[Cricket] Fourth Test: England v India, Old Trafford, August 7th-11th

[Bold Seagull]

Saker messed around with his action due to his leg hitting the stump and it ruined for a bit. He has gone back to his county and sorted it out. He will leak a few runs, but he is fast and that is something different.

The article I read said exactly that about Saker, but that graciously Middlesex were saying everybody and nobody was to blame. Essentially he got himself in a pickle because England shortened his run up which resulted in the knee/stump issue, and when trying to resolve that he just got really out of synch with his normal action. It didn't say but I suspect he might have gone back to a longer run up, because it says he doesn't hit the stumps anymore and had gone back to basics.

His knee hitting the stumps was a massive problem, something had to be done about it. Now Finn is a big boy and Saker would have made suggestions on what he could try to alleviate it - that is what a coach does. It's up to the player to decide what is working and whether he is comfortable with it. All sorts of people could be blamed for his loss of control, but ultimately it comes down to Finn. Perhaps going back to his county has given him the confidence to do things his way which is great. You can call it going back to basics, but it's actually going back to what the bowler knows is right for him - something I'm sure Saker would have been fine with had Finn addressed the stump issue on his own. As it was Finn allowed his knee to clip the stumps consistently for so long without addressing it that the laws of the game had to be changed.

 

[Titanic]

Covers are off... Toss in 10 mins... start at 11:30, unless the drizzle returns.

 

[pasty]

Hmm, wonder what the toss winner might do

From Cricinfo.com: No one has chosen to bowl first at Old Trafford since Graham Gooch in 1993

 

[Braggfan]

Hmm, wonder what the toss winner might do

From Cricinfo.com: No one has chosen to bowl first at Old Trafford since Graham Gooch in 1993

Bat. Bat. Bat. Bat. Bat. Possibly Bat

 

[Titanic]

Dhoni wins the toss and India will bat.

 

[Braggfan]

Doh, I'll take the blame for that

 

[Titanic]

England are unchanged. No place for Finn.

India make three changes, with Gambhir, Ashwin and Varun Aaron coming in for Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami.

 

[Braggfan]

I'd like to see Finn play, but you can't argue with sticking with a winning team. He'll get another chance sooner or later.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I'd like to see Finn play, but you can't argue with sticking with a winning team. He'll get another chance sooner or later.

Exactly. I think Finn may well be the future of the England attack, but we really shouldn't be rushing him at the expense of others right now.

 

[Titanic]

England: 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Sam Robson, 3 Gary Ballance, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Joe Root, 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson.

India: 1 M Vijay, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Varun Aaron 11 Pankaj Singh.

 

[withdeanwombat]

Finn would probably have replaced Jordan if he'd got the nod. So it's GOSBTS, eh ?

 

[pasty]

And we're off. Broad takes an early one

Gambhir c Root b Broad 4

India 8/1

 

[Titanic]

Two down... Vijay regulation nick to Cook at first slip off Jimmy Anderson!

Great start for the bowlers

Swing and bounce - Jimmy making the ball talk out there

8-2

 

[pasty]

WAYHAY

Vijay c Cook b Anderson 0

8/2

 

[Hillian1]

Wow.

 

[Titanic]

and a THIRD WICKET!!!

Kohli repeats the nick off to Captain Cook

8-3

WOW

 

[pasty]

Oh my days!!!!

Kohli c Cook b Anderson 0

India 8/3

 

[halbpro]

Crikey, wasn't expecting this!

Kohli c Cook b Anderson 0

8/3

 

[Titanic]

Jimmy Anderson's over: 0 W 0 W 0 0

3-3-0-2

 

[Braggfan]

Fantastic start