Cricket 2017 : Day/Night tests C/D? (England vs West Indies)

I agree. 220 target would still be interesting

I think the west indies spinners might be the key here rather than the seamers (unlike this morning where they got it wrong)

not certainties. I think if these 2 add runs england are favourites. Target of 190-200 I'd back West Indies to make a real fist of it.

You think England are going to lose their last three wickets for single figures, do you? When you've got a guy with five test centuries at the crease? Anything is possible, as we all know, but if I were a betting man...

yup theyre going with the part time spinner. I think Woakes and Ali would rather face them than Shannon Gabriel and his pace. Very odd

Tom - we dont know. we just saw a few quick wickets and anything can happen. Its not looking likely after that last over though

nice 50 from Moeen and a whole day to bowl them out no worries

All im saying is England arent clear faves at this very moment. esp when it was effectively 158-7. Games changing since i posted it tho . Windies still in it. another 50 runs and England will be clear faves

NV if that happens with ali then i totally agree. but its no gimme it will happen, that's all im saying

England clearly in a better position now than it was when I first posted!

2 stinking overs by the west indies and lead is 200

after those 2 overs there's no way they are gonna get 3 quick wickets

Bishoo on. Moeen Ali out!....off a no ball!!

how can a spinner bowl a no ball? lol

Reviewing an LBW shout now

Not Out.

All im saying is England arent clear faves at this very moment.

I imagine betting organizations are relieved you don't work for them.

If the spinner hadnt put his foot 1 mm over the line then it could've been interesting

TMS guys saying it might not've been a no ball, they reckon the back of his heel hadn't fully crossed the line even tho it was off the ground

SKY thought the same but a close up replay showed it was JUST over. Fair play to the umpire for getting it right after missing so many no balls today!

West Indies have been stinking since tea and it looks like it is getting away from them. They need a bit of luck now or something stupid from England.

They will regret that no ball as Ali scores so quickly

partnership of 81 off about 80 balls making my post look completely wrong now, lol

and as i say that woakes edges one but just short

Ali reaches fifty

Lead is 250 with 3 wkts left still. West Indies really wasted their chance.

Ali out, caught on the boundary for 84

Lead is 275

well this game turned around didn't it.

http://i.imgur.com/n7Vhue9.png

280 isn't impossible but it would take a really really really good effort as others were saying above.

If they hadn't no-balled when Ali was caught behind W indies it wouldve been very different

England have declared! W Indies need 322 to win.

that's just mean trying to finish them off tonight

Imago you must be pretty chuffed that they have actually declared for once? Usually they would want 350 minimum

West Indies never looked threatened in these 6 overs

5-0 at close

BBC seemed to be of the same view

With Stokes and Malan at the crease, England were cruising in the afternoon session, but three quick wickets for spinner Roston Chase put the match back in balance.

Stokes was caught at long-off from the first ball after a drinks break, Malan was bowled two overs later, and Jonny Bairstow followed soon after as he was bowled playing a reverse sweep.

That brought Moeen and Woakes together, and they survived until tea, when England were seven wickets down with a lead of 188.

At that point the match could have gone either way, but it was England who took control as they added 133 in just 28 overs.

Moeen was his typical attacking self, hitting a series of flowing boundaries through the off side in a 117-run partnership.

Woakes contributed just 31 to that stand but was the perfect foil for Moeen, and took the upper hand alongside Stuart Broad when Moeen was caught in the deep.

Shortly after Woakes became the sixth player to score a half-century in the innings, Root boldly declared, his side having reached their highest ever score without a player hitting a century.

Only thing missing from that report is the line "west indies bowling after tea was a load of shite"

watched the 30 minutes before and hour after tea in a salisbury pub (home now)

it was a curious mixture of elation at hero moeen's strokeplay and utter, crushing despair at the quite staggeringly dreadful cricket from the windies

Moeen was fantastic. I really did think W Indies had a great chance of winning if they got him out quickly and only had to chase 200 or so, but they were truly awful in the last session. England almost handed it to them on a plate with stupid shots by Stokes/Bairstow but what the hell were they doing after tea? 1st over after tea with England on the ropes and they give Brathwaite a bowl???

The seamers wre knackered and Bishoo wasnt bowled. as soon as he came on he had moeen out as it may not have been a no ball after all (the argument there will go on). West Indies wouldve been confident of getting 200 or so. I cant see them scoring 317 tomorrow they must be so deflated. Plus Brathwaite and Hope need to repeat their centuries to do it. Will be a lot harder on a 5th day pitch that is turning.

Mind you, it's a pitch once you get in you don't look like getting out unless you do something stupid. I dont see them crumbling to a 150 run defeat.

the moment i knew they'd lost the plot was when they reviewed an lbw against ali that i could tell from first view on tv was missing leg by maybe six inches

actually opening with brathwaite after tea was before that haha

also, with the caught behind no ball, ali would have heard the shout of no-ball before he played the shot i think?

they said that technically that is why it cant be reviewed but the ex-players said that it isnt really the case and would've played that shot anyway.

Holder makes a lot of mistakes as captain but fuck me they are even worse when he is off the field. He is clearly the best of a bad bunch. Decent player though and it cannot be easy captaining that team

You take 3 quick wickets with a spinner, you have a team that's been behind all of the game so far, they've been doing well then it starts to go qrong your seamers are knackered, you have a leggie thats decent what do you do?

You dont bring on a knackered seamer. Imagine they had got ali or woakes out in that 20 mins before tea? they might have been chasing 160 or so.

Even at tea leads still only 188. You dont bloody bowl Brathwaite. West Indies fans should be bloody furious.

holder should bat at 7 and bat properly. his shot to get out was completely terrible and a turning point. he'd batted excellently to put WI in control but another 50 or so runs would have made it virtually insurmountable. he took his foot off the throat - it was lazy, complacent and stupid all at once. he's a useful test cricketer and should certainly be in the side, but darren sammy was a far better captain for all his weaknesses as a player

holder, 3 actual good pacemen, an actual good spinner (miller? portly hero cornwall?) or another quick-bowling all-rounder and chase to round it off. they need a keeper to bat 6 and that should be their team balance. one more good fast bowler is needed.

in other news, Australia are struggling against the Tigers at Mirpur. Can Bangladesh get their first test victory against the Baggy Greens?

Is it still raining at Headingley?

would be a shame if rain spoiled a brilliant test match

they've just started, it's muggy with cloud cover