Cricket

[EM2]

If Broad can stay stuck in, this might be salvageable. So far, he's faced sixteen balls and every one is a dot.
Prior seems to have a charmed life though, dropped twice and also 'bowled', except the bails didn't drop!

 

[Searle]

If Broad can stay stuck in, this might be salvageable. So far, he's faced sixteen balls and every one is a dot.
Prior seems to have a charmed life though, dropped twice and also 'bowled', except the bails didn't drop!

Very glad that the ball came in from a steep angle, that's why the bails didn't come off. Watching Broad is tragic and hilarious, his footwork is a nightmare and I have no idea how he's connecting with some of these
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Laughing so hard at that review, Broad given LBW (what a terrible decision), actually turned out to hit it, before falling over and getting a bat handle in the face!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Update 0429 our time

Now 295 - 7 (Minimum of 7 overs still to play)

Prior 101no...Broad 2no

 

[Searle]

304-9 with 19 balls left, after Broad and Anderson both edged it to Taylor at 1st/2nd slip. Come on Panesar, I believe in you

Monty diving in too early to scramble a single, this is comical. 8 balls to go, I can barely watch

 

[Cab2Cab]

last over to go
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
yeah monty yeah!!!!!!

 

[Searle]

So close we can almost smell it!

 

[Cab2Cab]

yeah!!!!! you beauty

 

[Searle]

And that's it, 0-0 in the series, 3 draws. What an amazing last day though, that was one of the best matches I've watched ever.

 

[Cab2Cab]

We'll do em on our tracks, ,

 

[bnm]

There are Test Match draws and there are Test Match draws. This match was one of the latter.

Some work to do back home late spring, again against New Zealand, to get England firing on all cylinders before the old enemy arrive in the summer. It's Ashes to Ashes in 2013, home series in the summer and then off to Australia for the tour in November.

A great year of Test Match cricket ahead. Bring it on.

 

[andrew bell]

Wow, what an achievement by England's middle & lower order, especially Bell and Prior who both like to attack and the out of form Broad. It goes to show if your determined to do it then you can.

That was also only the third time in Test history that a team has gone into the final day 4 down and drawn the match.

Lets hope both Swann will be available to play in the next test in May otherwise the spinner will hopefully be James Tredwell as Monty looks completely out of sorts and will do with some county matches to help with both his form and morale

 

[ainsworth74]

I don't know why you were all so tense, this was always going to be a draw Certainly once Monty came to the crease, the man has pedigree of delivering the goods with the bat.

 

[Ferret]

Alastair Cook owes Bell, Prior, Root, Broad and Monty a large number of beers after his gaffe at the toss!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I stayed up until 0429, making score updates on this thread during the night, went to make myself a hot drink with only 7 overs left to play, then fell asleep on a comfortable chair and missed the end of the match completely...

 

[Ferret]

I stayed up until 0429, making score updates on this thread during the night, went to make myself a hot drink with only 7 overs left to play, then fell asleep on a comfortable chair and missed the end of the match completely...

Having done all the hard graft, you failed at the end. Good job you weren't batting instead of Matt Prior eh?

 

[flymo]

I stayed up until 0429, making score updates on this thread during the night, went to make myself a hot drink with only 7 overs left to play, then fell asleep on a comfortable chair and missed the end of the match completely...

Ha ha, poor lad

Monty was shaking my nerves a bit though what with the diving and all but it all worked out in the end thankfully.

 

[Cab2Cab]

Monty was shaking my nerves a bit though what with the diving and all but it all worked out in the end thankfully.[/QUOTE]

Monty! He was like a big hairy caterpillar trying to make his ground to the crease,

A boundary 4 when you don't want a 4,(NZ fans cheering) lol,

...and Monty to face the last 6 balls from boult........scripts to be written

Phew!!!

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Well done to all you guys who stayed up - even tho' Prior and Bell were going well when I nodded off I still thought that it was an impossible task if truth be told, but Bell & Broad with the wonderful Matt Prior saved the day, sometimes not losing a test when all is seemingly lost is just as good as winning, and there was a time that England were always hopeless at saving games. Hard on New Zealand tho', who thoroughly outplayed England.
I did enjoy the Monty dive (it's on You Tube)....

 

[Oswyntail]

...I did enjoy the Monty dive (it's on You Tube)....

Thanks for pointing that out. He was actually being a good cricketer, watching where the ball was, but then seemed to trip over his feet. To get to the crease in time under those circumstances was almost superhuman.
Fantastic last day, best advert for test cricket. Of course, according to some armchair pundits, Bell should not have been in the team because he only gets his runs when they don't matter. Bairstow seems to have wasted his opportunity, though.

 

[Ferret]

Thanks for pointing that out. He was actually being a good cricketer, watching where the ball was, but then seemed to trip over his feet. To get to the crease in time under those circumstances was almost superhuman.
Fantastic last day, best advert for test cricket. Of course, according to some armchair pundits, Bell should not have been in the team because he only gets his runs when they don't matter. Bairstow seems to have wasted his opportunity, though.

I get bored of the hatred for Bell, the guy is a class player. Still, I'm sure the armchair pundits to whom you refer will be chuffed when James Taylor is in the side looking like a frightened rabbit as soon as a decent bowler is stood at the end of his run up....:roll:

 

[bnm]

To get to the crease in time under those circumstances was almost superhuman.

It really did look like a case of go go gadget arm. A real heart in the mouth moment but that's Monty. Never a dull moment when he's at the crease.

 

[Phirstman]

I get bored of the hatred for Bell, the guy is a class player.

Fully agree, he gets a lot of unjust criticism. Easily one of the best six bats in the country and should be inked into the team-sheet every time.

Great rear-guard display, counted down every over, and then every delivery when nine down!

Hopefully having come through this we can teach NZ a proper Test Match lesson in May!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Precedent has been set already for the final two days being survived through determined batting or by the weather in this short Test Match series

When I made that posting, it was more than in hope than expectation, but I am really pleased to see it was fulfilled in that final England second innings.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

If it had been suggested to me before the winter tours that England would win one series and draw the other, I'd have taken that...the only thing is that, of course, I thought that the victory would have been in NZ. Overall though, I think that it has been a pretty good winter...plus marks for me were the emergence of Compton and Root, and Matt Prior developing into a world-class wicketkeeper/batsman, perhaps the only negatives were some lacklustre bowling in NZ, and Jonny Bairstow not taking the two chances offered to him (but he was on a bit of a 'hiding to nothing'). Of the rest, they all performed well at times, so I don't think that any player has come out of the winter with their international future on the line.
Looking forward to the summer...the return of Pietersen, Swann, Tremlett and Bresnan, all hopefully fixed!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Anyone with any thoughts on the first results of the new Cricket season ? It was strange to see weeks of dry weather suddenly change when the new season commenced, with Lancashire losing much of the middle two days in their match to the rain.

 

[High Dyke]

A ten wicket defeat for Notts was "uncharacteristic" this early on...traditionally good starters through April and May they were left wondering how they failed to get more from the match. Not helped by umpiring decisions going against them causing some heated discussions. A decent knock for a couple of the lads wasn't enough to stem the punishment dished out by the Middlesex batting order. Still it's onwards and upwards from here.

Elsewhere Lincolnshire will be looking to make a good start to their season with their first fixture next Sunday

 

[andrew bell]

Anyone with any thoughts on the first results of the new Cricket season ? It was strange to see weeks of dry weather suddenly change when the new season commenced, with Lancashire losing much of the middle two days in their match to the rain.

How is it strange, it has been known for a long time if you want rain, call a cricket match

I am glad BBC radio are able to cover every county match this season, means less chance of any dead air time if there is an interuption due to rain and/or an early finish to the scheduled game. It is very ambitious, but with a lot of hard work I feel it will work out well

 

[LE Greys]

Yorkshire went down to an innings defeat. Not a good start, let's hope they can bounce back from there. I need to get this year's Playfair to find a few games worth going to, looking to visit Canterbury and the Oval this year, maybe Headingley.

 

[ainsworth74]

Durham beat out Somerset by 48 runs, which I'm very pleased about as things were looking dicey with them needing 105 with eight in hand! It was actually on the whole a very good game, with the right side winning in the end

I was impressed with Middlesex trouncing Notts as well, and Yorkshire's first innings was certainly quite something!

 

[Ferret]

Warwickshire were done over by the weather! Not pleased with that, given I expect Derbyshire to be whipping boys this year.

Ah well, just watching the IPL - good luck to Hyderabad from here cos they're gonna need it!