Cricket

like thats gonna happen on this pitch. only way wickets will be lost will be by trying to force the score along and playing silly shots

Trinidad traditionally does a bit, but it's possible to underestimate quite how flat a pitch can be if the groundsman so desires.

with 5 bowlers and prior @ 6, you cant afford any failures from the batsmen.

Plus monty needs to have bowled overs. He was undercooked in the 1st test after the sri lankan games fell through. So nothing has changed. All this is going to do is give LJ more anti-monty ammo.

Cook out

what was that about slogging

Wow Herman, we're 10 overs in and already with the pessimism!

anyway, big day for owais

who's batting like a guilty man

fucks sake shah, its not your fucking call, run you prick. Lucky escape. Twice in this innings hes nearly ran out Strauss.

He induces panic at the crease, doesn't he? This is not the first time.

Shah in not improving his average non-shock.

actually, i think you'll find he has improved his average

provided he doesn't return to the crease, and even if (when) he does he won't need many more runs to improve it

retired hurt now (cramp in his hand)

KP gets a shocker of an LBW appeal against him but he refers it. Not out.

x-p

Actually, Shah needs just 1 more run upon resumption to improve upon his average of 29.37, even if he is dismissed.

he is not a number 3, never will be. Neither is Bell or Bopara, they are no 5s.
I dont want to have to rely on any of those at no3 in the ashes.

I hope whoever comes in as the new coach has the balls to tell KP he's batting at no3 in future.

^^^this

kp bowled

totally out of form :(

and somehow still averaging about 50 in the series, i'd wager

even you might on those flat pitches

well sarwan's averaging like 180, lolz

thats what wins matches. not 50s

the ball that got KP out was a no-ball that wasnt given. Umpires in useless shock

aaaaaargh

also, Ryan Hinds makes Samit Patel look like Pete Docherty

ok fuck this, I was all ready to wish a series win on the WI after all their struggles, and a series defeat on England to make us really think about how we go about winning matches, but screw the WI's tactics, I hope we fkn mash em for bowling part-timers at us for something like 2/3rds of the innings

n.b. lionel baker kinda counts as a part-timer, he's a bit like collingwood without the batting or fielding

here's an idea btw - declare just before lunch tomorrow on like 350 and fucking win this match

I was thinking it might come to that. Especially since it seems that, despite my comments further up, it looks like the pitch after a few days might well take spin. It would take a brave captain to do it though.

stupid captain more like. Declare on 500 IF you get there. Remember only Shah of the main batsmen to come (again) and Prior at 6.

Former Pakistan opener Aamir Sohail has added to the wave of criticism against Chris Broad for his comments in the wake of the Lahore terror attack.

The English Test official angrily criticised security following Tuesday's ambush, which left six policemen dead and seven Sri Lanka players injured.

His claims were vehemently denied by Pakistan cricket chief Ijaz Butt.

And Sohail said: "Such negative remarks from an International Cricket Council match official serve no purpose."

The Pakistan Cricket Board official added: "The entire world has seen that our security officials sacrificed their lives to protect all foreigners.

"Pakistan needs the support of the whole world and statements such as those given by Broad are not needed by us."

Broad was travelling to the Gaddafi Stadium along with fellow match officials Simon Taufel, Steve Davis, Nadeem Ghouri and Ahsan Raza when his bus came under fire.

The driver of Broad's vehicle was killed in the attack and local umpire Raza was seriously injured after being shot.

And the former England Test batsman later said: "I am extremely angry that we were promised high-level security and in our hour of need that security vanished," adding that he and his colleagues were left like "sitting ducks" when security forces ran for cover.

However, his comments prompted a stern reaction from Butt, who told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Six of them (security forces) died, nine of them are seriously injured in hospital and he says there were no policeman?

"Where does he come up with such comments? I'm seriously going to report this back to the ICC. This is not the way. There were other people also, all foreigners, not one single one of them was injured."

And former Pakistan captain and director general of the PCB Javed Miandad, said: "I will urge the ICC to impose a life ban on Broad as he, being the official, is not right to make such remarks in public."

Broad and the other uninjured officials were flown out of Pakistan three hours after the incident and headed to Dubai before returning home to the UK.

But while he has faced a backlash from the likes of Sohail, Butt and Miandad, Broad's comments have been lent some support by Taufel, who was equally dismayed by Pakistan's security efforts.

"You tell me why supposedly 20 armed commandos were in our convoy and when the team bus got going again, we were left on our own? I don't have any answers to these questions," he said.

"Obviously they'll investigate those issues. What I can tell you is that we were isolated, we were left alone, we were unaccounted for, we were not given the same security and the same attention as the playing staff were.

"I'm angry that when we were in an hour of need, we were left on our own. I'm angry that the team bus got to the ground and no one came back for us. That's the fact, that's the reality. Who's to blame and who's at fault I don't know," he added.

javed miandad fuck off

aggers agrees with LJ and I
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/7929692.stm

Pakistani cricket authorities being overly sensitive and touchy about criticism and displaying a chip on the shoulder the size of the subcontinent - there's a novelty

oh dear.

:-/

shah fuck off and learn how to call and run between wickets before playing for England again.

^^^the voice of calm reason strikes again

Shah hasn't actually claimed any victims other than himself. I make that a stay of execution.

funny how you always defend the likes of shah and kp no matter what they do but as soon as monty is picked you moan like fuck about him no matter what he does

Might actually benefit the game, this, at least a bit less torpid than yesterday's offerings at least.

I don't moan about Monty when he operates at a decent level and takes wickets. He hasn't been doing that of late. Nonetheless, picking him for this game is probably a good move (although I'd have gone with Rashid).

can't we all just agree to be fwends?

cant we all agree shah is not good enough to bat @ 3?

and the only thing that is gonna benefit the game is that the WI can score more than england and they dont lose the game.

Running has nothing to do with batting order. KP should bat at 3.

It'd be better for England to declare on 400 than make 500 and draw. Back your bowlers!

We'll be lucky to make 350 at this rate.