creeeeeeeekeeeeeet

[jimbo]

There have been 9 opening partnerships now this series, with the highest being 22.

That got me wondering whether we are reaching a point where a change of tactics are needed in England? It seems pointless sending 2 of your best players out to the slaughter, so why not pick a couple of brave tail enders and hope they see off a few overs, leaving your better players to make hay down the order when it’s undoubtably easier. It’s almost impossible to do worse than Roy or the Aussie openers this series. Warner particularly seems wasted.

I admit it’s not going to happen and is more than a little facetious, but i enjoyed musing over it over lunch.

[Worthy4England]

Opening with the Burnley Lara! Chin, chin!

[Prufrock]

Have pondered the same thing. Basically just need some form of top order to try to see off the new ball. Might as well open with Woakes and Leach!

Big period coming up. Sounds like Warner's on about his fifteenth life. Feels like the kind of game where if he can survive he'll go big. Knock him over and we should to be aiming to get them out for sub 200. Hopefully it's sunny tomorrow!

[jimbo]

At the moment teams are ending up 20/2 pretty regularly before things then get easier. It’s clearly bloody difficult opening and is making good players fall cheaply. If you open with a couple of tail enders, you’ll still be 20/2 yet have 2 of your best players still to come. Let’s throw convention out the window! Burns can stay, but leach can replace Roy and then everyone else can shove down one in the order.

[Bruce Rioja]

Come on, Ben.

[jimbo]

Sounds like today was a day where we have missed Anderson. Expect he’d have been ideal to capitalise on the early movement.

[Worthy4England]

At the moment teams are ending up 20/2 pretty regularly before things then get easier. It’s clearly bloody difficult opening and is making good players fall cheaply. If you open with a couple of tail enders, you’ll still be 20/2 yet have 2 of your best players still to come. Let’s throw convention out the window! Burns can stay, but leach can replace Roy and then everyone else can shove down one in the order.

Of course you could just end up being 20-4. And let's be honest here batsmen are there because they can allegedly bat.

[Enoch]

Not so much a one man team as a f*ckin two man squad!

The c*nt's pissing me off and I haven't even learnt how to pronounce his name yet.

[Burnden Paddock]

Not so much a one man team as a f*ckin two man squad!

The c*nt's pissing me off and I haven't even learnt how to pronounce his name yet.

The prick reviewed as plum an LBW decision as i've ever seen, then walked off shaking his head.

[Worthy4England]

Great stint by Jofra. Happy with 179 all out, pity is it could've been a lot less...

[TANGODANCER]

Sort of against the odds: the weather, the light and Labuschagne being a fair replacement for Smith plus Oz getting a decent grip of it all until......me, I'm well happy at 179 all out, too right. Now we need to perform with the bat like Archer did with the ball (Broad, Woakes and Stokes all did their bit but it was Archer's day) . Cummins and co won't like that a bit and I'll bet Smith is seething. Bring it on....

A bit surprise they dropped a useful bowler like Siddle.....

[officer_dibble]

Good day yesterday, the new stand st Headingley is excellent. Woakes and Stokes were costly but in a way it was almost understandable given how stop start it was with the delays. Broad and Jofra were superb.

Hope we can see out the day, suns out here!

[BWFC_Insane]

Archer is one of those weird types who has played 1 and a bit tests, (albeit won a WC) and is a legend already no matter what he does for the rest of his time. I was so impressed with how he pitched it up yesterday and sacrificed some pace to put it in the right areas. What control he has. What an action he has.

However, Woakes is a problem - he and stokes at one point bowled 11 overs between them for 69! In a test. In the best bowling conditions available. We know Stokes is an erratic bowler. But Woakes' line and length are all over the show. He might be trying too hard one suspects with Archer being the star perhaps Woakes is trying to keep up? But he's lost his metronomic line and length and if he carries on doing that then he presents us with a big problem.

If England bat all day today with some wickets in hand tomorrow even just 2 or 3 then they should win this.

[jimbo]

Archer is absolutely phenomenal. The ground comes alive when he’s bowling and there’s genuine threat every ball. At Lords it was a slow pitch that wasn’t doing that much yet he was able to beat people for pace and genuinely intimidate. Here he adjusted, pitched it up and reaped the rewards. He did pretty well in the World Cup but has gone to another level entirely here.

He’s 3 innings into his test career but already is the man to build an attack around. He’s that good.

[jimbo]

He’s got more than pace as well. The accuracy of his short bowling at Lords was lethal. He hits batsmen more than by bowler I’ve ever seen and as yet he’s played on pretty slow pitches. Wait until he gets on a fast bouncy one!

[BWFC_Insane]

Archer is absolutely phenomenal. The ground comes alive when he’s bowling and there’s genuine threat every ball. At Lords it was a slow pitch that wasn’t doing that much yet he was able to beat people for pace and genuinely intimidate. Here he adjusted, pitched it up and reaped the rewards. He did pretty well in the World Cup but has gone to another level entirely here.

He’s 3 innings into his test career but already is the man to build an attack around. He’s that good.

Hmmm. He was third highest wicket taker, bowled the most dot balls of any bowler, and won the world cup with his super over.

Pretty well? Sheesh you must have high standards. He was a-bloody-mazing!

[Worthy4England]

I think Stokes and Woakes got a bit tied up in "fast bowler syndrome" yesterday, where a bowler's head tells him he has to show he can bowl sexy short fast stuff too. This often results in the ball reaching the boundary quicker.

[BWFC_Insane]

I think Stokes and Woakes got a bit tied up in "fast bowler syndrome" yesterday, where a bowler's head tells him he has to show he can bowl sexy short fast stuff too. This often results in the ball reaching the boundary quicker.

Archer wasn't bowling short yesterday though. Woakes has been off since the Ireland game to me. Too short. And then spraying line as well.

[jimbo]

Archer is absolutely phenomenal. The ground comes alive when he’s bowling and there’s genuine threat every ball. At Lords it was a slow pitch that wasn’t doing that much yet he was able to beat people for pace and genuinely intimidate. Here he adjusted, pitched it up and reaped the rewards. He did pretty well in the World Cup but has gone to another level entirely here.

He’s 3 innings into his test career but already is the man to build an attack around. He’s that good.

Hmmm. He was third highest wicket taker, bowled the most dot balls of any bowler, and won the world cup with his super over.

Pretty well? Sheesh you must have high standards. He was a-bloody-mazing!

No denying he did well and was one of the better bowlers in the tournament, but he wasn’t so obviously on a different plane to everyone else playing the game like he has been this last week. No one could have predicted the impact he’s had.

[BWFC_Insane]

Archer is absolutely phenomenal. The ground comes alive when he’s bowling and there’s genuine threat every ball. At Lords it was a slow pitch that wasn’t doing that much yet he was able to beat people for pace and genuinely intimidate. Here he adjusted, pitched it up and reaped the rewards. He did pretty well in the World Cup but has gone to another level entirely here.

He’s 3 innings into his test career but already is the man to build an attack around. He’s that good.

Hmmm. He was third highest wicket taker, bowled the most dot balls of any bowler, and won the world cup with his super over.

Pretty well? Sheesh you must have high standards. He was a-bloody-mazing!

No denying he did well and was one of the better bowlers in the tournament, but he wasn’t so obviously on a different plane to everyone else playing the game like he has been this last week. No one could have predicted the impact he’s had.

He was in my view. He was outstandingly good. Starc and Ferguson took more wickets but had worse economy rates (Starc markedly so) and Bumrah had a marginally better economy rate but took fewer wickets.

I thought he stood out - from the crowd easily in the WC - his variety was hugely impressive and was probably the best ODI quick England have ever had.

Test cricket allows bowlers to "shine" more obviously on days like yesterday but still for me he was the outstanding WC bowler.