Stokes’ Blokes (England Test cricket)

[forestfan]

Jimmy picked for his farewell Test at Lord’s as expected, but it’s quite a new-look squad around him for the launch of Bazball Phase 2.

Bairstow, Leach, Foakes and Robinson discarded, will any of them be back? With Wood rested after the T20, Woakes adds experience to what will be, post-Jimmy, a raw seam attack. Bashir gets the spin nod and there are potential Test debuts for Jamie Smith, Dillon Pennington and Gus Atkinson. Top order at least has a familiar look to it and hopefully Stokes can play a part with the ball.

West Indies are no great force in Tests these days (and are missing their senior paceman Kemar Roach) but do tend to produce their best against England, so it might not be a walkover of a series.

[forestfan]

Jimmy drops a fairly straightforward C&B which would have wrapped things up nicely.

Gets an over at the number 11 now…

[forestfan]

Duckett the spoilsport refusing to drop a catch on the boundary rope which would have given Jimmy another over… not everyone can go out like his old sidekick Broad, though. The Burnley Lara didn’t hit his last ball as a batsman for six either!

12 wickets for debutant Atkinson, an impressive passing of the baton, though if he gets even half Anderson’s total of wickets he will have had an impressive career.

[forestfan]

Just like the old days… an hour or so of brainless bowling against tailenders has probably cost us a Test.

Surely it’s bouncer, bouncer, then full and straight? Finally got him, but a 40-run deficit to overcome in tricky batting conditions when it should have been the other way around.

[forestfan]

RIP Graham Thorpe, one of English cricket’s underrated greats. So often the reliable middle-order rock in a shaky batting line-up in the 90s, and more recently made his mark as a batting coach with England. Always felt like a bad sign when we heard nothing more after he was suddenly taken ill a couple of years ago, thoughts with his family.

[forestfan]

Stokes ruled out for the summer, tearing his hamstring fielding in a 25-ball match for Northern Phonechargers

Missing Crawley at the top of the order as well, so top six will have an experimental look to it. Shouldn't make a difference in terms of beating Sri Lanka who are definitely not of the Sangakkara/Murali vintage these days, but an examination of Pope's captaincy credentials, and hopefully we can look to blood an eventual successor in the pivotal all-rounder role at some point. Pushing Woakes up the order might do the job for now but it's not a long-term solution.

[forestfan]

Century for Gus Atkinson at number 8… first specialist bowler batting at 8 or below for England to do so since Stuart Broad in the no-ball-gate series of 2010, and only a couple of instances before that in history that arguably fit the description.

A five-for, a 10-wicket match and a century in his first summer at Lord’s, that’s a decent start!

[Dr. Giggles]

Century for Gus Atkinson at number 8!

Go, Goose!!

[forestfan]

Sri Lanka must have fewer surnames than Wales… as per a couple of decades back, they’ve got a Jayasuriya, a de Silva, a Mendis, and the obligatory couple of Fernandos…

[forestfan]

Root could break Cook’s record with a century in each innings, if he doesn’t run out of partners…

[Smurphy Paw]

It’s getting close. 12 needed (at the mo)

[Smurphy Paw]

Outstanding. Records tumbling with every other over. Most tons. Most runs at Lords. His first century in each innings. Cook’s overall runs record on the horizon.

[forestfan]

Outstanding. Records tumbling with every other over. Most tons. Most runs at Lords. His first century in each innings. Cook’s overall runs record on the horizon.

Never mind Cook’s runs total, Tendulkar’s seemingly unbreakable tally might be in his sights.

Thought they were going to declare after that, instead we’re getting a few overs of not very much, ending with him holing out on the boundary. Unnecessary, deserved to finish not out!

[forestfan]

McCullum to take over the white-ball coaching role as well. Hopefully he can persuade Stokes to also double up as captain.

[forestfan]

All-or-nothing Pope bounces back with a century.

And then they go off for the light, thanks to the appalling decision made some years back to no longer offer the light to the batting side, meaning we just get less play overall.