Second Test.

[Leicesterbaggie]

Can anyone enlighten me? I'm sure that I'm correct in saying that there were no spectators at the First Test in Chennai yet there are in the Second Test at the same venue. Can anyone explain why?

[kettering_baggie]

India needed the support behind them; seems to have worked!

[mickd1961]

Our ridiculous selection policy has given this game away, they didn’t need any fans to help.

Anderson bowls one of the greatest spells of his career and then gets rested and Broad replaces him and does nothing.

Bess bowls decent in the last test and bats well and we leave him out and play Moen Ali who is woefully sort of cricket and confidence.

Buttler is having the winter of his life behind the stumps and we replace him with Foakes.

Burns cannot bat at this level, he has more moving parts than a pensioner with Parkinson’s and Tourette’s, why the selectors can’t see how s h I t he is is beyond me.

Lawrence is batting too high for a newcomer as well.

The whole thing is a s h I t show, Bairstow should’ve been on this tour.

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

Our ridiculous selection policy has given this game away, they didn’t need any fans to help.

Anderson bowls one of the greatest spells of his career and then gets rested and Broad replaces him and does nothing.

Bess bowls decent in the last test and bats well and we leave him out and play Moen Ali who is woefully sort of cricket and confidence.

Buttler is having the winter of his life behind the stumps and we replace him with Foakes.

Burns cannot bat at this level, he has more moving parts than a pensioner with Parkinson’s and Tourette’s, why the selectors can’t see how s h I t he is is beyond me.

Lawrence is batting too high for a newcomer as well.

The whole thing is a s h I t show, Bairstow should’ve been on this tour.

With the emergence (not proven) of youngsters Pope, Lawrence and Crawley our middle order batting around Root and Stokes looks stronger. Openers and a reliable No3 still a problem. I'm surprised Sibley's average is as many as 34 but it's barely adequate.In all of history Burns has the lowest average of any England opener bar 2. He has to go but no idea who to replace him with. Remember the days of a 1000 runs before May in English cricket? Now very few get that many in a season. So who to pluck from domestic cricket?

England on 200+ for 3 with Stokes and Buttler to bat is an exciting prospect but too often it's 80-3 and their first job is to reign themselves in and get us out the sticky stuff.

For The Ashes our first choice bowlers might well be Anderson, Broad, Archer, Leach. That gives us awfully long tail.

Bairstow is on the tour. He was sent home from SL for some planned r&r as part of this giving them all time for a break. He's in isolation in Chennai and presumably available for the next test. If fit then either Crawley opens or Bairstow.

[Leicesterbaggie]

Selection doesn't appear to done on form but more on social, if that's the right word, issues. How you can drop or rest the players that mickd mentions doesn't make sense if you want to win a series. Anderson, Bess, Bairstowe and Buttler should all have been playing in this test. We've reaped the rewards I'm afraid. Mind you, the toss has too much influence in the sub continent as well.

[viaductbaggies]

Flick of a coin will decide most of these tests win the toss and bat 1st

[Yarmbaggie]

Flick of a coin will decide most of these tests win the toss and bat 1st

Cricket pundits said that of this 2nd Test pitch BEFORE the match started.

This pitch is even worse than the first one and we will do well to take the match into the first session of Day 4.

[BaggieSingh]

Cricket pundits said that of this 2nd Test pitch BEFORE the match started.

This pitch is even worse than the first one and we will do well to take the match into the first session of Day 4.

I’m astounded why the Indians didn’t put on a turning pitch for the first test
There’s no way there should be a pitch that allows Anderson to bowl the way he does

Let’s face it when they come to England no one says let’s put out a pitch that turns like buggery to help our visitors

Thankfully they saw sense for this test

We can save the food poisoning and prawns for later in the series

[mickd1961]

I’m astounded why the Indians didn’t put on a turning pitch for the first test
There’s no way there should be a pitch that allows Anderson to bowl the way he does

Let’s face it when they come to England no one says let’s put out a pitch that turns like buggery to help our visitors

Thankfully they saw sense for this test

We can save the food poisoning and prawns for later in the series

If you think they tailor made a pitch for Anderson to bowl on in that first test you know next to nothing about cricket BS?

Anderson did next to nothing other than keep it tight in the first innings and it was his genius ability that got a couple of wickets in the second innings with another being a pure fluke from a bad shot.

Anderson deserves a bit more credit than you give him, he’s the best fast medium/seam/swing bowler in history with the numbers to back it up.

I’m curious as to your support of India, I presumed you were born in the U.K?

I understand the cultural pull of course but if I’d brought my kids up in Australia I don’t think I’d have swung it for them to support England😆

[BaggieSingh]

If you think they tailor made a pitch for Anderson to bowl on in that first test you know next to nothing about cricket BS?

Anderson did next to nothing other than keep it tight in the first innings and it was his genius ability that got a couple of wickets in the second innings with another being a pure fluke from a bad shot.

Anderson deserves a bit more credit than you give him, he’s the best fast medium/seam/swing bowler in history with the numbers to back it up.

I’m curious as to your support of India, I presumed you were born in the U.K?

I understand the cultural pull of course but if I’d brought my kids up in Australia I don’t think I’d have swung it for them to support England��

I think the thing you will have to learn about me Mick is that I love a good windup

I absolutely love cricket although being so damn busy these days get to see practically nothing these days inc these tests

BTW - I do support England used to go very often to Edgbaston, but I do also support India due to my heritage, the thing with cricket supporters is that you can recognise a good shot/effort/catch/performance from anyone be they in your team or not
It used to be a gentleman’s game whereby it was about may the best team win

I have got the crap about being born in the UK my whole life from friends and acquaintances, I can support who I like, especially if that support doesn’t involve me hating any other team (apart from Pakistan) and being able to appreciate them if they play well

My sneaky wind ups on the other hand may be a bit mischievous/ out of order but always make me chuckle