Cricket's back!

Posted at 10:2610:26
It's raining - toss delayed
Ah.

Don't you just love cricket...?


Posted at 11:5711:57
Lunch to be taken early
There's been a conference between the umpires, the coaches and the captains. It was a long discussion.

Lunch is going to be taken at 12:30 and then they will take another look at 13:10.


13:17
BREAKING
Play to start at 14:00 BST
I have word from the umpires...

If there's no further rain play will begin at 14:00 BST.

The toss will take place in 15 minutes at 13:30.


14:02
Post update
Are you ready? Pinch yourself, it's really happening.

Cricket is back.

Kemar Roach with the ball, Rory Burns on strike.

The world is watching.

Here we go...





Posted at 14:1014:10
With just the 10th delivery of the day, we have a wicket.



Posted at 14:1814:18
Rain stops play
Eng 1-1

The first runs for England as Burns flicks a length ball down towards a short fine-leg.

Oh dear, that drizzle, it's back.

And ... the players are heading off.



Not much changes does it!!!

I fucking hate cricket. (just thought I would mention it) 

I love a day at the cricket when the sun is blazing and the pints are flowing but that's a rarity i'm afraid.

I went to the last Ashes test at OT last year and play didn't start till mid-afternoon because of rain and it was freezing too (it was September i think?)

England back in the groove - 204 all out

Ben Stokes is like a one man team at the moment, England need 5 more wickets to even up the series.

He is our best player by a mile at the moment, scored crucial runs this morning to give us a lead and now talking crucial wickets and fielding like a mad man.

Arise Sir Ben!

Great win but you have to wonder why a certain bowler was left out of the first test.

wanderlust wrote:Great win but you have to wonder why a certain bowler was left out of the first test.

Agreed, going to be tough picking for the next test now i reckon as you can't leave Broad out and Woakes did well as well. 
Anderson and Archer will be looking to get back in so someone is going to be disappointed.

Norpig wrote:
Agreed, going to be tough picking for the next test now i reckon as you can't leave Broad out and Woakes did well as well. 
Anderson and Archer will be looking to get back in so someone is going to be disappointed.

Jimmy is the world  record-holder for number of Test wickets ever taken by a fast bowler, Friday's Test is at his home ground, he's had a rest under the ECB's wise new rotatation policy, and Archer is raw, inconsistent and just let down the whole team and management by breaking lockdown. (At least Archer got punished for his misdemeanour, which is more than can be said for members of H.M. Government and aides! )

I never thought I'd say this, but I no longer care about cricket. So many different forms of the game, Test Match, 20 over, 50 over, 10 over with a side salad, night cricket, red ball, white ball, big bash, small bash, medium sized bash, IPL, give me a break.

A leg break or an off break?

boltonbonce wrote:I never thought I'd say this, but I no longer care about cricket. So many different forms of the game, Test Match, 20 over, 50 over, 10 over with a side salad, night cricket, red ball, white ball, big bash, small bash, medium sized bash, IPL, give me a break.

Ahh....but when it's close as in the WC Final, or the most recent game vs Australia, or even yesterday when time was running out.....it has a long, drawn-out tension and excitement that few other sports can match irrespective of whether it's T20, 50-over, Test, County match or village green.....or even when playing Owzat, Bonce!)

(I sense a volley of dissenting posts on the horizon. Back me up, someone!)

Still love the game and love going to OT to watch but no idea why the ECB thought we need the Hundred? I'm hoping they consign that to the dustbin now as it was completely pointless and no one wanted it.

Cricket in kilts might be interesting.

Norpig wrote:Still love the game and love going to OT to watch but no idea why the ECB thought we need the Hundred? I'm hoping they consign that to the dustbin now as it was completely pointless and no one wanted it.

Good point, Mr. Pig, The 100 is purely a money-making  idea that wrecks the county championship where Test players are found and nurtured. It will not, in any case, draw big crowds. The players will hate it. Can you see Jimmy, Broad, Root, Stokes choosing to play? Counties will see it as a chance to blood second-string.

When County cricket gets going again, they'll still be playing in front of one man and his dog. County cricket is beyond pointless as a spectacle.

Still one of the best evenings of my life.

Still love Test and County cricket and can still get pleasure out of 50 over one dayers but can't give a fuck about any of the crash bang wallop stuff. And as for the Indian Premier League, does anyone really care whatever the hell that is all about (except the players whose only interest is to enrich themselves).

Hip Priest wrote:Still love Test and County cricket and can still get pleasure out of 50 over one dayers but can't give a fuck about any of the crash bang wallop stuff. And as for the Indian Premier League, does anyone really care whatever the hell that is all about (except the players whose only interest is to enrich themselves).

Me too, especially Test cricket.
Think I've mentioned this before but back in the 70s an American mate asked me to "explain cricket" to him at the end of which he said "So they stand in the field for FIVE DAYS?! And it's a tie? WOW!"

Heathens.

No better way to spend a leisurely day than sitting in the sun at Old Trafford, drink in hand, watching legends of the game like Muralitheran, Atherton, Flintoff, Anderson, Gower in whatever form of the game you care to mention...and the present-day budding heroes too. Once was lucky enough to be at Taunton to watch Viv Richards and Botham.....all much bigger than they look on TV. 
The one thing that stands out for me is the amount of time the great batsmen seem to have to play the ball: a mark of real, effortless class...

The first time I went to see Viv Richards, he was out for 3. Thoughtless bastard.