International Cricket Thread

[E10 Rifle]

Wagner was excellent for Essex in the English summer just gone. Always rated him. Alarming to see Windies crumble again though

[Kevin S]

Is he coming back for 2018, do we know?

[Kevin S]

Speaking of Essex though, India's warm up match for the Test series in England will be a red ball match in Chelmsford in late July. Should get a good crowd.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Apart from the Ashes there are two other tests being played.

New Zealand continue to dominate WI, they dismissed them cheaply and piled on the runs. 134 all out versus 447/9 at the close.

India are batting against Sri Lanka and have recovered strongly after losing two early wickets to reach 245/2 at tea.

[Jon]

Vijay and Kohli are both going well, with 122 and 104 runs respectively.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Trent Boult's batting is interesting.

[Tubby Isaacs]

He's still in, despite Davenport like technique.

[nmrfox]

To be fair to Boult he's reined it in and getting in line with the ball and obviously doing the best he can to try and get Blundell to a debut ton. Good team player.

[nmrfox]

If Shannon Gabriel played for Pakistan the authorities would be very interested in that no ball.

[San Bernardhinault]

I just turned this on, and it looks like WI have adopted England's tactics against tailenders, of basically just letting it go and letting the opposition score a single or two every over off the 4th or 5th balls, with fielders deep and nobody bothering to try and take a wicket, tiring out your own openers and just letting the game drag on and on.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Boult's forward defensive that went for four past the bowler just then was quite something.

Blundell on 99 can't get it through the field.

[Tubby Isaacs]

So Blundell charges and hits it over the field, that's the hundred.

God knows how long that was from 96-100. Both did well to hold it together, West Indies bowling was much improved.

[nmrfox]

Well played Tom Blundell and especially Trent Boult.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yeah, it's funny how in situations like this, the hundred gets overshadowed.

[nmrfox]

I suppose in Boults case is that you could see him suppressing his natural instinct and helping his partner to achieve his admirable milestone

Fair play too to the bowlers who knew the declaration was coming but made it as bloody awkward as they could have possibly have done. In no way would this have altered the result but this is why Test Cricket is so wonderful.

[Satchmo Distel]

WI making a decent fist of the 2nd innings

Bizarre stuff in India. Game being played in dangerous levels of smog. SL clearly do not want to play, but have not made an official protest yet AFAIK. Pollution stops play?

[Antepli Ejderha]

India v Sri Lanka Test match halted by smog in Delhi - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/42213491

Some of the Sri Lanka players were wearing masks. I think England or Australia may have walked off as they have more power and could avoid any ICC sanctions.

[Greenlander]

It appears that some of them did.

At one point SL only had ten fielders and had their trainer step in as a substitute with the bowling coach grabbing his whites ready to go as well.

Not totally without precedent as domestic games have been called because of air pollution.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I suppose in Boults case is that you could see him suppressing his natural instinct and helping his partner to achieve his admirable milestone

Fair play too to the bowlers who knew the declaration was coming but made it as bloody awkward as they could have possibly have done. In no way would this have altered the result but this is why Test Cricket is so wonderful.

Absolutely. One of the best subplots I've ever seen.

Poor Blundell is likely to be dropped for the next test.

[Antepli Ejderha]

It appears that some of them did.

At one point SL only had ten fielders and had their trainer step in as a substitute with the bowling coach grabbing his whites ready to go as well.

Not totally without precedent as domestic games have been called because of air pollution.

Pollution stops play at Delhi Test match as bowlers struggle to breathe. The reason why they only had ten on was that some players were off the field vomiting.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...y_to_clipboard

[Satchmo Distel]

India will win their 9th consecutive series, but none of those were away to a side in the Top 5.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/india/...id=6;type=team

England are currently 3rd in the rankings but likely defeats to Aus and NZ might change that

https://www.icc-cricket.com/rankings...-rankings/test

[Satchmo Distel]

Note also in the above rankings that Bangladesh are only 3 points behind WI. Only a matter of time before they go above them given that Bangladesh are stronger at home than WI currently and both rarely win away.

[San Bernardhinault]

Every time I see the name Roston Chase, I read Royston Chase and assume it's a small station on a branch line near Cambridge.

[Satchmo Distel]

Or indeed Barnsley, as I grew up near a Royston: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Royston,_South_Yorkshire

[ad hoc]

Every time I see the name Roston Chase, I read Royston Chase and assume it's a small station on a branch line near Cambridge.

All those jokes on Yes, Minister about the snobbery of people from Oxford were obviously not actually jokes. Royston (the Hertfordshire one) is on the main Cambridge to London line - hardly a "branch"