South Africa Tour of England

England lose both their openers & Root in the first hour.

Ball is swinging all over the place, could easily see us 4 or 5 down by lunch,

Stokes out to the final ball before lunch. 100-5. Pope has played in a positive manner for his 51 not out.

England 165 All out

England v South Africa 1st Test Lords Day 2 Close
ENG 165 (45 overs) Pope 73 Stokes 20 Rabada 5-52 Nortje 3-63 Jansen 2-30
SA 289-7 (77 overs) Erwee 73 Elgar 47 Maharaj 41 Jansen 41 no Stokes 3-53

England now under pressure, yes they have prized out 7 wickets but the Proteas have a really handy lead to build on. This new approach from England is all well and good, but unless the oppo play ball, they will find themselves under the pump a fair bit!

Yes the ball was doing a bit yesterday, and the SA bowling was on a different level skill wise, but I think that this do - or - die method was a large contributor, typified by Stokes skittish (in the excited sense) innings with him dancing around the crease more than wayne sleep, trying to hit the ball out of the park. He didn't show enough patience.

A large part of this game is to identify the moments to attack or defend, Yes batting as tough on the first morning, but not impossible. To get bowled out in 45 overs is criminal. Trying bat at 5 runs an over, in order o allow adequate time to bowl the opposition out twice, makes some sense, but only if conditions allow. You get 5 days, so use them.
Stokes is wasting his talents, he has the defensive technique to bat through tough periods, & earn the right to expand his game.
Broad on the other hand can no longer defend, so unless the side are on top, Leach looks like the only option at 8, he has at least shown the ability, & willingness to stay at the crease, & it made more sense for him to support Pope.
I'm all for playing your best bowlers, but this has to be the worst lower order since the days of Fraser, Caddick, Tufnell, & Malcolm.

(18-08-2022 15:15 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  England v South Africa 1st Test Lords Day 3
ENG 165 & 149 (37.4 overs) Lees 35 Broad 35 Stokes 20 Nortje 3-37 Jansen 2-13 Rabada 2-27 Maharaj 2-35
SA 326 (89.1 overs) Erwee 73 Jansen 48 Elgar 47 Maharaj 41 Nortje 28 no Stokes 3-71 Broad 3-71 Potts 2-79
South Africa won by an inning & 12 runs

143-7. Don’t think there’s going to be any play on Saturday. ??

^ So right Stowman. That's all she wrote!! Didn't even make SA work for it, and continued with this new identity that England have settled upon. If they don't realise (they should already know) that they can't just play baseball in place of cricket in certain circumstances, many more matches like this one awaits them.

Crawley I think has run his last race - at least for the foreseeable, but who opens in place of him?? Do you promote Bairstow to open (he could I believe) or do you inject yet more new blood into what is one of the three most important positions in the team?? There will be a new face for sure should Crawley be dropped, I think that it would be easier to see that happen in the #5 slot?? Does Pope move up with Bairstow at #3?? Probably not as Ollie has done well at #3, and given what is happening around him, not the time to make that change.

Overall, it is an acceptance that horses for courses is the tactics that should be employed to take account of the match England are in, not the one they want to create regardless that England Baz and all need to accept and plan for!