2nd Test - Why bat first?

[Andy]

Weather's looking good. Can't see it being such a bad wicket that we see 7+ wickets in day one.

Maybe the Aussie Tangoman's right about Cook's 'bottle'. Frightened of the Sri Lankan dobbers?

[stickyboy]

Good point - Graeme Swann commented

(speaking before the toss was made) "Bat first, 1,000% bat first. As a spinner you have to bowl 30 boring defensive overs in the first innings. England haven't got a spinner really so they have got to bat first."

Cooky on why he bowled first

"We've got three guys from Yorkshire who know the conditions well so hopefully we can make some use of the first couple of hours. If it was glorious sunshine we would have batted first but it swung in the warm-up and hopefully it will."

[Andy]

Cook bottled it. Perfectly good batting conditions up here. Our skipper has the misfortune of a couple of drops, but really without a near-hatrick he'd be copping another barrage of 'personal' criticism.

Proves a posh education and a decade of international cricket experience can't make a wise skipper.

[Valentines Park]

a decade of international cricket experience can't make a wise skipper.

Ditto a decade of county cricket in some cases.

[afinetickletoleg]

Does 257 ao justify putting them in?

[Andy]

Does 257 ao justify putting them in?

No. I maintain my original comments. We know Broad comes off like this once in a while. Saved his skippers blushes.

Seemingly Cooky has inherited the 'green tinted glasses' from predecessors like Gooch, Fletch or MJK Smith.

Interesting question: if he'd been in form, do you think he would've still bowled in those conditions?

[essexfan548]

'without a near-hatrick'

Broad did take a hat-trick - he took three wickets in three balls.

[IanS]

Does 257 ao justify putting them in?

As ever, I would suspend judgement until England have had their first innings. I have heard of some research that claims that batting is easiest on the 2nd afternoon of a Test match (yes, I'm doing a FreddieFisher here - I can't remember the source).

Based purely on the statistics of Tests at Headingley in the last 20 years, 257 is poor. Seven teams have scored less than 257 batting first, six of them went on to lose the match.

But we'll see.

[IanS]

Does 257 ao justify putting them in?

As ever, I would suspend judgement until England have had their first innings. I have heard of some research that claims that batting is easiest on the 2nd afternoon of a Test match (yes, I'm doing a FreddieFisher here - I can't remember the source).

Based purely on the statistics of Tests at Headingley in the last 20 years, 257 is poor. Seven teams have scored less than 257 batting first, six of them went on to lose the match.

But we'll see.

As a postscript, teams batting first have lost more often than they have won (8-6); three matches were drawn. Maybe Cook learned something in that "posh education"?

[Diatribe]

T'would appear that a few of Nat's main man, Plunkett's pies hit the target yesterday, maybe we'd have been better off opting for him rather than Nat's second choice pie thrower, Saj.

[Andy]

As a postscript, teams batting first have lost more often than they have won (8-6); three matches were drawn. Maybe Cook learned something in that "posh education"?

You think that those stats are sufficient to justify? 8-6 out of 17 in total doesn't change my opinion.

If the weather forecast was poor, if we specifically wanted to bat last in the match because of our spin options, maybe I'd understand but it was good right from the start. Another couple of days in the field for the Sri Lankan team would've destroyed them.

[IanS]

As a postscript, teams batting first have lost more often than they have won (8-6); three matches were drawn. Maybe Cook learned something in that "posh education"?

You think that those stats are sufficient to justify? 8-6 out of 17 in total doesn't change my opinion.

If the weather forecast was poor, if we specifically wanted to bat last in the match because of our spin options, maybe I'd understand but it was good right from the start. Another couple of days in the field for the Sri Lankan team would've destroyed them.

Not particularly. Just pointing out that at Headingley, winning the toss and blindly electing to bat doesn't make a lot of sense. With England currently 248-2, the decision to bowl first isn't looking too bad. And BBC are forecasting dry weather until Thurs next week.

[nat]

T'would appear that a few of Nat's main man, Plunkett's pies hit the target yesterday, maybe we'd have been better off opting for him rather than Nat's second choice pie thrower, Saj.

Hmmm ...do you think Plunkett will have the Aussies or event the Indian batsmen quaking in their boots?!

[Andy]

Cunning plan to avoid having to bat on the last day despite electing to field - collapse on the 4th evening!

Sweepstake on Cook's tenure coming to an abrupt end anyone?

[Valentines Park]

Sweepstake on Cook's tenure coming to an abrupt end anyone?

As captain or for England entirely?

If he didn't do a Nasser & immediatley retire that do wonders for our batting.