Second Test: West Indies v England, April 21-25

[Aidan11]

Root opening the bowling.

[Aidan11]

New ball due in 4 overs so I guess they're holding Jimmy & Broad back until then.

[The Waugh Twins]

Is it just me or is Test cricket generally dull nowadays? I think South Africa v Australia is the only series I've enjoyed in the last year.

No it's not just you, I'm sure that the number of test loving fans across the world are extremely, extremely, most extremely a minority. Doesn't help though when captains don't know when to declare.

England should have set themselves up to take the second new ball for maybe 5 overs before stumps today. There lies your problem. I don't recall seeing any commentators even rumour at the thought.

To finish the day with 75 overs bowled and to my knowledge no one has even considered that targeting 85 overs might have been a good idea is just flabbergasting, and has been more than enough to dig my way out of my hibernation. Geez it's still cold though.

teams wont want a new ball for 5 overs at the tail end of the day after spending 80 overs in the field and the bowlers too tired to make good use of it

Ha,ha really? Perhaps you mean English teams.

Growing up in Australia and playing a lot of cricket you were always with the mindset of constantly calculating when the new ball would come at the end of the day to get a second crack. Of course you also expect you will never have to take it. The batting team know it's coming though and it's in the back of their minds and it makes them do funny things. Admittedly though rarely in club cricket did you ever see a new ball.

I also played back in the day when you had to bowl 120 overs in a day.

[Aidan11]

Good ball Jimmy.

[The Waugh Twins]

Sure you did Mark.

Hey and look what the new ball does.

[The Waugh Twins]

Sure you did Mark.

Hey and look what the new ball does.

So 3 for 59 with plenty of overs left. This should be a real humdinger of a match.

[Aidan11]

[The Waugh Twins]

Sure you did Mark.

Hey and look what the new ball does.

So 3 for 59 with plenty of overs left. This should be a real humdinger of a match.

If the Windies can score another 150 then game on for both sides provided England go for it or the Windies produce something reminiscent of their grandfathers days.

[The Waugh Twins]

Thanks Aidan i've never heard that song before and I hope to never hear it again.

[Aidan11]

Class band The Undertones.

[The Waugh Twins]

Class band The Undertones.

I missed them growing up. 70's I'm guessing?

[Aidan11]

Class band The Undertones.

I missed them growing up. 70's I'm guessing?

Yeah, 70's Irish punk band, mellowed a bit in the early eighties before Sharkey went solo.

[The Waugh Twins]

Ah I just googled them, yes I was living in Ventura in the late 70's and little English music found it's way to my ears back then.

[Aidan11]

Jimmy strikes again.

[The Waugh Twins]

OK he's got another one so you can play it again sam.