3rd Test England v Pakistan, Edgbaston, Aug 3-7.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Quite pleased to see Pakistan fight back in this Test, as England did in the last. We needed a good series after the SL tour.

Same here should be a good days play tomorrow and oval might be a cracker.

Test cricket needed this as well considering not many series are close or tight anymore.
Could barely count 5 brillent series in the last 5 years.
Most ashes have been crap
The other big 3 clashes been awful.
Only eng vs SA and SA vs aus been good and their hardly play or if they do play it is quite short series.

Pakistan winning the series or drawing will be a huge shock.

Australia v SL is a good series at the moment.
Pakistan v NZ was good. Excellent even.
NZ v India a couple of years ago. Maybe helped to support the underdog.
England v NZ

There have been some fine individual Tests too, like the D/N Test at Adelaide.

I imagine if I looked them up I'd find some other good series.

[sussexpob]

Have to credit the Pakistan selectors too.....

Made two changes for this test, brought in a bowler who took a 5 for and a batsman undefeated on 50!!

Played Sami Aslam

[budgetmeansbudget]

Won't be huge shock though.

Mildly surprising maybe!

[Arthur Crabtree]

Yes, well done these two.

[budgetmeansbudget]

I'm not surprised in the slightest by Pakistan holding their own. We have a very unsettled team right now with five or six players positions in serious doubt.

[Gingerfinch]

I would have predicted 2-1 England before the series started. Might still happen of course.

[Dr Cricket]

Quite pleased to see Pakistan fight back in this Test, as England did in the last. We needed a good series after the SL tour.

Same here should be a good days play tomorrow and oval might be a cracker.

Test cricket needed this as well considering not many series are close or tight anymore.
Could barely count 5 brillent series in the last 5 years.
Most ashes have been crap
The other big 3 clashes been awful.
Only eng vs SA and SA vs aus been good and their hardly play or if they do play it is quite short series.

Pakistan winning the series or drawing will be a huge shock.

Australia v SL is a good series at the moment.
Pakistan v NZ was good. Excellent even.
NZ v India a couple of years ago. Maybe helped to support the underdog.
England v NZ

There have been some fine individual Tests too, like the D/N Test at Adelaide.

I imagine if I looked them up I'd find some other good series.

Many of those series were short not really had many cracking 4 or 5 test series.
I be honest can not really get into the 2 or 3 test series since it just smack of eliteism.
Take nz vs England it wasn't even the biggest series of the summer, nz were basically the starters.

They been good idividual test matches but not many good series especially the main summer ones.

IMHO seeing home team dominate get boring and if anything all the intresting series as been the big sides struggling away from home.

[Aidan11]

I've had enough.


Somebody get me another set of players.

[alfie]

Indeed well played Sami.

He really hasn't put a foot wrong. Contrast with the walking wicket he replaced is remarkable - and has made a big difference to the approach of Pakistan to their batting task.

One might argue that England (because they won the previous match ?) were a bit complacent in not replacing misfiring batsmen for this match...

[backfootpunch]

Pakistan winning the series or drawing will be a huge shock.

Will it?

They're higher in the rankings than us, and have a very decent record against England over the years.

Doubt many people saw it though only people that actually thought Pakistan would win was the traders because Pakistan were good value in the odds.
Doubt many in this forum or most cricket supporters saw Pakistan winning the series.

Also ranking crap doesn't mean much, Sri Lanka are probably ranked 7 or 8 and Australia ranked 1st.
Australia will never be favorite to beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.

Well considering the last test was only the second time sri lanka have ever beaten Australia that just isn't true

[Aidan11]

It looked good this morning at 0/1.

[Dr Cricket]

Well played Sami aslam

[sussexpob]

You have a feeling that the containing nature of England's effort is going to have its door blown off by Moeen here.

Moeen should have learnt from teh last over Aslam is capable of working the ball with low risk if he drifts onto the pads.... does it again, same result....does it again, same result.

[Aidan11]

The curse of batting first at Edgbaston strikes again.

[sussexpob]

I've had enough.


Somebody get me another set of players.

The players are waiting for the outrage bus.