Off Topic 1st, 2nd & 3rd Test WIndies v England....

Ah Summer is on its way and as the appetizer before the real thing against the Aussies, England have a really tough job of having to spend several weeks in the West Indies.....it's a tough life but someone has to do it......

Anyway 1st morning and the customary collapse, England 3 down by lunch, however Bell and Root have steadied things since and currently England are 112-3 after 40 overs......

 

Got it on in the office. We look awful. They won the toss and put us in to bat- doesn't say much about our batting.

 

Once again by playing Trott as an opener and a totally out of form Ballance at No3 we put ourselves in the mire, I really can't fathom our selectors at all and Moores just continues to underwhelm.

Thing is we'll probably still win this series despite them and we'll be annihilated by the Aussies who are a generous 4/7 with the bookies for the Ashes, I'd put my mortgage on that...

 

Good recovery from bell & root though, I'm sure there are better openers than trott & why not pick Taylor for number 3.

 

Not much wrong with 315-4.......good recovery

 

Bell just gone in penultimate over.....still Englands day after being 49-3 at lunch, almost 300 runs in 2 sessions......

 

As a test batsman Bell is a class act and Root should be the rock to build a new young team around. It's hard to work out how Cook and Trott, who three years ago were both in the world's top ten batsmen have lost it completely since then.

Cook is only picked to save embarrassing the selectors still further until he becomes a total liability as in the World Cup...

 

Great to see Stokes batting so well - he could be an important player in the Ashes. I hope he gets out for 142 though, as I've got Bell at 4/1 for top scorer.

 

Anyone know of any streams for this. I used to use first row but it looks like virgin are now blocking it. Means I'll have to find a new place to watch the R's as well. Gutted!

 

WIndies 295 all out at tea on day 2, England lead by 104 with Cook & Trott to open..........Wish I was confident that these 2 can put on a 100 for the first wicket but neither are in great form so expecting 2 fairly cheap wickets to fall.....

 

Taking Trott at all was a desperate move. About time we admit that we are a team at the bottom of a cycle which should be looking 3 -4 years ahead and giving a few more youngsters a run, on the understanding than some will fail in the short term, but will learn for the future.

I am scared of what the Aussies will do to us.

 

Trott gone for 4. Was always going to be thus.

I take it that Harry joined the England cricket selectors when he left us.

 

Agree Stan, Trott should never have been selected again, he will have that mental weakness for the rest of his career and the Aussies will exploit it to the full......

Plus at the moment I'm struggling to see how we are going to take 20 wickets against the Aussies, Anderson and Broad are not true pace bowlers any more relying on line and length whilst Finn and (can't remember name of other fast bowler, senior moment) are too erratic at test level. I think the Aussies will simply blow us away this summer.

 

Yep Cook gone as well....20 -2

 

Balance won't be far behind. He's about as much a test match batsman as I am!

 

It will be down to Bell to get us out of a hole again

 

Pace attack of Anderson, Broad, Finn and Jordan, with Treadwell taking the spinners spot. (That's for this test) For me, Anderson is the only world class bowler in that lot. Broad and Finn are to similar and both inconsistent. Jordan lacks experience and control. Spinners are a little different as pitch condition is far more important, but Treaders doesn't get massive amounts of spin. He does have guile and variation but on an un-turning wicket that may not be enough. I'm not holding much hope for the summer either to be honest.

 

Need to up the tempo today & get th chasing nearer 400 by end of tea so have 4 sessions to bowl them out.

 

Declare now ffs