creeeeeeeekeeeeeet

[Worthy4England]

I agreed with BWFCI, I'd have batted a bit longer.

Fair, fair f*cks Ben Stokes.

And probably a few others - Skipper doesn't tend to sit in a corner on their own and determine when to declare with a "Ta-Da"

Absolutely, but you look back at them deciding not to have a go at chasing against NZ the summer before last, and it seems to come from Stokes (and McCullum) setting that tone.

Certainly.

[jimbo]

What a turnaround in the team. The West Indies tour last spring left me feeling as despondent as I ever have about the state of the test side. All of a sudden there’s so much to enjoy about us.

No other side would have forced a result on that pitch. The rate we scored at effectively extended the match by an extra day. The boldness of the declaration made the result possible.

It’ll be interesting to see how the media respond when it doesn’t go well. It will be so easy to criticise as we’re doing things in non conforming ways. Even at the end of our first innings Agnew was wondering whether if we’d been a bit more careful on the second morning we might have been able to get 750, ignoring the fact that approach had seen us rack up 500 on day 1.

[BWFC_Insane]

What a turnaround in the team. The West Indies tour last spring left me feeling as despondent as I ever have about the state of the test side. All of a sudden there’s so much to enjoy about us.

No other side would have forced a result on that pitch. The rate we scored at effectively extended the match by an extra day. The boldness of the declaration made the result possible.

It’ll be interesting to see how the media respond when it doesn’t go well. It will be so easy to criticise as we’re doing things in non conforming ways. Even at the end of our first innings Agnew was wondering whether if we’d been a bit more careful on the second morning we might have been able to get 750, ignoring the fact that approach had seen us rack up 500 on day 1.

I remember in the summer Stokes saying that the new approach isn't about just scoring quickly or being aggressive its about doing whatever we're trying to do with intent, be that occupying the crease or hitting boundaries. And I think that there is the balance.

An approach that has flexibility built into it and is about positivity of mind, and clarity of intention is great. Going to win games and taking risks to do so and playing exciting and positive cricket.

Where these mindsets fall down though is where they take over and become dogmatic. Say the next pitch is a turner and a slow one and dry and more difficult to bat on generally and very difficult to bat on later on. You need to in your first innings be mindful of scoring big and the risk/reward completely changes as second time round your chances will be limited. Just saying 'well we'll score quickly or be out' wont necessarily be the way to win every game. So its about the adaptability.

Front foot cricket will mean different things in different contexts and I think that is where the test of any style or approach comes. Not that I think we're on the wrong track. Far from it. McCullum has been a revelation and a much needed one at that. I don't think there will be criticism when at some point we inevitably take a risk and it doesn't pay off in terms of results so long as the approach and style doesn't take over results entirely.

Its not unlike football where teams will start to bowl differently at us knowing we want to score quickly and we need to be adaptable to that and conditions and the opposition.

[Worthy4England]

Its not unlike football where teams will start to bowl differently at us knowing we want to score quickly and we need to be adaptable to that and conditions and the opposition.

That's Bolton sorted out! Wrong sort of bowling.

These things change over time, look at what India did and produce pitches that spin square after lunch on D1, to give batsmen something different to think about. Would be interested to see this crop, with their current mentality, bat on those pitches...

Little bit like the flat track bullies conversation in the one-day camp. But to your main point, mindset is a huge part. Whoever you're playing against if you don't believe you're going to beat them, you're probably not. It was fairly clear in the last couple of years that confidence (or lack of it) was running through the team the minute we were two down - which was often in the first half hour of having commenced batting. So big kudos there - without the belief that we could bowl a team out in the 4th innings on a track that showed folks could probably bat on it for a long time, was decently ballsy, but as you say, still have to look at what's in front of you...

[BWFC_Insane]

Its not unlike football where teams will start to bowl differently at us knowing we want to score quickly and we need to be adaptable to that and conditions and the opposition.

That's Bolton sorted out! Wrong sort of bowling.

These things change over time, look at what India did and produce pitches that spin square after lunch on D1, to give batsmen something different to think about. Would be interested to see this crop, with their current mentality, bat on those pitches...

Little bit like the flat track bullies conversation in the one-day camp. But to your main point, mindset is a huge part. Whoever you're playing against if you don't believe you're going to beat them, you're probably not. It was fairly clear in the last couple of years that confidence (or lack of it) was running through the team the minute we were two down - which was often in the first half hour of having commenced batting. So big kudos there - without the belief that we could bowl a team out in the 4th innings on a track that showed folks could probably bat on it for a long time, was decently ballsy, but as you say, still have to look at what's in front of you...

I think that we're saying the same thing here. Right now on those pitches in India I don't think Stokes and McCullum would want a team trying to smash it out the park but would say we still need to play positively, and run hard and score where possible because just blocking won't get the total. But clearly you are being more watchful and cautious there whilst retaining the positive intent to score runs however you can.

And I think that's absolutely right. Its just keeping an eye that over time the 'approach' doesn't become all consuming as for example we often see in sports where something new initially works then is taken to extremes before it fails completely. The England ODI were actually a decent example there where for years we dominated and smashed people round the park won a lot very comfortably then for whatever reason the WC comes along on pitches that did something and had uneven bounce (in our own back yard!!) and it wasn't a tournament of smashing 300 plus every game and we nearly did come unstuck with our approach not suiting conditions and ended up having to win 3 games in a row just to get out the group.

[Worthy4England]

Aye - we're saying the same things...

[TANGODANCER]

We got it right and won because we have a good side with an excellent captain. Oh, and we beat a very good side.

[Worthy4England]

Disappointed Japan lost, and Brazil were just a little...frightening......

Pactum Serva....

Japanese cricket? There's a thing!

[TANGODANCER]

Disappointed Japan lost, and Brazil were just a little...frightening......

Pactum Serva....

Japanese cricket? There's a thing!

Sorry Worthy, my error, wrong thread. Apologies...

[jimbo]

Interesting start here. 4 down in the first 30 overs but rattling along at close to a run a ball still. Pitch looks quite tricky with some turn and low bounce already. If we can get up to 350 that will be a good score I think.

This Abrar looks a decent bowler too. He’s picked up all 4 so far.

[TANGODANCER]

Crazy stuff this cricket. 231-7 and new boy Abrar has got all 7....

[Worthy4England]

What TD said!

Abrar now has 7/7 and it's not looking quite as great on 241-7

[BWFC_Insane]

245-9 now. Not looking so clever here. Its definitely a turner but not a 250 all out first innings pitch. England are 150 short here.

Mystery spinner has had a field day and its going to be a slog in the field I feel as we don't have that sort of mystery up our sleeves.

Still feel we can be competitive here if we can get early wickets.

[TANGODANCER]

All out 281...Could be very interesting ....or not, as the case may be.....

[Worthy4England]

107-2 in reply - will take some good bowling from here to eek out a lead...

[Bruce Rioja]

They took all 10 of our wickets with spin. We've got four seamers.

[Worthy4England]

A good spell of bowling. 4 fer Jack Leach and a couple for Rooty. - 202. 1st Innings lead of 79. Grand.

[jimbo]

Amazing. Got up and they were 3 down. Had breakfast and got in the car and they were 9 down! Didn’t see that coming at all. Hopefully we can get ourselves up to 250 here which should be enough.

[TANGODANCER]

Fantastic. with this team of "he believes" I'm thinking anything is possible. Super stuff.

[TANGODANCER]

Cricket crazy? Nah. From the Test of a thousand runs to cricket by the duck-pond in one easy week. Geoff Boycott will be having nightmares...