England v Pakistan 2020.

[sussexpob]

Woakes get the big wicket of Babar.....

[sussexpob]

Bess straight into the action with a wicket

The slightly ironic thing about this is that England deliberately weakened their batting in order to include 4 seamers so that Stokes doesn't have to bowl, but now look a spinner short (so Capt Root may well feel that he has to bowl), whilst Stokes was warming up his bowling arm during the interval in case he has to bowl anyway

So all a bit of a fuckup really, selection wise

Considering its only really a day 2 pitch, I hate to see how this is going to play by day 5. Ball is spinning already a lot..... its really hard to see England chasing anything against a half decent spinner on a deck like this.

Maybe the extra spinner would have been a good idea.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Maybe the extra spinner would have been a good idea.

England picked four seamers and one spinner in Mumbai...

[Durhamfootman]

Other teams have used the same tactic, seemingly, in the last couple of years

Another hobby horse of mine.......... it's half past 5 and there are still 30 overs to play. It might be that there are some extra overs because of the rain on day 1, but this is a game that always used to finish at 6pm. I can remember watching the minute hand edging ever closer to 6pm trying to work out if another over could be squeezed in.

I know there are reviews and things these days, but nobody ever seems to make the effort to move the game along, not the players, not the captains, not the coaches, not even the umpires or the match referees

something else that just won't do

[sussexpob]

Azhar Ali goes.....4 down.

[Durhamfootman]

Other teams have used the same tactic, seemingly, in the last couple of years

Another hobby horse of mine.......... it's half past 5 and there are still 30 overs to play. It might be that there are some extra overs because of the rain on day 1, but this is a game that always used to finish at 6pm. I can remember watching the minute hand edging ever closer to 6pm trying to work out if another over could be squeezed in.

I know there are reviews and things these days, but nobody ever seems to make the effort to move the game along, not the players, not the captains, not the coaches, not even the umpires or the match referees

something else that just won't do

apart from Woakes

[Arthur Crabtree]

Curious the rewards for England bowlers being so divergent this summer. Strike rates:

Broad 27
Stokes 35
Woakes 36
vs
Bess 77
Archer 80
Anderson 88
Wood 102

Either brilliant or a bit rubbish. Only Curran sits in the middle with 56.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Other teams have used the same tactic, seemingly, in the last couple of years

Another hobby horse of mine.......... it's half past 5 and there are still 30 overs to play. It might be that there are some extra overs because of the rain on day 1, but this is a game that always used to finish at 6pm. I can remember watching the minute hand edging ever closer to 6pm trying to work out if another over could be squeezed in.

I know there are reviews and things these days, but nobody ever seems to make the effort to move the game along, not the players, not the captains, not the coaches, not even the umpires or the match referees

something else that just won't do

apart from Woakes

They know they'll be off for bad light before the close.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Wonder if Pakistan would take a 250 lead now.

[Durhamfootman]

Stokes is getting ready to bowl, seemingly.... you couldn't make it up

going on batting performances and bowling potency, perhaps England should pick 10 bowlers for the second test?

and you just know that if they did, Buttler would still be behind the stumps

[Durhamfootman]

false alarm

[Durhamfootman]

how much time was lost to rain today?

[Durhamfootman]

Nope, not a false alarm.... it's really happening

pick 4 seamers to protect Stokes and still he has to bowl

what does that say about the 4 that were picked, or more to the point..... what does that say about the people who picked them?

[Durhamfootman]

didn't take long

what a guy!

[mikesiva]

Stokes strikes! Six down.