England v NZ Test Series

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

NZ 2-2 at the start of the first test match. Both caught by Bairstow and bowled by Anderson.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

7-3, bowled by Broad, 3rd catch for Bairstow.

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12-4, Potts dismisses Williamson on debut.

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Potts strikes again, 27-5.

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Potts gets his 3rd wicket just before lunch, 36-6.

[heretoday]

This'll be over by Saturday. Cricket is becoming a joke.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

45-7 1st over after lunch, Jimmy again.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

86-8, repeat of the previous wicket.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Potts takes his 4th wicket, 102-9. Some debut, taken 2 catches too.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

132 All Out, final wicket to Stokes.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

England 59-1. Not sure why Crawley didn't review the decision, clear sound as the ball passed the bat.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

England 2 down, now 80-2.

[HH81]

80-2 Root is in.

I watched Pope at the oval the other day. He looked in good form but not today.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Root gone for 11, 92-3.

[marinello59]

Root gone for 11, 92-3.

This is like watching a one day game. :greengrin

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

96-4

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

98-5

[HH81]

England are falling apart.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

100-6, this is getting silly! 😲

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

100-7

[marinello59]

100-6, this is getting silly! 😲

To say the least.

[heretoday]

Cricket's a laugh.

[Mibbes Aye]

Day one of a new England and after a promising start came the collapse. Nothing new there then.......

It was perhaps inevitable that if England bowled first, at least one of the two old warhorses would flourish, and Jimmy Anderson truly did the honours, though from what I did see, Broad combined well with him, despite not taking a wicket. And Potts can be very pleased with his display on debut, but England quick bowler succumbing to injury has become as much a cliche as the middle-order batting collapse.

It's probably worth noting that New Zealand are reigning Test champions for a reason, but England did give away cheap wickets at bat and the 'senior' players were probably the guiltiest.

All in all, no shortage of talking points in the first day of this Test and day one of the Stokes/McCullum leadership team. I'm looking forward ti an interesting summer and, given the Test itinerary, a variety of challenges set for England.

[heretoday]

I reckon cricket is one sport that has regressed in quality and expertise over the years. The one day game and 20/20 have done the damage. You can see how the display of sixes and fours slogged constantly to the boundary has an attraction for a modern audience with a short attention span. Money is huge, especially in India and everyone's scoring out of it- players, broadcasters, advertising etc. But it's not cricket!
If they were magically pitted against teams of 20 or 30 years ago today's rugby or football sides would run straight through the old brigade. Same with most sports. But the fast bowlers and spinners of the 60s or 70s would have a field day with the modern batsmen. One dreads to think of the damage Malcolm Marshall or Lillee would do to the pathetic England or NZ teams seen waving their bats about yesterday.

[weecounty hibby]

I reckon cricket is one sport that has regressed in quality and expertise over the years. The one day game and 20/20 have done the damage. You can see how the display of sixes and fours slogged constantly to the boundary has an attraction for a modern audience with a short attention span. Money is huge, especially in India and everyone's scoring out of it- players, broadcasters, advertising etc. But it's not cricket!
If they were magically pitted against teams of 20 or 30 years ago today's rugby or football sides would run straight through the old brigade. Same with most sports. But the fast bowlers and spinners of the 60s or 70s would have a field day with the modern batsmen. One dreads to think of the damage Malcolm Marshall or Lillee would do to the pathetic England or NZ teams seen waving their bats about yesterday.
I was down my local cricket club to watch a game last Saturday and had that very discussion with some of the folk I knew there. I don't like T20 but watched a wee bit a couple of weeks ago. Josh Buttler was basically playing baseball! It's why a lot of test matches don't even make it to day 5 anymore.

[heretoday]

I was down my local cricket club to watch a game last Saturday and had that very discussion with some of the folk I knew there. I don't like T20 but watched a wee bit a couple of weeks ago. Josh Buttler was basically playing baseball! It's why a lot of test matches don't even make it t. day 5 anymore.
I'm not denying that 20/20 is entertainment for folk but it's literally not cricket!

Your baseball allusion is interesting. I used to follow the game when it was on terrestrial TV in the 90s. What's struck me was the tension between pitcher and hitter - not unlike that between bowler and batsman in proper cricket. In baseball the hitter is lucky to see the ball, let alone hit it. He can't really direct his shots, however much the American hyped commentators might pretend he does. But in proper cricket, the batsman has several ways to make runs. He needs coached skills, however, not just hit and hope.

I'm just a blimp I reckon, harking back to days before money was everything. I'll just away and watch YouTube reruns of Gary Sobers and Ian Botham (again)!

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

125-8

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

130-9

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Scores level.

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141 All Out.

[weecounty hibby]

So another potential 4 day test(maybe even less) in the making. Its just not cricket!

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

5-1 New Zealand

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

30-2, Williamson gone.

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35-3, Potts flying again.

[JimBHibees]

So another potential 4 day test(maybe even less) in the making. Its just not cricket!

Could potentially be a two day test

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Over 30 mins play since a wicket went down, boring! 😉

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

56-4

[Mibbes Aye]

Could potentially be a two day test

It clearly won't be now but these things happen so infrequently that I don't really mind when they do. I watch as much Test cricket as I can, even found myself tracking down English-language commentary on online radio, for Tests in tthe sub-continent, and I nearly posted on here yesterday that I hadn't seen many really quick games in ages (IIRC).

In the last twenty years or so, where there there has been a decisive result, the vast majority of Tests have gone to four or five days, something like 80%. I think what we saw earlier in this match was straightforward enough to understand - the first bowling unit was a mixture of world-class experienced bowlers and the energy of an in-form debutant, in home conditions, followed by a bowling unit that have helped establish their team at the top of the Test rankings, bowling to a disjointed top and middle order. The nature of they way English batsmen were dismissed suggests the challenge they are facing is maybe more mental than about technique.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

251-7, it's all happening all of a sudden! 3 wickets in 3 deliveries.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

265-8

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281-9

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285 All Out, ahead by 276.

[marinello59]

Superb stuff from Root, another century for him. Great to see that smile.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Superb stuff from Root, another century for him. Great to see that smile.

Magnificent player.

[HH81]

I'm off work for the Headingley test so fancied taking in day 1. £80.00 wow.

Pretty sure last test I went to was around £50.00.

Think it will be TV for me. Shame.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Just finished the highlights of day 3 from Trent Bridge, I've said it before and I'll say it again, what a genius of a player Joe Root is.

[JeMeSouviens]

Amazing run chase especially Bairstow, backed up by Stokes. Wasn't expecting that when Root departed so cheaply!

[Mibbes Aye]

A reminder (not that one was needed) as to how gripping a Test match can be. Credit to England.

[weecounty hibby]

That was a proper test match. Well prepared pitch that yielded 1000+ runs and 35 wickets. Two good teams who clearly get on playing in the best of atmospheres. An exciting finish. 5 days play. Superb, just a pity I had to work and only caught the end of most of the days and the highlights

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Well, that was cracking entertainment! 👏

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

NZ 0-1 in the first over.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

35-2, both openers dismissed.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Williamson gone just before lunch, 62-3.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

83-4

[DaveF]

NZ recovered well to 225-5 at close. The dismissal of Nicholls was something else. Never seen that before.

[weecounty hibby]

Good days test cricket. Thankfully I had to work from home all afternoon so managed to watch it. Really enjoyed it.

[ACLeith]

Good days test cricket. Thankfully I had to work from home all afternoon so managed to watch it. Really enjoyed it.

If your work involved challenging someone's report on an online call, I hope you didn't give the game away by shouting "howzat" at them 🏏

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

243-6 Blundell out lbw just after DRS goes down.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

265-7

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325-8 in this morning's final over.

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329-9

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329 All Out

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

England 4-1

[Lancs Harp]

Saw a lad in a Hibs shirt on the box yesterday. Any one off here?

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

14-2 Boult on fire

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

17-3 Boult with all 3 wkts.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

21-4, Root gone.

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55-5

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55-6

[weecounty hibby]

Another very good test match in the making. Decent fightback from England after a phenomenal start by NZ. Boult was tremendous with the ball. Barston batting well again and getting good support from Overton who looks quite a decent batsman for a bowler

[marinello59]

Another very good test match in the making. Decent fightback from England after a phenomenal start by NZ. Boult was tremendous with the ball. Barston batting well again and getting good support from Overton who looks quite a decent batsman for a bowler

It’s superb viewing. Loving this fight back.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

It’s superb viewing. Loving this fight back.

Just caught up on the highlights of the final session, magic stuff.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

All square, 3 wkts left for England.

[marinello59]

Scores level, what a fight back this has been. Gutted for Overton getting so close to his century but still a remarkable innings.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

No play on the 5th morning. Aiming for a 1330 start.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Pope out in the first over for 82.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

England win by 7 wickets.

[marinello59]

The perfect ending from Bairstow, match won with a six.

[stuart-farquhar]

The perfect ending from Bairstow, match won with a six.

Been a great advert for Red ball. Loved it.