NZ Test tour of Eng, June 2-27

[Arthur Crabtree]

Fifth wicket is always crucial. A couple more wickets and you're through the batting. But new ball could change the picture still.

UNfortunately for England, a par score (400?) will be too many for their batters to equal.

[sussexpob]

New ball did a fair bit too, so even if it flattens out, England could repeat the top order clatter and be done

[bigfluffylemon]

Too many missed chances today.

[sussexpob]

Too many missed chances today.

Bowled way too full too. Ball did a lot first up, stopped after 30 ish overs, but still enough to extract better results. Obviously some missed chances. Hard to know what the par is, but I think NZ are well above it... Can you blame a captain for crap bowling? Maybe it was wrong to bowl first, but it feels like England let at least 3-4 wickets out the field.

Personally I'd have bat, but hindsight is a great thing. After 5 overs, I'd have definitely bowled. Anderson was unplayable first up. Broad was unplayable on his first change. Luck, fielding and some misguided support meant a bad day

[Durhamfootman]

I've just watched the highlights and the number of chances that England let slide was terrible. Having praised the fielding at Lords, England took several paces backwards again. They take their chances, the partnerships get broken and the lower order end up having to face the new ball. Could have been game changing. As it is NZ are bombing along nicely and look set to get a match defining first innings total and England will do well not to fall over in a heap

For all the dropped catches and missed chances, the decision to bowl first was definitely the wrong one. If you win the toss, you have to be absolutely certain that the pitch is a bowler's paradise. Any doubt whatsoever and you bat. But there you go.... the balls this year have been most unusual, so maybe that played its part. The ball certainly didn't move much, which is unusual for TB.... maybe it was too sunny.... maybe it was too windy.... maybe they just got it wrong

[yuppie]

England short on overs again. last time the excuse was wickets falling. Todays excuse is? in fairness only 21 overs were bowled with spinners.

[sussexpob]

IFor all the dropped catches and missed chances, the decision to bowl first was definitely the wrong one. If you win the toss, you have to be absolutely certain that the pitch is a bowler's paradise. Any doubt whatsoever and you bat. But there you go.... the balls this year have been most unusual, so maybe that played its part. The ball certainly didn't move much, which is unusual for TB.... maybe it was too sunny.... maybe it was too windy.... maybe they just got it wrong

The data actually shows England had almost identical swing movement as a team that they did through the Lords test, and that Ben Stokes particularly found monstrous movement (2.5 points above the world average ball). The data also shows that the average ball was 20cm fuller than at Lords....

I leave you to my comment through the day. England bowled too full.... it was obvious. And they caused problems when they retracted their lengths.

Considering the fact they moaned about the ball for 40 overs, it was all in the mind. The ball was moving the same (above average) as normal.

Data taken from Cricviz....

[sussexpob]

The scoring rate also reflected the too full length... apparently the 16th fastest first 100 scored in England.

[sussexpob]

Potts particularly was annoying. He's a young lad, so I wont hold it against him. But he bowled back of a length, he caused problems. He bowled a bit short, problems. Yet he bowled over and over full and got carted early. I guess it was a plan they had, but they needed to adapt. It was clear they were too full very early.

Hopefully its a learning curve but you have to go with your instincts. If you get smashed on the full, yet keep tucking up batters with the short ball, you have to sense the weakness. Nichols particuarly never looked set to anything back of a length/short, and really should never have got near 50

[Durhamfootman]

I guess when you're the new boy playing in your second test, you do what you're told to do

funnily enough, on the BBC live feed during the day they were saying that Potts was the one bowling short, but they said it like a criticism, so I assumed it was the usual, rarely effective, England bowling repeatedly short tactic which they have been too fond of for too long

[Durhamfootman]

and it's hard to tell from the highlights, because they spend a quarter of the hour listening to ex pro's wittering on, then they show every boundary 3 times from different angles (and there were a lot of boundaries today) so there isn't much time left over to get a sense of what the bowling is like

at least they've stopped interrupting the action with that stupid 'this is what Brian Lara thinks of (insert player name)' nonsense.... and there are no ads and no competitions to get annoyed about.... just the banal observations of Sir Steeley, the idiotic witterings of Tuffers and the grating musings of MPV.

I thought it was highly amusing of Aggers to sagely observe (when Potts was first thrown the ball today) that some players just immediately look made for test cricket.

I'd have been more impressed if he'd observed this before and not after he took 7 wickets on debut

[sussexpob]

I guess when you're the new boy playing in your second test, you do what you're told to do

funnily enough, on the BBC live feed during the day they were saying that Potts was the one bowling short, but they said it like a criticism, so I assumed it was the usual, rarely effective, England bowling repeatedly short tactic which they have been too fond of for too long

Conway took a swipe at one Potts ball and top edged it for 4, never really in control. I think he then served up Nichols one that he gloved up to Stokes short, but Ben tripped when the catch was on. Other than that he served up a couple, but considering he was forcing errors short, getting massacred when he went full, it's ridiculous to suggest it was a prolonged and fruitless peppering...like when Broad the enforcer peppers aimless half trackers 2 yards over the head style.

[Durhamfootman]

I think it was Potts who found an edge through vacant 3rd slip

Was it Potts who found an edge only for Crawley and Bairstow to stare helplessly at each other, or was that Stuey?

[sussexpob]

I think it was Potts who found an edge through vacant 3rd slip

Was it Potts who found an edge only for Crawley and Bairstow to stare helplessly at each other, or was that Stuey?

Pretty sure that was broad by memory. My point wasn't really a critique of Potts, more of the plan. Maybe after 20 tests he'd.have the confidence to say balls to the plan and go for it.

There is certainly something about him. Has a canny knack when a bit shorter on the length to really tuck up and cramp batters for room. Bit of uneven bounce and I'd imagine he'd be a handful.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Poor drop by Root off a great ball by Stokes.

Surely you bowl a fuller length when the ball is moving sideways, otherwise it does too much. On the other hand there was some uneven bounce which might have been exploited by back of a length.