Cricket

4-2.....Looked out...gone to review...out...4-2...no...went with umpires call..but the ball is nipping back...4-1...dodged one there..

Good tense start..none of that bish bash bosh cricket that dominates...9 for 1..absorbing stuff..

78-4..fairly ordinary start by England..Bairstow 52(62) no. Good job England bat deep.But 200 still looks far off..Lunch.

Now 97 -6...not what England wanted. Under the cosh. Foakes needs a score IMO. In as a specialist keeper and he is the best but he also needs to show he can stick around.

Match is at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium and the great man is there today and what a cool dude he is, great great batsman.

Pitch looks a bit lively, until England bowl on it

Pitch looks a bit lively, until England bowl on it

Went against my Leach selection. Pitch looks very green. Might slow up and take spin and Windies bat last.

178-7 Moen Ali out for 60..played a bit early to a slower ball...caught at mid on. Curran in.

186-9..might not even get the 200. Good test match in the making...Jimmy in now...ball is lifting just short of a length...Broad's bowls nearly all back of a length so he should get something out of the green top. May be 180-220 is par for this wicket.

All out 187..

A lead of anything over 100 and it’s probably game over for England.

At the moment it’s looking like a bit more than that.

A lead of anything over 100 and it’s probably game over for England.

At the moment it’s looking like a bit more than that.

Agree

Much over 100 and they won't need to bat again

Pitch doing loads but they've bowled and batted better on it than us

Really poor. Line and length has been wrong from our bowlers all innings

Broad the best but he's only a 6 pushing a 7 out of 10

Agree

Much over 100 and they won't need to bat again

Pitch doing loads but they've bowled and batted better on it than us

Really poor. Line and length has been wrong from our bowlers all innings

Broad the best but he's only a 6 pushing a 7 out of 10

Think broad had been outstanding but once again let down by poor catching. Windies have had a lot of luck in this innings

Think broad had been outstanding but once again let down by poor catching. Windies have had a lot of luck in this innings

Yeah we've been poor in the field but the line and especially length has been poor
About 6 inches to a foot too short or far too short

You can't bowl remotely short or wide on this track
Look at the lbw shouts.. all going over, yesterday and today

The West Indies batsmen know what length they can leave on this deck

We've been really really poor with the ball and in the field

Broad should be the best on this deck of our lot due to his natural height and he has been but he still hasn't been great
Not enough constant pressure

Windies 272-6...lead by 85 runs with 4 wickets in hand. Assuming they add 50-70...Lead of say 130-170..England will be in possible before lunch or just after..if Windies get a lead of 200 then England will have to bat very very long.

England bowled well, Broad in particular. Few chances dropped but England up against it. Can see only one winner. Windies grinding it out, probably the only way on this pitch.

Windies 272-6...lead by 85 runs with 4 wickets in hand. Assuming they add 50-70...Lead of say 130-170..England will be in possible before lunch or just after..if Windies get a lead of 200 then England will have to bat very very long.

England bowled well, Broad in particular. Few chances dropped but England up against it. Can see only one winner. Windies grinding it out, probably the only way on this pitch.

I'd genuinely only give them 3 or 4 out of 10 for that bowling performance

Looked ok if you take it for what it was but in truth on that pitch it was below average

Yeah we've been poor in the field but the line and especially length has been poor
About 6 inches to a foot too short or far too short

You can't bowl remotely short or wide on this track
Look at the lbw shouts.. all going over, yesterday and today

The West Indies batsmen know what length they can leave on this deck

We've been really really poor with the ball and in the field

Broad should be the best on this deck of our lot due to his natural height and he has been but he still hasn't been great
Not enough constant pressure

Agree with everything except about broad. 9 out of 10 for me. 7 for stokes and ali. 5 for jimmy and 1 for curran

Agree with everything except about broad. 9 out of 10 for me. 7 for stokes and ali. 5 for jimmy and 1 for curran

Stokes I felt was all effort and no brain. He spent too much time trying to look tough and bowling too short.
It looks good but in reality it's so so easy to play on that track. Just a waste of time
6

Not really Jimmys type of track, the bounce works against him for his lbws as most just bounce over on a good length
5

Broad was the best he just needed to pitch it up a fraction more
7

Curran. Too slow on this type of track. Still bowling his wide of 5th stump line looking to shape in when it never ever looked like doing.
I'd play him easy on there with that line
1

Mo. Bowled ok.. seemed to get more the longer the innings went. Would be good if we could take it to a 5th day which looks very unlikely
6

Think Windies will need 60-100 in the 4th innings to win it. Good test match but a bit to slow. Pitch really leaves batsman trying to pick off the bad ball. Pitch doesn't encourage expansive batting. Could still produce a bit of drama.

I'd genuinely only give them 3 or 4 out of 10 for that bowling performance

Looked ok if you take it for what it was but in truth on that pitch it was below average

Element of truth in that but England past the bat over 100 times which is a lot. May be didn't quite put it in the right place. Think Curran looks a bit limited, Stokes ran in hard, may be he needs a bit more variety. Hits the pitch but if it doesn't happen for him he runs in and pounds it in even more.

Windies normally a bit more extravagant but stuck in and ground out a score.England need a score of 280+....somebody has to get a big hundred...can't see it.

The way England bat was summed up by bairstow who said he went for it because he didn't feel in. This attitude is why our batting fails consistently,  not enough people prepared to dig in

The way England bat was summed up by bairstow who said he went for it because he didn't feel in. This attitude is why our batting fails consistently,  not enough people prepared to dig in

England can't do it "Boycott style" anymore. They are an attacking side now. It is a problem when they need to stick in on an unpredictable pitch. Pity Haseeb Hameed hasn't carried on his great start. He could've been the anchor that is sometimes needed in these situations.

England can't do it "Boycott style" anymore. They are an attacking side now. It is a problem when they need to stick in on an unpredictable pitch. Pity Haseeb Hameed hasn't carried on his great start. He could've been the anchor that is sometimes needed in these situations.

Amazing what's happened to Hameed.  Averaging about 12 over the last two years and played mainly 2nd 11 cricket for Lancs last year

Amazing what's happened to Hameed.  Averaging about 12 over the last two years and played mainly 2nd 11 cricket for Lancs last year

Problem can only be between his ears...give him to the number of that sports phycologists guy, whose name escapes me, worked with Ronnie O'Sullivan and others.

Problem can only be between his ears...give him to the number of that sports phycologists guy, whose name escapes me, worked with Ronnie O'Sullivan and others.

Steve Peters?

Have you played cricket mate?

Can you keep me updated please mate. Taking lad to a lower league game today so can't keep an eye at how the pitch is playing

Cheers

England can't do it "Boycott style" anymore. They are an attacking side now. It is a problem when they need to stick in on an unpredictable pitch. Pity Haseeb Hameed hasn't carried on his great start. He could've been the anchor that is sometimes needed in these situations.

The lad can't buy a run now for anyone

Steve Peters?

Have you played cricket mate?

Can you keep me updated please mate. Taking lad to a lower league game today so can't keep an eye at how the pitch is playing

Cheers

Off spinner in my younger days.No great standard tho.

295-8...lead building up. Looking like a struggle for England. Pitch isn't getting any slower, lifting even off a length.BBC can give you the score as you probably know

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/cricket/46651962

Cheers.

298-9....Burns and Joe Denly will be twitching a bit. Pitich is still pacy. Rising up sharpish from just back of a length. Stokes trying to bounce out Gabriel...no love lost...what happened to the fast bowlers union

...Moen Ali on..Bravo might go after him..Bravo thumps Ali for 6..

306 all out. Lead of 119. Could be over tonight.

All out 306...lead 119...England face a tricky 15 minutes before lunch.

306 all out. Lead of 119. Could be over tonight.

Could be,I think they might get a 120-150 lead and Windies might just scrape home but could still be a bit of Drama...it's a slow burn this one.

Could be,I think they might get a 120-150 lead and Windies might just scrape home but could still be a bit of Drama...it's a slow burn this one.

Burns apart, don't see anyone getting their head down

Burns apart, don't see anyone getting their head down

He's getting chin music..get thru to lunch..settle in to the innings. Pitch isn't dangerous but to much grass has been left on it.