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Pakistan v England 3rd Test


Kumbuka said:
The New Zealand series will be very interesting. A couple of weeks ago I was very confident for it, but there’s a good chance NZ could go into it on the back of an away win in India, with Williamson still to come back into their side.

The flat pitches there should be good for our batters, but it’ll be interesting to see what the reaction is if we struggle there as well.
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If the kiwis want an advantage they could just start raking the pitch, I mean Santdner of all people is spinning them to a series victory in India...absolute massive series now for England and New Zealand on the back of these results
 
Utterly rubbish but sadly so predictable a bit of spin or movement and our batting unit folds like a pack of cards.

Does not help Stokes and McCullum trotting out the same sound bites after another defeat. If this the best top 6 in England we are in desperate trouble as 3 of them should be nowhere near the side.

Stokes needs to take a long hard look at him self as currently he’s an all rounder who does not bowl and a batsman who does not score runs. Who looks like a number 11 v spin!
 
Having looked at the way the series developed the most surprising thing is what Pakistan presented us with for the first test. It’ll be almost like us preparing a raging turner for Headingley next year, and only having the idea of leaving a bit of grass on it for the later tests when that doesn’t work.

England’s inability to play spin is now so apparent and extreme that you wonder if you might even start to see a bit more turn prepared into pitches outside the subcontinent for us.
 
I showed my Indian mate at work the score yesterday on sky sports app on my phone and he says "ah Rawalpindi". So I said "why, is it a shit hole"? He says, "No, the people there a very rude" 🤣. The Indians hate Pakistan like we hate the mags.
 
At least Stokes is being asked questions. He's come out firing in the press conference. Fair play to him for that. What was funny, a Pakistani reporter didn't pull any punches, asked him if these last 2 tests prove that England can't mentally handle spin. Stokes' one word answer, no.

Let's be honest, there isn't another candidate knocking on the door to captaincy. We have to back him.

He has to get his batting sorted though. He looks all at sea mentally when at the crease. One thing he could always rely on was his defence. More times than most, playing himself in, soaking that pressure and then moving through the gears once he's set. Nothing or no one could get him out. Looks a shadow of that batter atm.

Well done to Pakistan. They needed a shot in the arm. I just hope they don't shit upon their fast bowling heritage for short term gains going forward. Dropping your best 2 fast bowlers and replacing them with 40 year old journeymen isn't a long term recipe for success nor is preparing dust bowls and all spin bowling attacks. They need to be careful not to fall into the trap of short termism.
 
Our batting overall has been awfully very amateurish and slapdash and without any determined application or concentration.
In fact it’s been utter shite.
 
One thing I find odd in cricket is the toss. I get the fact they have to decide somehow but I think it is too much of an advantage that if you win you can decide to bat or bowl. I reckon if you win the toss you bat would be fairer.
 
Nasser Butt-Head said:
At least Stokes is being asked questions. He's come out firing in the press conference. Fair play to him for that. What was funny, a Pakistani reporter didn't pull any punches, asked him if these last 2 tests prove that England can't mentally handle spin. Stokes' one word answer, no.

Let's be honest, there isn't another candidate knocking on the door to captaincy. We have to back him.

He has to get his batting sorted though. He looks all at sea mentally when at the crease. One thing he could always rely on was his defence. More times than most, playing himself in, soaking that pressure and then moving through the gears once he's set. Nothing or no one could get him out. Looks a shadow of that batter atm.

Well done to Pakistan. They needed a shot in the arm. I just hope they don't shit upon their fast bowling heritage for short term gains going forward. Dropping your best 2 fast bowlers and replacing them with 40 year old journeymen isn't a long term recipe for success nor is preparing dust bowls and all spin bowling attacks. They need to be careful not to fall into the trap of short termism.
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I hope that’s not what they’re saying internally.
 
dangermows said:
Their spin bowling is simply too good for us.
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Exactly when pitches are produced like this in Asia and a competition between which team has the best spinners we will lose a lot more than we win whatever the approach.

That’s the bottom line and history tells us that the case over a lot of years

Really think our spinners are no where near good enough and have done for years
 
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Voice of fair play said:
Exactly when pitches are produced like this in Asia and a competition between which team has the best spinners we will lose a lot more than we win whatever the approach.

That’s the bottom line and history tells us that the case over a lot of years

Really think our spinners are no where near good enough and have done for years
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That's why we're playing Bashir and Ahmed. We know they probably aren't good enough right now but hopefully they grow into and will be good enough in the future.
 
Aidan11 said:
This.

Sajid Khan looks like a pantomime villain and acts like a knob at times but on that pitch he, and Noman Ali, were virtually unplayable.

We haven't been able to produce a spinner anywhere near as good as those two for years.
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Exactly no where near.

It’s all about opinions and what ifs, but there is no historical evidence whatsoever to suggest if we took a more sedate approach the result would have been any different, and we did for years and years in Asia bar the odd occasion and still got well beaten, 90% of the time

Once them last two tests were wickets where spinners actually opened the bowling such was the massive favourable conditions in their favour we were going to struggle.
Thunder Road said:
That's why we're playing Bashir and Ahmed. We know they probably aren't good enough right now but hopefully they grow into and will be good enough in the future.
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Hopefully been the main word and I am not soo sure
 
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