Cricket fred

[Puja]

Incredible the effect that mentality and mindset has on performance. The Pakistan batters aren't awful players, and it's largely the same tarmac road that they scored 550 on, but they're 6 down simply because they've just had the better part of two days going being ground into the dirt. It's probably even worse because they would've come off the back of that first innings thinking they'd done a decent job and that they might even have a chance of enforcing a follow-on, only to have their spirits methodically crushed over 150 overs of England dominance.

Puja

[fivepointer]

That was quite simply an incredible win. Sure, the pitch was as flat as a pancake and this Pakistan side is on a terrible run in tests, but to play like that and win by an innings was a huge achievement after conceding 550 in the 1st innings.
Root and Brook were superb.

[Banquo]

oops....possibly getting rumbled here on a wicket bunsening on day 2

[Galfon]

How quick things can turn...

[Banquo]

How quick things can turn...

[Puja]

Jamie Smith drops a regulation catch with Salman Ali Agha on 4, and then Root drops him two balls later on 6 - he's now top-scorer with 46*.

Tempting to say "Foakes wouldn't've dropped that", especially given Smith didn't exactly do a great job with the tail when batting this morning which is what he was picked for, but I do understand what England are trying to do in the long-run with him and he is young with a lot of room to improve.

Still highly frustrating though.

Puja

[Banquo]

Game really lost in last half hour of day 2

[Banquo]

nearly a great knock from Smiff.....but really, just before tea....

sounds like a bunsen , so might not be a bad score

[Banquo]

looks like we've lost this game in the last 2 hours. Stokes unusually passive.

[Banquo]

Terrible last 2 sessions, can’t level at Bazball even, as it was the opposite. Passive in the field, lacking positivity with the bat. Root and Brook need to put together a big stand.

Pope under a lot of scrutiny now- he’s boom or bust it seems, and bust for a while now

[Big D]

Pope averaging 32 this calendar year (33.74 overall) with 3 tons/two 50's and 19/25 innings scoring less that 30.

Not good enough.

[fivepointer]

Conceded far too big a lead and losing 3 early wickets has surely doomed us.

Pope just doesnt look like he knows what hes doing against spin. They'e invested a lot of time in him and he really needs to repay that faith.

[Banquo]

Really fell apart since lunch yesterday- abject after Root and Brook

[Galfon]

Credit to Pak. for taking the series seriously and adjusting to their strengths, and going for Eng weaknesses - different to other hosts admittedly but very effective. Not sure if such vast pitch variation is acceptable at elite stages in sport, though it's used in other field sports to some degree.

[Galfon]

'New look' white-ball team has a bit of an old-look with the first outing at the Sir Viv Stad...absoloute pasting.
They get another chance there tomorrow before a final match in sunny Barbados...( organisers do like deciders so Eng. will probably somehow scrape the 2nd.. )

[Puja]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/ ... onal-score

All out for 7 runs is a hell of an accomplishment. I wouldn't've credited it possible at any level, before it happened.

Puja

[Galfon]

Tough for Eng. that the ball start swinging at the start of their innings - a Quack for Zak already

[Banquo]

Tough for Eng. that the ball start swinging at the start of their innings - a Quack for Zak already

great recovery. brook rode his luck well. Ball was hooping early on- I don't think we made the most of the bowling conditions on day 1

[Galfon]

Certainly needed that luck - he's sure on a roll at the moment.Pope looks more comfortable below 3, but it will be interesting to see how long they run with the Bethell experiment.

[Banquo]

Certainly needed that luck - he's sure on a roll at the moment.Pope looks more comfortable below 3, but it will be interesting to see how long they run with the Bethell experiment.

Unfortunately all bar Duckett look uncomfortable at 1-3. Suspect Crawley would be awesome at 6

[Galfon]

Nearly home n 'hosed which seemed most unlikely early in Eng 1st inns...the latest imports have both done a bit too, which will please those doing the picks.

[fivepointer]

Good win.

Big performance from Carse, runs for Pope and Stokes and a nice 50 from Bethel to round things off.

[Banquo]

Brook on fire, and we could have been in an even stronger position. 1st hour the wicket was maaad

[Puja]

Brook on fire, and we could have been in an even stronger position. 1st hour the wicket was maaad

Yeah - there's a lot of people castigating the England top order for losing their wickets and criticising Bazball, but frankly that was a hell of a bowling wicket and I don't think defending your way our of that one would've got anyone anywhere. The tail possibly need to have a word with themselves though - they're better than they showed.

Brook really is such a good player. Had a brief flirtation with a slump earlier in the year during the end of the WI series, against Sri Lanka, and for some respects in Pakistan, but that was still "Harry Brook's only had one 50 in 8 innings and keeps getting out in the 30s" and "Harry Brook's not scored very much this tour other than that innings of 317 off 322" rather than a slump by anyone else's standards (Crawley would kill for that run of scores right now!). But now he looks right back to his best and seeing it like a beachball.

Puja

[Banquo]

Brook on fire, and we could have been in an even stronger position. 1st hour the wicket was maaad

Yeah - there's a lot of people castigating the England top order for losing their wickets and criticising Bazball, but frankly that was a hell of a bowling wicket and I don't think defending your way our of that one would've got anyone anywhere. The tail possibly need to have a word with themselves though - they're better than they showed.

Brook really is such a good player. Had a brief flirtation with a slump earlier in the year during the end of the WI series, against Sri Lanka, and for some respects in Pakistan, but that was still "Harry Brook's only had one 50 in 8 innings and keeps getting out in the 30s" and "Harry Brook's not scored very much this tour other than that innings of 317 off 322" rather than a slump by anyone else's standards (Crawley would kill for that run of scores right now!). But now he looks right back to his best and seeing it like a beachball.

Puja

Bazball had nothing to do with the top 4 not scoring as you say. Lower order....well going from 217-4 to 280 all out is careless.