Second Ashes Test. Lord's.
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23 YIPPEE!!!
Sangakkara: "England has had the best of the bowling conditions on both days."
But this was Paine's choice, so we can't complain.
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Lloyd on Bancroft: "Tangled." "Awkward." "He plants his front foot..."
Sangakkara talks about the difficulty for Bancroft of playing around that front pad.
And Khawaja is beaten playing a familiar flaky-looking waft at Broad.
But this was Paine's choice, so we can't complain.
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Lloyd on Bancroft: "Tangled." "Awkward." "He plants his front foot..."
Sangakkara talks about the difficulty for Bancroft of playing around that front pad.
And Khawaja is beaten playing a familiar flaky-looking waft at Broad.
Lloyd airs the idea in the papers that it may be better to "save Archer for Smith".
Sangakkara: "You've just got to get the batsmen to play as much as possible."
He thinks Archer has given the batsmen too many sighters.
The ball whizzes past Bancroft's edge. It sort of looked like he was leaving at the end.
Sangakkara: "You've just got to get the batsmen to play as much as possible."
He thinks Archer has given the batsmen too many sighters.
The ball whizzes past Bancroft's edge. It sort of looked like he was leaving at the end.
A spectator has brought a cardboard-cutout Jimmy Anderson. Many of the batsmen in these two teams are batting like cardboard cutouts.
Sangakkara comments on the lack of scoring by Bancroft (7* from 49 balls). He says you can't do that too much in English conditions, so he'll need to make sure he puts any bad balls away.
But the ball isn't swinging much so far in this series, so I don't know that these are typical English conditions.
Sangakkara comments on the lack of scoring by Bancroft (7* from 49 balls). He says you can't do that too much in English conditions, so he'll need to make sure he puts any bad balls away.
But the ball isn't swinging much so far in this series, so I don't know that these are typical English conditions.
Woakes comes on.
Khawaja gets a thick edge through the cordon for 4.
Sangakkara: "Beautiful seam position."
But he says Khawaja did well with soft hands.
Stokes is standing very close at third slip.
And Khawaja punches a loose short ball off the back foot through the off side for another 4.
Lloyd: "And again."
This is a good over for Oz.
Sangakkara says all the great bowlers have had accuracy.
Khawaja's SR is now 75. Bancroft's is 20.
Khawaja gets a thick edge through the cordon for 4.
Sangakkara: "Beautiful seam position."
But he says Khawaja did well with soft hands.
Stokes is standing very close at third slip.
And Khawaja punches a loose short ball off the back foot through the off side for another 4.
Lloyd: "And again."
This is a good over for Oz.
Sangakkara says all the great bowlers have had accuracy.
Khawaja's SR is now 75. Bancroft's is 20.
They're back on Bancroft's technique. If Bancroft has a long innings, that word "plant" is going to be used more than at a botanists' convention.
Holding: "With that technique, why not yorkers?"
Athers: "I think a tight line is the key."
Holding: "The difference with the yorker is that once you bowl the yorker he has to move the foot out of the way."
It makes sense to me. The opposite is to bowl short balls, and those don't look like they'll worry Bancroft as much. You don't have to play around a pad if the ball is shorter.
The other thing I'd like to know is whether they think Bancroft should have made major changes to his technique in the last 12 months.
Holding: "With that technique, why not yorkers?"
Athers: "I think a tight line is the key."
Holding: "The difference with the yorker is that once you bowl the yorker he has to move the foot out of the way."
It makes sense to me. The opposite is to bowl short balls, and those don't look like they'll worry Bancroft as much. You don't have to play around a pad if the ball is shorter.
The other thing I'd like to know is whether they think Bancroft should have made major changes to his technique in the last 12 months.
Holding: "At the moment you'd say they have ideal bowling conditions... but they haven't started all that well."
Archer finds Bancroft's pad with the first ball of his new over.
Athers: "That's an example of what we were talking about, Michael."
He uses that word "tangle".
The second ball nips back appreciably, but it's short.
Archer finds Bancroft's pad with the first ball of his new over.
Athers: "That's an example of what we were talking about, Michael."
He uses that word "tangle".
The second ball nips back appreciably, but it's short.
Appeal for LBW. Given out. Bancroft reviews after talking with Khawaja.
I'm not optimistic.
Could height save him?
Umpire's call!! Out. But it does confirm that it was quite high. Ball tracking had it just clipping the top of the bails.
Athers: "I think Bancroft can consider himself a little unlucky."
It's Archer's first Test wicket.
Oz 2/60.
Healy: "A ripper. Nipped back in."
Now I'm a bit nervous. I would not be surprised if Archer gets Smith out...
I'm not optimistic.
Could height save him?
Umpire's call!! Out. But it does confirm that it was quite high. Ball tracking had it just clipping the top of the bails.
Athers: "I think Bancroft can consider himself a little unlucky."
It's Archer's first Test wicket.
Oz 2/60.
Healy: "A ripper. Nipped back in."
Now I'm a bit nervous. I would not be surprised if Archer gets Smith out...
Holding: "My first was the great Max Walker... caught by Viv Richards in Perth."
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And now Woakes gets Khawaja, nicking behind.
Oz 3/60.
Athers: "England will fancy their chances over the next few overs."
When Khawaja nicks off, sadly I never feel a sense of surprise.
Healy: "Khawaja's style has been to stay back and watch it without much footwork."
His technique on the replays looks so flaky.
It's drizzly. The floodlights are on. Athers questions the decision to bowl first. Holding agrees.
Athers goes on. If you see conditions, i.e. bright sunshine, you don't want to waste them. You don't know what it'll be like tomorrow, but you can see what it's like now.
That makes sense to me.
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And now Woakes gets Khawaja, nicking behind.
Oz 3/60.
Athers: "England will fancy their chances over the next few overs."
When Khawaja nicks off, sadly I never feel a sense of surprise.
Healy: "Khawaja's style has been to stay back and watch it without much footwork."
His technique on the replays looks so flaky.
It's drizzly. The floodlights are on. Athers questions the decision to bowl first. Holding agrees.
Athers goes on. If you see conditions, i.e. bright sunshine, you don't want to waste them. You don't know what it'll be like tomorrow, but you can see what it's like now.
That makes sense to me.
Archer beats Head.
And again.
The good news is that when you score 250ish, it's very hard to get the oppo to follow on. By the end of today, we may be praying for more rain.
The bad news is that these two have already had a couple of miscommunications about running. The last thing we need now is for a run out.
And again.
The good news is that when you score 250ish, it's very hard to get the oppo to follow on. By the end of today, we may be praying for more rain.
The bad news is that these two have already had a couple of miscommunications about running. The last thing we need now is for a run out.
Holding (on Waokes to Smith): "I like this field."
There are three slips...
They appeal for caught down leg, but it's just off the thigh.
Athers laughs at Smith's leave. I just worry with that movement that one day he'll take out his own stumps and then it'll be up to the umpires to decide if it's hit wicket.
There are three slips...
They appeal for caught down leg, but it's just off the thigh.
Athers laughs at Smith's leave. I just worry with that movement that one day he'll take out his own stumps and then it'll be up to the umpires to decide if it's hit wicket.
Archer now around the wicket to Head.
Athers: "The thinking will be to try to get Head to play more at the ball."
Bairstow is in some pain. The umpires take drinks.
Before play, Mark Taylor said that, for bowling around the wicket to him, he realized he needed to play back down the line the ball had come from, not towards the stumps.
Athers: "The thinking will be to try to get Head to play more at the ball."
Bairstow is in some pain. The umpires take drinks.
Before play, Mark Taylor said that, for bowling around the wicket to him, he realized he needed to play back down the line the ball had come from, not towards the stumps.
Now it's Gower's turn to laugh at Smith's post-shot movements.
Head gets a thick inside edge past the stumps for 2.
But next ball a more convincing shot for 4
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Nasser says you should set a legside field for Smith but don't bowl to that field. Still bowl fifth or sixth stump.
Nasser says you need to get Smith playing forward.
Nasser: "Anything good he plays off the back foot. Short, he has all the time in the world."
This makes sense to me too. When you're playing around your pads, it must be much harder to play full balls. Short balls, you can just tuck around the corner.
Head gets a thick inside edge past the stumps for 2.
But next ball a more convincing shot for 4
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Nasser says you should set a legside field for Smith but don't bowl to that field. Still bowl fifth or sixth stump.
Nasser says you need to get Smith playing forward.
Nasser: "Anything good he plays off the back foot. Short, he has all the time in the world."
This makes sense to me too. When you're playing around your pads, it must be much harder to play full balls. Short balls, you can just tuck around the corner.