England v Pakistan Test Series 2026.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Tongue and Robbo the lethal combo...

[Arthur Crabtree]

And JT's on a hat trick...

After tea.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Bet Wasim and Waqar would have been useful in these conditions.

Eight bowled/lbw has a 2Ws vibe.

[Arthur Crabtree]

And the England openers are out. Interesting contest. Gay is only third batter to be caught today.

[mikesiva]

Muhammed Ali knocked out Gay!

[andy]

50 partnership between root and cox

[andy]

100 up deficit 68....problems for captain Agha

[sussexpob]

Tongue and Robbo the lethal combo...

When Tongue took his fourth wicket, the comms literally said "he's bowled only four good balls all innings, and the rest have been very rusty".... Its almost like sometimes he bowls so badly, the one ball remotely on target catches people out.

He bowled 9 odd overs, and 7 overs were village stuff...

I dont get it at all

[Arthur Crabtree]

Maybe the bowlers' version of running to the danger is only trying to bowl magic balls...

What's the opposite of bowling dry?

[sussexpob]

Maybe the bowlers' version of running to the danger is only trying to bowl magic balls... What's the opposite of bowling dry?

As I said pre-series, he made a habit of this last year v India where he bowled all over the shop and kept on chipping away wickets when he finally got it right. The first wicket was a terrible ball and a gift to a ball wide enough to miss a third set of stumps, but then the second was a magic ball that if anything beat the batsman so much it made the ball look worse.

I wonder if this is all his tactical approach. He spent 7 odd overs getting spanked trying to get batsman driving and pushing the ball too full or wide, then he delivered his first stump ball in 7 overs that zoned into the top of off like a patriot missile, and after that he went every ball targeting the stumps and ended up with a 5 for.... Last wicket was a wasted ball to the 11.

Maybe there is value in magic ball bowling that I under-estimate. But god he bowled filth for his first two spells...

[sussexpob]

With Robinson's 5-for yesterday, he now stands as the best averaging pace bowler England have had to take over 80 wickets in tests since World War I. And to think as soon as the last test we played, he was dropped from the team, this after taking 8-80. Worth also nothing that his record is based on playing 82% of his games against the best 4 ranked teams of his era, and the only teams to make a test championship final.... And the other 4 games against the worst ranked team he played included a man of the match performance on the 6th flattest pitch ever recorded by Cricviz.

I can say with complete confidence that Rob Key's decision to drop him from the side is the worst tactical decision I have ever seen in sports. He not only dropped Robinson, but told us players like him could not be successful. He criticised his attitude, his fitness, his ability to play at this level due to his pace.....Robinson's last two tests should be enough in themselves given Key's loud opinions about the game, to sack Key. Robinson has set fire to every idea he has spouted, and made him look the idiot we we all know he is.

Robinson is miles the best player we have in English game. I cannot accept or even remotely rationalise why he didn't play a test for 3 years.... it is a crime against our national game.

[andy]

Raining...heavy rain and not supposed to stop until around 2 oclock

[sussexpob]

Meanwhile on the batting front, Emilio Gay played some really beautiful shots, but the manner of his dismissal is acutely concerning considering it is an almost frame for frame exact replica of the ball he got out to against NZ at Lords on debut. Exact same ball, shot and technical failing that ends with him getting out.

It seems he has a trigger movement from leg to offside, and then plants his feet solid. When ever the ball hits the channel he ends with his head inside the line of the ball, and this seems to effect his judgement of the length of balls, because he is in a perfect position to shuffle slightly to his offside and play a back foot defence, but instead he seems to misjudge the ball coming full and tries to compensate for his weight going back by pushing forward towards the ball and opening his hips to face down the pitch.

In both dismissals, he ends with both feet pointing straight down the crease, hips fully open, and head turning to leg side.... he isn't going to survive in test cricket if he doesn't rectify this. To stay square onto the ball and play under his eye line, he needs to move his feet laterally.

[andy]

He also needs time 4 test matches isn't enough to judge someone's career by...every batter around now has a flaw of some description...shame he got out yesterday as he was playing beautifully in testing conditions

[Arthur Crabtree]

Cox/Root closing in on hundred stand.