Two more tests underway after all that excitement.
Sri Lanka trying to show that they are still the Lions at home, and Tigers showing that they are pussy cats abroad.
Bangladesh have a terrible away record winning only two away series in 25 years. One of those was beating Pakistan last year.
Australia in West Indies will presumably garner more interest here. Khawaja is trying to save his career.
Sri Lanka are still in the comedown after losing Sangakarra, Murali et al (or is that too kind, they’ve had ages to rebuild) but I always like to see them do well. Nissanka is on 144 from 237, which is pretty tasty.
I was excited by Australia’s collapse, but WI are 57/4 so probably not the underdog win Test cricket needs.
For those of us agitating for an overdue rebuild of the AUS batting line-up this wasn’t good as the “young/new” guns flamed out. Conversely “The Cartel” showed that with 238 Test & 969 wickets under their collective belts, they know how to turn the screws.
I saw a stat that only one of the WIs has a Test average of over 30.
The current AUS batting strategy is to find a top order who can hang in there for 30 overs before Travis needs to bat. Which isn’t reassuring.
I don’t like Green batting at #3 … yet … but those who know are fine with it. 
I don’t like Inglis batting that high either, but Marnus was cooked.
Conversely, I think the team is better with Webster, who is a battle hardened cricketer rather than a spring chicken.
This one is going to be over in three days.
Australia are effectively 55/4 but it seems like anything over 120 might be defendable.
Stumps Day 2 - Australia lead by 82 runs, 6 wickets in hand.
Der shite, totally.
Indications are that the pitch is “tricky”, but it’s not “diabolical” either.
Certainly provides little incentive to stay up & awake after midnight to see the start of each day’s play.
The last time I checked the score Australia were 230 odd for 6 and I thought my 0% record in sports prognostication was safe. No way this is going to end today.
Very poor show by West Indies.
Give yourself a pass … they extended play on Day3 for the result.
Overall that was rather disappointing.
But, if AUS had scored their 2nd dig 310 in the 1st rather than the meagre 180 it would have been more conventional.
A solid partnership between Head & Webster laid the foundation for a combative and free scoring knock from Carey (big fan) that took the prospect of an upset WI win from unlikely to profoundly improbable.
South Africa raced to 418/9 on day 1 in 90 overs, after being 55-4. Zimbabwe dropped a hatful of chances it seems.
Zimbabwe have somehow saved the follow on with Sean Williams playing a lone hand with wickets falling all around him. Looked very unlikely three hours ago as debutant Codi Yusuf had taken two early wickets and the Zimbabwe opener retired hurt.
At least they are making a fight of it. Match might still be over in three days. Test cricket has changed.
Well, SA clearly don’t rate three day tests too much - even with a lead over 500, they kept batting until all wickets were lost rather than declare. From 155/5 to 369/10 is pretty demoralising for Zimbabwe, but fun for the rest of us. And bar a fairly spectacular collapse, it’ll go to day four although I wouldn’t like to say how many sessions.
A mountain of runs in County Championship today (and yesterday). Durham won the toss yesterday, invited Surry to bat… 5 session later, Surrey declared on 820/9, their highest ever score, and the highest ever scored by a team asked to bat in first class cricket.
Durham closed on 59/1, needing 671 just to avoid the follow on.
At our cricket club we have a Maxie/Fav award, named for two captains who in the same weekend won the toss, sent the opposition in on a good batting deck and lost very heavily .. but that’s orders of magnitude below that effort.
But if they got 650 and so fell just short, would you send them back in?
I looked like they might have been batting again at the end of day 2, but a ninth wicket stand of 46 consumed some precious time. I assume Surrey will forfeit their second innings tomorrow, but they might have the joke bowlers on in the afternoon.
It was Day 3, not Day 2, otherwise there wold be no need to worry about time. It depends how much Surrey (currently leading Div1 by one point) care about potentially shattering the record for the highest total by a team batting first and losing.
Down in Div2, Leicestershire are presumably ruing their decision to put Middlesex in after winning the toss - Middlesex racked up 534 and won by an innings and plenty inside three days.
In the end Surrey did enforce the follow on, but the Durham openers put on 262 at a very good clip with Surrey not taxing their front line bowlers.
Second test between India and England first day looks like will end with honors pretty even, maybe India a little ahead.
India 300/5 with the new ball due, England really need to make it count.
India are in a weird position where they have prioritised batting at the expense of bowling (not just Bumrah but Kuldeep sitting this one out) and so the batters really, really need to do well. The pitch isn’t doing much yet, so 400 feels like a minimum given that they’re a bit short of firepower to take wickets.
So far India have added 58 in 14 overs with no wickets lost.
It’s a strange situation where you’re at 350/5 and you can’t be at all comfortable. Bazball is part of it, but the two collapses in the first test are as well.
The innings can end quickly, but can you really call it a collapse if IND get 500? (Currently 474-6)