Cricket Thread

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Strauss (c), Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, Bairstow, Prior, Broad, Bresnan, Swann, Anderson.

Morgan.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

West Indies team: "AB Barath, KOA Powell, KA Edwards, DM Bravo, S Chanderpaul, MN Samuels, D Ramdin†, DJG Sammy*, KAJ Roach, ST Gabriel, FH Edwards."

[Syn]

England Top 4 will fill their...erm, bats.

I know it's not real kirkut but Pietersen looked good in Indian pub cric. Played quite well, too.

Barath is a Sehwag - he'll score 30 off 12 balls or nick it behind for a 2nd ball duck. Don't know about Powell. Edwards is promising but won't hack it on a cold day in Lndon, Darren Bravo is worth a 30 odd, Chanderpaul...you're not going to get him out, but he won't do any damage either. 14 not out off 123 balls coming up, so just get his partners out, Samuels is village, Ramdin is village, Sammy will hit a quick-fire 50, the rest can't hold a bat.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

The scoreboard at Lord's says Pollard is opening.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Barath gets the first runs with a boundary. Nicely struck.

[Syn]

Ha, what ridiculous swing from Anderson.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Bodyline series.

Anderson swings one right in to Barath's guts.

[Syn]

This is quite gentle pace by Anderson and, particularly, Broad's standards. 82-83mph.

Send one in at 90mph+ and it'll be too much for them. Although Anderson is getting some epic swing by being a trundler.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

I guess Anderson doesn't want to try a 90mph belter at the moment as it'll probably go out to gully.

Nice shot by Barath again. No singles yet though.

[Syn]

Is this what passes for good commentary debate? Holding's right - nobody has played swing well against England recently. They've not been able to because it has been good. It's pretty much the only reason they're the no.1 ranked side - the pace bowlers (particularly Anderson) have been getting it to move about and take early wickets with a swinging ball.

WI won't play swing well just because they're not good batsmen, apart from Chanderpaul. It has nothing to do with swing bowling being a weakness. The red ball swings in WI too.