creeeeeeeekeeeeeet

[TANGODANCER]

A decent series wrap up, 33 wickets and a ton for Atkinson. Root showing why he's very best. Sure it's WI and SL at home, but you earn these series over time.

I'm not into Knighthoods for sport, I think it' silly with so many more deserving people in other areas, but Joe Root surely deserves the finest recognition you can give him.

[BWFC_Insane]

A decent series wrap up, 33 wickets and a ton for Atkinson. Root showing why he's very best. Sure it's WI and SL at home, but you earn these series over time.

Some very good stuff. Still we look pretty short in terms of realistically challenging Australia down there though. Questions over top 3 and bowling attack still. Wood always injured.

[Worthy4England]

A decent series wrap up, 33 wickets and a ton for Atkinson. Root showing why he's very best. Sure it's WI and SL at home, but you earn these series over time.

Some very good stuff. Still we look pretty short in terms of realistically challenging Australia down there though. Questions over top 3 and bowling attack still. Wood always injured.

Agree, these aren't the same series WI/SL at home vs Aus away. Top three have had some decent knocks on occasion, we got to greater than 100-2 in all but 2 outings against WI and one of those missing was 87-0 chasing the result. Sri Lanka not very good way too many 70-3's...Worrying thing is Duckett and Popes averages seem to be trending downwards...Duckett 35, Pope nearly 31. Popes is lower than Bairstow (not suggesting a recall) in the World Test Championship averages 23-25...Lawrence has Woakes and Robinson in front of him. Feels pretty iffy.

Wood is Wood. Barring injury, he'll be on the plane, because he's one of the one (there is only one), that could actually shit 'em up.

[Worthy4England]

Well, we re-found the top 3. Unfortunately bottom 7 then contrived to hit 60.

[TANGODANCER]

Came back to this expecting a huge score....ah well, still time to sort it...

[Worthy4England]

Second innings collapse to add to the first. Not particularly auspicious...

[TANGODANCER]

Such is the game of cricket..

[Worthy4England]

And so it came to pass. SL aren't the greatest, but plenty decent enough if you're not at the races...

[Worthy4England]

Lawrence left out for Pakistan - not a huge surprise...

[Worthy4England]

That's been a tough day chasing the leather....

[TANGODANCER]

That's been a tough day chasing the leather....

Shoe (boot) on other foot. No walk over here.

[Worthy4England]

Huge kudos to Rooty, becoming England's highest test run scorer and with another century. What a stellar performance. How many tons has he got since being replaced as Captain? I think that we often overstate how good someone is, without taking into account how many matches they've played - I mean you play twice as many games as Bradman and score more runs, does that make you better? Well no, quite frankly, but still up there an in amongst the all time greats, like Jimmy.

[TANGODANCER]

Heroic from Joe Root. Inspirational doesn't say it.



Score also confirms how important the playing surface is in keeping the scales balanced.

[Worthy4England]

Unless this wicket crumbles some in days 4 and 5, it feels like a bit of a nonesense wicket. I don't like non-result wickets and being 13 wickets down at the end of day 3, is clearly an imbalanced contest between bat and ball. Stuff like this doesn't help test cricket as a game...

[BWFC_Insane]

Unless this wicket crumbles some in days 4 and 5, it feels like a bit of a nonesense wicket. I don't like non-result wickets and being 13 wickets down at the end of day 3, is clearly an imbalanced contest between bat and ball. Stuff like this doesn't help test cricket as a game...

Indeed. England have broken all sorts of records and root has played an all time great. But it’s a road. An absolute road.

[Worthy4England]

823-7. And that was probably us looking to set something to bowl at. Reckon we've been quite generous, I'd have been tempted to keep them in the field for the remainder...

[jimbo]

823-7. And that was probably us looking to set something to bowl at. Reckon we've been quite generous, I'd have been tempted to keep them in the field for the remainder...

I think it was the right time to declare. We’ve got 4 and a bit sessions to go at them and a lead of 270. Even though it’s flat they’re tired and demoralised. Strange things can happen. If they get a small lead, we’ll back ourselves to chase anything at 10 an over tomorrow evening. Last thing we want is them 8 or 9 down at the end wishing we’d given ourselves more time.

[TANGODANCER]

AMAZING....

[BWFC_Insane]

823-7. And that was probably us looking to set something to bowl at. Reckon we've been quite generous, I'd have been tempted to keep them in the field for the remainder...

I think it was the right time to declare. We’ve got 4 and a bit sessions to go at them and a lead of 270. Even though it’s flat they’re tired and demoralised. Strange things can happen. If they get a small lead, we’ll back ourselves to chase anything at 10 an over tomorrow evening. Last thing we want is them 8 or 9 down at the end wishing we’d given ourselves more time.

Yeah we had to go for it. Shame about those drops though. Could be massively costly on this wicket.

[Prufrock]

Feck that we could have got a thousand and still won. Pope out!

Scoreboard pressure is mad.