Australia choke at home against the West Indies’ B team, with the middle order looking like they were playing in Warner’s benefit match, and England are inching towards overturning a 190-run deficit to make history in India. What a day.
Test Cricket, eh?
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Love it.
Chuffed for the Windies, and if England can just take the last three Indian wickets, it will be an astonishing turnaround. Pope’s innings was magnificent, one for the ages. But England’s lead is less than 90 now…
It’s bloomin’ tense! Just got their 8th wicket though!
I think Junes will take issue with your ‘choking’ comment @chiz!
Ooof! 9 down and England have taken the extra half hour
To think that I almost posted something a couple of days ago saying that with our bowling attack and their bowling attack this tour could be a bit of a struggle for us… The lesson is, whatever the result today, never underestemate what Stokes has managed to achieve with this team. Brilliant from the Windies too. One of the great days of test cricket. If only I could actually watch the bugger here.
Set your VPN to India. Go to jiocinema, howzat!
Cricket…bloody hell eh?
Gosh and a golly! Who woulda thunk?
A great game. Absolutely sweltering heat. Cummins declares when we are short of the WINDIES tally. Starc nails Shamar Joseph with a sandshoe crusher. The lad who had never played a test before Adelaide and only 5 first class games wasnt going to even turn up today but the Doc convinced him to turn up and to quote Joseph “ did something”. Head gets another Golden Duck, Smith failed as opener for 3 innings but scores ninety one and if Hazelwood wasnt out to a great ball may well have made a ton to win. But we were 8 short and Joseph ended with 7 wickets.
Fantastic afternoon in front of 3000 people. Every Aussie I know was delighted for the Windies.
Hope their senior players who refused to tour in favour of T20 lucre were watching.
It does seem that the Aussie public are genuinely pleased for the Windies – good on them.
The Stokes approach to take a draw out of the equation is where other countries will follow. If I never see pointless 5th day with a captain doing bowling impersonations it will be too soon. Well done Pat Cummins for that declaration and well played West Indies.
Well they did have 9 down, Cummins probably thought they had enough rather than trying to set up a close finish. Aussies have something of a reputation of failing to chase lowish scores in the final innings
If a fifth day was scheduled, the only way it was going to be a draw was if it rained, or, less likely, if any of them actually learned how to play a forward defensive stroke! Nothing to do with a 9th wicket declaration.
I confess I listened mainly to the Aussie radio coverage of their match, as I still can’t stomach Talk Sport’s version of how to do it. Two great results for Test Cricket though, and two games which will be remembered far longer than whatever is currently happening in 20-20.
Agreed. That’s the read here in Alice.
Disappointed with the result? Sure. Concerned about the cracks that are being papered over? Absolutely.
Delighted for the Windies and what this might mean for cricket as a whole? Nailed on.
It was a great weekend of cricket.
Fantastic win for England. Pope had to be man of the match but Hartley must have run him close – after getting off to a terrible start picked up a couple of first innings wickets then a match winning seven in the second plus a catch, a run out and sixty runs with the bat….not a bad debut overall!
What a day! I’m on holiday in Goa. I spent the day on the beach listening to the game. As the tension mounted I looked around for any signs of anybody else listening. I could not see anyone. I walked back from the beach and only one of the regular beach shop owners acknowledged the win. When talking to Indians all of those I spoke to said they preferred football. When I first came twelve years ago there were kids playing on every empty space with bits of wood as bats. Maybe it’s just Goa but it seems cricket just doesn’t mean as much as it used to here. I wish it was on the BBC as I much prefer TMS to Talksport2 but it was still great to tune in while in India. Roll on to the next one.
It’s the same in Kerala.
I think it’s test cricket which doesn’t mean quite as much to Indians as it used to, rather than cricket per se. The IPL generates vast amounts of public interest in the big cities, although much of it circulating around betting opportunities. But you still many, many kids playing only cricket, not football, in Mumbai and Delhi
That’s good to hear(the playing not the betting obviously).
Kind of looks like normal service has been resumed in the second test. India on top now. Bumrah has such a strange action!
My Assistant Referee and I were following the card as before the match and at half time.
We kicked off when YJB and Stokes were in – AR was comfy. My forecast? Either of those two go, and it’ll collapse.
They call me the Sage of Mbantwe* you know
*They don’t really. But they should.
Time for a rethink?
When England have more in common with the (truly hopeless) Beckham-led English football team of twenty years ago than a cricket team, I think so.
If you haven’t already, take a look at the catch that got Marnus out for 90.
Yiou might not see a better single moment of individual skill this year. It was thing of wonder that I called my wife down to see.
There’s been some great fielding this series.