England v India

I agree with a lot of that. In terms of balancing the side, I'd have gone back to Moeen Ali with both stokes and Woakes injured. Not sure he offers less with the bat than Lawrence and would give us a good 5th bowling option. He's done well against India in home tests in the past.

I agree on Broad. I would still be looking to play one of Broad or Anderson for 3 of the 5 tests this summer. I didn't have a problem picking them both for the first test, but I think in London, we'll need a bit of pace. I also think Robinson looks like Broad's successor.

I think we probably do need to role the dice and pick another top order batter. Part of me thinks we should go back to Hameed now. Part of me thinks it's too soon. We have to time it right as another setback could finish him off as an international cricketer and we are so light on options that we can't afford to do that. The clamour seems to be growing for Malan which is probably the least bad option.

On Buttler, I think he knows what he's doing. He's had a couple of good summers for England. He's really streaky though and I think, what he hasn't really figured out yet, is how to make runs when he's not feeling great. I reckon you often have a good idea whether he is going to score runs within his first 5 balls. I also think he struggles to move from white to red ball cricket, unless he's in exceptional white ball form (which hasn't really been the case this summer).

India look like a formidable side though. If they beat us despite root scoring 150 runs in a low scoring test we are in real trouble. He's not likely to score hundreds in all 4 remaining tests. Who is scoring the runs when he fails?

I can’t disagree with what the 3 of you have said but tbh I’m just too angry about it all to say much more about the players. My anger is aimed full square at the ECB for their total incompetence over the growth and management of cricket in this country. You’ll know about my views over scheduling, the 100 and their handling if red ball, including Test Match cricket. I’ll promise not to make this an ECB bashing because they do their best to bu**** up any Somerset prospects or the prospects if any Somerset player. But fwiw:

1. The scheduling of cricket is so muddled by the ECB. They have nailed their colours to the 100 mast and every other form has to take a subsidiary place in the cricket calendar. Our 20/20 prospects for the World Cup coming up won’t be harmed because the 100 isn’t that different from T20 and the best players in one will likely be the best in the other. But red-ball game esp Test Match cricket has taken a big hit imo. We had regular red-ball cricket in April and May. Less in June and almost none in July. We will have two days, 30/31 in August. So in high Summer some players may have 2 days of red ball cricket or not depending on the toss. This has had the effect that no cricketers have had any competitive cricket in the major part of this summer. Nets are important but as we saw on Monday you can’t replicate the pressures of batting under pressure if all you get is nets. It also means that players can’t bat themselves back into form or build their confidence in any meaningful way. Nor can players on the edge of selection bat themselves into the test squad. As an example Rory Burns was untouchable as a batsman two years ago and he batted himself into the team. No other player is likely to be able to do that with the way first class cricket is currently scheduled.
2. Why should we really be surprised at the performance of England when the ECB seem to care so little about how they perform?
3. The ECB have backed themselves into a corner over who plays for England. I mean by this that when you have organised a test match series against a top side, India, you have to give yourselves the best chance but they don’t. They have obviously decided that they get their squad of players and stick to that....until they don’t and add players to the squad. I have no problems with Moeen Ali being added to the squad and actually playing. He should be because he brings more balance to the team. Burr why wasn’t he in the squad from the start and allow Leach to keep playing meaningful cricket by playing red ball cricket for Somerset. The way he has just been included then forgotten. This will likely be the second season running when Leach has played minimal cricket (or any type come to that) in June, July or August.
4. The way the ECB has concentrated on white ball cricket has been shown by the performance of players in Test Matches this summer. England players, Root, Bairstow, Burns, did play red ball cricket in April and May but didn’t excel and were they not already England players their performances for their counties wouldn’t have justified their England place. I’m not advocating their removal btw, just making the point that I’m not sure their is a pathway now into Test cricket. The scheduling of the County Championship doesn’t allow a pathway effectively though what other pathway their is I’m not sure.
5. Watch any T20 or 100 match and I’m convinced it’s a case of the Emperor’s New Clothes. The commentators say everything is wonderful and the batting is wonderful when in truth it is abject in many cases, it is village cricket slogging. They talk about swinging through the arc. We called it 30/40 years ago slogging. The commentators say it is wonderful because they have to say it’s better than it is. It is the only cricket in town. Bowlers are suffering too. They talk about short bouncers, leg side slower balls or off side short balls. When I was actually playing we called them long hops. It’s great that we get the inventions to deal with certain balls and the Dilshan scoop has been perfected by some, but only by some. I’ve seen so many players try it and fail when a legside or offside glance had a much higher chance of success.
6. Regarding the crowds in the 100 the commentators have made comments about how good they were. Tonight they said their was a capacity crowd at Welsh Fire. It wasn’t I was in a bigger crowd at Taunton last Tuesday v Leicestershire when the ground was three quarters full. I’m afraid we’re being subjected to a false story about what the crowds have been like and of course the commentators will say what their owners tell them to. You must remain on-message.
6. Basically, cricket has been dumbed down for the shorter form and this is totally inadequate preparation for test match cricket. It was forecast years ago that we would struggle to find test match cricketers 7/8 years ago. When Andrew Strauss retired we struggled to find a partner for Alistair Cook. Now we are struggling to find both openers. I don’t blame the players we’ve tried but if they don’t have a stage on which to perform they can hardly be expected to get better. If I can see that and many others can see it I wonder why the ECB can’t see it.
7. Players do not have the ability, Joe Root apart, to bat for two or three hours in a test match because they get so few opportunities to practice doing that before they get to test match standards. Nor do bowlers have the chance to bowl 15 overs a day and learn their craft. Perhaps it’s too much like hard work. Poor Alan Ward of Derbyshire (before your time!!) or Simon Jones of Glamorgan put in hard hours, hard months to learn their skill. Far easier for Tymal Mills and Jordan to bowl 20 balls a couple of times a week. Much easier and probably more lucrative! We will not see the likes of Jimmy Anderson or even Stuart Broad in the future.
8. Finally, Joe Root is a tremendous player, real class and we’d be even worse without him. But I’m not sure he is a very good captain. He is tactically not good and his manner is very laid back which is no bad thing in itself but on what we’ve seen he has been out thought by Kohli and Williamson during this year. I have no suggestions as to who could replace him. Jos B probably but I’m not sure. Certainly not Ben Stokes and I’m not sure Moeen Ali would want it. On Monday Kohli got the Indians on a roll, he let the chip on his shoulder that he seems to have when he plays England be transferred to the other Indians and they were unstoppable. They were in Kolhi’s image and England had no one with the mental strength or the skills to stop some excellent Indian bowling.
9. I haven’t even mentioned how the ECB have treated the ROL Cup. We are World Champions in the 50 over form yet it seems unlikely that we will play any 50 over cricket before we have to defend it in 2023. The only players to play it this year are players from the counties youth teams and County players who were deemed not good enough for the 100. And to get to this stage they have used up nearly all of their £70m reserve. Crazy. By the way I’m delighted that it will end a Glamorgan v Durham final tomorrow even though I doubt the ECB even know that and certainly don’t care.

The ECB have some real decisions to make over the next few years and if they are wrong I can see England being unable to field a competitive team against the best test teams in the world.
Sorry it’s turned into a rant but I love cricket and especially live cricket and when I see the game being slowly destroyed by an incompetent governing body it makes me very angry. They should be stewards of the game, looking after it and caring for it so that future generations can enjoy it throughout the country and not just in the test ground areas.

Well what a great 1st day of cricket for England, destroying India's formidable batters for 78 all out.

Then followed a rarity, a good opening stand of 120-0 not seen for many a test, need to score 400 to win IMO.

Another great day in the life of our national cricket team - milk it for all it's worth it don't come around to often to set up a big win v India.

We are 423-8, Root 121, Malan 70, Hameed 68 & Burns 61, leading by 345 runs - IMO declare overnight and get them in ASAP, 270+ overs left in the game.

Good to read Irish, I haven’t quoted because it makes it too long!
And yes bluetornado, I want a closer match but it seems to be what we’re getting atm.
Agree with your first para completely Irish, put much better than I did.
Some observations and things I’ve got wrong:
- the 20 over stuff is as you say, in the moment stuff, and winning those battles. The skill level leaves me breathless at times.
- the ability to perform the ‘ dilshan flip’ successfully is amazing and a guarantee of runs. Lammonby does it better than anyone I’ve seen, even better than Buttler now imo. The ability to hit in that arc by Livingstone is fantastic.
- the short game has brought so much to English cricket and if they could get the balance and schedule correct it would be almost perfect. I say that with tongue in cheek because we are developing some very good short form players in this country now that teams will not be depending upon overseas talent to the same extent which has to be a good thing, surely. And that will mean there are lots of players with England aspirations in the 20/20 stuff but not enough places to satisfy them so counties will benefit.
- Captaincy. Yes of course Root has to be captain by default and he gets better slowly. Morgan on the other hand has ahead a poor Summer, he’s just about hanging onto his place in the England one day and 20/20 team atm. Only for his captaincy not his batting. He was fairly poor in the 100 and I suspect after the 20/20 World Cup we may not see too much of him again. Just a gut feeling. I’ve also been critical of James Vince in the past. I’ve always held him up as one of the best, if not the best batsman in the country, but was critical of him as a captain. This summer he has improved out of all recognition in this aspect. He did well in the 100 and his captaincy Of Hampshire in the 20/20 was very good. Getting them the win v Notts was superb. He made all the right calls at the right time. He will have gained enormously as a captain this year.
- Another point after this week. Surrey, don’t you just love ‘em? Have now signed the Gloucestershire bowler Worrall and Chris Jordan from Sussex. Obviously after the 2nd Xl Championship next year as well. They have little patience and seem to demand immediate success. I think JOvertons time will be limited now after his regular season injury. dernback has gone yet they still have some serious locally produced talent. Perhaps that what makes them such a threat, no excuses and demanding success. I wonder if JOverton regrets his move. Certainly a more measured approach, although not so successful in terms of trophies from Somerset. Oh well.

My first hand experience is almost solely watching the game from a Somerset perspective at Taunton and a few away games and mainly red ball stuff. But I think cricket, in terms of production for white ball cricket is in a good place in this country But is not for red ball cricket. Somerset are producing red ball cricketers but whether they’ll make the jump to test match I’m not sure. Banton, needs more consistency and to learn to deal with straight balls, too many LBWs and bowleds for comfort. But watch Lewis Goldworthy, he can bat for long periods and has the patience.

Looking forward to the Notts match starting tomorrow at Taunton, 4 good days I hope.

Another good bowling performance by England, bowling India out for 191, Kohli 50, Thakur 57, Woakes 4 wickets, Robinson 3.

Then comes the back to normal collapse 6-2 and Root out right at the end of the day leaving us at 53-3.

Should still get 250+ and take a lead into the 2nd innings.

Well England finished with 290 all out, Pope 81, Woakes 50, Yadav took 3 wickets, England held a commanding 99 run lead.

India faced 16 overs and have gone in overnight 43-0, leaving them 56 runs behind.

It felt benign when England were batting on Friday. Just based on what I saw, and looking at the recent history of test cricket at the Oval, it felt like England should have scored 400 as a minimum in their first innings. Woakes is a good batsmen, but when you see a lower player completely in control facing the second new ball, that is usually a good sign that conditions favour the batting side.

The top order reverted to type and the middle to lower order weren't quite good enough to get us out of a hole. I know some of the shots were appalling, but I can't help but wonder whether we've ruined Mo and YJB by changing their role from one match to the next and by dropping them when that has resulted in a loss of form. Test cricket is as much mindset as it is technique. They both have the talent to succeed, but how much red ball cricket have they played in the last 3 years. Both of them have gone backwards over the last 5 years and I just feel that isn't completely their fault.

Anderson and Robinson look knackered. In hindsight, one of them should have sat out this test. Even without hindsight, the decision to pick an attack with no point of difference for a London test looked foolish. When the pitch is quick it benefits everyone. When it's flat you need someone who can take the pitch out of the equation. Wood should have played this week, and sat out old Trafford if necessary.

Even 200 might be too much for England's brittle batting line up to chase. India are one decent partnership away from controlling this test match.