Channel 4 to broadcast Tests v India

[bwildered]

Ashwin day .  Five wickets followed by century. Strangely three rapid wickets at the beginning of the day give England hope of knocking Indians over cheaply, with a slight glimmer of  recovering something out of the game. Alas Kohli and Ashwin runs took the game well out of reach .
 Great keeping by Foakes, yet again, during the morning, but looked more ragged during afternoon though. Enormous target 482, Dan desperate for a score with Crawley and Bairstow in the shadows, playing more forward and positively than the bunker mentality of the first innings. Only a century might tip the balance to keep his place.

[SirChef26]

Modem Ali is too flakey and really not a test spinner. Dropping Bess, who is as good a bat as Ali, seems an unnecessary change given that we were having to rest Jimmy, Buttler can’t keep for more than one test, we’ve sent Bairstow home and Stokes is seemingly finished as an all rounder. Bizarre state of affairs.

This post genuinely might be the worst cricketing take I've ever read in my life. Stokes finished as all-rounder! Bess as good a bat as Moeen! Whatever meds you're on Andy, get them changed!

Alex. Stokes is seemingly less and less able to fill the all rounder role: he’s been increasingly used for a handful here or there, but that is NOT an all rounder. 

Moeen slogs it around but hasn’t been convincing hence his slide down the batting order. Bess has a bit of what Duncan Fletcher called the dogfight (I replaced the original with ‘fight’) whereas Moeen seems to be lacking. I guess both were bowling full tosses and long hops, but Moeen has been around too long to be doing that.  He may do a Leach and roll India over second dig, but he’s cost us a Test on a raging bunsen where Root ended up having to bowl.

Good to see Foakes showing what he can do. Presumably Butler/Bairstow will be given back the gloves as they have undue influence in the dressing room, but I’d rather have BF keep in tests and let the other two concentrate on batting.  Pity about the corrupt umpiring, but this is India...

Andy, go and ask any top cricketer on the planet who the best all-rounder in the world is right now and the vast majority will say Ben Stokes. He hasn't bowled because he's clearly carrying a knock and needs managing, but according to you he's finished! We're in 2021, we don't flog half-fit players into the ground anymore, especially on a spinning pitch that bowling medium fast pace on is pointless. As for the Moeen and Bess comparison, a poster above said it best, 40 centuries for Moeen, how many has Bess got? He bats eight in county cricket for god's sake! Is Bess a better bowler and should he be given a run in the side over Moeen? Absolutely, but let's not be ridiculous here, he's not at Moeen's level with the bat.

Re Dan Lawrence, biggest day of his career tomorrow by a mile and possibly may never have a bigger one for the rest of his playing days. He could either be out early and won't see the England side again for a long time, or he could get a big score against a world class bowler on a tough pitch and cement his place in the England squad for many years to come. For Essex's sake the former is probably better, but of course I hope for his sake that it's the latter. It's depressing post Chef seeing no Essex representation in the England team and I don't see that changing anytime soon if Lawrence doesn't make it.

[Andy]

Alex. Do you not follow the logic that if an all rounder can't bowl 15 overs in a full day in the field, then they aren't an all rounder, but a batsman who can do a (very)  useful job with the ball - think Root or Gooch. Stokes has bowled less and less even in seamer conditions -  hence the need to think about the balance of the lower middle order.

The fact that Bess was preferred over Ali in Sri Lanka and the 1st Test shows he's third best in the minds of the coaching team. Ali was dropped back in 2019. Ali has slipped down the batting order. He might get runs tomorrow but his form has been downwards for some time. I hope he does, but I suspect not.

[JasonP]

Alex. Do you not follow the logic that if an all rounder can't bowl 15 overs in a full day in the field, then they aren't an all rounder, but a batsman who can do a (very)  useful job with the ball - think Root or Gooch. Stokes has bowled less and less even in seamer conditions -  hence the need to think about the balance of the lower middle order.

The fact that Bess was preferred over Ali in Sri Lanka and the 1st Test shows he's third best in the minds of the coaching team. Ali was dropped back in 2019. Ali has slipped down the batting order. He might get runs tomorrow but his form has been downwards for some time. I hope he does, but I suspect not.

Moeen had COVID in Sri Lanka and so was never going to be picked for those Tests.

[bwildered]

 All level. Unsurprisingly a England heavy defeat of 317 runs. Always up against it starting on a third day pitch on the first day a result was always on the cards. However two top innings scores and two centurions, there was only one side performing. No one selection lost this test.
 Positive was the performance of Colchestrian  ex Essex wicket keeper Ben Foakes. Impressive on that wicket and three stumpings in the test, the last time that happened was with the great former keeper Alan Knott .
 Dan out before the first hour was over, got stumped with the quick delivery sliding past him, a tactic Murray and Titmas used in game plan. Golden boy Crawley must now be in the hot seat in his place for the next test . Let’s hope he does not end up like Westley, but with rotation and squads should keep him in the set up for the future. A tough baptism with a Asian tour, he would come out a better player, although moving him up and down the order does not help.
 

[Andy]

Alex. Do you not follow the logic that if an all rounder can't bowl 15 overs in a full day in the field, then they aren't an all rounder, but a batsman who can do a (very)  useful job with the ball - think Root or Gooch. Stokes has bowled less and less even in seamer conditions -  hence the need to think about the balance of the lower middle order.

The fact that Bess was preferred over Ali in Sri Lanka and the 1st Test shows he's third best in the minds of the coaching team. Ali was dropped back in 2019. Ali has slipped down the batting order. He might get runs tomorrow but his form has been downwards for some time. I hope he does, but I suspect not.

Moeen had COVID in Sri Lanka and so was never going to be picked for those Tests.

He caught Covid 18 months ago?

[JasonP]

Alex. Do you not follow the logic that if an all rounder can't bowl 15 overs in a full day in the field, then they aren't an all rounder, but a batsman who can do a (very)  useful job with the ball - think Root or Gooch. Stokes has bowled less and less even in seamer conditions -  hence the need to think about the balance of the lower middle order.

The fact that Bess was preferred over Ali in Sri Lanka and the 1st Test shows he's third best in the minds of the coaching team. Ali was dropped back in 2019. Ali has slipped down the batting order. He might get runs tomorrow but his form has been downwards for some time. I hope he does, but I suspect not.

Moeen had COVID in Sri Lanka and so was never going to be picked for those Tests.

He caught Covid 18 months ago?

That was in reply to "The fact that Bess was preferred over Ali in Sri Lanka and the 1st Test shows he's third best in the minds of the coaching team."  Moeen was dropped for Leach 18 months ago in the Ashes and then made himself unavailable for Tests for a while after that.  That is when Bess leapfrogged him.

[JasonP]

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/india-v-england-2020-21-spurned-moeen-ali-begins-the-long-kiss-goodnight-after-choosing-to-leave-india-tour-1252037

Interesting article on Moeen here.  The choice of Roots words are not great and Ed Smith doesn't come out of it well.  Surprised at the 56 wickets at 25.69 apiece in his last 11 Tests.  I thought he'd been struggling for a while and the fact he has a better strike rate than Swann very much surprised me aswell.  It's looking this was his last Test, which is a shame because I still think he's definately a better option than Bess and in England better than Leach as well.  Playing there would allow them to play all the best seamers, most of which don't bat, and spinners like Leach rarely do too much in home tests these days.

[nat]

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/india-v-england-2020-21-spurned-moeen-ali-begins-the-long-kiss-goodnight-after-choosing-to-leave-india-tour-1252037

Interesting article on Moeen here.  The choice of Roots words are not great and Ed Smith doesn't come out of it well.  Surprised at the 56 wickets at 25.69 apiece in his last 11 Tests.  I thought he'd been struggling for a while and the fact he has a better strike rate than Swann very much surprised me aswell.  It's looking this was his last Test, which is a shame because I still think he's definately a better option than Bess and in England better than Leach as well.  Playing there would allow them to play all the best seamers, most of which don't bat, and spinners like Leach rarely do too much in home tests these days.

GD, the author has an agenda which should be clear to many people. Why look at the last 11 Tests? Why not the last 20? or 5?

[vim]

I enjoyed watching the Channel 4 coverage in Corporate mode.

Not starting to watch until play had been underway for a little while.

Around lunch thinking about breakfast and more concerned in stuffing myself.

After lunch when working from home had started, concentrating on making contact with people about work and taking less interest in the play.

Turning the TV over before close of play, just like being there in person and leaving when the free food and drink has run out.

[Andy]

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/india-v-england-2020-21-spurned-moeen-ali-begins-the-long-kiss-goodnight-after-choosing-to-leave-india-tour-1252037

Interesting article on Moeen here.  The choice of Roots words are not great and Ed Smith doesn't come out of it well.  Surprised at the 56 wickets at 25.69 apiece in his last 11 Tests.  I thought he'd been struggling for a while and the fact he has a better strike rate than Swann very much surprised me as well.  It's looking this was his last Test, which is a shame because I still think he's definitely a better option than Bess and in England better than Leach as well.  Playing there would allow them to play all the best seamers, most of which don't bat, and spinners like Leach rarely do too much in home tests these days.

GD, the author has an agenda which should be clear to many people. Why look at the last 11 Tests? Why not the last 20? or 5?

What agenda is that?  Serious question.  To make Root and Smith look bad - which is not that hard to do!  To be fair, Root has just apologised for his "chosen to go home" remark.

After having been acccused of casting nursturis nustertiums nastertiu  saying bad things about Moeen Ali, I've checked his Test record.  I could be uncharitable and point towards the quality of the batting line-ups of Ireland, Bangladesh and South Africa (against spin) where MA took a lot of wickets cheaply, but he also has a solid record against India - albeit on English wickets.  However, he performances against the Aussies, India on their bunsens etc. isn't that impressive. 

I did read somewhere how Ali's better performances came when he had a decent spin partner.  I still think he's no longer the answer to our spin problem. Maybe Mat Parkinson should move to Taunton.

[nat]

GD thinks that English cricket is institutionally racist and will spare no tenuous story in his cause.

[Oldhasbeen]

Maybe Mat Parkinson should move to Taunton.

Maybe moving counties would be good for Parkinson's development, but Bess just left Taunton so he could get regular first XI cricket. And Bess is pretty useful with the bat.

[Andy]

GD thinks that English cricket is institutionally racist and will spare no tenuous story in his cause.

Well white privilege is everywhere, apparently. I just think that MA doesn't fit with the culture at Team England -  being neither the product of a public school or feisty enough. Still at least Mo can spend quality hours with the family before heading off to the IPL.

[nat]

GD thinks that English cricket is institutionally racist and will spare no tenuous story in his cause.

Well white privilege is everywhere, apparently. I just think that MA doesn't fit with the culture at Team England -  being neither the product of a public school or feisty enough. Still at least Mo can spend quality hours with the family before heading off to the IPL.

Indeed. He would obviously much rather do this than play for England.