After what seems an age we have test cricket back on English soil and as ever the first test is always too early for the British weather

The Windies have to go back to Bangladesh in November 2011 for the last test series they won whereas we are the number 1 team in the world

The Windies have lost Gayle, Bravo and Narine to the IPL and that's bound to have an effect

Still don't know why we don't get a 5 match series but we'll take the wins where we can get them.

 

Just driving back from a meeting and I was thinking you'd been abducted by aliens as there had been no thread

I read they may go with 4 seamers, even so we should win this 3-0 looking at the state of their team.

What will be interesting is how many jumpers they'll be wearing if it's chilly IIRC it was a minimum 2 each 4 years ago at the test held at Durham !!

 

I'm actually going to be out tomorrow and Friday in Manchester. Will be catching up on my ipad via the free wifi on the train.

 

If it's one of those Pendolino trains watch the Khazi, last time I went up to OT I pressed the button to close the electric door but didn't realise there was another button to lock it, anyway there I was mid stream when the door swooshes(is that even a word) open and there's a young lady standing there as well as various other passers by !

 

pmsl

 

Great Bowling conditions for ENG, don't let me down Jimmy

 

Ha........those great conditions will ALSO suit Roach, one of the world's quickest at the mo, and Fidel Edwards, let alone Darren sammy.

We shall see what we shall see.

 

Yeah but can they get it to swing like Jimmy, those were the conditions I was looking at

 

A stiff lesson in class served up today by the boys

That Bravo dismissal was a shambles by both them and us but we stuck with it and got the job done.

Great innings by Chanderpaul though, reminiscent of Alistair Cook

 

Do you know what..... That media centre is starting to grow on me

 

Sammy certainly can.

 

Weathers exactly the same today, lets see how he goes

 

M A S T E R C L A S S

 

Played well.

 

Tomorrow looks as if it might be more exciting than we'd like it to be

 

Hopefully Cook and KP can hold it together, the former more than the latter !!

 

Cruised it in the end as we always should have done.

 

Cook was unlucky to get out towards the end

A great first test. Just the right amount of tension and tactics. Chanders playing a good old fashioned test innings

We did the job and won convincingly in the end

 

A quick turnaround for this one, we start again tomorrow

According to Wikipedia the ground has some impressive records attached to it....

• In Test matches held at Trent Bridge, the highest team total is 658 for 8 declared, scored by England against Australia in 1938.
  

• The lowest team total is 88, scored by South Africa against England in 1960.
  

• Denis Compton scored 278 against Pakistan in 1954, and Bernard Bosanquet (the bowler who first developed the googly) took 8/107 for England against Australia in 1905.
  

• Sachin Tendulkar also passed the 11,000 run mark in the npower 2nd Test on Trent Bridge.
  

Lets hope we can get close to some of those. My view is that we will probably wrap up the series.

 

Anyone know how to get tickets?

 

You can frequently pick up hospitality tix for the same as you'd pay a tout.

I was offered a grand for ashes tickets at Lords in 2009

 

eBay item 170846179089

 

Silly prices. If it goes to Day 4 they will be selling them on the day. That's when I'll go.

Saw WI v Oz in Bridgetown for £10 on the Sunday, £3 the last day.

 

Thanks I thought it was Friday when I read that, you cant imagine my disappointment

 

Yes, woops, It seems I was a bit premature. It might be delayed a bit but at least it isn't in Cardiff

 

Amen to that brother !!

Love the Bridge, not enough Tests played there these days

 

 

Hot, cloudless and dry. Yet still the make a mess of it.

I'm going to say it here..... I'd love the Windies to regain the #1 title. They are my 2nd favourite test playing team and I have such strong memories of the way they used to be that it's heartbreaking to see them in their current form.

 

From the BBC "Chanderpaul is a bit like your grandad. You love him to bits but once he pops round you can't get rid of him!"

 

Flipping love test cricket

We've had the high's and lows in this game. Thought we'd won it on the first morning, then thought we'd lost it, expected an England batting collapse and then saw the Windies crumble while we finish on a nelson