• England v India

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2025 9:27 am**

Underway at 11 this morning at Edgbaston - if it's half as good as the first test then it will be something to look forward to.

England are unchanged. Will Bumrah play for India?

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2025 9:32 am**

Just arrived at Edgbaston, very overcast and windy.

Think they have to take a gamble and play Bumrah but rumours are it could be a totally different bowling attack to the first test for India.

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2025 11:03 am**

England win toss and bowl.

No Bumrah for India, amazed India have left out Kuldeep Yadav again

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2025 11:13 am**

The players are wearing black armbands for Wayne Larkins who played for England in the 1980s.

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2025 11:40 am**

India 15/1 - Rahul b Woakes 2

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2025 1:15 pm**

Honours even at lunch.

Next two wickets will be crucial.

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2025 1:17 pm**

Very even - interesting start only interrupted for me by the new signing

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2025 4:42 pm**

210 for 4.

They got the two wickets without too much damage. Can we get into the tail and blow them away again just as we did twice last week.

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2025 4:46 pm**

And another 211/5

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2025 4:47 pm**

Turned our way a bit since tea with a couple of wickets

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2025 12:51 pm**

Finally a wicket 414/6

Jadeja gone for 89

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2025 1:12 pm**

When did England start producing absolute roads.

These pitches so far have been so flat and dead

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2025 1:14 pm**

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 03, 2025 1:12 pm
When did England start producing absolute roads.

These pitches so far have been so flat and dead

Was thinking the same. Barely any swing or seam movement.

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2025 1:25 pm**

RVclaret wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 03, 2025 1:14 pm
Was thinking the same. Barely any swing or seam movement.

I wouldn’t put it past us chasing 500 in the fourth innings this pitch is that flat.

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2025 1:48 pm**

I may be old school but I simply fail to understand why any captain would win the toss and choose to bowl on a flat track, when the weather is set fair. I know we won the first test by doing so, but to me you are putting the team on the back foot from the first ball.

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2025 1:56 pm**

Vino blanco wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 03, 2025 1:48 pm
I may be old school but I simply fail to understand why any captain would win the toss and choose to bowl on a flat track, when the weather is set fair. I know we won the first test by doing so, but to me you are putting the team on the back foot from the first ball.

I think the team have decided they want to bowl first regardless of conditions because of there excellent record.

I think i read somewhere the stats are something like played 11 won 9 tests when bowling first. But I do agree with you.

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2025 2:24 pm**

Whatever the wicket is like, thats a tremendous knock, from Gill.
He's shown all the shots.
Washington has woken up now, too.
Need to rid of these batsmen - and quickly!

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2025 3:42 pm**

Blimey.
Must be soul destroying being a bowler on these tracks.

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2025 4:00 pm**

Vino blanco wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 03, 2025 1:48 pm
I may be old school but I simply fail to understand why any captain would win the toss and choose to bowl on a flat track, when the weather is set fair. I know we won the first test by doing so, but to me you are putting the team on the back foot from the first ball.

I think it was Ravi Shastri (Sky) who remarked during commentary, that if Gill had won the toss and asked England to bat first on that feather bed and they went on to score 600+ runs that he wouldn’t have been captain for much longer.

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2025 4:03 pm**

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 03, 2025 1:12 pm
When did England start producing absolute roads.

These pitches so far have been so flat and dead

England are obviously wanting pitches like this.

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2025 5:08 pm**

After all the bigging up from ex captains, former players this week...BD was always going to get a duck....

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2025 5:09 pm**

Pope goes for a golden with a frankly bizarre shot. India’s opening bowlers showing how to use the new ball.

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2025 5:10 pm**

Yeah well done Pope, play across the line to a swinging new ball first up.

Take the shine off this ball and there are runs a plenty.

Braindead

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2025 5:24 pm**

Isn’t this the way of this team have 1 good game then follow it up with an atrocious performance which results in an innings defeat? Still time for this to not be a bad defeat though it just seems to me to be the pattern in the past more often than not.

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2025 5:32 pm**

I thought after the first test, they'd learnt to play the situation a bit more, but clearly not.

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 7:18 am**

Ric_C wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 03, 2025 5:10 pm
Yeah well done Pope, play across the line to a swinging new ball first up.

Take the shine off this ball and there are runs a plenty.

Braindead

I know he only got a century last game but you have got to imagine his time in the test eleven is running out.

He’s got an awful average (as does Crawley) with someone like Bethell ready and in the wings you have got to imagine it’s jsut a matter of time now

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 7:25 am**

Been watching the YouTube highlights

Why are the boundary ropes / ads in so far?

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 8:07 am**

Today's cricket watching public are only happy if they see 6s.

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 8:10 am**

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 04, 2025 7:18 am
I know he only got a century last game but you have got to imagine his time in the test eleven is running out.

He’s got an awful average (as does Crawley) with someone like Bethell ready and in the wings you have got to imagine it’s jsut a matter of time now

Crawley seems undroppable. Flat track bullies.

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 11:12 am**

Root & Stokes gone in 2 balls

84/5

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 11:13 am**

Oh dear, oh dear

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 11:13 am**

This is awful.

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 11:13 am**

Root gone caught down leg side followed to the dressing room by the England captain Golden Duck (Chow Mein).

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 11:14 am**

Two golden ducks from the top 6. Embarrassing stuff.

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 11:19 am**

Why couldn't our bowlers perform like this?

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 11:22 am**

Crawley and Pope have had enough chances and Ben Stokes should swap with Jamie Smith in the batting order.

There's even an argument to have Smith as a specialist batter and bring Foakes back in...

These types of performances against the best test sides can't continue. What's the point of winning a whirlwind test if you chuck another away the following week?

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 11:23 am**

Conroysleftfoot wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 04, 2025 11:19 am
Why couldn't our bowlers perform like this?

Sky commentators kept telling viewers that nothing was happening, the pitch was a feather bed.
That’s why it’s always best to wait and see how the opposition bats in their first innings.

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 11:41 am**

We must have far better pace bowlers than Tongue in this squad

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 11:43 am**

kentonclaret wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 04, 2025 11:13 am
Root gone caught down leg side followed to the dressing room by the England captain Golden Duck (Chow Mein).

Thought yesterday was bad enough! We will be back in to bat at this rate.

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 11:49 am**

Classic Michael Atherton blaming rash shots played by England batsmen yesterday evening on the fact that they had been in the field for 150+ overs.
Well, who won the toss and put the opposition in to bat on a flat track and ideal batting wicket?

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 12:06 pm**

23 off the over, someone has told Smith he is batting in the power play

160/5

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 12:45 pm**

DAVETHEVICAR wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 04, 2025 11:41 am
We must have far better pace bowlers than Tongue in this squad

And better spin bowlers than Bashir

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 1:01 pm**

Sensational counter attacking from Smith and Brook this morning.

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 1:01 pm**

Well done, Mr Smith.
Joint 3rd fastest ton for England.

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 1:02 pm**

Some session that

249/5 partnership of 165 from 25 overs and Smith 102* from 82 balls

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 1:04 pm**

claretonthecoast1882 wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 04, 2025 1:02 pm
Some session that

249/5 partnership of 165 from 25 overs and Smith 102* from 82 balls

172 runs in a morning session ... Wow !

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 1:05 pm**

Smith scoring 100 in a session coming in on a hat-trick delivery is something else.

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 1:08 pm**

Another good toss to win then!

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 2:02 pm**

Socrates wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 04, 2025 1:05 pm
Smith scoring 100 in a session coming in on a hat-trick delivery is something else.

Careful what you say some of the dinosaurs on here don’t like that attacking play in test play. Brook got slaughtered on here for getting out on 99 last time, even though he did it in super quick time and evidently contributed significantly in us winning the test. But brook and smith been awesome today great to watch!

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2025 2:20 pm**

Fingers crossed this recovery continues.
200 partnership passed in around 33/4 overs

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