4th Test - England v Pakistan

[Weybridge]

If England win, and India fail to win either of their two Tests against the Windies, England go top of the rankings.

Anyway, we won the toss and are predictably batting at the Oval.

Hales gone early again, though it doesn't look like it carried to me.

31-1

[Lost in Transportation]

Hales gone early again, though it doesn't look like it carried to me.

Its something where technology doesn't help in marginal decisions due to the foreshortening effect. Benefit of doubt has to stay with the on-field decision by the umpires. I prefer that to that Stokes decision earlier in the series where the 3rd umpire got seriously wrong IMO by convincing himself to overturn an on-field decisions. Its just unlucky for Hales.

[Lost in Transportation]

Close of Day 1: England 328; Pakistan 3-1

Moeen Ali continues his fine form and it was a tremendous six to bring up his century. He, Bairstow and Woakes repaired that innings after a collapse that saw Cook, Root, Vince (brute of a ball) and Ballance all depart quickly either side of Lunch.

Over rate though. 75 overs in 6 hours is poor stuff. Fining people or threatening to suspend captains isn't working because human nature means that conflict is avoided as much as possible because its a working environment with conflict built in and part of the umpires and match referee's role is to manage that. So it needs to be a fixed playing condition that's impersonal and mechanistic.

I don't think it is unreasonable to expect 30 overs in a session to be bowled including up to 3 wickets falling. That should be the baseline.

For every over underbowled in a session, add 10 runs to extras. So if a side bowls 25 overs in the first session, that is 50 runs added at lunch.

For more than 3 wickets falling in a session, reduce the expection of overs bowled by one for every additional wicket. If 5 wickets fall then the baseline is 28 overs in a session. The game is moving forward and you shouldn't penalise the bowling side for that but 28 overs is still doable in this scenario.

That would mean that a fielding side had no reason to timewaste. But what about time-wasting by the batting side?

Here there needs to be a clamp-down on items such as additional drinks and glove changes. A batsman should be hydrated and cope with an hour's batting before needing another drink. Any additional drinks coming out by a 12th man? Remove an over from the expectation on the bowling side. The same with glove changes. So this removes that incentive for timewasting from the batting side.

Where there is significant temperatures in the middle then lets have a more structured response in the playing conditions so two drinks breaks every 40 minutes when temperatures are above 32C (as an example but the MCC should be guided by medical opinion here) and lose an over in the playing requirement.

Then I would enforce that when the bowler is ready and running in then the batsman needs to be ready. If a batsman notices something wrong with the sidescreen after the bowler starts his run-up? Tough. Its the batsman's responsibility to ensure that is sorted before the bowler starts running. Discretion will still be with the umpire for oddities such as a batsman being attacked by a wasp.

Medical breaks for injuries would be treated on a pro-rata basis to the bowling requirement.

Unless it hurts sides on the field during play then this slow over rate will continue IMO.

[Earl Grey]

....... after a collapse that saw, Vince (brute of a ball) depart.....

I'm gutted for James Vince.

I really believe in him but he does seem to get himself out in very similar ways most times.

There's a weakness there he needs to get sorted.

I hope he can pull out a big half-century (or better still a ton) on his next visit to the crease because he needs to get people talking positively about him again.

[pomp 'n circumstance]

H'mm - some pretty sweeping suggestions there LiT. One thing we cannot have is the idea of fining slow over rates by adding 10 runs to the score of the batting side - that sort of tinkering is not acceptable. Those of us who have played club cricket cannot possibly understand the complexities of 5 day Test cricket - we already have 50 over cricket and 20 over Blasts for those of us who need that sort of excitement.

Must admit to being a purist - leave Test cricket alone. It may not always to pretty to watch but by heck, it has more drama in the lazy, hazey, crazey days of Summer than limited overs will ever have!

[Milton End]

Close of Day 1: England 328; Pakistan 3-1

Moeen Ali continues his fine form and it was a tremendous six to bring up his century. He, Bairstow and Woakes repaired that innings after a collapse that saw Cook, Root, Vince (brute of a ball) and Ballance all depart quickly either side of Lunch.

Over rate though. 75 overs in 6 hours is poor stuff. Fining people or threatening to suspend captains isn't working because human nature means that conflict is avoided as much as possible because its a working environment with conflict built in and part of the umpires and match referee's role is to manage that. So it needs to be a fixed playing condition that's impersonal and mechanistic.

I don't think it is unreasonable to expect 30 overs in a session to be bowled including up to 3 wickets falling. That should be the baseline.

For every over underbowled in a session, add 10 runs to extras. So if a side bowls 25 overs in the first session, that is 50 runs added at lunch.

For more than 3 wickets falling in a session, reduce the expection of overs bowled by one for every additional wicket. If 5 wickets fall then the baseline is 28 overs in a session. The game is moving forward and you shouldn't penalise the bowling side for that but 28 overs is still doable in this scenario.

That would mean that a fielding side had no reason to timewaste. But what about time-wasting by the batting side?

Here there needs to be a clamp-down on items such as additional drinks and glove changes. A batsman should be hydrated and cope with an hour's batting before needing another drink. Any additional drinks coming out by a 12th man? Remove an over from the expectation on the bowling side. The same with glove changes. So this removes that incentive for timewasting from the batting side.

Where there is significant temperatures in the middle then lets have a more structured response in the playing conditions so two drinks breaks every 40 minutes when temperatures are above 32C (as an example but the MCC should be guided by medical opinion here) and lose an over in the playing requirement.

Then I would enforce that when the bowler is ready and running in then the batsman needs to be ready. If a batsman notices something wrong with the sidescreen after the bowler starts his run-up? Tough. Its the batsman's responsibility to ensure that is sorted before the bowler starts running. Discretion will still be with the umpire for oddities such as a batsman being attacked by a wasp.

Medical breaks for injuries would be treated on a pro-rata basis to the bowling requirement.

Unless it hurts sides on the field during play then this slow over rate will continue IMO.

Having listened to TMS yesterday, I understand where you're coming from.

But the many issues that need to be taken into account - drinks, gloves, injuries, etc - make your proposals very complicated.

Consequently, I would prefer to stick with the slow over rate.

[Weybridge]

I hate slow over rates with a passion. No excuse for it at all. Especially when you have an accurate leggie who can get through an over in a couple of minutes.

I play a number of timed matches throughout the year, usually in the format of Team A bats for 2.5 hours, then Team B gets an hour + 20 overs to knock the runs off. If Team A don't bowl out Team B, its a draw.

A couple of weeks back, we batted first and our opponents managed to bowl just 33 overs in 2.5 hours (a crappy tactic to limit the score). In turn, we bowled 39 in 2 hours trying to bowl them out, and lost the game.

[Pompey Penguin]

Fine them properly and slow over-rates will stop overnight. £50k per over should do it. Match referee should have the right to allow for exceptional circumstances, but also transfer all or some of the fine to the batting side if appropriate.

I don't see the point of sports authorities issuing token fines to teams or players. Fining top football teams a few £10ks for offenses is pointless. Start at £10M and work up from there. Even Pompey getting fined £5k for fielding a weakened team in the whatever-it-is trophy will not stop Cook putting out a second team. Fines should be based on a percentage of a teams turnover or a players salary, and set at a level that is truly discouraging.

[pompeygunner]

Pak. 281-4. Again it looks like England have made a horlicks of their 1st innings & will face a defecit but again I wouldn't bet against them to sort it out 2nd time round.

[Number 1 Jasper]

Younis Khan has beaten Don Bradman's record . Khan has been in the 90's and scored 30 consecutive centuries !

COP . Pakistan 340-6 a lead of 12 .

[Number 1 Jasper]

Pakistan all out for 542 . a lead of 214 .