his fears calmed by Captain Cookie! What a great way to wrap up the tail. 316? Amazing. And Cook's new round of broken records? Unbelievable man! India didn't seem to know what to do. Listen to Boycs on the podcast as he puts it so much better than I
Bring on tomoro!!
ps-yay England!

I wouldn't say I was in fear, I'd just say that England weren't as in a comfortable position last night as others seemed to think they were, especially given the state of the wicket. I don't like this wicket to be honest, never have, most Indians are in two minds about Eden Gardens as an international venue too. It's 83 year-old groundsman has a, reputation, shall we say and we can see the evidence of that in the pitch. Mind you it's done India no favours, I don't know what he told MS Dhoni before yesterday but he picked Ishant Sharma over Harbajhan Singh because he presumably thought there would be some pace and carry, that's been pretty much non-existent so far, as shown by the fine cuts Compton played this morning off Sharma's bowling, he had the time to flick his elbows and dig the ball out. It's a flat, cracked surface and it will continue to spin, especially for Swann who will get some good drift I reckon in India's next innings.

England have had a fantastic, crucial second day. They polished up the Indian tail despite some big-hitting resistance from Dhoni that I said would probably be the case and they went to work with the bat. Cook has been predictably excellent and some more (of the current England squad he has the highest average for batting in India, and I'm referring there to the statistics prior to the start of this series), he batted today with ease and flow, it was probably his best innings so far, his most complete, he offered one chance to the slips and that was it (Pujara should have taken it though, right through his hands, thats a gleaming miss), he played spin so well and we saw some of those infamous late cuts of his that we missed from the first two tests, mainly due to the fact India didn't bowl so much seam during those tests. Zaheer Khan I thought would be the biggest threat to Captain Cook if he could find some reverse swing, that hasn't happened and Cook has utterly exploited, a double century could easily be on the cards here, he's completely settled in and looks in that unmovable frame that he gets in. As for the record, that says so much about Cook, that he's up there now as arguably already England's greatest batsman of all time (if you exclude the parameters of various eras of international cricket, and probably WG Grace and anything pre-World War II), he has been built for this since he was a youngster at Essex but he has evolved his own game in such a fine and convincing fashion and he loves to thrive and dominate the game, he has the opportunity now to join the likes of Kallis and reach the centuries of the early 40s, 50 test centuries is not out of the question but I will be quite surprised if he gets that far. Boycott had the patience, Pietersen the flair, Hammond the forcefulness and Cowdrey the power. Cook has all of that, he has even started hitting more sixes. Captaincy will only help evolve his character as a batsman, as we have already seen with some of the calls he's made during this series.

Great to see Compo get more runs as well, an impressive 57, he's enjoyed a good start and is maturing into international cricket swiftly. He's relishing the challenge, he has those eyes he gets when he's going to get big runs and was obviously very disappointed to get out the way he did today as he tried the old English pre-meditated sweep to one that darted across, quite unlike Compo but as with each innings passes he looks more confident to seal that England opening place.

quote:

He vs Clarke will be a sight to see. I think Clarke has the edge at the moment - more attacking. I think Cook has the edge in personnel.

Clarke enjoys his environment, but I don't think he can play like that round the rest of the world, and certainly not in England against the new ball bowling of Anderson and Broad. Like I said earlier it's a series to relish next summer with this battle of captains and batsmen so key to either success but I would give the edge to Cook, he bats so brilliantly all around the world and will be favoured in his home country, not just because of his own form, but because Clarke has not exactly excelled over here with the bat. Getting Hughes back in to replace Ponting is a right move though, I like the look of Cowan, Warner, Hughes, Clarke and Hussey for next summer now.

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Post #: 4436

RE: Farewell Punter, it's been a pleasure mate! - 7/12/2012 11:05:29 AM

Professor Moriarty

Posts: 8569
Joined: 6/10/2005
From: the waters of Casablanca

Its funny. When the first test was on I was out of the office to any mails or skype messages from my colleagues in India. But more recently I've found myself having to go to them quite regularly for information

Great daddy ton for Cook, unfortunate not to get the double hundred. Some nice "cameo" knocks from others. We might be into the tail now, but a 200 lead is a powerful thing. Hope they can stick 60 to 70 on the board early tomorrow then let the Monty rip again.

(in reply to Goodfella)

Post #: 4437

RE: Farewell Punter, it's been a pleasure mate! - 9/12/2012 1:11:33 AM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

Well England are well on course for what could prove to be a huge victory in the recent history of English tours of the sub-continent, it was another defining evening session of cricket yesterday (like it was in the second test when Monty spun India out of town) although it was the seamers this time that decided India's fate, this track has done India no favours whatsoever and the fall-out between MS Dhoni and the exuberent Kolkata groundsman prior to the match has clearly worn thin with the hosting nation and their decision to bat first has not proved at all smart, they batted very well before lunch yesterday, racing ahead untouched but I said the other day that Swann would find drift as the pitch began to pick up some pace and that delivery to Sehwag which cannoned inside his pad and onto his stumps set the ball rolling with Anderson and Finn setting about with a clutch of fine bowling spells, Anderson getting the ball to move in at deceiving pace and Finn hammering into the wide cracks with awkward bounce, India couldn't handle the seperations between spin and seam and just couldn't get comfortable, six wickets for 36 runs says it all really. Ashwin played really nicely, he had a couple of early escapes as Prior continues his recent struggles with stumpings (it would help if he stayed a little straighter, especially to Swann when the ball tends to move across far more) but after that he was equisite, he found backward point on a couple of occasions with some great sweeps and he reminded me of the way Cook played in his innings. But India were never in it at 122-6 and he was just offering some nice tidbits for the highlights reel, when Panesar knocked Sharma's stumps over it was game over and England could wrap it up in half an hour tomorrow morning as I should imagine India's confidence is down in the ground (I think that Dhoni could step down as captain after this series and Tendulkar may very well retire).

To Cook's 190, it was another wonderful innings from Captain Cook, masterful stroke after masterful stroke after masterful leave after masterful stroke. He is the best opening batsman in the world right now, there is no-one better, even if Hashim Amla opens for South Africa. His professionalism this series has been second to none, he has taken the game to India in his thoughtful manner and he has gone through the stages of an innings in exactly the fashion required to lead England to victory, his run-out was freak, it happens every now and then and there is really nothing more to be said, it's easy to take it out of context and it was obviously very dejecting for Cook but I'm sure he'll bounce back and he's still going to be my player of the series every day of the week during this tour. Trott and Pietersen contributed important scores at opposite ends of the batting spectrum, Trott played typical Trott, nudging, pushing, waiting, frustrating and then exploiting with perfect timing. Lord knows why some people are stupidly suggesting Joe Root should replace him. First of all, Root is a youngster and opens the batting, you can't slot him in at three in an unknown role as such a young player behind another debutant and Trott rallies always, as he has, and dropping him is definitely not the answer at this stage, especially not with the questionable middle order propping him up. Speaking of which I've actually been quite impressed with Patel with the bat, he's worked hard and kept the Indians toiling for a good few handful of runs, he's kept them out in the field which clearly effected them with the bat today and he's done his job, he hasn't had much time with the ball but he hasn't really been needed in these last two tests. I still would have half a thought for Bresnan as we have definitely seen some reverse swing on these wickets, and he can do that better than any other England bowler.

It's been an exceptional nine days of cricket so far for England, it's been thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable for us as supporters and I'm looking forward to a few hours time but there's still a long way back to go, but this is a benchmark series for England and it's far from over yet. Not looking ahead foolishly though the tinge has been taken off the New Zealand series' next year by the news Ross Taylor has retired due to a fallout with the national board over his involvement as captain across all formats of the game, a sensationally stupid call, especially given his replacement, Brendon McCullum, is verging on the edge of retirement from some formats himself. Taylor has been like Cook, making slight changes to his side with both his own performances and captaincy, they are still a relatively easy target but they were getting better and more competitive. They've probably just gone back 18 months, McCullum will be a decent captain but it's not looking to the future and it reeks of disinterest to an extent, it will have an effect on the younger players coming too I think.

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Last Film Watched: Flight ****

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Post #: 4438

RE: Farewell Punter, it's been a pleasure mate! - 9/12/2012 1:19:37 PM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

Am I being too cynical if I say England didn't really need to come out and play like that? Compton and Bell steered us home with a mixture of defiance and flases of the old Belly that will go a little way to silencing his critics going into the fourth test, he is definitely a better batsman at home than he is abroad but I still think he's England's best choice at number five on both horizons, ahead of the likes of Bairstow and Patel. Fantastic test victory for England, very siginificant, I'm not yet allowing myself to consider the possibility that England are about to do something for only the second time since before I was born and I'm not going to get carried away that this is even the start of something, England have a long way to come back after what has still been a very disappointing and deflating year, both on and off the field. The signs are good though and we can all enjoy those for a while! I'll be putting my player ratings up in a bit after I watch City thump United!

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Post #: 4439

RE: Farewell Punter, it's been a pleasure mate! - 9/12/2012 3:08:10 PM

Goodfella

Posts: 15050
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: North Devon

Player Ratings

Cook - 10
Another masteful innings from the captain leading from the front. Cook has been in unquestionable form for England during this series and has to be the current best opening batsman in the world.

Compton - 7
Really starting to emerge now, two very important innings of two very different knocks, his mindset to remain patient and go after the right balls is the real making of him as an international player. Quietly confident that we won't be seeing much of Compo at Taunton now next summer.

Trott - 8
He needed that for his own confidence more than anything and he got it in stereotypical fashion. Frustrated the hosts and picked his shots arrogantly. It was important to see a few more batsmen get scores this test and they certainly did that.

Pietersen - 7
Standard KP half-ton knocking it to all parts before trying to slog England to victory in the second and getting dismissed for a duck.

Bell - 4
Poor first innings dismissal but backed up by a match-winning 28 from 28 to avoid the outside chance of sheer embarassment for England.

Patel - 6
His contribution will be considered underwhelming but he held India up well with the bat and fielded well again. Will be a bit of unsung hero but he did an important job in tough conditions.

Prior - 6
Missed a couple of chances with the gloves but enjoyed a healthy 41 with the bat and took a couple of great low, diving catches off Jimmy. Still recovering from illness.

Swann - 8
Exposed the cracks with the ball as he got the turn, movement and drift and played well for his 21 with the bat. His best performance so far in this series.

Finn - 7
Got progressively better with the ball and finished up with a fine spell of 18-6-45-3 with some real cagey stuff that the Indians just couldn't handle. Pitch seemed to gain more pace as the match wore on and the cracks exposed for Finn's hard and aggressive bowling.

ANDERSON - 10
Brilliant bowling from Jimmy, used the seam and devestating with both the new and old balls, had two spells in the game in either innings that completely changed the face of things.

Panesar - 7
Great effort in the first innings, took four wickets and really restricted the Indians, struggled in the second as his ability to straighten the ball through the gate disappeared into the wicket but has been key to England's successes so far over here.

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Post #: 4440