< 1 minute readWe really wanted Younus Khan to get runs in this Test. A lot of commentators who have at no point in their lives been able to bat even half as well as him have not just been criticising his batting during this series, but actually making fun of it. We’ve
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The beard that smeared – Moeen Ali enjoys the evening session
2 minute readSmeared with exquisite timing and grace, we should say. It was poetic smearage. Smearage without breaking sweat. Smearage that involved all moving parts working in perfect harmony to pan the ball to the fence. Morning session It’ll be interesting to read the reports about this morning’s play. Was Alex Hales
Continue readingWhere is the ICC’s Test mace?
2 minute readNot much more than a week ago, Australia captain Steve Smith was presented with the ICC Test Championship mace in a closed ceremony. The media and public would of course have been clamouring to attend such a spectacular and meaningful event. The nature of the presentation gave rise to an
Continue readingEngland’s age of all-rounders
< 1 minute readEngland fielded eight batsmen to Pakistan’s seven in this match and five bowlers to their four. That is quite an advantage to carry. It was most notable when England batted in the second innings, when the duration of a Test match was really starting to bite. Pakistan’s quartet held it
Continue readingPakistan play spin better than Australia
< 1 minute readDifferent matches and – to be fair to Australia – different degrees of difficulty too. All the same, it seems a fair conclusion to draw. In England, Azhar Ali and Sami Aslam seemed uncertain whether to milk Moeen Ali or just belt him for sixes. In the end, they reached
Continue readingJames Vince caught at slip – but he wasn’t driving
< 1 minute readJames Vince wasn’t going to be caught in the slips driving today. Oh, no, no. Today he had other ideas. He announced his intentions early on by edging a sort of half-defensive shot, half-leave. Vince was going to make damn certain that when he was caught in the slips, it
Continue readingShould England persist with Moeen Ali?
< 1 minute readIt’s not how, it’s how many. That’s what they say of run-scoring. Does the same apply to wicket-taking? Moeen Ali is actually England’s second-highest wicket-taker in this Pakistan series. He has taken seven wickets at 32.28, which is eminently respectable. He has also conceded near enough five runs an over,
Continue readingOut with Shan Masood, in with a pair of deep sea diving boots
< 1 minute readAfter an hour of zesty nonsense this morning, the cricket restarted. Shan Masood continued his marvellous record of being dismissed by Jimmy Anderson for pretty much no runs. Pakistan can be fairly confident that Jimmy will play the next Test and they can be fairly confident that he will open
Continue readingBatsmen don’t win Test matches
2 minute readA few weeks ago, we spent a good long while discussing what time we should leave the County Ground in Bristol when we already knew the match was over. We stick around at the end of cricket matches. We certainly don’t leave early. Today, England made the decision to bat
Continue readingEngland hit upon innovative new strategy – hundreds from Cook and Root
< 1 minute readSomeone came to Old Trafford dressed as the Cookie Monster today. Perhaps it was a reference to the hundred-scoring monster that is Alastair Cook. Or maybe all his other clothes were in the wash. Earlier today we made a comment about how we generally feel like we’ve seen Cook’s innings
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