- Location
- Dorset, England
On a positive note, the weather forecast looks particularly Mancunian.
Thanks Will.In direct contrast to Bairstow's recent Test knocks which have been a curious mix of hesitant, impulsive and untrustworthy, today he was very impressive and played what must be his best ever Test innings from a horrible position against a quality attack on a pitch that was doing a bit. He picked length very well and played the ball late. He was uncharacteristically decisive in his shot-selection and was especially assertive when sweeping Lyon. His game looked in excellent order and even a nasty whack on the thumb couldn't derail his concentration. He looked in complete control until flapping in the nervous nineties.
Hameed and Crawley were both castled in a way that no decent Test opener should ever be, Malan was roughed up then sucker-punched, Root's spirit looks crushed, Stokes chanced his arm for 66 but is clearly carrying a nasty injury, Buttler - see Root, Wood help-hooked Cummins thrice into the stands and put on a vital and frisky partnership with YJB.
Good, clean fun and should at least make for a marginally less painful defeat than the previous three, although who knows what tomorrow will bring. I could quite easily see us losing by an innings again.
Luckily, I think that is now not possible as we’ve avoided the follow on. Otherwise I’m sure that we’d be able to contrive it. The Bairstow/Stokes/Wood partnerships strike me as one of those things that tends to happen every so often based on the probability of ‘getting away with it’ once in a while. I don’t see it as anything other than a blip within the normal progression of the series and remain convinced that only rain can save England from a fourth defeat.I could quite easily see us losing by an innings again.
And it's all gone quiet over there!12/3. This is more like it.
Great result for the Proteas.The interesting Test series is in South Africa . Amazing if the Proteas can win the series, considering what a hopeless batting side they have , and the strength of the opposition.