First Test: England v India at Edgbaston, 1-5 August 2018.

[sussexpob]

Sharma deserves these wickets, been an impressive spell.

[sussexpob]

24 hours again it felt like England would have a 150 lead, and stomp the game out... what a turnaround

[sussexpob]

Ed Smith needs to display his legendary cricketing judgement and get some new blood in this batting line up. Stokes now averages 33, Malan 27, Bairstow has that 6 month period against SL and South Africa which is increasingly looking like an oasis in the desert (the rest of his seasons are high 20s/low 30s averages), Jennings hasnt justified his return and Cook looks shot.

Cant keep picking batsman who dont score enough runs, regardless of what else they do. We have two keepers in the team and they amount to 75 tests with 5 hundreds.....

[backfootpunch]

Ed Smith needs to display his legendary cricketing judgement and get some new blood in this batting line up. Stokes now averages 33, Malan 27, Bairstow has that 6 month period against SL and South Africa which is increasingly looking like an oasis in the desert (the rest of his seasons are high 20s/low 30s averages), Jennings hasnt justified his return and Cook looks shot.

Cant keep picking batsman who dont score enough runs, regardless of what else they do. We have two keepers in the team and they amount to 75 tests with 5 hundreds.....

Can't have been many worse England batting line ups in the history of the game

[Durhamfootman]

oh dear

what a shower

I guess my question about Sharma is now irrelevant

[Durhamfootman]

I just assumed that England had got to lunch 3 down

how thick am I?

[Durhamfootman]

3 day test defeat from a position of strength.... 2 positions of strength

ah well........ doubtless England were just a bit unlucky, that's all

[sussexpob]

Buttler goes before I can even tune in after the lunch break....

[Durhamfootman]

carry on regardless... 7 down

fortunately England's tail have about 10 runs in them, so India won't have it all their own way

[Durhamfootman]

triple wicket over

*modded* me

[Durhamfootman]

Buttler couldn't even manage his pair, I see.... so much for my headline prediction

[Durhamfootman]

I think England should blame it all on Rashid and move swiftly on to Lords

[backfootpunch]

I think England should blame it all on Rashid and move swiftly on to Lords

We will probably change a bowler

That's our normal reaction to a batting collapse

[Durhamfootman]

I think England should blame it all on Rashid and move swiftly on to Lords

We will probably change a bowler

That's our normal reaction to a batting collapse

of course...... that's my point

[sussexpob]

Kumar Sangakarra is a nice presence in the commentator box, but his 10 minute spell of trying to rationalise England's batting collapse is quite funny.

"Why does Buttler play that shot like that? He should really be playing back and blocking it...why does he do that?"....

Because he's crap, Kumar...