Originally posted by Belgrove
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Wonderful indeed …….. -
Wow, what a Test match. For most of the match it looked as if it would end in a draw as the pitch was so lifeless, but Stokes' brave declaration paid off with just minutes to spare."I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square."
Lady Bracknell The importance of Being EarnestComment
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Quite possibly the greatest ever performance I’ve seen from an England team . So many of our our great tests have been victory snatched from defeat eg Headingley ‘81. This was incredible . 7 runs an over in the second innings, 6 in the first . Test matches on flat wickets will never be the same. Stokes has shown you can win on them. And what a sporting declaration..Originally posted by LHC View PostComment
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One of the truly great Test matches IMVVHO ….Originally posted by Ein Heldenleben View PostComment
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The best Test I witnessed in person was against New Zealand at Trent Bridge last summer, but goodness me, that takes the biscuit - no doubt about it. To extract a win from such an unpromising pitch is nothing short of a miracle. That is the finest captaincy I’ve seen, Stokes read the pitch, planned the highly unorthodox approach accordingly, and blasted away. An orthodox approach would have surely led to a draw, which is why Test cricket has lost its appeal on the sub-continent. Stokes has inculcated a can-do attitude and a wonderful esprit de corps in the England team. He and McCullum are reinventing Test cricket before our eyes, and it’s very exciting.Comment
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....jolly good....bong chingComment
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Any more games like that and I’m going to need beta blockers. I thought Pakistan were odds on get the runs right from the moment of declaration . The psychological ebb and flow in the last day - you just don’t ge5 that in any other team sport.Originally posted by Belgrove View PostComment
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In a puerile attempt to think of a pun, 'batter blockers' sprang to mind. But 'batters' ? The word is used widely nowadays. Yet in my youth, the cricketing fraternity would have driven you off the pitch for uttering such a word. I suppose it has now become respectable as it avoids the gender inequality of 'batsman'.Comment
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It seems to have made the commentary team use names far more often than either 'batter' [Yuk ] or ''batsman'.Comment
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Let’s hope we’ve got a few batter blockers in the team today because some of these deliveries look more than a tad tricky!Originally posted by ardcarp View PostComment
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England’s first two wins in Pakistan were separated by 39 years, the next two by 7 days!Comment
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Another convincing, indeed historic series victory by England. Who would have thought one could write such words a year ago?
Rereading my OP, I was not especially sanguine at the prospect of England’s success at the start of this season, or the game’s standing. How wrong could I have been. This has been the most exciting season I’ve seen, featuring some nail-biting matches of high quality that will be remembered in the annals. Stokes/McCullum have reinvented Test cricket, leaving the other cricketing nations scratching their heads as how to respond. If they do respond positively, it could revitalise the moribund status of Test cricket elsewhere. The big test for the ‘new way’ will come with the Ashes next year, and I’m sure plans are already afoot on devising strategies to neutralise the threats of Smith, Labuschagne and Cummins. Roll on summer 2023.Comment
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