Three Overlapping Matches

Detailed looks at the men’s match between Australia and India and the women’s match between South Africa and England that are currently in progress, a mention of the men’s match between New Zealand and England, a 35 second video and a photo gallery.

The New Zealand and England men’s teams are currently playing the third match of a series already won by England, while the Australian and Indian men’s teams are playing the third match of a five match series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the South Africa and England women’s teams are playing a one-off test match to end England’s tour there. This post looks at goings on in these matches, the second and third in a bit of detail as I have been able to follow them. As for the first, suffice to say that it looks like England are copping a hammering and that said result will be entirely justified.

THE GABBA: AUSTRALIA v THE WEATHER

The third match of the series for the Border-Gavaskar trophy in Brisbane has lost a lot of time to the weather with possibly more interruptions in the two days that remain. The weather has done rather more to stand in Australia’s way than India have managed. India won the toss and opted to field, a lure that has tempted several captains there in the past, though the results should influence modern era skippers against doing so: Hutton put Australia in in 1954-5 and they scored 601-8 declared and won by an innings and 160 runs, though England fought back to win the second, third and fourth matches of that series; Border put England in in 1986-7 and they scored 456, bowled Australia out twice and knocked off the runs needed in the fourth innings; and finally Hussain put Australia in in 2001-2, the hosts were 367-2 at the end of day one and won a thumping victory. Unless the rain persists Rohit Sharma will come away with the same result as those three did – Australia have scored 445, a total kept within some sort of bound only by Jasprit Bumrah who emerged with 6-79. In such batting time as the rain has allowed them in their own first innings India have limped to 48-4, meaning that Australia need 16 more wickets to win and are 397 ahead, given that we are going into day four and there is still rain about, if they do indeed bowl India out for 245 or less it will be mandatory to enforce the follow on.

THE GHOSTS OF DRS PAST AND FUTURE HAUNT CSA

This test match will almost be the last such game involving either sex not to feature the Decision Review System – both the England innings, and the South African response still in progress have featured moments where the absence of DRS for this match has been crucial, and England have been the beneficiaries of both. Tammy Beaumont was given not out in response to a concerted appeal for LBW on the second ball of the match, and South Africa would certainly have sent it upstairs had DRS been in place, and would very probably have seen it overturned. In the South African innings their skipper Laura Wolvaardt was on 65 and frankly looking impossible to dislodge when a ball from Ecclestone struck her pads and she was given LBW. Wolvaardt made it obvious that she was certain that she had nicked it into her pads, and with DRS in place she would have sent it upstairs and it would have been overturned. Maia Bouchier scored a century on her test debut, and Natalie Sciver-Brunt also contributed a ton, reached off just 96 balls, to England’s efforts. England fell away a bit late in their innings, but a score of 395-9 declared is not to be sniffed at. At 237-3 with Marizanne Kapp and Sune Luus going well South Africa looked to be heading for somewhere close to parity, but Kapp being bowled by Ryana McDonald-Gay opened an end for England, and wickets have been falling regularly since then. The latest go has been Chloe Tryon, clipping one from Lauren Bell straight into the hands of Tammy Beaumont. Luus had succumbed just previously to a fearsome burst from Lauren Filer, finally fencing one into the gloves of Amy Jones behind the stumps to go for 56. Number nine Tumi Sekhukhune has just got off the mark with a four, but at 275-7 South Africa are 120 adrift with only three first innings wickets standing. Things have moved on while I have been preparing this post for publication – Lauren Bell has bowled Jafta with a beauty and then with her next ball, assisted by the number 10 backing away so much that she was practically in a different post code from the ball, removed Nonkululeko Mlaba’s middle stump. Nat Sciver-Brunt has just terminated the innings by pinning Ayanda Hlubi LBW for 1 and South Africa are all out for 281, giving England a first innings lead of 114.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Before I produce my latest photo gallery I have a short video to share with you…

Now for the photo gallery…

Test Cricket at the Double

A look at developments in the two test matches that are currently in the play, both of which have progressed at a rapid rate. Also a large photo gallery.

There are two test matches currently in progress, which is part of the explanation for the title of this post – the other part should become clear through the post. In Adelaide Australia anbd India are playing the second match of a five-match series for the Border-Gavaskar trophy, while in Wellington New Zealand and England are playing a day game. Most of this post will deal with the BGT game, which I have been able to follow live via test match special, but before I get to that I will briefly present…

WELLINGTON WONDERS

The Basin Reserve ground at Wellington is effectively a gigantic roundabout, and England have certainly been in fifth gear this match. After two days play England are 533 runs ahead with five second innings wickets standing, and I know courtesy of an interview that I head that Gus Atkinson was padded up in the closing stages of play, which suggests that a declaration is not immediately planned. Atkinson continued what has been a magnificent start to his international career by wrapping up the New Zealand first innings with a hat trick (Maurice Allom, of Atkinson’s own county Surrey, actually achieved this feat against New Zealand in his debut test many years ago). New Zealand, being made to look very ordinary by this England side, are fresh off whitewashing India in India.

AUSTRALIAN AVENGERS

India won the series opener in Perth comprehensively. This match in Adelaide has gone very differently so far. India won the toss and decided to bat. That was about the last thing that went right for them. Yashavsi Jaiswal was dismissed by the first ball of the match, and that set the tone for their first innings. Mitchell Starc has a particularly impressive record in pink ball test matches (nb for England fans looking ahead to next winter, the Adelaide test in that series, also in early December, is a day game with a red ball), and he further enhanced it by taking 6-48 as India reached 180 all out, lasting under 45 overs in total. India needed wickets in what was left of the opening day, but they did not get them. Bumrah under-used himself, and by the close of day one Australia were 86-1 and sitting pretty with two session of daylight batting ahead of them. A Travis Head century was the centrepiece of day two, as Australia amassed a lead of 157 on first innings. India faced a tricky period of batting in which they should have looked to avoid losing early wickets. Instead a frenetic performance saw them five down by the close, and although the runs came rapidly, they were still 29 in arrears when stumps were drawn. Bumrah’s 4-61 meant that he ended the Australian innings with his test bowling average below 20 per wicket – 185 wickets at 19.95. Mohammed Siraj also had four wickets, more expensively, and accompanied by an official warning for the send-off he gave Travis Head.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

Pictures from the walk to the West Norfolk eye centre (was full dark by the time of the return journey).

NZ v England T20 Series Goes To Decider

An account of England’s victory over New Zealand in the 4th T20I, some thoughts about General Election 2019 and lots of photographs.

INTRODUCTION

As well as some thoughts on the T20 series in New Zealand I am going to mention the General Election, and my constituency in particular. As usual I have plenty of photographs to share.

ENGLAND ROAR BACK INTO T20 SERIES

In the third match of this five match series England had seemingly been cruising to victory before a collapse in which they lost five wickets for just 10 runs handed the game and with it a 2-1 series lead to New Zealand. Thus in game four in Napier England needed a win to keep the series alive.

England batted first and made a slow start, with only 18 coming from the first four overs. Even when Eoin Morgan joined Dawid Malan in the eighth over the score was not looking that impressive. However Malan and Morgan shared a vicious partnership, Malan reaching a 48 ball century will Morgan outdid him for run rate by monstering 91 off just 40 balls. In among the carnage Ish Sodhi got slapped for 28 in the 17th over of the innings (and was lucky it was not even worse – 26 had come off the first five balls. England finished with their highest ever T20I score of 241-3. New Zealand got away to a flying start in response and were briefly threatening to chase down this imposing total, but Matt Parkinson showed New Zealand just what a real legspinner could do in the conditions. In spite of two chances not going to hand he bagged four wickets in the spell that consigned the Kiwis to defeat. England claimed the final wicket off the penultimate ball of the 17th over with the total at 165, giving them victory by a massive (in this format) 76 runs. I now make England favourites to win the decider – it will not be easy for NZ to recover from this blasting. I suspect that Yorkshire will not be seeing all that much of their new signing Dawid Malan next year as after this he has to be considered an essential part of England’s white ball plans. Parkinson, the young legspinner, has a huge future in (for my money) all formats, and although it would be hard on Leach to be dropped I would consider (especially if he takes more wickets in the final match of this series) picking him as first spinner for the test matches that conclude this tour, or maybe even, unlikely as a such a suggestion seems for a series in New Zealand, going with both specialist spinners. Full scorecard of the game here.

GENERAL ELECTION THOUGHTS

The Tories are lurching from one gaffe to another in this election campaign. Whether it is an empty chair subbing for James Cleverly (the chair certainly fared better than Mr Cleverly would have done), Johnson’s launch taking place in a near empty room or a succession of candidates standing down for various reasons they have been having a shocker. The long standing Tory MP for Northwest Norfolk, Sir Henry Bellingham, is one of those not standing for re-election. I think this is good news for Jo Rust, the Labour candidate, for two reasons. Firstly Sir Henry undoubtedly garnered some votes that were for him personally and not for his party as such. Secondly, and more important, the Brexit Party, who may well have stood aside for Sir Henry will now undoubtedly contest the seat, further cutting into the Tory vote. Overarching these two factors is that rather than being a seat with a Tory incumbent it is now a vacant seat. If you are in Northwest Norfolk and want a non-Tory MP voting for Jo Rust on December 12th is your chance, and it is a better one than in some considerable time. A couple of links to end this section, both from Tax Research UK:

Confirmation that this is The Climate Election in the form of this piece titled “People want zero carbon by 2030. It’s what the Green New Deal requires.“
The Tax Research UK take on the succession of Tory Disasters.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

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