England v Sri Lanka - 3rd Test (Official thread)

[CHAPPERS]

Blimey - those grapes are SOUR

hehehe they dn't cheat but it just so happens that Sri Lanka have the two most questionable actions in the game and Murali just so happens to chuck it.

However it'll be nobodies fault but our own if we lost this. That 10th wicket partnership killed us. Nobody had the sand to bowl short to Murali and get him jumping about. Hussain was right when he said we should be aiming short pitched balls at his fingers. There is a distinct lack of ruthlessness about Flintoff's captaincy, you can guaruntee Vaughan would have told Freddie to bowl round the wicket and short at him with a short leg. Flintoff and his bowlers bowled up in the slot and were punished.

 

[Titanic]

but we really needed a ton from Strauss here.

and more than 11 between them from Cook, Pietersen and Flintoff

 

[tedebear]

Maybe him and Malinga will both get called for throwing!!

Can someone explain why they are allowed to bowl like that? Isn't the straight elbow supposed to pass by the ear? How is his bowling legal?

Don't mind me I've just seen Gritt's reply on the bad loser thread...

 

[Gritt23]

There is a distinct lack of ruthlessness about Flintoff's captaincy,

I absolutely agree. The Lords test just slipped through our fingers, as we failed to wrap it up. Yesterday just drifted further and further away from us. Ok, so that happens in Test cricket from time to time, but no-one seems to look in the slightest bit pissed off when it's happening.

Smiles, laughing, pulling faces, sprint races off the pitch with their physio, and plenty of back-slapping all round. Nah, we need to be far more ruthless than that. Even with Harmison out we have enough pace to have them jumping around, but we don't do it. And when it's not working I want the players to look seriously f***ed off about it, not like they are having a laugh in a charity match.

Come back Vaughan we NEED you badly.

 

[Titanic]

Can someone explain why they are allowed to bowl like that? Isn't the straight elbow supposed to pass by the ear? How is his bowling legal?

Don't mind me I've just seen Gritt's reply on the bad loser thread...

The LAWS are available here..

http://www.lords.org/data/files/laws_of_cricket_2003-8685.pdf

 

[Basil Fawlty]

Oh damn goodbye Collingwood.

 

[Uncle Buck]

When was the last time one player took all 10 wickets in a second innings?

 

[Gritt23]

The LAWS are available here..

http://www.lords.org/data/files/laws_of_cricket_2003-8685.pdf

Check out my post on "Bad Loser", I'm not disputing the laws, it's how they came about - basically to legalise his bowling - that will always f*** me off big time, and makes me so desperate to see Warne end up as the greatest Test wicket-taker off all time. It would be a travesty if it was murali.

 

[Titanic]

The LAWS are available here..

http://www.lords.org/data/files/laws_of_cricket_2003-8685.pdf

Specifically LAW 24.3

3. Definition of fair delivery – the arm
A ball is fairly delivered in respect of the arm if, once the bowler's
arm has reached the level of the shoulder in the delivery swing,
the elbow joint is not straightened partially or completely from that
point until the ball has left the hand. This definition shall not debar
a bowler from flexing or rotating the wrist in the delivery swing.

 

[Gritt23]

When was the last time one player took all 10 wickets in a second innings?

Anil Kumble I think.

 

[Marshy]

When was the last time one player took all 10 wickets in a second innings?

Kumble ?

 

[humpy]

hats off to the marvellous trent bridge groundsman for preparing such a great sri lankan wicket..................

 

[Basil Fawlty]

Gower has just made this funny comment, this is a Npower test match, the Sri Lankans are on Npower.

 

[tedebear]

hmm so the elbow joint can't bend or relax any further once it passes the level of the shoulder?? in laymans terms?

his arm doesn't get to shoulder level though??

 

[Barrel of Fun]

I wonder if that little Chinese boy will be eligible to play. He was born with three arms (Two left arms). He could be absolute dynamite. Which hand is it going to come out of this time!?? Assuming he is left handed of course.

 

[Parson Henry]

I fear that we will lose this test for the same reasons that we lost the Pakistan series. The players are a little bit up themselves after the Ashes victory and think that against the likes of Pakistan and now Sri Lanka both sides would roll-over in the face of a mighty Ashes winning team.

Freddie much as I love him as a gallant all-rounder with extraordinary skills seems to have lost himself in all the hype and looks like he does not take any form of criticism too seriously. The series should have been wrapped up by now with all the missed catches at Lords.

Pakistan are much, much better than Sri Lanka. They too have a good bowler or three.

 

[Gritt23]

hmm so the elbow joint can't bend or relax any further once it passes the level of the shoulder?? in laymans terms?

his arm doesn't get to shoulder level though??

This may help to explain my displeasure at it all.

TITANIC, this is what I mean. I know the laws allow his bowling, but I ask you, was it right to set the rules as they did?

Bowling Actions

 

[Pavilionaire]

Murali has been around for a decade and has taken over 600 wickets, it's a bit late to be bleating about a dodgy action.

The point is we have capitulated against spin and this batting line-up has been exposed as lacking grit and test match ability.

Vaughan has never been missed more sorely than now, the question of Bell for Cook has to come back on the agenda. Lewis also bowled without any threat yesterday - what a waste of the new ball.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Murali has been around for a decade and has taken over 600 wickets, it's a bit late to be bleating about a dodgy action.

The point is we have capitulated against spin and this batting line-up has been exposed as lacking grit and test match ability.

Vaughan has never been missed more sorely than now, the question of Bell for Cook has to come back on the agenda. Lewis also bowled without any threat yesterday - what a waste of the new ball.

Playing Lewis is the decision I do not understand. He is OK as an opening bowler, however when everyone is fit, he is unlikely to go to Australia. The back up bowlers seem to be Anderson, Plunkett and Mahmood, so why play Lewis?

Bell I find a strange one. The selectors stood by him last summer when he his form was poor. He had a reasonable tour of the sub continent and so got dropped.

 

[Gritt23]

Murali has been around for a decade and has taken over 600 wickets, it's a bit late to be bleating about a dodgy action.

You make it sound like it's a new phenomenon?! It's not, he's been plagued by controversy his whole career, and they have regularly changed the rules to accomodate him. When he started playing, and umpire would call a no-ball if they felt it was delivered by an illegal action. But Darryl Hair (umpiring in this match) started calling Murali for a no-ball during a series in Australia, and it caused a major incident. That must have been 8-10 years ago.

If you've heard the stick his decisions (mostly excellent) have been getting from Arravinder DaSilva in this match, I'd suggest he's not been forgiven.