First Test: England v South Africa, Lord's, July 6-10.

[budgetmeansbudget]

DRS would have ruined that game!

[m@tt]

Root leading a charmed life today...

Two chances already , he should make 150 now. Team certainly could do with it.

And make 150 he does

[Gingerfinch]

Does Root ever fail? Digging your team out with a 184, and that high strike rate takes a special player.

[ianp1970]

Stunning number of runs in the day and excellent recovery for England. Seems there's nothing in the pitch.

Seems I agree with Boycott about Bairstow at seven.

i wouldn't have a problem whatever order Stokes, Ali and Bairstow bat tbh

all i was saying is one of them has to bat there and you could make a good case for any of them to bat higher than the other two

If all 3 are playing, then 1 has to bat at 7, even if that means Woakes at 8.

You really can't have too much batting, but you can pick a side with too many bowlers

[Durhamfootman]

having seen the highlights, I think people have been harsh on ZBGB. I'd have given Jennings out... certainly not a howler and Ballance would have been on the wrong side to judge that ball. Played a couple of nice drives and got a belter, although I'll grant you his technique didn't help him.

Excellent recovery from England, but Root didn't half ride his luck at times. Still.... scorecard doesn't say 184 dropped twice and mugged off a no ball, it just says 184 not out

I felt a bit sorry for Rabada... he looked easily the best bowler today but had nothing whatsoever going for him

[Arthur Crabtree]

Looking at the dismissal of the returning ZBGB today it is tempting to observe that he has learned nothing and forgotten nothing.

And a superb ball to get him, but surely that was dead. Why the review?

Good effort from the SA pace trio, painfully let down by the catchers and the support bowling which just let the pressure escape like a busted balloon. Moeen has a reputation for not liking it up him, but faced a lot of pace off bowling- though partly due to the over rate, I guess.

[Durhamfootman]

well... the skipper said he should review it despite it being nailed on out, so that is Root's fault surely?

[Durhamfootman]

I'm not a ZBGB apologist, btw, even though I thought he deserved his call up, but the narrative seems to be that he has to fail so that everyone else can be right about him, and I don't think he deserves that.

It may well be that he is doomed to fail in this series, but it's barely started, so it all seems a bit premature

[Durhamfootman]

well... the skipper said he should review it despite it being nailed on out, so that is Root's fault surely?

and I get that Root and Ballance have a lot invested, so perhaps a hint of desperation

[Arthur Crabtree]

well... the skipper said he should review it despite it being nailed on out, so that is Root's fault surely?

Fair enough. Just a daydream, but if the skipper had a big say in his selection, could that mean he has an interest (consciously processed or not) in ZBGB having the slender promise of a second chance?

[Arthur Crabtree]

Sorry, you say at that in your next post...

[Arthur Crabtree]

I'm not a ZBGB apologist, btw, even though I thought he deserved his call up, but the narrative seems to be that he has to fail so that everyone else can be right about him, and I don't think he deserves that.

I do think about that, though I accept I usually overstate things (because it doesn't matter and I like doing it). I thought he had to do more to get back given his manifest weaknesses, but if he scores runs he will have answered his critics in full.

[Durhamfootman]

I get the feeling that if ZBGB came out and scored a lovely fluid ton in the second innings, it would be written off as only scoring when the match was in the bag anyway

[Arthur Crabtree]

I think lots of people have players they like having in the side and seeing doing well, and others that they don't enjoy the success of. And it's hard to say why anyone is in either camp. For instance, I always want/ed Broad and KP to do well purely I think because they were criticised so much and unrealistically. Not because they are easy to warm to as people. I like Woakes and Mo because they, in the context of international sport, they seem to be above average mensch. I'm always going to be more tolerant of these players' performances than I will be of others.

[rich1uk]

i didn't think Ballance's dismissal was anything to do with his previous technical isues, he just played down the wrong line to a ball that was angling him to him from around the wicket

the review was a poor decision tho, with the umpire's call rule you need to be really certain and when the ball is hitting 2/3 of the way up middle stump then there is no excuse for the judgement to be that poor

likewise whilst i commented on them not reviewing the Jennings dismissal the real criticism has to be directed at the umpire who gave it out despite it pitching outside leg, hitting the pad outside leg and then missing the stumps