5th Test: England v India at The Oval Sept 7-11 2018

[ANTiLAG]

Front on action - swing - short - pronounced chest - collar buttoned up and popped - Shami is like a sub continental tribute to Malcolm Marshall.

 

[Bazal]

Buttler pulls England out of the fire again...had a great summer. Cannot understand why he wasn't in the side out here for the Ashes, yeah he wasn't in the form he has been but he's a class player.

 

[TheParraboy]

India 6/174

Poms could still get a good 1st innings lead here

Impressed with Rashid, on the back of his brilliant rear guard batting, now very tight bowling, giving absolutely nothing away, choking India out of the match. Early contenter for wisdon cricketer of the year award for mine

 

[Eelectrica]

The Empire strikes back on day 2 to take a stranglehold on the match.

Buttler could have had another century, just ran out of partners
Well done to him. Pigeonholed as amd Odi/ T20 specialist but showing he's more than that.

 

[ANTiLAG]

India 6/174

Poms could still get a good 1st innings lead here

Impressed with Rashid, on the back of his brilliant rear guard batting, now very tight bowling, giving absolutely nothing away, choking India out of the match. Early contenter for wisdon cricketer of the year award for mine

Hahaha. These England selectors should nominate him for the ICC Hall of Fame before retiring.

India 6 wickets down, Rashid has not bowled a single ball. 8 overs for Moeen.

He did make 15 useful runs with the bat in a score of 332 (where Broad's partnership with Buttler broke India's dominance).

Rashid is the biggest passenger selection I think I've encountered in quite some time. Maybe ever. It is almost as though he is selected to be a passenger. Like when the Sir Ron Brierley XI (rich dude) used to actually include Ron Brierley and top level cricketers to play the touring team.

 

[ANTiLAG]

Absolutely outstanding figures for Jadeja. 4/79 in the first innings. This may put Ashwin at jeopardy in Australia later this year.

 

[Bazal]

India 6/174

Poms could still get a good 1st innings lead here

Impressed with Rashid, on the back of his brilliant rear guard batting, now very tight bowling, giving absolutely nothing away, choking India out of the match. Early contenter for wisdon cricketer of the year award for mine

It's clear the selectors have a much higher opinion of Rashid than his skipper does...

I mean, I understand the basic desire for a leg spinner in a test side. Probably the best kind of spinner to have, theoretically... But if he's not bowling at all, then what's the point? They legit may as well have picked an extra specialist batsman and just batted as deep as they could in the order with how much Rashid has bowled this summer.

 

[TheParraboy]

There is still time in this test for Rashid to climb to unconditional greatness...

India are obviously losing wickets at regular intervals to seamers to avoid Rashid, no other explanation.

 

[Bazal]

I like the look of the Vihari lad at first glance. Looked nervy yesterday but he's shown a fortitude that's lacking in a lot of his Indian batting mates

 

[ANTiLAG]

Moeenlitharin strikes rhb Vihari (out of the footmarks of around wicket to lhb AGAIN).

Nice debut for 56.

Jadeja having a great return match 39*

Rashid's had a bowl!

India trail by 97 with 3 wickets left.

 

[ANTiLAG]

Rob Key suggesting that Rashid's job is mop up the tail and not bowl at good batsmen.

Even the commentators are struggling to understand his role.

Rob Key earlier compared him to a club cricketer available for all games who doesn't bowl and bats low. (@rob but really that position has been taken already by Buttler).

Rashid's selection is head scratching. Seriously.

 

[Eelectrica]

India fighting back hard. England will need to strike when they get the new ball just after lunch.

Englands tail wagged, India's tail wagging hard too.

 

[ANTiLAG]

India fighting back hard. England will need to strike when they get the new ball just after lunch.

Englands tail wagged, India's tail wagging hard too.

Bit harsh to call Jadeja a tailender with all his fc tripple hundreds.

 

[ANTiLAG]

Jadeja with a fine 86* got India to within 40 runs of England's first innings score, including a 32 runs partnership with #11 Bumrah who scored a fine 14 ball duck.

Jadeja has had a great test, and already has the second innings wicket of Moeen for 5 in the match so far.

Cook is not out on 46, and after the first innings is the only opener this series from either team to go past 50, looks set to be doing it again. He really should re-contemplate this retirement.

 

[Timbo]

There are still articles in the UK press calling for them to stick with Jennings.

He shouldered arms to one that cannoned into off stump. Perhaps his FC average of 32 should’ve been an indicator that he’s not quite up to this.

 

[TheParraboy]

Rob Key suggesting that Rashid's job is mop up the tail and not bowl at good batsmen.

Even the commentators are struggling to understand his role.

Rob Key earlier compared him to a club cricketer available for all games who doesn't bowl and bats low. (@rob but really that position has been taken already by Buttler).

Rashid's selection is head scratching. Seriously.

I wish fox sports would sign Robert Key.

Travesty he didn’t play 100 plus tests for the English. Fine stroke maker and better cricket brain, Brearley like....

Rashid got a dangerous lower order batsman out and was very tight, otherwise India post a 25+ lead....

 

[ANTiLAG]

I wish fox sports would sign Robert Key.

Travesty he didn’t play 100 plus tests for the English. Fine stroke maker and better cricket brain, Brearley like....

Rashid got a dangerous lower order batsman out and was very tight, otherwise India post a 25+ lead....

Yes, fine bowling setting a trap to a dangerous #10 batsman who averages 12 and mowed the ball to long on in attempting in his 5th ball to get a 6 against Rashid. A sure sign of respect to the bowler if ever there was one.

 

[TheParraboy]

word..

 

[TheParraboy]

There are still articles in the UK press calling for them to stick with Jennings.

He shouldered arms to one that cannoned into off stump. Perhaps his FC average of 32 should’ve been an indicator that he’s not quite up to this.

Now, here’s the thing

Will 2019 ashes series potentially go down as the lowest run tally of all time (across 5 played tests)

Another thing

If Smith and Root don’t get going, we also potentially could see the bottom half of the batting from both sides outscore the top order.

 

[ANTiLAG]

There are still articles in the UK press calling for them to stick with Jennings.

He shouldered arms to one that cannoned into off stump. Perhaps his FC average of 32 should’ve been an indicator that he’s not quite up to this.

I'll raise you...

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/24626303/england-dig-hole-loyalty-keaton-jennings
The statistics of Jennings' career are damning. No England opener has ever gone as many consecutive innings (18) without a half-century and, against deliveries from seamers that would have hit the stumps in this series, he is averaging just 1.33. Those are figures that wouldn't flatter an inanimate object. This was the second time in successive matches that Jennings had been out leaving a ball and he has been moved out of the slips having dropped a couple of relatively straightforward chances.

a top-score of just 48. His career average - 22.09 after 12 Tests - is boosted by a drop before he had scored on debut. Had it been taken, it would be averaging 17. These are not small sample sizes. He would be almost inhuman if he was not beset by self-doubt....

But there is a downside. England's stubborn refusal to accept the evidence in front of them has led to the somewhat absurd situation where Jennings is likely to go to Sri Lanka simply because the team are reluctant to blood two new openers at the same time. Had they been a little less passive - or, perhaps, a little more humble in admitting their error - they could already have blooded the likes of Rory Burns who has just reached 1000 first-class runs in the season for the fifth time in succession. Jennings, by contrast, failed to reach 50 in 20 successive first-class innings after he was dropped by England in August 2017. He was recalled averaging 26.18 in first-class cricket since his previous Test.

Even now, there is no guarantee that Burns will tour. Instead the selectors are understood to be giving serious consideration towards the call-up of Joe Denly. It would be a remarkable selection, really. Not just because Denly is 32 and uncapped or because he plays in Division Two, but because he hasn't even been opening the innings. While he has moved up to No. 3 for the last couple of Championship matches - in one of which, against Derbyshire, he has made a century - he has generally batted at No. 4 in recent times.

Ed Smith got Buttler's recall right so far. And he has been self congratulating himself on this in the press again the first innings in this match. It was a good call - but lets offset against his errors:

He has gotten dropping Curran and Woakes wrong. Unforgivable really. They scored runs this series.

If he pressured Cook to retire, he got that wrong. If so - unforgivable.

Pope selection - wrong. He took a lower middle county player and chucked into the top order in tests for a debut. Forgivable given how short on batsmen England is. Malan and Vince have been given chances. I still would have gone Foakes over Pope, myself and told Bairstow he is a batsman only.

Rashid continued selection - wrong. Unforgivable last test and ridiculous, just ridiculous for this one. I don't care how many wickets he gets in the 4th. Broad and Buttler, with Cook and Ali have put England on top as all the seamers have done well. Rashid has skated on their coat tails.

But Jennings is just a monumental error thus far. I'd say he is the worst South African to play regularly for England.

If Smith keeps making these mistakes, England will be in further danger of losing at home. They're bowling sides out for under 200 and instead of strengthening the batting, he plays 6 bowlers, one of whom doesn't bat well, and who's captain reluctantly uses as the second spinner in swinging conditions. Absurd to drop Curran and Woakes who may well just be the best batting options England have!

Burns should have played by now for Jennings. It is that simple. And as for Denley now trumping Burns - what has Burns done wrong?