4th test: Batting 1st advantage

[shortbread]

The Ageas bowl is a road and the advantage is squarely with the team batting first. SL were able to draw their test at the venue by simply batting first and eating time. Last time India played here England batted first, posted a massive score and there was no coming back for India despite making 300+ in the first innings.

 

Also after their diabolical batting even the English management might favour a batting pitch. Expect the bowlers to bowl long spells and having 5 bowlers will be vital.

 

Law of averages means Kohli is due to win a toss after 3 faliures, fingers crossed!

[sandeep]

Its going to be even more of a road than usual.  The England team is facing fierce criticism for their shiyte batting.  They can't afford to risk another low scoring shoot-out.  There's a reason why their selector confidently went for recalling James Vince for this test - he's a poor man's Rohit Sharma in test cricket.  

[putrevus]

If it is a road Kuldeep would have been very handy, don't know why they had to send him back. Very very strange calls being made by selectors and also team management. How can anyone fault Kuldeep for not performing on that Lord's pitch.

 

Who is making these calls, youngsters need to be backed can't be throwing them out the squad after one bad game.

[zen]

Draw = adv Eng in the series as they are 2-1 

[shortbread]

34 minutes ago, putrevus said:

If it is a road Kuldeep would have been very handy, don't know why they had to send him back. Very very strange calls being made by selectors and also team management. How can anyone fault Kuldeep for not performing on that Lord's pitch.

 

Who is making these calls, youngsters need to be backed can't be throwing them out the squad after one bad game.

Spinners have little impact on the Ageas bowl strangely. Went through the test and one-day results and no one has really shone.

 

As a spinner in the 4th test, will be more of a holding role and giving the pacers a breather I think. I think Moeen Ali will replace Rashid as he can bat and bowl miserly long spells as well.

 

Kuldeep is exciting, but to be successful as a test spinner one must be consistent and patient and he was neither at Lords.

 

It's unfair when a team that wins the toss gets such a big advantage.

Edited August 23, 2018 by shortbread

[The Dark Horse]

Law of averages doesn't work with toss. It's still a 0.5 probability. 

[Brainfade]

1 hour ago, putrevus said:

If it is a road Kuldeep would have been very handy, don't know why they had to send him back. Very very strange calls being made by selectors and also team management. How can anyone fault Kuldeep for not performing on that Lord's pitch.

 

Who is making these calls, youngsters need to be backed can't be throwing them out the squad after one bad game.

If they are truly doing horses for courses, he should've played the first match - would've been a handful in the 1st test.  But they sat him there, then picked him to spin on a wet, grassy pitch and then sent him home.  Weird.

[Gollum]

Ashwin too has a minor injury albeit he bowled like a magician last test. Take no chances, play Jaddu in Rose Bowl, he will do the holding role and also attack the rough relentlessly. May not be a bad idea to bring in Umesh for Shami, rest of the XI should be unchanged. 

[The Dark Horse]

1 minute ago, Gollum said:

Ashwin too has a minor injury albeit he bowled like a magician last test. Take no chances, play Jaddu in Rose Bowl, he will do the holding role and also attack the rough relentlessly. May not be a bad idea to bring in Umesh for Shami, rest of the XI should be unchanged. 

The number of left handers in the English side means Ashwin is a must

[shortbread]

8 minutes ago, The Dark Horse said:

Law of averages doesn't work with toss. It's still a 0.5 probability. 

True, but how many can Kohli lose before winning one? Lost 3 in a row!

Just now, Gollum said:

Ashwin too has a minor injury albeit he bowled like a magician last test. Take no chances, play Jaddu in Rose Bowl, he will do the holding role and also attack the rough relentlessly. May not be a bad idea to bring in Umesh for Shami, rest of the XI should be unchanged. 

I think Ashwin can do the holding role as well plus is capable of bowling long spells, hopefully he's fully fit.

 

Shami can break-down but Umesh will be erratic/expensive! I think best to stick with Shami, didn't bowl a lot the last test plus a week's break. He should be fine.

[Gollum]

2 minutes ago, The Dark Horse said:

The number of left handers in the English side means Ashwin is a must

Jaddu is not bad either against LHBs, because of the number of right-handed bowlers in both teams a rough will be created for the highly accurate Jaddu to relentlessly attack the LHBs. And since he consistently brings the ball into them with some holding the line, he will be a handful. We are so lucky to have such great spinners in our squad .

[Nikhil_cric]

14 minutes ago, The Dark Horse said:

The number of left handers in the English side means Ashwin is a must

Not necessarily. Cook and Jennings usually get out to the fast bowlers and stokes and broad aren't really that good anyway. The real threats are pope, root,bairstow and Buttler. The confidence with which they play their shots at times suggests that we need to be under constant pressure. Sir is a better soon option . Only reason Ashwin played ahead of him was because he could bat. 

[Tibarn]

If we get a more neutral pitch and conditions like this 3rd match or even the 1st, batting 1st would be great. 4th innings are generally the hardest time to bat, whether because of the increased availability of turn or just the weight of the target on the board. 

 

We have already shown an inability to chase down targets recently. 

[GolGappe]

I believe in Ian Chappell's philosophy. In test cricket, you are better off batting 1st on 9 out of 10 occasions. More relevant when playing away from home.

[putrevus]

1 hour ago, Brainfade said:

If they are truly doing horses for courses, he should've played the first match - would've been a handful in the 1st test.  But they sat him there, then picked him to spin on a wet, grassy pitch and then sent him home.  Weird.

Spot on brainfade from the team management and Kaptaan.They have complicated the matters by sending him home.

[rkt.india]

1 hour ago, shortbread said:

True, but how many can Kohli lose before winning one? Lost 3 in a row!

I think Ashwin can do the holding role as well plus is capable of bowling long spells, hopefully he's fully fit.

 

Shami can break-down but Umesh will be erratic/expensive! I think best to stick with Shami, didn't bowl a lot the last test plus a week's break. He should be fine.

shami too conceded almost 5 rpo at trentbridge

[ThePhenomenal1]

1 hour ago, Gollum said:

Ashwin too has a minor injury albeit he bowled like a magician last test. Take no chances, play Jaddu in Rose Bowl, he will do the holding role and also attack the rough relentlessly. May not be a bad idea to bring in Umesh for Shami, rest of the XI should be unchanged. 

Plus jadeja is bound to get a wicket or two each innings. He is much improved from kumble being coach. His batting and fielding will help too.

[shortbread]

2 minutes ago, rkt.india said:

shami too conceded almost 5 rpo at trentbridge

But Shami was quite accurate, kept aiming at Buttler's arm pits consistently!

Must have spotted a weakness there, alebit those balls were all dispatched to the boundary!

[rkt.india]

1 hour ago, Brainfade said:

If they are truly doing horses for courses, he should've played the first match - would've been a handful in the 1st test.  But they sat him there, then picked him to spin on a wet, grassy pitch and then sent him home.  Weird.

no one knew Edgabaston will offer turn.  Even then, there was more help for seamers in that game.

[rkt.india]

Ages Bowl is the fastest and bounciest pitch in England.