“This has changed my thoughts on where I am in the side. During the South Africa tour I thought I was becoming a key part of the team and now I don’t feel like that so much, certainly in the one-day team” – now Jimmy’s dangerously near to a case of the yips following the events of the summer so far. At least he can console himself with the fact that he doesn’t fall over very much.
“Australia will surely be combing the land for a left-arm-spinner” – Andy Bull points to the glaringly obvious attack point for England’s current batting line-up.
Well, what a shocker that was. So how do Bangladesh go forward?
“The clinical nature of the victory, coming as it did in 3 days, was also important as, if England are going to be challenging for the top spot in test cricket, they need to show a ruthlessness that had been absent in the previous game. England now face Pakistan later in the Summer and it is important that they take advantage of their disarray before going to the Ashes in November feeling at the top of their game” – The conclusions of The Compulsive Hooker following England’s defeat of Bangladesh.
“This is the sort of pitch where even a remotely cautious captain would not want to bat last” – Jonathan Agnew is not expecting England to enforce a second follow-on against Bangladesh.
“KP was not merely dismissed, he was humbled, outfoxed, and done like the proverbial kipper” – another left-arm spinner, getting a bit predictable now, isn’t it?
“Old Trafford arguably sports the quickest deck across the planet, yet still offers something for every variant of bowler. While batsmen will enjoy reward for hard graft, the pacemen know that a bit extra from them will fetch handy, additional bounce, something which Bangladesh’s batsmen are found wanting against at every turn” – Cricket365.com reviews the Old Trafford pitch in advance of Friday’s match.
“Peter Crouch, eat your heart out” – the ECB blog salutes tourist and celebrant extraordinaire Tamim Iqbal.
It’s said to the point of triteness that, when playing a side like Bangladesh, England cannot prosper – and nothing about the last four days’ play at Lord’s has troubled that adage even slightly.
“Someone would have had a word with young Tamim Iqbal a couple of decades ago. ‘You can’t play like that in Test cricket, lad’” – Vic Marks on Bangladesh’s brilliant opening batsman. Is it just us, or is he channelling Boycott there?