England's top order has failed yet again with them 2 down to New Zealand after their opener scored a double century on debut. Sibley and Crawley out cheaply. What has happened to the art of batting in this country? The likes of Boycott, Gooch, Atherton, Strauss, Cook as well as Thorpe, Bell, Lamb and Hussain would put up more of a fight than some of these. The T20 stuff has a lot to answer for IMO, with the players looking for the glory shot rather than play your way in and earn the right to play those shots. England on the back foot already!
Agree with you,but,you can't accuse Sibley or Crawley of sacrificing proper Test innings batting technique for T20......it's just they're not good enough. Both have made a big score for England,but it's a bit like one of our strikers scoring a hat-trick once a season and not getting any more for the other 30 odd matches. If we go to Oz with this opening 3 or 4,we will get slaughtered....again.They're just not up to it.
burns must have the strangest stance i have seen like... no need to take chances in a test, play nice and steady, conway really did nowt 'spectacular' just steady away from start to finish...these early wickets do nowt but give the bowlers a massive boost and it will take a lot of hard work to get any real partnership going.
The real piss off is that our players seem to have some ability.... just not the mental strength to apply it consistently. Aussies will get in their heads...... it’s what they always rely on to give them a lift..... (that and a timely bit of cheating if they get the chance).....and kill ‘em before we start the first test!
I'm not looking forward to facing the Aussies with that opening partnership. Even if they play themselves into form and score a few centuries each in this and the India series, the Aussies will have sussed them out beforehand
Looks like they might get to tea-time no bother, thanks to the weather, enjoyed yesterday, after the poor start, loved watching Mark Woods.
They showed the England team's batting averages yesterday. Not good reading. Root 49 and then a big drop to the rest. Pope is nearly 32, not bad. I just checked and Stokes averages 37 but he isn't playing this match. Burn's stance and movements are very strange.
Well England didn't lose any wickets today - been raining all day!!! About time London got some ****ty weather rather than us for a change